The best psychology books combine scientific rigour with accessible writing. We turned to some of the most eminent psychologists working today for their book recommendations. Psychology may not have all the answers, but it can help you have a better understanding of yourself and others; what motivates thoughts, feelings, and actions. Using the distilled knowledge of psychology presented in these books can empower you to make better decisions, control habits, be more motivated and productive, maybe even be a little happier.
Our experts include Daniel Goleman, author of the ultra-bestselling book Emotional Intelligence; Professor Carol Dweck, whose book Mindset, on motivation, success and forming a 'growth mindset,' has sold more than a million copies; Dr Andrew Lees, one of the most cited neurologists in the world; and Harvard professor, linguist and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker (author of hit popular psychology books including The Language Instinct and The Blank Slate). In total more than 80 experts have helped make these lists. Our most recommended psychology book is Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert.
We already have reading lists outlining the best books on mindfulness, consciousness, depression, teenage mental health, child psychology and cognitive neuroscience.
To keep up to date, check out our list of new psychology books.
The best books on Clinical Neuroscience, recommended by Frederick Lepore
We still don’t have a complete understanding of the ‘terra incognita’ that is the human brain, says Frederick Lepore—the noted US neurologist and author of Finding Einstein’s Brain—but we’ve made enormous breakthroughs over the past hundred years. Here, he selects five of the best books that detail the development of the strange and delicate study of clinical neuroscience through the eyes of its researchers.
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Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want
by Ruha Benjamin -
2
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
by Susan Cain -
3
The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness
by Meghan O'Rourke -
4
Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else)
by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò -
5
Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
by Dimitris Xygalatas
Five of the Best Self-Help Books of 2022, recommended by Avram Alpert
Five of the Best Self-Help Books of 2022, recommended by Avram Alpert
At the turn of the year, many of us take the opportunity to think about our lives—how they are going, and how we hope to live them in future. We asked Avram Alpert, author of The Good-Enough Life, to recommend five of the best self-help books of 2022 that might help our bids for self-improvement; his choices remind us that self-help is not only about life-hacks and diets, but about bringing the world more in line with our ideals.
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Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway
by Susan Jeffers -
2
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
by Dale Carnegie -
3
Helping Your Child with Fears and Worries
by Cathy Creswell & Lucy Willetts -
4
Mindfulness For Health: A Practical Guide To Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress And Restoring Wellbeing
by Danny Penman & Vidyamala Burch -
5
Jog On: How Running Saved My Life
by Bella Mackie
The best books on Anxiety, recommended by Lucy Foulkes
The best books on Anxiety, recommended by Lucy Foulkes
Feeling anxiety is a natural part of being a human being, but for some people it can cause terrible mental and physical anguish and prevents them from leading happy and fulfilling lives. Lucy Foulkes, a psychologist at University College London, talks us through books that can help with anxiety.
The best books on Behavioral Science, recommended by Nicholas Epley
What can we draw from behavioral science to help us better understand each other? Nicholas Epley, Professor of Behavioral Science and Faculty Director of the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, recommends the five best books for learning about an interdisciplinary field that draws from psychology, sociology, economics and anthropology.
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The Triple Focus: A New Approach to Education
by Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge -
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Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice
by ed. Durlak et al -
3
The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science
by ed. Seppälä et al -
4
Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart
by Tara Bennett-Goleman -
5
Marrow: Love, Loss, and What Matters Most
by Elizabeth Lesser
The best books on Emotional Intelligence, recommended by Daniel Goleman
The best books on Emotional Intelligence, recommended by Daniel Goleman
We are taught to value intelligence and academic ability, but raw mental firepower does not always translate into success at work or a life of contentment. Just as important are the skills that make up ’emotional intelligence,’ says Daniel Goleman, whose bestselling book popularised the concept. Here he chooses five emotional intelligence books that explore its practical applications.
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Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
by Mark Williams. Danny Penman -
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Into the Heart of Mindfulness: Finding Our Path to Well-Being
by Ed Halliwell -
3
A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled
by Ruby Wax -
4
The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being
by Daniel Siegel -
5
Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness
by Chogyam Trungpa
The best books on Mindfulness, recommended by Tessa Watt
The best books on Mindfulness, recommended by Tessa Watt
In a world where many people feel frazzled by the pace of life, can mindfulness help? What’s the best way of practising it? Or is it just a fad? Philosopher Nigel Warburton talks to mindfulness expert, Tessa Watt, about the best books on mindfulness.
