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.

Vuosikymmenten tutkimuksen tulos muuttaa käsityksemme onnellisuudesta

Maailman johtava onnellisuuden asiantuntija ja kehityspsykologi Bruce Hood kertoo kirjassaan Onnen tiede seitsemän oivallusta parempaan elämään.

Me kaikki haluamme olla onnellisempia, mutta usein olemme itse oman onnemme esteenä. Kun olemme liian keskittyneitä itseemme ja puutteisiimme, saatamme vertailla itseämme muihin emmekä näe kaikkea hyvää elämässämme.

Onnen tieteessä psykologi Bruce Hood osoittaa, että avain hyvinvointiin ei ole omista tarpeista huolehtiminen vaan ympäröivän todellisuuden parempi huomioiminen. Hood esittää seitsemän yksinkertaista mutta elämää mullistavaa oivallusta, joiden avulla voimme murtaa omaan itseen kohdistuvat negatiiviset ajatusmallit ja suunnata huomion asioihin, joilla on todellista merkitystä.

Kirja perustuu vuosikymmenien neurotieteelliseen ja kehityspsykologiseen tutkimukseen, ja se muuttaa radikaalisti käsityksiämme hyvinvoinnin perusteista. Selkeiden, käytännöllisten oivallusten avulla Hood osoittaa, miten tieteen löydöksiä hyödyntäen muutamme ajatteluamme – ja elämäämme – paremmaksi.

Bruce Hood on palkittu kehityspsykologian professori Bristolin yliopistossa. Hänen kurssinsa The Science of Happiness oli jo ensimmäisenä vuonnaan Bristolin yliopiston suosituin kurssi. Hän on esiintynyt laajalti televisiossa ja radiossa. Onnen tiede on hänen ensimmäinen suomennettu kirjansa.

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.

Vuosikymmenten tutkimuksen tulos muuttaa käsityksemme onnellisuudesta

Maailman johtava onnellisuuden asiantuntija ja kehityspsykologi Bruce Hood kertoo kirjassaan Onnen tiede seitsemän oivallusta parempaan elämään.

Me kaikki haluamme olla onnellisempia, mutta usein olemme itse oman onnemme esteenä. Kun olemme liian keskittyneitä itseemme ja puutteisiimme, saatamme vertailla itseämme muihin emmekä näe kaikkea hyvää elämässämme.

Onnen tieteessä psykologi Bruce Hood osoittaa, että avain hyvinvointiin ei ole omista tarpeista huolehtiminen vaan ympäröivän todellisuuden parempi huomioiminen. Hood esittää seitsemän yksinkertaista mutta elämää mullistavaa oivallusta, joiden avulla voimme murtaa omaan itseen kohdistuvat negatiiviset ajatusmallit ja suunnata huomion asioihin, joilla on todellista merkitystä.

Kirja perustuu vuosikymmenien neurotieteelliseen ja kehityspsykologiseen tutkimukseen, ja se muuttaa radikaalisti käsityksiämme hyvinvoinnin perusteista. Selkeiden, käytännöllisten oivallusten avulla Hood osoittaa, miten tieteen löydöksiä hyödyntäen muutamme ajatteluamme – ja elämäämme – paremmaksi.

Bruce Hood on palkittu kehityspsykologian professori Bristolin yliopistossa. Hänen kurssinsa The Science of Happiness oli jo ensimmäisenä vuonnaan Bristolin yliopiston suosituin kurssi. Hän on esiintynyt laajalti televisiossa ja radiossa. Onnen tiede on hänen ensimmäinen suomennettu kirjansa.