How can we reconsider the way in which we think about, treat and care for those in distress?

More and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD and autism.

More and more people are being diagnosed with mental disorders.

Young people are being medicalised for behaviours that might be explained as entirely normal in other parts of the world.

Distress has been commodified over many decades by pharmaceutical companies, the media and the psychiatric establishment.

So how can we know when distress is normal and when it is something that needs to be treated?

In Searching for Normal, Sami Timimi explores the political and cultural context of these phenomena and presents a deeply humane approach that looks at the person as a whole – their family context, their culture, their personal resilience – and advocates for a reframing of how we think about and treat distress.

Many theories that form the bedrock of good parenting were created decades before devices even existed – they don’t consider the significant impact on a child’s psychological and physical development. The landscape of the early years has changed so quickly, yet parents and caregivers do not have access to the evidence-based, practical advice they need to manage this invasion of screens. They can see their children become addicted to devices, but don’t know what to do. Generation Zombie will fill this knowledge gap.

Through her clinical work as a psychotherapist, work with schools and as a duty of care psychologist, Dr Charlotte Armitage has witnessed the terrifying impact of screen time on her clients and their families. However, unlike other addictions, the harmful consequences of devices are not widely recognised. With the vital insights in her book – including practical tips and engaging case studies – her mission is hopeful and empowering; to enable parents to make a positive change. Away from devices, you will be amazed how quickly you notice children’s behaviour change.

‘Helen has a way to take big ideas and convey them with warmth and wisdom’ Dr Rangan Chatterjee

‘A well researched study injected with humour and humanity’ Mail on Sunday

What do Vikings know about raising children? Turns out, quite a lot?

After a decade of living in Denmark and raising a family there, Helen Russell noticed that Nordic children are different. They eat differently. They learn differently. They run, jump and climb out in nature for hours a day, even though the weather is terrible and it’s dark October to March. And then they grow up to be some of the happiest adults on the planet. Her question was: how?

In How to Raise a Viking, Russell takes a deep dive into the parenting culture of Denmark and the other Nordic nations, from parental leave policies to school structure, screen time, and the surprising customs that lead to happy, well-adjusted humans. This fascinating peek behind the cultural curtain allows readers a glimpse of another world, where babies sleep outside in their prams up to -20 °C and pre-schoolers wield axes.

Refreshingly funny and unfailingly optimistic about the new generation of humans growing up in the world right now, this is a heart-warming love letter to Russell’s adopted homeland and proof that we could all do with a bit more Viking in our lives.

‘Ditch all the other parenting books. This is the one – funny, helpful, doable and not guilt-inducing. Makes me want to have kids all over again and try it this way’ Matt Rudd

‘I highly recommend’ Mariella Frostrup

‘Helen’s brilliant writing is having a dangerously powerful impact on me which is leading me to an inevitable emigration to Scandinavia’ Rob Beckett

‘How to Raise a Viking contains much of interest and succeeds in its primary purpose: making us think about how we should engage with our children and help them to realise their potential, and what we must prioritise to do so’ Sunday Times

‘Helen Russell explains from experience how Nordic countries put a strong emphasis on resilience, outdoor play, independence, egalitarianism and a balanced approach to education and family life. “Viking parenting” is about raising children to be self-assured, capable and connected to the natural world’ The Week

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 Ego
Avoid Isolation
Reject Negative Comparisons
Become More Optimistic
Control Your Attention
Connect With Others
Get 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.
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‘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
 

A TIMES, FT, ECONOMIST AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Boundlessly wise . . . important and engrossing’ The New York Times

‘One of the most important books I’ve read . . . It’s absolutely brilliant’ Dr Rangan Chatterjee

‘Urgent and essential’ Guardian

Acclaimed psychologist Jonathan Haidt reveals how the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone use among adolescents is changing our world

From 2010, as teens traded in their flip phones for smartphones packed with social media apps, unsupervised time online soared while face-to-face conversations with friends and family plummeted, and so did mental health. This profound shift took place against a backdrop of diminishing childhood freedom and over-supervision in the real world, depriving children of the experiences they most need to become strong and self-governing adults.

The Anxious Generation delves into the latest research to show how this shift from free-play to smartphones disrupts development – from sleep deprivation to addiction – and lays the foundations of isolation and fear that define society today. Grounded in ancient wisdom and packed full of cutting-edge science and practical advice, this eye-opening book is a life-raft for anyone who wants to understand how the most rapid rewiring of human relationships and consciousness in human history has made it harder for all of us to think, focus, forget ourselves enough to care about others and build close relationships.

‘Compelling, readable, remarkably persuasive’ Telegraph

‘Urgent and essential . . . it ought to become a foundational text for the growing movement’ Guardian

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents in many countries around the world deteriorated suddenly in the early 2010s. Why have rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide risen so sharply, more than doubling in many cases?

