We are all born egocentric. As children we see the world almost entirely from our own perspective. As we grow, we learn that other people have their own perspectives, and we also learn that we can adopt their perspectives to get along. We become more allocentric: more aware of the views, wants and needs of others. But many of us don’t achieve a healthy balance of egocentrism and allocentrism. What the science of happiness tells us is that achieving this balance is key to our wellbeing as adults. When we are too egocentric we become overly concerned with our inadequacies, compare ourselves constantly with others, and fail to see the good in our lives. We become the victim of our ego and we allow it to control us. But we can change for the better. Professor Bruce Hood draws on his expertise in child development, neuroscience and positive psychology to tell a radical new story about the roots of well-being and the obstacles that lie in our path. In this illuminating and inspiring book, he shows how we can harness the findings of the science of happiness to live sustainably happier lives.

We are all born egocentric. As children we see the world almost entirely from our own perspective. As we grow, we learn that other people have their own perspectives, and we also learn that we can adopt their perspectives to get along. We become more allocentric: more aware of the views, wants and needs of others. But many of us don’t achieve a healthy balance of egocentrism and allocentrism. What the science of happiness tells us is that achieving this balance is key to our wellbeing as adults. When we are too egocentric we become overly concerned with our inadequacies, compare ourselves constantly with others, and fail to see the good in our lives. We become the victim of our ego and we allow it to control us. But we can change for the better. Professor Bruce Hood draws on his expertise in child development, neuroscience and positive psychology to tell a radical new story about the roots of well-being and the obstacles that lie in our path. In this illuminating and inspiring book, he shows how we can harness the findings of the science of happiness to live sustainably happier lives.

This globally-focused and renowned textbook spans the entire discipline of psychology - from the fundamental principles of psychology as a science, to more nuanced approaches in core disciplines such as cognitive, developmental, social and personality psychology. Woven together with engaging features, research boxes and activities that will help students to both think like a scientist and stretch their imagination. In-depth and yet written with irresistible enthusiasm and humour by a world-renowned team of psychologists and researchers, this book is a complete course companion for all undergraduate psychology students. It is both engaging and yet scientifically sound and theoretically rigorous. The only book students need as they begin their study of psychology.

Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body - the 'me' inside me - is compelling and inescapable. This is how we interact as a social animal and judge each other's actions and deeds. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances. Rather than a single entity, the self is really a constellation of mechanisms and experiences that create the illusion of the internal you. We only emerge as a product of those around us as part of the different storylines we inhabit from the cot to the grave. It is an ever changing character, created by the brain to provide a coherent interface between the multitude of internal processes and the external world demands that require different selves.

'Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, Possessed is one of the few things you really need to own' Daniel Gilbert How ownership came to own us - and what we can do about it Our love affair with possessions seems to be all-consuming, even as we face economic and environmental breaking points. The global pandemic is a wake-up call that forces us to reassess what we value most in our lives, and yet we remain reluctant to change our ways when it comes to accumulating things. Why? The answer is our need for ownership. A uniquely human preoccupation rooted in our biology, psychological ownership can be seen in everything from nations fighting over resources to the rise of political extremism. Award-winning psychologist Bruce Hood draws on his own and international research to explain why ownership is an emotional state of mind that governs our behaviour from cradle to grave, even when it is often irrational and destructive. Does our shopping define us? What motivates us to buy more than we need? Why do some cultures favour shared community ownership and others individual? How does our urge to acquire control our behaviour in times of crisis? Timely and persuasive, Possessed is the first book to explore how ownership has us in thrall to the relentless pursuit of a false happiness, with damaging consequences for society and the planet - and how we can stop buying into it.

'Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, Possessed is one of the few things you really need to own' Daniel Gilbert How ownership came to own us - and what we can do about it Our love affair with possessions seems to be all-consuming, even as we face economic and environmental breaking points. The global pandemic is a wake-up call that forces us to reassess what we value most in our lives, and yet we remain reluctant to change our ways when it comes to accumulating things. Why? The answer is our need for ownership. A uniquely human preoccupation rooted in our biology, psychological ownership can be seen in everything from nations fighting over resources to the rise of political extremism. Award-winning psychologist Bruce Hood draws on his own and international research to explain why ownership is an emotional state of mind that governs our behaviour from cradle to grave, even when it is often irrational and destructive. Does our shopping define us? What motivates us to buy more than we need? Why do some cultures favour shared community ownership and others individual? How does our urge to acquire control our behaviour in times of crisis? Timely and persuasive, Possessed is the first book to explore how ownership has us in thrall to the relentless pursuit of a false happiness, with damaging consequences for society and the planet - and how we can stop buying into it.

Why is it that Tony Blair always wore the same pair of shoes when answering Prime Minister's Questions? That John McEnroe notoriously refused to step on the white lines of a tennis court between points? And that President-elect Barack Obama played a game of basketball the morning of his victory in the Iowa primary, and continued the tradition the day of every following primary? Superstitious habits are common. Do you ever cross your fingers, knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders, or step around black cats? Sentimental value often supersedes material worth. If someone offered to replace your childhood teddy bear or wedding ring with a brand new, exact replica, would you do it? How about GBP20 for trying on a jumper owned by Fred West? Where do such feelings come from and why do most of us have them? Humans are born with brains designed to make sense of the world and that need for an explanation can lead to beliefs that go beyond reason. To be true they would have to be supernatural. With scientific education we learn that such beliefs are irrational but at an intuitive level they can be resistant to reason or lie dormant in otherwise sensible adults. It now seems unlikely that any effort to get rid of supernatural beliefs or superstitious behaviours will be completely successful. This is not all bad news - such beliefs are a useful glue that binds us together as a society. Combining brilliant insight with witty example Hood weaves a page-turning account of our 'supersense' that navigates a path through brain science, child development, popular culture, mental illness and the paranormal. After reading SuperSense, you will realize why you are not as reasonable as you might like to think - and why that might be no bad thing.