In The Animal and The Thinker, the world-leading, pioneering neuroscientist John Duncan explains that each of us is not just one person – we are two. On one side are our animal instincts, built on the sophisticated needs of human life through evolution, but struggling to navigate the complexity of modern life. On the other side is our rational brain which calculates and cogitates, but is often helpless in the face of bigger questions of meaning and purpose.

Dovetailing these two competing sides of ourselves, Duncan draws on a lifetime’s pioneering work to attack puzzles that have concerned thinkers, writers and philosophers through human history. Right and wrong. Freedom and responsibility. Women and men. Democracy and justice. Ambition and fulfilment. Understanding how these two sides of ourselves interact offers revealing and often surprising answers to some of the great questions of our lives.

Discover a new perspective on human behaviour, and learn how we can better understand ourselves, our struggles, and our search for meaning.

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“Sensational.. turn off your mobile phones and read this instead…” – Rory Sutherland, ViceChairman, Ogilvy

“A practical resource for making better choices.” – Adam Grant, #1 New York Times Bestselling author

“The core idea of deaf spots merits a lot more attention… a game-changer that leaves you wanting to do better, and be better.” –Lord Sebastian Coe, President World Athletics

“A rare combination of information and entertainment.” – Debbie Hewitt MBE, Chair of The Football Association, and Visa Europe

“A great reference for any business.” –Victoria Degtar, TIME Magazine

“The only book on decision-making you’ll ever need.” – Dario Krpan, Professor, London School of Economics

Your decisions matter. Yet in today’s noisy world of distraction, disinformation and data overload, we tune out. We hear less than ever and rush to misjudgement.

Despite popular opinion, the most underestimated risk isn’t economic, political or even climate risk – it’s human decision risk, and the failure to hear who or what really matters. The result? A catalogue of error that not only destroys lives and polarises communities but damages reputation and squanders opportunity.

Now that can change. Because what’s predictable is preventable.

In this modern masterclass, award-winning Nuala Walsh champions a better understanding of behaviour as an insurance policy against misjudgement. Tune In stands apart in its treatment of ‘deaf spots’, the judgement killers that stop us hearing what matters, when it matters.

Armed with a new PERIMETERS framework and dozens of strategies that favour human intelligence over artificial intelligence, you’ll discover the 10 traps that bind our reasoning, memorably illustrated by a cast of business titans, sporting icons, criminals, presidents, astronauts and more.

By tuning in to the right voices?
· You’ll hear what others don’t, gaining instant advantage;
· You’ll make sense of past mistakes and prevent future ones;
· You’ll stand out not lose out becoming an influential Decision Ninja;
· You’ll help to build a better world.

It’s time to Tune In.

Drawing on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and her work in collaboration with the University of Sussex and the BBC, Claudia Hammond sets out a prescription for a kinder life that you can adapt to your own circumstances, and explains how to use this guidance for ourselves, others and the world.

It’s time for a kindness revolution.

‘Wonderfully refreshing and thought-provoking’ Peter Frankopan

‘Original, fascinating, and provocative’ Andrew McAfee

A blueprint for a better future.

Playing on the phrase “a theory of everything” in physics, Michael Muthukrishna offers a unified theory of human behavior, culture, and society – a theory of everyone.

Drawing on the most recent research across the sciences, humanities, and the emerging field of cultural evolution, he paints a panoramic picture of who we are and exactly what makes human beings different from all other forms of life on the planet.

Muthukrishna argues that it is our unique ability to create culture, a shared body of knowledge, skills, and experience passed on from generation to generation that has enabled our current dominance. But it is only by understanding and applying the laws of life – the need for energy, innovation, cooperation and evolution – that we can solve the practical and existential challenges we face as a species.

A Theory of Everyone attempts to provide solutions for how to solve the most pressing problems of our collective future, such as polarization, inequality, the “great stagnation” in productivity, and the energy crisis. Casting a bold and ambitious net, this is a must-read for anyone interested in a better future for ourselves and generations to come.

How do you get people to agree to donate their organs? What’s the trick to reading a wine list? What’s the perfect number of potential matches a dating site should offer?  

Every time we make a choice, our minds go through an elaborate process most of us never even notice. We’re influenced by subtle aspects of the way the choice is presented that often make the difference between a good decision and a bad one. To overcome the common faults in our decision-making and enable better choices in any situation involves conscious and intentional decision design.

Transcending the familiar concepts of nudges and defaults, The Elements of Choice offers a comprehensive, systematic guide to creating effective choice architectures, the environments in which we make decisions. The designers of decisions need to consider all the elements involved in presenting a choice: how many options to offer, how to present those options, how to account for our natural cognitive shortcuts, and much more. These levers are unappreciated, yet they impact our reasoning every day.

This book doesn’t simply analyse the mental fallacies that trip us up. It goes further to show us what good decision-making looks like – that it can be both moral and effective.

How do you get people to agree to donate their organs? What’s the trick to reading a wine list? What’s the perfect number of potential matches a dating site should offer?  

Every time we make a choice, our minds go through an elaborate process most of us never even notice. We’re influenced by subtle aspects of the way the choice is presented that often make the difference between a good decision and a bad one. To overcome the common faults in our decision-making and enable better choices in any situation involves conscious and intentional decision design.

Transcending the familiar concepts of nudges and defaults, The Elements of Choice offers a comprehensive, systematic guide to creating effective choice architectures, the environments in which we make decisions. The designers of decisions need to consider all the elements involved in presenting a choice: how many options to offer, how to present those options, how to account for our natural cognitive shortcuts, and much more. These levers are unappreciated, yet they impact our reasoning every day.

This book doesn’t simply analyse the mental fallacies that trip us up. It goes further to show us what good decision-making looks like – that it can be both moral and effective.

In this groundbreaking exploration of how our brains work, psychologist Professor Kevin Dutton explains that by understanding the nature of our hardwired black and white thinking we are better equipped to negotiate life’s grey zones and make subtler and smarter decisions.

Our brains are hardwired to sort, categorize and draw lines. It’s how we navigate the kaleidoscope of everyday information. Yet imagine failing an exam by a mere 1 per cent. Or being caught speeding at just 1 mph over the speed limit. We have to draw the line somewhere, we say. But lines can be unhelpful or even dangerous when drawn where they aren’t wanted, or in too thick a hand.

By thinking in terms of ‘ ‘them’ or ‘us’ and ‘this’ or ‘that’ we isolate ourselves from ideas we don’t agree with and people who are not the same as us. We fail to listen to the other side of the argument and beliefs become polarized. Intolerance and extremism flourish. The human race has survived by making binary decisions, but such thinking might also destroy us. We may be programmed to think in black and white but rainbow thinking is the key to our cognitive future.
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‘Fascinating, important and entirely convincing.’ SIR PHILIP PULLMAN