In this book, Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone usage among adolescents are the twin sources of increased mental distress among teenagers.
Haidt delves into the latest psychological and biological research to show how, between 2010 and 2015, childhood and adolescence got rewired. As teens traded in their flip phones for smartphones packed with social media apps, time online soared while time engaging face-to-face with friends and family plummeted, and so did mental health. This profound shift took place against a backdrop of diminishing childhood freedom, as parents over-supervised every aspect of their children’s lives offline, depriving them of the experiences they most need to become strong and self-governing adults.

The Anxious Generation reveals the fundamental ways in which this shift from free-play to smartphones disrupts development – from sleep deprivation to addiction – with separate in-depth analyses of the impact on girls and boys. Grounded in ancient wisdom and packed full of cutting-edge science, this eye-opening book is a life raft and a powerful call-to-arms, offering practical advice for parents, schools, governments, and teens themselves.

‘A well researched study injected with humour and humanity’ Mail on Sunday

What do Vikings know about raising children? Turns out, quite a lot?

After a decade of living in Denmark and raising a family there, Helen Russell noticed that Nordic children are different. They eat differently. They learn differently. They run, jump and climb out in nature for hours a day, even though the weather is terrible and it’s dark October to March. And then they grow up to be some of the happiest adults on the planet. Her question was: how?

In How to Raise a Viking, Russell takes a deep dive into the parenting culture of Denmark and the other Nordic nations, from parental leave policies to school structure, screen time, and the surprising customs that lead to happy, well-adjusted humans. This fascinating peek behind the cultural curtain allows readers a glimpse of another world, where babies sleep outside in their prams up to -20 °C and pre-schoolers wield axes.

Refreshingly funny and unfailingly optimistic about the new generation of humans growing up in the world right now, this is a heart-warming love letter to Russell’s adopted homeland and proof that we could all use a bit more Viking in our lives.

‘Ditch all the other parenting books. This is the one – funny, helpful, doable and not guilt-inducing. Makes me want to have kids all over again and try it this way’ Matt Rudd

‘I’ve long been a fan of Helen Russell’s writing (The Year of Living Danishly is a wonderfully uplifting guide to life) and this new book of hers on parenting is top-notch’ Good Housekeeping – Best Parenting Books

‘Helen Russell explains from experience how Nordic countries put a strong emphasis on resilience, outdoor play, independence, egalitarianism and a balanced approach to education and family life. “Viking parenting” is about raising children to be self-assured, capable and connected to the natural world, and studies suggest the happiest children are in Scandinavia’ The Week

‘The story of the human mind as told by psychology’s best storyteller’ DANIEL GILBERT

‘Really wonderful, hugely readable … loving it’ DERREN BROWN

Nothing is more familiar and yet less understood than the human mind. It defines the experience of being human, and yet its workings contain some of the deepest mysteries ever encountered. Written by one of the world’s greatest teachers of psychology, The Human Mind provides a masterful and riveting guide to all that we have learned since modern science began probing those mysteries.

How does a three-pound lump of grey-ish meat give rise to conscious experience?
What is the function of emotions such as disgust, gratitude and shame?
How do our biases affect us and how can we overcome them?
How does the mind of a child differ from that of an adult?
How does memory work? What causes mental illness?
Are we rational? Are we all a little bit racist?
What makes us kind? What makes us cruel?
What makes us happy?

Many of these questions now have answers; many others don’t yet; many widely accepted theories are probably wrong. This book takes us to the very limits of what is known. It shines new light on all that you take most for granted: everything you think and feel, everything you say and do, everything that makes you you.

‘An extraordinary book that absolutely delivers on its sweeping ambitions … like having the mind’s complexities untangled by a witty, eloquent and deeply knowledgeable friend‘ OLIVER BURKEMAN

‘Based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children – and the adults who love them.’ – Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet‘

A necessary and important book.’ – Philippa Perry, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

Are you a hardy and resilient dandelion, or are you a more sensitive and fragile orchid?

Building on the definitions of introvert, extrovert or highly sensitive, The Orchid and the Dandelion exposes – for the first time – how a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to what makes us who we are. This breakthrough research explains why some people struggle where others succeed, why happiness comes so easily to some while frustrations weigh more heavily on others.

In The Orchid and the Dandelion, Dr W. Thomas Boyce – one of the world’s foremost researchers in the field of pediatric health – presents findings that children have two very different responses to their environments. While some children are like dandelions and can thrive in almost any environment, there are others who, like orchids, are much more reactive and susceptible to their surroundings. Now we finally have a scientific framework to understand people and how to address their unique needs to help them find their fullest potential.

This groundbreaking book draws on extensive research into genetics and the exploding field of epigenetics, examples and real stories that will re-frame how we think about orchid and dandelion children – and the adults those children have become. By understanding which of us are, genetically and environmentally speaking, the orchids of this world, Dr Boyce explains how to care for and parent our children – the true orchids. He shows how we can help them thrive by sharing insights and lessons from his thirty years of research in the field.