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Psychology » Psychology Research

Most Recommended Books

Principles of Psychology by William James

“A wonderful summary of what was known and what questions were being asked at the dawn of psychology as a science in the 19th century. James is widely mis-cited and misunderstood as someone who advocated for a classical, common sense view of emotion. The irony is that he advocated for just the opposite.”

Lisa Feldman Barrett, Psychologist

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Browse book recommendations:

Psychology

  • Applied Psychology
  • Autism
  • Child Psychology
  • Mental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Psychology Research
  • Self Help
  • Social Psychology

Psychology is a thriving field of research, particularly the study of the neural correlates of thought and behaviour. Here we gather together interviews about cutting-edge psychological research and its development over recent decades, as well as popular science books that summarise complex areas of study for the general reader.

Over the last decade, we've spoken to some of the top researchers in the field, including Cambridge professor Simon Baron-Cohen, who spoke to us about empathy; Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, who discussed the decline of violence; Lisa Feldman Barrett, distinguished professor at Northeastern University and world-leading expert, on the science of emotions; and the renowned Oxford neuroscientist Dick Passingham, on cognitive neuroscience.

    The Best Books on Emotions, recommended by Lisa Feldman Barrett

  • Read
    The Best Books on Emotions - The Book of Human Emotions: An Encyclopedia of Feeling from Anger to Wanderlust by Tiffany Watt Smith

    1

    The Book of Human Emotions: An Encyclopedia of Feeling from Anger to Wanderlust
    by Tiffany Watt Smith

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    The Best Books on Emotions - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

    2

    Middlesex
    by Jeffrey Eugenides

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    The Best Books on Emotions - Principles of Psychology by William James

    3

    Principles of Psychology
    by William James

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    The Best Books on Emotions - Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion and Pride by David DeSteno

    4

    Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion and Pride
    by David DeSteno

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    The Best Books on Emotions - Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

    5

    Stumbling on Happiness
    by Daniel Gilbert

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 Consciousness, recommended by Susan Blackmore

  • Read
    The best books on Consciousness - Consciousness Explained by Daniel C Dennett

    1

    Consciousness Explained
    by Daniel C Dennett

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    The best books on Consciousness - Principles of Psychology by William James

    2

    Principles of Psychology
    by William James

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    The best books on Consciousness - The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes

    3

    The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
    by Julian Jaynes

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    The best books on Consciousness - The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul by Douglas R Hofstadter & Daniel C Dennett

    4

    The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul
    by Douglas R Hofstadter & Daniel C Dennett

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    The best books on Consciousness - Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith

    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 ‘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 Cognitive Neuroscience, recommended by Dick Passingham

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    The best books on Cognitive Neuroscience - The Concept of Mind by Gilbert Ryle

    1

    The Concept of Mind
    by Gilbert Ryle

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    The best books on Cognitive Neuroscience - Perception and Communication by Donald Broadbent

    2

    Perception and Communication
    by Donald Broadbent

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    The best books on Cognitive Neuroscience - Evolution of the Brain and Intelligence by Harry Jerison

    3

    Evolution of the Brain and Intelligence
    by Harry Jerison

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    The best books on Cognitive Neuroscience - Images of Mind by Michael Posner and Marcus Raichle

    4

    Images of Mind
    by Michael Posner and Marcus Raichle

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    The best books on Cognitive Neuroscience - Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory by Donald Hebb

    5

    Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory
    by Donald Hebb

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 books on Time and the Mind, recommended by Marc Wittmann

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    The best books on Time and the Mind - The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness by David Gelernter

    1

    The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness
    by David Gelernter

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    The best books on Time and the Mind - How Do You Feel? An Interoceptive Moment with Your Neurobiological Self by Bud Craig

    2

    How Do You Feel? An Interoceptive Moment with Your Neurobiological Self
    by Bud Craig

  • Read
    The best books on Time and the Mind - Why Life Speeds Up as You Get Older: How Memory Shapes Our Past by Douwe Draaisma

    3

    Why Life Speeds Up as You Get Older: How Memory Shapes Our Past
    by Douwe Draaisma

  • Read
    The best books on Time and the Mind - The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

    4

    The Magic Mountain
    by Thomas Mann

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    The best books on Time and the Mind - Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness by Nicholas Humphrey

    5

    Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness
    by Nicholas Humphrey

The best books on Time and the Mind, recommended by Marc Wittmann

“Time is an illusion,” wrote Douglas Adams. “Lunchtime, doubly so.” It is certainly a subjective experience, agrees the psychologist and author Marc Wittmann—as any drug user or meditation expert can tell you. Here he picks five books that unpick our perception of the passage of time.

    The best books on Emotion and the Brain, recommended by Morten Kringelbach

  • Read
    The best books on Emotion and the Brain - The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

    1

    The Children's Book
    by A.S. Byatt

  • Read
    The best books on Emotion and the Brain - On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks

    2

    On the Move: A Life
    by Oliver Sacks

  • Read
    The best books on Emotion and the Brain - Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation by David Huron

    3

    Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation
    by David Huron

  • Read
    The best books on Emotion and the Brain - Sync: How Order Emerges from Chaos In the Universe, Nature, and Daily Life by Steven Strogatz

    4

    Sync: How Order Emerges from Chaos In the Universe, Nature, and Daily Life
    by Steven Strogatz

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    The best books on Emotion and the Brain - The Well-Tuned Brain: Neuroscience and the Life Well Lived by Peter C. Whybrow

    5

    The Well-Tuned Brain: Neuroscience and the Life Well Lived
    by Peter C. Whybrow

The best books on Emotion and the Brain, recommended by Morten Kringelbach

We live at a time of unprecedented insight into the workings of our own minds. We can use this knowledge to improve both ourselves and humanity, argues the neuroscientist.