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The Marshmallow Test: Why Self-Control Is the Engine of Success
by Walter Mischel -
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A Curious Mind: The Secret To a Bigger Life
by Brian Grazer -
3
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
by Carol Dweck -
4
Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World
by Mitch Prinstein -
5
Path to Purpose
by William Damon
The best books on Character Development, recommended by Angela Duckworth
The best books on Character Development, recommended by Angela Duckworth
Can we cultivate qualities like grit, tenacity and kindness? How about habits of the successful—hard work, perseverance and productivity? Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit and founder of the Character Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, recommends five books, including a title that graces every CEO’s shelf.
The best books on Sigmund Freud, recommended by Lisa Appignanesi
Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Moravia in the Austro-Hungarian empire, Sigmund Freud spent most of his life in Vienna, until fleeing to London just before his death in 1939. Using his classical education to illustrate his points, he introduced the idea that we have an ‘unconscious’ that plays an important role in our actions. For his sessions when patients talked freely to him about their thoughts in a one-on-one setting, he coined the term ‘psychoanalysis.’ Freud expert Lisa Appignanesi talks us through books that shed light on his life as well as his work.
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The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
by Daniel J Levitin -
2
BrainChains: Your Thinking Brain Explained in Simple Terms
by Theo Compernolle -
3
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
by Atul Gawande -
4
The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
by Kevin Kelly -
5
The Antidote
by Oliver Burkeman
The best books on Productivity, recommended by David Allen
The best books on Productivity, recommended by David Allen
If you feel like you lose whole days to procrastination or indecision—or simply have too much to do!—you probably want advice on how improve your productivity. We spoke to David Allen, creator of the perennial bestseller Getting Things Done, about the best books on the subject: why we waste time, and what we can change to be more productive.
The best books on Mindset and Success, recommended by Carol Dweck
If you’ve stepped inside a school recently, you’ve probably heard teachers talking about the importance of a ‘growth mindset.’ Here psychologist Carol Dweck, who pioneered research into this key concept, explains what it’s all about and recommends books—other than her own—that shed light on it.
The best books on Burnout, recommended by Josh Cohen
Overwhelmed, exhausted, yet unable to relax when you have the chance? You are not alone. Josh Cohen, psychoanalyst and author of Not Working: Why We Have to Stop, discusses the symptoms and causes of burnout—and why relentless activity is at the source.
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Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
by Christopher Browning -
2
Life After Life: Interviews with Twelve Murderers
by Tony Parker -
3
Innocent Blood
by P D James -
4
Cries Unheard: The Story of Mary Bell
by Gitta Sereny -
5
The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception
The best books on The Psychology of Killing, recommended by Gwen Adshead
The best books on The Psychology of Killing, recommended by Gwen Adshead
Does anyone have the capacity to commit homicide? Forensic psychiatrist and bestselling author Gwen Adshead raises the chilling possibility that maybe they do, as she recommends five of the best books on the psychology of killing.
The best books on High Performance Psychology, recommended by Michael Gervais
To reach your full potential you must put as much effort into building mental resilience as you do into work or training, advises high-performance psychologist Dr Michael Gervais. Here, he selects five titles to help you find the right mindset—whether you dream of sporting stardom, artistic achievement or business success.
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Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
by Oliver Burkeman -
2
Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles
by Beth Pickens -
3
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself
by Nedra Glover Tawwab -
4
The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self
by Martha Beck -
5
Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection
by Julia Cameron
The Best Self Help Books of 2021, recommended by Emma Gannon
The Best Self Help Books of 2021, recommended by Emma Gannon
Lockdowns have forced many of us to pause and consider the way we are living our lives, says the podcaster and bestselling author Emma Gannon. Here she highlights five of the best self help books published in 2021, with a special focus on creativity and setting better boundaries to safeguard our time and energy.
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The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World
by Oona Hathaway & Scott Shapiro -
2
Homicide
by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson -
3
Statistics of Deadly Quarrels
by Lewis F Richardson -
4
Violent Land
by David Courtwright -
5
The Remnants of War
by John Mueller -
6
Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty
by Roy Baumeister
The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker
The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker
Our TV screens may be full of news about war and crime, but this masks a fall in historical terms in the number of violent deaths that’s nothing short of astonishing, says Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. He tells us how and why this happened. (This interview was updated 17 December, 2020, to include books that have come out since it was published in 2011)
The best books on Coping With Failure, recommended by Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day, author of How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learnt from Things Going Wrong, explains how the road to success truly is paved with failure—and why we must learn to deal with it better.
