Bruce Hood – författare

‘Do yourself a favour and grab this fantastic guide! Explains practical strategies for getting out of our own heads and finding more connection, presence, and joy’ LAURIE SANTOS, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast_______________________________________________________________________We all want to be happier, but our brains often get in the way. When we’re too stuck in our heads we obsess over our inadequacies, compare ourselves with others and fail to see the good in our lives.In The Science of Happiness, world-leading psychologist and happiness expert Bruce Hood demonstrates that the key to happiness is not self-care but connection. He presents seven simple but life-changing lessons to break negative thought patterns and re-connect with the things that really matter.Alter Your EgoAvoid IsolationReject Negative ComparisonsBecome More OptimisticControl Your AttentionConnect With OthersGet Out of Your Own Head  Grounded in decades of studies in neuroscience and developmental psychology, this book tells a radical new story about the roots of wellbeing and the obstacles that lie in our path. With clear, practical takeaways throughout, Professor Hood demonstrates how we can all harness the findings of this science to re-wire our thinking and transform our lives._______________________________________________________________________‘The Science of Happiness is a rare bird – a book that is grounded in the best new science, written with wit and wisdom, and provides clear and valuable lessons for living your best life. Highly recommended!’ DANIEL GILBERT, author of the New York Times bestseller Stumbling on Happiness‘This is a wonderful guide to what actually makes people happier – full of wisdom backed by a wealth of scientific evidence. If you want practical ideas that you can use right now to boost your wellbeing, this is your book’ ROBERT WALDINGER, author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness‘The most erudite, thoughtful, and original take on this important subject I have ever encountered. I learned something new in every chapter, and as a bonus it’s a page-turning read' MICHAEL SHERMER, author of Why People Believe Weird Things

‘The high priest of happiness’ SUNDAY TIMES‘A fantastic guide to getting out of our own heads and finding more connection, presence, and joy’ LAURIE SANTOS, host of The Happiness Lab podcast_______________________________________________________________________We all want to be happier, but our brains often get in the way. When we’re too stuck in our heads we obsess over our inadequacies, compare ourselves with others and fail to see the good in our lives.In The Science of Happiness, world-leading psychologist and happiness expert Bruce Hood demonstrates that the key to happiness is not self-care but connection. He presents seven simple but life-changing lessons to break negative thought patterns and re-connect with the things that really matter.Alter Your EgoAvoid IsolationReject Negative ComparisonsBecome More OptimisticControl Your AttentionConnect With OthersGet Out of Your Own Head  Grounded in decades of studies in neuroscience and developmental psychology, this book tells a radical new story about the roots of wellbeing and the obstacles that lie in our path. With clear, practical takeaways throughout, Professor Hood demonstrates how we can all harness the findings of this science to re-wire our thinking and transform our lives._______________________________________________________________________‘Grounded in the best new science, written with wit and wisdom, and provides clear and valuable lessons for living your best life. Highly recommended!’ DANIEL GILBERT, author of the New York Times bestseller Stumbling on Happiness‘A wonderful guide to what actually makes people happier – full of wisdom backed by a wealth of scientific evidence’ ROBERT WALDINGER, author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness‘The most erudite, thoughtful, and original take on this important subject I have ever encountered’ MICHAEL SHERMER, author of Why People Believe Weird Things'A roadmap to better wellbeing' MIRROR

‘The high priest of happiness’ SUNDAY TIMES‘A fantastic guide to getting out of our own heads and finding more connection, presence, and joy’ LAURIE SANTOS, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast_______________________________________________________________________We all want to be happier, but our brains often get in the way. When we’re too stuck in our heads we obsess over our inadequacies, compare ourselves with others and fail to see the good in our lives.In The Science of Happiness, world-leading psychologist and happiness expert Bruce Hood demonstrates that the key to happiness is not self-care but connection. He presents seven simple but life-changing lessons to break negative thought patterns and re-connect with the things that really matter.Alter Your EgoAvoid IsolationReject Negative ComparisonsBecome More OptimisticControl Your AttentionConnect With OthersGet Out of Your Own Head  Grounded in decades of studies in neuroscience and developmental psychology, this book tells a radical new story about the roots of wellbeing and the obstacles that lie in our path. With clear, practical takeaways throughout, Professor Hood demonstrates how we can all harness the findings of this science to re-wire our thinking and transform our lives._______________________________________________________________________‘A rare bird – a book that is grounded in the best new science, written with wit and wisdom, and provides clear and valuable lessons for living your best life. Highly recommended!’ DANIEL GILBERT, author of the New York Times bestseller Stumbling on Happiness‘A wonderful guide to what actually makes people happier – full of wisdom backed by a wealth of scientific evidence’ ROBERT WALDINGER, author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness‘The most erudite, thoughtful, and original take on this important subject I have ever encountered’ MICHAEL SHERMER, author of Why People Believe Weird Things

Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body - the 'me' inside me - is compelling and inescapable. This is how we interact as a social animal and judge each other's actions and deeds. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances. Rather than a single entity, the self is really a constellation of mechanisms and experiences that create the illusion of the internal you. We only emerge as a product of those around us as part of the different storylines we inhabit from the cot to the grave. It is an ever changing character, created by the brain to provide a coherent interface between the multitude of internal processes and the external world demands that require different selves.

Why is it that Tony Blair always wore the same pair of shoes when answering Prime Minister's Questions? That John McEnroe notoriously refused to step on the white lines of a tennis court between points? And that President-elect Barack Obama played a game of basketball the morning of his victory in the Iowa primary, and continued the tradition the day of every following primary? Superstitious habits are common. Do you ever cross your fingers, knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders, or step around black cats? Sentimental value often supersedes material worth. If someone offered to replace your childhood teddy bear or wedding ring with a brand new, exact replica, would you do it? How about £20 for trying on a jumper owned by Fred West? Where do such feelings come from and why do most of us have them? Humans are born with brains designed to make sense of the world and that need for an explanation can lead to beliefs that go beyond reason. To be true they would have to be supernatural. With scientific education we learn that such beliefs are irrational but at an intuitive level they can be resistant to reason or lie dormant in otherwise sensible adults.It now seems unlikely that any effort to get rid of supernatural beliefs or superstitious behaviours will be completely successful. This is not all bad news - such beliefs are a useful glue that binds us together as a society. Combining brilliant insight with witty example Hood weaves a page-turning account of our 'supersense' that navigates a path through brain science, child development, popular culture, mental illness and the paranormal. After reading SuperSense, you will realize why you are not as reasonable as you might like to think - and why that might be no bad thing.