    The best books on Fear of Death, recommended by Sheldon Solomon

  • Read
    The best books on Fear of Death - The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

    1

    The Denial of Death
    by Ernest Becker

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    The best books on Fear of Death - Escape From Evil by Ernest Becker

    2

    Escape From Evil
    by Ernest Becker

  • Read
    The best books on Fear of Death - Frankenstein (Book) by Mary Shelley

    3

    Frankenstein (Book)
    by Mary Shelley

  • Read
    The best books on Fear of Death - Existential Psychotherapy by Irvin D Yalom

    4

    Existential Psychotherapy
    by Irvin D Yalom

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    The best books on Fear of Death - Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers

    5

    Clock Without Hands
    by Carson McCullers

The best books on Fear of Death, recommended by Sheldon Solomon

Existential anxiety drives our lives but most of us are too frightened to think about it, says psychologist and author Sheldon Solomon. He chooses the best books to get a better understanding of our fear of death.

    The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

    1

    Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech
    by Edward Sapir

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour by Kenneth Pike

    2

    Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour
    by Kenneth Pike

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky

    3

    Aspects of the Theory of Syntax
    by Noam Chomsky

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - On Understanding Grammar by Talmy Givón

    4

    On Understanding Grammar
    by Talmy Givón

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment by Robert Brandom

    5

    Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment
    by Robert Brandom

The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

The linguist argues that all language has a basis in culture and explains how Chomsky is like Freud: crucial, but crucially wrong. He chooses five of the best books on linguistics.

    The best books on Identity and the Mind, recommended by Sebastian Seung

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    The best books on Identity and the Mind - Mind and Body by Alexander Bain

    1

    Mind and Body
    by Alexander Bain

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    The best books on Identity and the Mind - Driving Mr Albert by Michael Paterniti

    2

    Driving Mr Albert
    by Michael Paterniti

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    The best books on Identity and the Mind - The Emotion Machine by Marvin Minsky

    3

    The Emotion Machine
    by Marvin Minsky

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    The best books on Identity and the Mind - Portraits of the Mind by Carl Schoonover

    4

    Portraits of the Mind
    by Carl Schoonover

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    The best books on Identity and the Mind - The World, the Flesh, and the Devil by JD Bernal

    5

    The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
    by JD Bernal

The best books on Identity and the Mind, recommended by Sebastian Seung

Neuroscientist Sebastian Seung introduces us to the concept of the connectome, the ever-changing map of connections between the brain’s neurons that makes each of us who we are.

    The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World by Oona Hathaway & Scott Shapiro

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    The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World
    by Oona Hathaway & Scott Shapiro

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Homicide by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson

    2

    Homicide
    by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Statistics of Deadly Quarrels by Lewis F Richardson

    3

    Statistics of Deadly Quarrels
    by Lewis F Richardson

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Violent Land by David Courtwright

    4

    Violent Land
    by David Courtwright

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - The Remnants of War by John Mueller

    5

    The Remnants of War
    by John Mueller

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    The best books on The Decline of Violence - Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty by Roy Baumeister

    6

    Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty
    by Roy Baumeister

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 Empathy, recommended by Simon Baron-Cohen

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    The best books on Empathy - The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker

    1

    The Language Instinct
    by Steven Pinker

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    The best books on Empathy - Brain Gender by Melissa Hines

    2

    Brain Gender
    by Melissa Hines

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    The best books on Empathy - Separation by John Bowlby

    3

    Separation
    by John Bowlby

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    The best books on Empathy - Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin

    4

    Animals in Translation
    by Temple Grandin

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    The best books on Empathy - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

    5

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
    by Mark Haddon

The best books on Empathy, recommended by Simon Baron-Cohen

Autism expert Simon Baron Cohen tells us about the links between empathy and language, and says our acts of cruelty to one another have at their root a failure to empathise.

    The best books on Mind and The Brain, recommended by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

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    The best books on Mind and The Brain - Autism: Explaining the Enigma by Uta Frith

    1

    Autism: Explaining the Enigma
    by Uta Frith

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    The best books on Mind and The Brain - Making up the Mind by Chris Frith

    2

    Making up the Mind
    by Chris Frith

  • Read
    The best books on Mind and The Brain - Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre

    3

    Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks
    by Ben Goldacre

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    The best books on Mind and The Brain - Saturday by Ian McEwan

    4

    Saturday
    by Ian McEwan

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    The best books on Mind and The Brain - Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh

    5

    Fermat’s Last Theorem
    by Simon Singh

The best books on Mind and The Brain, recommended by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

The Research Fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, discusses aspects of the relationship between the mind and the brain. Recommends books on autism, the allure of neuroscience, consciousness and maths

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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