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Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind
by David M Buss -
2
Homicide
by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson -
3
The Language Instinct
by Steven Pinker -
4
Death from a Distance and the Birth of a Humane Universe
by Joanne Souza & Paul M. Bingham -
5
The Illusion of Conscious Will
by Daniel M. Wegner
The best books on Evolutionary Psychology, recommended by Chris Paley
The best books on Evolutionary Psychology, recommended by Chris Paley
Human traits are a product of natural selection—and the story of how we have evolved explains many of our psychological quirks today. Chris Paley, author of Unthink and Beyond Bad, recommends five of the best evolutionary psychology books—and explains how experimental data might finally get to the bottom of the question of free will.
The best books on Happiness, recommended by Jonathan Haidt
Most of us want to be happy, and yet it’s hard to achieve. Jonathan Haidt, psychologist and author of the classic The Happiness Hypothesis, talks us through five books, old and new, to better understand happiness.
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The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder
by Richard Rohr -
2
Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage
by Philip Goldberg -
3
How to Be a Failure and Still Live Well: A Philosophy
by Beverley Clack -
4
The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century
by Adam Davidson -
5
The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work From Home
The Best Self Help Books of 2020, recommended by Oliver Burkeman
The Best Self Help Books of 2020, recommended by Oliver Burkeman
We asked Oliver Burkeman, the Guardian writer and author of The Antidote, to select the best self help books published in 2020. His recommended titles include spiritual guidance for the age of doomscrolling, a philosophy of failure, and practical advice for those working from home for the first time.
The best books on Cruelty and Evil, recommended by Paul Bloom
How do evil-doers justify their behaviour? A common view of evil sees dehumanisation as fundamental. Yale psychologist Paul Bloom argues, however, that the picture may not be so simple. The most callous acts of cruelty and evil involve recognising the human feelings of the victim, their ability to feel shame and humiliation.
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The Enigma of Reason: A New Theory of Human Understanding
by Dan Sperber & Hugo Mercier -
2
Knowing Mandela: A Personal Portrait
by John Carlin -
3
The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts
by Peter Coleman -
4
Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration
by Teresa Bejan -
5
Learning Lessons From Waco: When Parties Bring Their Gods to the Negotiation Table
by Jayne Docherty
The best books on Disagreeing Productively, recommended by Ian Leslie
The best books on Disagreeing Productively, recommended by Ian Leslie
Many of us avoid conflict in our relationships with family and friends or at work, but that’s probably a mistake, says Ian Leslie, author of a number of nonfiction books on human behaviour. Here, he recommends books that offer insight into how to disagree productively, from evolutionary biology to 17th century Rhode Island, from Nelson Mandela to seemingly intractable conflicts.
Best Books on the Neuroscience of Consciousness, recommended by Anil Seth
Nearly every human has a sense of self, a feeling that we are located in a body that’s looking out at the world and experiencing it over the course of a lifetime. Some people even think of it as a soul or other nonphysical reality that is yet somehow connected to the blood and bones that make up our bodies. How things seem, however, is quite often an unreliable guide to how things are, says neuroscientist Anil Seth. Here he recommends five key books that led him to his own understanding of consciousness, and explores why it is that what is likely an illusion can be so utterly convincing.
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Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
by Shunryu Suzuki -
2
The Life of Milarepa
Translated by Lobsang P Lhalungpa -
3
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
by Chogyam Trungpa -
4
The Bodhicaryāvatāra
by Śāntideva -
5
One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryōkan
by Ryōkan
Meditation Books, recommended by Andy Puddicombe
Meditation Books, recommended by Andy Puddicombe
Two decades ago Andy Puddicombe was ordained as a Buddhist monk. Now back in lay life, he tries to teach the benefits of meditation to the rest of us—most notably through the Headspace app, but also by writing books. Here he chooses some of the books that inspired him, from Japanese poetry to Tibetan philosophy. Not all are meditation books but they are his “old favorites.”
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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by David Allen -
2
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
by Cal Newport -
3
The Tao of Time
by Diana Hunt & Pam Hait -
4
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less
by Tiffany Dufu -
5
Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World
by Iddo Landau
The best books on Time Management, recommended by Oliver Burkeman
The best books on Time Management, recommended by Oliver Burkeman
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? You are not alone. Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, selects some of the best books on time management—including two classic how-to guides, plus several texts focused on helping you decide how you really want to spend your finite time on this planet.
