Elaine Fox – författare

Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty? Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? These are easy questions for most of us to answer, because our personality types are hard-wired into our brains. As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid danger—inclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our 'fear brain' or 'pleasure brain' is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well.Luckily, anyone suffering from these afflictions has reason to hope. Stunning breakthroughs in neuroscience show that our brains are more malleable than we ever imagined. In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniques—from traditional cognitive behavioural therapy to innovative cognitive bias retraining exercises—that can actually alter our brains’ circuitry, strengthening specific thought processes by exercising the neural systems that control them. The implications are enormous: lifelong pessimists can train themselves to think positively and find happiness, while pleasure-seekers inclined toward risky or destructive behavior can take control of their lives. Drawing on her own cutting-edge research, Fox shows how we can retrain our brains to brighten our lives and learn to flourish. With keen insights into how genes, life experiences and cognitive processes interleave together to make us who we are, Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain revolutionises our basic concept of individuality. We learn that we can influence our own personalities, and that our lives are only as 'sunny' or as 'rainy' as we allow them to be.

Shortlisted for the 2011 BPS Book AwardEmotion Science is a state-of-the-art introduction to the study of emotion. Drawing on a wide array of research from psychology and neuroscience, the author presents an integrated picture of our current understanding of normal as well as disordered emotions such as anxiety and depression. The author draws a clear distinction between emotions, moods and feelings, and suggests how they can be understood within an integrated model. The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and related areas, and will be a useful reference for active researchers.

Shortlisted for the 2011 BPS Book AwardEmotion Science is a state-of-the-art introduction to the study of emotion. Drawing on a wide array of research from psychology and neuroscience, the author presents an integrated picture of our current understanding of normal as well as disordered emotions such as anxiety and depression. The author draws a clear distinction between emotions, moods and feelings, and suggests how they can be understood within an integrated model. The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and related areas, and will be a useful reference for active researchers.

It is widely recognized that visual processes modulate many social interactions. For example, the eye-gaze of another person is a powerful cue to guide attention to a particular part of the visual field. Conversely, a direct gaze may indicate potential threat or the opportunity for a sexual encounter. In addition, the social or affective significance of a stimulus, as well as the mood state of the observer, can have profound effects on basic attentional and perceptual processes. This special issue is aimed at elucidating the role of visual processes in social interactions by linking work on the basic cognitive mechanisms mediating vision with work on the social and emotional context in which the processing takes place.

'Tells you how to duck and dive when the unexpected surprises are incoming fast and hard.' RUBY WAX'Fascinating...packed full of practical advice on how to help you survive and thrive in an uncertain world.' MICHAEL MOSLEYDiscover how expanding and improving your mental agility can transform your life, bolster your resilience, and foster success.There is no one-size-fits-all solution to achieving your goals. But those who navigate life and its challenges most successfully all have something in common: they know how, and when, to switch between different approaches. In other words, they have mental agility.Professor Elaine Fox, a world-leading psychologist and performance coach has witnessed this time and again. In Switchcraft, she draws on 25 years of scientific research and coaching experience to develop a step-by-step guide to nurturing the skills you need to come out on top in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.'This book provides straightforward valuable tools and processes for people who have their own hurdles to overcome.'Sally Gunnell OBEOlympic Gold Medalist'Full of important insights...She shows how adopting a few key skills can transform your life in profound ways.'Mark WilliamsProfessor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford

'Full of practical advice on how to help you survive and thrive in an uncertain world.' MICHAEL MOSLEY'Tells you how to duck and dive when the unexpected surprises are incoming fast and hard.' RUBY WAXThe groundbreaking toolkit for boosting your mental agility. Bolster your resilience, navigate change and transform your life.Those who navigate life and its challenges most successfully all have one thing in common: they know how, and when, to switch things up. They have mental agility, or switchcraft.Professor Elaine Fox, a world-leading psychologist and performance coach has witnessed this time and again. In Switchcraft, she distils 25 years of scientific research and coaching experience into a step-by-step guide to agile thinking and thriving in uncertainty.Switchcraft will give you the skills you need to come out on top in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.'This book provides straightforward valuable tools and processes for people who have their own hurdles to overcome.' SALLY GUNNELL OBE, Olympic Gold Medallist'Full of important insights...She shows how adopting a few key skills can transform your life in profound ways.' MARK WILLIAMS, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford

'Tells you how to duck and dive when the unexpected surprises are incoming fast and hard.' RUBY WAX'Fascinating...packed full of practical advice on how to help you survive and thrive in an uncertain world.' MICHAEL MOSLEYDiscover how expanding and improving your mental agility can transform your life, bolster your resilience, and foster success.There is no one-size-fits-all solution to achieving your goals. But those who navigate life and its challenges most successfully all have something in common: they know how, and when, to switch between different approaches. In other words, they have mental agility.Professor Elaine Fox, a world-leading psychologist and performance coach has witnessed this time and again. In Switchcraft, she draws on 25 years of scientific research and coaching experience to develop a step-by-step guide to nurturing the skills you need to come out on top in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.'This book provides straightforward valuable tools and processes for people who have their own hurdles to overcome.'Sally Gunnell OBEOlympic Gold Medalist'Full of important insights...She shows how adopting a few key skills can transform your life in profound ways.'Mark WilliamsProfessor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford

It is widely recognized that visual processes modulate many social interactions. For example, the eye-gaze of another person is a powerful cue to guide attention to a particular part of the visual field. Conversely, a direct gaze may indicate potential threat or the opportunity for a sexual encounter. In addition, the social or affective significance of a stimulus, as well as the mood state of the observer, can have profound effects on basic attentional and perceptual processes. This special issue is aimed at elucidating the role of visual processes in social interactions by linking work on the basic cognitive mechanisms mediating vision with work on the social and emotional context in which the processing takes place.