Physiological & neuro-psychology, biopsychology – The Bell Bookshop

Transported

Emma — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Music: it’s not only the soundtrack to our lives, but shapes who we are – conjuring memories, emotions, dreams, fantasies

'Elegant and accessible.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music

But why is it so evocative? There’s no logical reason why a rousing, percussive tune should invoke swashbuckling pirates, or a slow melody on the flute remind you of a summer day from childhood. And yet, as research shows, it consistently does – and what’s more, if you hear pirates, others likely hear pirates as well.

For all that listening to music can feel like an intensely subjective experience, it holds objective, measurable power over the way our brains function. Exploring the strange and magical science of music perception, musician and psychologist Elizabeth Margulis examines the nature of ‘musical daydreams’. From the intense link between music and memory (music is more likely to prompt Proustian-style flashbacks than food, madeleines or otherwise) to why you keep returning to the music you loved at sixteen – and for that matter, the music your parents loved at sixteen – Transported reveals the compelling new science behind why music is so integral to who we are.

'Timely… there couldn’t be a better moment to explore the power of music to free our minds, inspire our imaginations, and awaken lost memories.' Renée Fleming

'Fascinating… Her book is the message in a bottle, urging us to connect more deeply with our inattention.' Wall Street Journal

How to Use a Fork

Emma — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

'Beautifully observed, beautifully written . . . an extraordinary journey in science, medicine, and creativity' – Rory Stewart
'An incredible voyage of discovery . . . intensely moving and awe-inspiring' – Marina Hyde
'Witty, modest and enthralling' – Robert McCrum, author of My Year Off

In How to Use a Fork, the beautiful science of brain plasticity meets remarkable human stories of survival and recovery. We discover the woman who thought her arm was a baby, the man who saw mannequins peering at him through the dark, and the patient who found his way back to human interaction through music.

As a medical student, Orlando Swayne was taught that a broken brain doesn’t mend. But as a junior doctor, he began to meet patients for whom this was clearly not the case. Intrigued by what he saw, he delved deep into the emerging neuroscience of brain reorganisation, and discovered that over time brain tissue creates new networks and regenerates.

Developments in neurology continue to reveal new capabilities that allow functions we thought to be lost to be restored. The key to recovery, a return to some semblance of our previous selves after brain injury, lies in neurorehabilitation: painstaking work that rebuilds shattered lives.

Irresistible to anyone who is curious about the mysteries of the brain, How to Use a Fork is a fascinating journey into the outer reaches of human experience.

This Book May Cause Side Effects

Emma — Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

'Absolutely fascinating' Dr Julie Smith, author of the #1 Sunday Times bestseller, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? 'Entrancing' David Robson, author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Expectation Effect Illness is not simply a matter of biology. Our thoughts, conscious or otherwise, can make us feel pain or become unwell. If you experienced side effects from your Covid vaccine, the chances are that these were caused by your belief that you would experience them. When a nurse tells you 'this is going to hurt', it generally does – but perhaps it shouldn't. In this revelatory study, neuroscientist Helen Pilcher explores the hidden impact of the 'nocebo effect' – the placebo's evil twin. Medical studies have proven the nocebo effect to cause pain, nausea, paralysis, seizures, and even blindness. The nocebo effect impacts how we grow sick and grow old, explains why people who don't have food allergies have dietary intolerances, and why, during the pandemic, so many teenagers caught tics through social media. From Havana Syndrome to hex deaths, chronic pain and mystery illnesses, this book explains what happens when illness, psychology and society meet – and shows us what we can do to become less ill and more well.

Unseen

Emma — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The fascinating psychology of blindspots, their complex causes, and the alarming consequences of looking without seeing.

Can we believe our eyes? Most of us are confident that we can, but we shouldn't be so sure. Every day, we fail to see things that are right in front of us, miss sudden or unexpected changes and fall for illusions without realising it. The culprit? Blind spots. These hidden gaps in our perception are responsible for errors in operating machinery, diagnosing medical conditions, giving evidence in court and even influence how we invest our money or shop.

Unseen explores the hidden corners of the human mind where perception fails, from the everyday oversights to the deep-rooted cognitive biases that shape our worldview. Lifting the lid on how our minds shape what we see, neuropsychologist David Lewis and illusionist Keelan Leyser explore the different types of blind spots, why they occur, how they can be used to manipulate our thoughts and the practical steps we can take to avoid them.

What have you been missing?

