Showing titles in Social Psychology & Interactions

Modern life is full of minor but acute dilemmas: we get stuck at a gathering with someone unusually boring and wonder how to move on without causing offence; in the course of introducing one friend to another, we realise that we have forgotten one of the party’s names; we run into an ex while on an early date with a new partner; we spill red wine across a host’s sofa...

You are a mind reader, born with an extraordinary ability to understand what others think, feel, believe, want, and know. It's a sixth sense you use every day, in every personal and professional relationship you have. At its best, this ability allows you to achieve the most important goal in almost any life: connecting, deeply and intimately and honestly, to other human beings. At its worst, it is a source of misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict, leading to damaged relationships and broken dreams. How good are you at knowing the minds of others?

After almost every presentation activist and writer Mia Birdsong gives to executives, think tanks, and policy makers, one of those leaders quietly confesses how much they long for the profound community she describes. They have family, friends, and colleagues, yet they still feel like they're standing alone. They're "winning" at the American Dream, but they're lonely, disconnected, and unsatisfied.

Learn how working with power, rank, revenge, and abuse helps build sustainable communities from author and the founder of Processwork Arthur Mindell. Mindell has appeared on radio and television around the world and works internationally with highly conflicted groups including government and multi-racial situations.

We live in a world that doesn’t just encourage overtalking, but practically demands it. When success is measured by how much attention we can attract, how long we can hold on to the mic, it’s no wonder that we feel compelled to spout endlessly on Twitter, to document every detail of our lives on Instagram, start that podcast, or lead that conference. And yet, oddly enough, the most powerful and accomplished people in the world aren’t part of that chorus—they’re reserved, they listen, and when they do speak they’re considered.

"Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy" by Eric Berne is a seminal text that delves into the intricacies of human interaction and communication through the lens of transactional analysis (TA). Published in 1961, this book presents TA not just as a theory but as a practical method of therapy, offering insights into the dynamics of human behavior. Berne introduces concepts such as ego states, which categorize communication and behavior into parent-like, child-like, or adult-like forms, and "strokes," which are units of interpersonal recognition.

Take a step through the looking glass to a strange land, one where Piers Morgan is a voice worth listening to about race, where white people buy self-help books to help them cope with their whiteness, where Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are seen by the majority of the population as 'the right (white) man for the job'. Kehinde Andrews is your piercing, wry and not a little funny guide back to sanity, unpicking the absurd and outrageous lies society tells to keep up the status quo and The Psychosis of Whiteness is your lifeboat out of this topsy turvey world.

Fascinating and provocative, Dan Ariely’s The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty is an insightful and brilliantly researched take on cheating, deception, and willpower. The internationally best-selling author pulls no punches when it comes to home truths. His previous titles Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality have become classics in their field, revealing astonishing traits that run through modern humankind. Now acclaimed behavioural economist Dan Ariely delves deeper into psychology.

In this classic evaluation of play that has become a “must-listen” for those in game design, Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga defines play as the central activity in flourishing societies. Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens, or “man the player” through medieval times, the Renaissance, and into our modern civilization.

Timothy R. Levine’s Duped: Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception recounts a decades-long program of empirical research that culminates in a new theory of deception-truth-default theory. This theory holds that the content of incoming communication is typically and uncritically accepted as true, and most of the time, this is good. Truth-default allows humans to function socially.

Anne Helen Petersen identifies burnout with moving clarity - what it feels like and how it manifests across communities. Through her own experience, original interviews and detailed analysis, she traces the institutional and generational causes of burnout. And, in doing so, she helps us to let go of our guilt and imagine a possible future.

We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings”. We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: We don’t subtract. Leidy Klotz’s pioneering research shows why.

In an age riven by "fake news," "alternative facts," and disputes over the validity of everything from climate change to the size of inauguration crowds, the authors argue that social factors, not individual psychology, are what's essential to understanding the persistence of false belief and that we must know how those social forces work in order to fight misinformation effectively.

Why do good people so often do nothing when a small intervention could make a big difference? Pioneering psychologist Catherine Sanderson demystifies the mindset of bullies and bystanders to show why courage comes at such a high cost, and how we can learn to be brave. We are bombarded every day by reports of bad behaviour: from sexual harassment to political corruption, from bullying to corporate greed. We believe these things are wrong or even evil, but in practice few of us choose to intercede.

The Art of Rest draws on groundbreaking research Claudia Hammond collaborated on - 'The Rest Test' - the largest global survey into rest ever undertaken, which was completed by 18,000 people across 135 different countries. Much of value has been written about sleep, but rest is different; it is how we unwind, calm our minds and recharge our bodies. And, as the survey revealed, how much rest you get is directly linked to your sense of well-being.

Every day, we make decisions on topics ranging from personal investments to schools for our children to the meals we eat to the causes we champion. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. The reason, the authors explain, is that, being human, we are all susceptible to various biases that can lead us to blunder. Our mistakes can make us poor and unhealthy. We often make bad decisions about education, personal finance, health care, family, and the environment.

Unlock your true potential and step into the world of the Sigma Male—the lone wolf who forges his own path, free from society’s expectations. In this powerful audiobook, you’ll discover how to harness your independence, build unshakable confidence, and master the subtle strength that defines a Sigma.

Understanding your thoughts and emotions, as well as the effects of your social environment, is key to living your best life. In this audio bundle from renowned psychology professor Nathan DeWall, you will learn how familiarizing yourself with the basics of psychology generally and social psychology specifically can help you improve your self-image, relationships, and sense of overall well-being.

Manage anxiety effectively with simple, practical, life-giving strategies to find equilibrium and focus on what you love.

In Hauntings, James Hollis considers how we are all governed by the presence of invisible forms - spirits, ghosts, ancestral and parental influences, inner voices, dreams, impulses, untold stories, complexes, synchronicities, and mysteries - that move through us through history. He offers a way to understand them psychologically, examining the persistence of the past in influencing our present, conscious lives and noting that engagement with mystery is what life asks of each of us. From such engagements, a deeper, more thoughtful, more considered life may come.