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The Book of Human Emotions: An Encyclopedia of Feeling from Anger to Wanderlust
by Tiffany Watt Smith -
2
Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides -
3
Principles of Psychology
by William James -
4
Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion and Pride
by David DeSteno -
5
Stumbling on Happiness
by Daniel Gilbert
The Best Books on Emotions, recommended by Lisa Feldman Barrett
The Best Books on Emotions, recommended by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Not every culture has a word for ‘fear.’ Smiling was an invention of the Middle Ages. There’s a lot that will surprise you about the way we process emotions, says the neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett. Here she picks five books that illustrate our understanding of how emotions work.
The best books on Essentialism, recommended by Susan Gelman
Putting people and things into categories is something we all do. It’s a useful shortcut but reveals biases. And it plays a role in everything from ethnic violence to childhood development, as psychologist Susan Gelman explains.
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The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy
by Irvin D Yalom -
2
Introduction to Cognitive Analytic Therapy: Principles and Practice
by Anthony Ryle & Ian B Kerr -
3
Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide
by Gillian Butler, Tony Hope & Nick Grey -
4
What Works for Whom: A Critical Review of Psychotherapy Research
by Anthony Roth & Peter Fonagy -
5
Why Don't I Feel Good Enough?: Using Attachment Theory to Find a Solution
by Helen Dent
The best books on Clinical Psychology, recommended by Susan Llewelyn
The best books on Clinical Psychology, recommended by Susan Llewelyn
Clinical psychologists look at how we feel, how that affects how we behave, and whether we can change. Here, the Oxford academic and clinician Susan Llewelyn discusses five key books in the field of clinical psychology, why clinicians must keep their minds open to new approaches, and why aspiring psychologists should read as many novels as they can.
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The Animal Mind: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Animal Cognition
by Kristin Andrews -
2
What Would Animals Say If We Asked the Right Questions?
by Vinciane Despret, translated by Brett Buchanan -
3
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
by Ed Yong -
4
The Emotional Lives of Animals
by Marc Bekoff -
5
Why Look At Animals?
by John Berger
The best books on Animal Consciousness, recommended by David Peña-Guzmán
The best books on Animal Consciousness, recommended by David Peña-Guzmán
The more we learn about the minds of other species, the more we are forced to question any assumptions that might previously have been made about their inner lives. Here, the philosopher David Peña-Guzmán talks us through the profound questions thrown up by research into animal cognition, perception and emotion, as he recommends five of the best books on animal consciousness.
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Frenemies: How Social Media Polarizes America
by Jaime Settle -
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The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health—and How We Must Adapt
by Sinan Aral -
3
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
by Erving Goffman -
4
Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity
by Lilliana Mason -
5
Bit by Bit: Social Research in the Digital Age
by Matthew Salganik
The Best Books on Social Media and Political Polarization, recommended by Chris Bail
The Best Books on Social Media and Political Polarization, recommended by Chris Bail
Convenient as it is to blame our political woes on the polarizing effect of social media, echo chambers, interference by foreign powers or other shadowy operators, the truth is that human nature and our search for identity and status are more likely culprits. Sociologist Chris Bail, a professor at Duke University and director of its ‘Polarization Lab’, talks us through what social science has to say about the connection between social media and political polarization.
The best books on Cognitive Neuroscience, recommended by Dick Passingham
Neuroscience has banished the problem of dualism—the ‘ghost in the machine’ mulled over by philosophists since the time of Descartes, says the renowned cognitive neuroscientist Professor Dick Passingham. Here, he chooses five books that signified major breakthroughs in this fast-advancing field.
The Best Psychology Books for Teens, recommended by Jessica Flitter, Laura Brandt & Nancy Fenton
Three award-winning US high school psychology teachers—authors of the website Books for Psychology Class—share their recommendations of the best psychology books for teenagers, students and their teachers—and reflect on why storytelling is a key aspect of the art of teaching.
