At a time of existential global challenges we need our best brainpower to solve them. We can no longer rely on the myth of the lone genius to create a breakthrough. As neuroscientist and bestselling author of The Science of Fate Hannah Critchlow shows, two heads have always been better than one. Almost everything we've ever achieved has been done by groups of people working together, sometimes across time and space. Like a hive of bees, or a flock of birds, our naturally social, interconnected brains are designed to function best collectively. New technology is helping us share our wisdom and knowledge much more diversely across race, class, gender and borders. And AI is sparking a revolution in our approach to intelligent thinking -linking us into fast-working brainnets for problem solving. Hannah Critchlow brings us an enlightening, invaluable guide to our future through the evolving new science of collective intelligence. She reveals what it says about us as human beings, shares compelling examples and stories, and shows us how best we can work collectively at work, in families, in any team situation to improve our outcomes, our wellbeing, and our prospects.

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** 'A truly fascinating - if unnerving - read' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Acute, mind-opening, highly accessible - this book doesn't just explain how our lives might pan out, it helps us live better' BETTANY HUGHES 'A humane and highly readable account of the neuroscience that underpins our ideas of free will and fate' PROFESSOR DAVID RUNCIMAN *** So many of us believe that we are free to shape our own destiny. But what if free will doesn't exist? What if our lives are largely predetermined, hardwired in our brains - and our choices over what we eat, who we fall in love with, even what we believe are not real choices at all? Neuroscience is challenging everything we think we know about ourselves, revealing how we make decisions and form our own reality, unaware of the role of our unconscious minds. Did you know, for example, that: * You can carry anxieties and phobias across generations of your family? * Your genes and pleasure and reward receptors in your brain will determine how much you eat? * We can sniff out ideal partners with genes that give our offspring the best chance of survival? Leading neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow draws vividly from everyday life and other experts in their field to show the extraordinary potential, as well as dangers, which come with being able to predict our likely futures - and looking at how we can alter what's in store for us. Lucid, illuminating, awe-inspiring The Science of Fate revolutionises our understanding of who we are - and empowers us to help shape a better future for ourselves and the wider world.

'A lively examination of communal endeavour... important and correct' - Steven Poole, The Guardian At a time of existential global challenges, we need our best brainpower to solve them. So how do we create genius environments, help our brains flourish and boost group thinking? Neuroscientist and bestselling author of The Science of Fate Hannah Critchlow shows how two heads can be better than one. Almost everything we've ever achieved has been done by groups working together, sometimes across time and space. Like a hive of bees, or a flock of birds, our naturally social, interconnected brains are designed to function best collectively. New technology is helping us share our wisdom and knowledge much more diversely across race, class, gender and borders. And AI is sparking a revolution in our approach to intelligent thinking - linking us into fast-working brain-nets for problem solving. Hannah Critchlow shows all the tricks to help us work best collectively - how to cope with wildly differing opinions, balance our biases, prevent a corrupting force, and exercise our intuitive ability for the most effective outcomes. She shares compelling examples of success, at work, in families, and all team situations, and shows us how to work, play and grow with intelligence.

The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller 'A truly fascinating - if unnerving - read' The Telegraph 'We can all benefit from Critchlow's book' New Scientist 'Acute, mind-opening, highly accessible - this book doesn't just explain how our lives might pan out, it helps us live better' Bettany Hughes 'A humane and highly readable account of the neuroscience that underpins our ideas of free will and fate' Professor David Runciman So many of us believe that we are free to shape our own destiny. But what if free will doesn't exist? What if our lives are largely predetermined, hardwired in our brains - and our choices over what we eat, who we fall in love with, even what we believe are not real choices at all? Neuroscience is challenging everything we think we know about ourselves, revealing how we make decisions and form our own reality, unaware of the role of our unconscious minds. Did you know, for example, that: * You can carry anxieties and phobias across generations of your family? * Your genes and pleasure and reward receptors in your brain will determine how much you eat? * We can sniff out ideal partners with genes that give our offspring the best chance of survival? Leading neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow draws vividly from everyday life and other experts in their field to show the extraordinary potential, as well as dangers, which come with being able to predict our likely futures - and looking at how we can alter what's in store for us. Lucid, illuminating, awe-inspiring The Science of Fate revolutionises our understanding of who we are - and empowers us to help shape a better future for ourselves and the wider world.

'A lively examination of communal endeavour... important and correct' - Steven Poole, The Guardian At a time of existential global challenges, we need our best brainpower to solve them. So how do we create genius environments, help our brains flourish and boost group thinking? Neuroscientist and bestselling author of The Science of Fate Hannah Critchlow shows how two heads can be better than one. Almost everything we've ever achieved has been done by groups working together, sometimes across time and space. Like a hive of bees, or a flock of birds, our naturally social, interconnected brains are designed to function best collectively. New technology is helping us share our wisdom and knowledge much more diversely across race, class, gender and borders. And AI is sparking a revolution in our approach to intelligent thinking - linking us into fast-working brain-nets for problem solving. Hannah Critchlow shows all the tricks to help us work best collectively - how to cope with wildly differing opinions, balance our biases, prevent a corrupting force, and exercise our intuitive ability for the most effective outcomes. She shares compelling examples of success, at work, in families, and all team situations, and shows us how to work, play and grow with intelligence.