Neurodiversity

Emma — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Neurodiversity is the idea that human brains function in a variety of ways. By understanding that people take in, process, and respond to information differently, we can appreciate how these profound differences affect the ways in which we experience the world and form relationships with one another. In spite of the central simplicity of this concept, the consequences of fully understanding and exploring neurodiversity can be transformative. This Very Short Introduction looks at how neurodiversity has been understood in a variety of settings including education, research, workplace, health and social care, and criminal justice. Robert Chapman and Sue Fletcher-Watson also draw out interesting connections to models of disability, human rights, anti-capitalism, and intersectionality. Alongside this, they discuss how issues of gender, sexuality, neuroqueering, and decoloniality bear on neurodiversity. The book is an engaging read for students, thinkers, and practitioners interested in neurodiversity and its links to philosophy, psychology, sociology, political theory, medicine, and biology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Tell Me Where It Hurts

Emma — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We can move the dial on pain

Leading expert Rachel Zoffness bridges the gap between medicine and psychology to get to the heart of treating pain

Every one of us will experience pain, be it back pain, the pain of childbirth, or living in an ageing body. Not a single one of us will escape. But what if everything you thought you knew about pain was wrong?

We’ve been told that pain is purely physical, something to do just with bones and body parts. The truth is that pain is constructed by the brain – influenced not just by injuries, but also by emotions, expectations and environment. This means you have infinitely more control over pain than you ever imagined: because if the brain can change, pain can change.

Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and rich patient stories, Rachel Zoffness completely upends the myths we’ve been told – finally reconnecting physical and emotional pain, and providing a roadmap for healing. The fact is that chronic pain is treatable. But to do that, we must target the whole person, not just a body part.

Whether you live with chronic pain or know someone who does, this book offers more than insight – it offers an empowering way forward.

The Face

Emma — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

‘Utterly fascinating, beautifully written, scholarly yet entertaining’ Joanna Lumley

A pioneering study into how we interpret faces and what they reveal about us, from a world-renowned cultural historian

What’s in a face?

The face is the only part of the body where all the senses come together and, over the course of human history, has come to represent who we are as individuals. We unlock our phones with facial recognition; we have our faces stamped in our passports; and although our faces may change over the course of our lives – whether through ageing, accident, illness or lifestyle – they remain a foundational marker of identity.

In The Face, cultural historian Fay Bound-Alberti explores the ways humans have interpreted faces and how they have shaped our ideas of morality, social hierarchy, psychology and so much more, revealing some of the biases that inform our everyday lives. She charts how new technologies and cultural innovations have transformed our conception of selfhood over time – from the growth of portraiture in the Renaissance and the mass production of mirrors and photography in the nineteenth century, to twenty-first century developments, such as digital avatars and face transplants.

Bringing together a wealth of fascinating research, interviews and illuminating personal narratives, Bound-Alberti probes beneath the surface to ask what our faces really say about us.

Our Brains, Our Selves

Emma — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

‘Powerful’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Thought-provoking’ NEW SCIENTIST
‘Fascinating’ DAILY MAIL

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
A FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES AND GUARDIAN BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

What makes us who we are?

Through the stories of seven of his patients, acclaimed Oxford University neurologist Masud Husain shows us how our brains create, change and can even restore our identity. Husain introduces us to a man who ran out of words, a woman who lost all inhibitions and another who believed she was having an affair with the man who was really her husband.

These compelling human dramas reveal how our identities are created by different functions within the brain. It will ignite new ideas about who we really are – and why we act in the ways we do.

The Nazi Mind

Emma — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘I will recommend it to everyone’ Alastair Campbell

‘World-renowned historian Laurence Rees lays out a past that is also eerily a cautionary tale for our future if we are not careful’ Anthony Scaramucci

‘There are lots of moments when you can’t help but have a shudder through the spine . . . a really novel, interesting book.’ Lewis Goodall, The News Agents podcast
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How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did?
Why did they willingly – often enthusiastically – oversee mass murder?
How did ordinary Germans tolerate the removal of Jewish people?

And how do we ensure it never happens again?

Bestselling author Laurence Rees combines history and the latest psychological research to help answer the most perplexing questions surrounding the Holocaust and the Nazi state. Through the lens of ‘twelve warnings’ – from talk about ‘them’ and ‘us’ to the escalation of racism – Rees delves into the darkness to explain how and why people were capable of such horrors.

Using previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and cutting-edge psychological discoveries, THE NAZI MIND is a revelatory new way of understanding the most appalling crimes of the 20th century that highlights the warning signs we need to look out for in leaders today.
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‘A brilliant piece of work: learned, compelling and frankly terrifying’ James Holland, Daily Telegraph

‘[A] superb, complex study’ Christopher Hart, Daily Mail

‘Enthralling and chilling . . . compulsive reading’ Robert McCrum, Independent