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Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life
by Cynthia Kim -
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The Real Experts: Readings for Parents of Autistic Children
by Michelle Sutton (editor) -
3
Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism
by Barry Prizant and Tom Fields-Meyer -
4
Autism Adulthood: Strategies and Insights for a Fulfilling Life
by Susan Senator -
5
The Eagle Tree
by Ned Hayes
The Best Autism Books, recommended by Steve Silberman
The Best Autism Books, recommended by Steve Silberman
Writing about autism has undergone an important shift, finally giving a voice to people with autism, says Steve Silberman, the winner of the 2015 Baillie Gifford Prize for his book tracing the history of autism, NeuroTribes. He picks the best new books on autism.
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Forensic Psychology for Dummies
by David Canter -
2
The Criminal
by Havelock Ellis -
3
Inside the Criminal Mind
by Stanton Samenow -
4
The Psychology of Criminal Conduct: Theory, Research and Practice
by Ronald Blackburn -
5
Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Research and Application
Curtis & Anne Bartol
The best books on Forensic Psychology, recommended by David Canter
The best books on Forensic Psychology, recommended by David Canter
There’s more to criminal psychology than Mindhunter and Silence of the Lambs would have you believe, says the offender profiling pioneer David Canter. Here, he selects five of the best books on forensic psychology.
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The Inner Game of Tennis
by W. Timothy Gallwey -
2
Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect
by Bob Rotella -
3
Zen Putting: Mastering the Mental Game on the Greens
by Joseph Parent -
4
Heads-Up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time
by Ken Ravizza & Tom Hanson -
5
The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, And Thrive
by Jim Afremow
The best books on Sports Psychology, recommended by Bill Cole
The best books on Sports Psychology, recommended by Bill Cole
What do you think about when you’re training at the gym, or on the tennis court? And what should you think about, if your goal is maximizing performance and results? Seasoned sports psychologist Bill Cole, coach for numerous Olympic teams and top-level international athletes, reveals that the number one road block to athletic performance often isn’t physical—it’s overthinking.
The best books on Play, recommended by Dorothy Singer
Play is a vital learning experience. But not all play is equal. Some helps children develop their imagination and learn cooperative behaviour. Some doesn’t. The Yale psychologist explains all
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
by Lori Gottlieb -
2
Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It
by David Zahl -
3
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
by David Brooks -
4
In Search of Silence
by Poorna Bell -
5
This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom
by Martin Hägglund
The Best Self-Help Books of 2019, recommended by Oliver Burkeman
The Best Self-Help Books of 2019, recommended by Oliver Burkeman
The self-help genre is sometimes dismissed as simplistic or over-earnest. But, at their best, self-help books offer powerful insights into how to live. Oliver Burkeman, the Guardian columnist and author of The Antidote, recommends five of the best self-help books published in 2019.
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Consciousness Explained
by Daniel Dennett -
2
Principles of Psychology
by William James -
3
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
by Julian Jaynes -
4
The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul
by Daniel Dennett & Douglas Hofstadter -
5
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life
by Peter Godfrey-Smith
The best books on Consciousness, recommended by Susan Blackmore
The best books on Consciousness, recommended by Susan Blackmore
The ‘hard problem’ of consciousness – of how the physical matter of the brain produces the psychological phenomenon of consciousness – has dogged psychologists and neuroscientists for decades. But what if we’ve been posing the question incorrectly all this time? The psychologist Susan Blackmore discusses five key texts that tackle this quicksilver concept.
The best books on Neuroscience as a Career, recommended by Andrew Lees
Are you considering a career in neuroscience? Neurologist Andrew Lees, one of the world’s leading authorities on Parkinson’s and author of Mentored by a Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment, talks about the books that continue to inspire him in his work.
The Best Self-Help Novels, recommended by Beth Blum
Since the publication of Samuel Smiles’ Self-Help (1859) in Victorian Britain, self-help has become a billion dollar industry—and its influence is even felt in the contemporary novel, says Harvard literary scholar Beth Blum, author of The Self-Help Compulsion, a new history of the rise of self-help narratives in modern literature.
The best books on Minimalism, recommended by Kyle Chayka
In times of political or personal turmoil, there’s a tendency to seek solace in stripping back life to its bare essentials. Minimalist thought is threaded through Stoicism and Zen Buddhism; absence and space became major preoccupations of 1960s US art. Kyle Chayka, the art critic and author of The Longing for Less, recommends five books on the philosophy that underpins the present fad for minimalist self-help.
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Grief is the Thing with Feathers
by Max Porter -
2
Broken Hierarchies: Poems 1952-2012
by Geoffrey Hill -
3
Late Fragments: Everything I Want To Tell You (About This Magnificent Life)
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4
With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial
by Kathryn Mannix -
5
I Capture The Castle
by Dodie Smith
The best books on Grief, recommended by Sophie Ratcliffe
The best books on Grief, recommended by Sophie Ratcliffe
We often think of bereavement in terms of deep melancholy or gentle sadness, but “grief behaves badly and grief is risk-taking”, says Sophie Ratcliffe, Oxford literary critic and author of the memoir The Lost Properties of Love. Here, she recommends five books that may act as a balm for those who have lost someone, and says that the act of reading—any book, any poem—can be consoling.
The best books on Overcoming Insecurities, recommended by Robert Kelsey
Most self-help books promise to take you from 0 to 100, but many people reading them are starting at minus 100. The author of What’s Stopping You? picks books that helped him come to grips with his own insecurities.
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A Lab of One’s Own: Science and Suffrage in the First World War
by Patricia Fara -
2
Eve to Evolution: Darwin, Science, and Women's Rights in Gilded Age America
by Kimberly Hamlin -
3
Wally Funk's Race for Space: The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer
by Sue Nelson -
4
The Woman That Never Evolved
by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy -
5
The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
by Desmond Morris
The best books on Scientific Differences between Women and Men, recommended by Angela Saini
The best books on Scientific Differences between Women and Men, recommended by Angela Saini
Consideration of differences between men and women has been obscured by centuries of biological essentialism, argues Angela Saini – author of Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong. Here she discusses five books that examine or demonstrate the misogynistic lens through which female capability has been viewed.
The best books on Personality Types, recommended by Merve Emre
Since its birth in the early twentieth century, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become the most popular personality test in the world. Here, Merve Emre, author of the new book The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing, recommends five books that reveal how the language of ‘type’ has seeped into the marrow of American civic institutions and social life—from Fortune 500 companies to Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
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Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children
by Viviana A Zelizer -
2
Social Development
by H. Rudolph Schaffer -
3
The Roads of Chinese Childhood
by Charles Stafford -
4
The Child in the City
by Colin Ward -
5
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett
The best books on Children, recommended by Jo Boyden
The best books on Children, recommended by Jo Boyden
We all know how children should be brought up, and rarely question the cultural norms that underly that certainty. But what does that mean for the policies we try to impose on the developing world? Jo Boyden, professor of international development at Oxford University and director of its Young Lives study, picks books that question our assumptions about how to successfully raise a child.
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Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes From and Why
by Ellen Dissanayake -
2
Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain
by Semir Zeki -
3
The Neurobiology of Painting
by F Clifford Rose -
4
Feeling Beauty: The Neuroscience of Aesthetic Experience
by G Gabrielle Starr -
5
Art, Aesthetics, and the Brain
by Ed. Huston & Nadal et al
The best books on The Neuroscience of Aesthetics, recommended by Anjan Chatterjee
The best books on The Neuroscience of Aesthetics, recommended by Anjan Chatterjee
Why is it that following a certain kind of brain damage, some artists’ work changes for the better? Neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee speaks to Five Books about how we can deconstruct the way the brain processes aesthetic experiences. He recommends the best books on neuroaesthetics
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A Materialist Theory of the Mind
by D M Armstrong -
2
Consciousness Explained
by Daniel Dennett -
3
Varieties of Meaning: The 2002 Jean Nicod Lectures
by Ruth Garrett Millikan -
4
The Architecture of the Mind
by Peter Carruthers -
5
Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension
by Andy Clark
The best books on Philosophy of Mind, recommended by Keith Frankish
The best books on Philosophy of Mind, recommended by Keith Frankish
The experimental investigation of the mind is now the province of psychology and neuroscience – but many conceptual and metaphysical questions remain. Philosophy of mind deals with these fundamental questions, says Keith Frankish, as he selects five of the best books in the field.
The best books on Teenage Mental Health, recommended by Rae Earl
Every generation has its own minefield to negotiate in order to reach adulthood. Author Rae Earl discusses five books that explore a range of mental health issues that some teenagers may face, and many adults have faced, while on this difficult journey.
The best books on How to Be Happier, recommended by Gretchen Rubin
The author who gave us The Happiness Project passes on tips for happier living, with a little help from Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin and a nun with humour on her mind.
The best books on Understanding Infants, recommended by Tobias Hecht
The anthropologist explains how infants are socially aware and why behaviour thought inevitable in some cultures, such as tantrums, can be uncommon elsewhere