Description

Are you a human? Do you have a mind? Then this book is for you.

‘Like having the mind’s complexities untangled by a witty, eloquent and deeply knowledgeable friend’ OLIVER BURKEMAN

‘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.

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

Publisher Review

An extraordinary book that absolutely delivers on its sweeping ambitions. Every chapter here - on topics ranging from Freud to the mysteries of consciousness, from intergroup conflict to the meaning of life - feels like having the mind's complexities untangled by a witty, eloquent and deeply knowledgeable friend -- OLIVER BURKEMAN, author of Four Thousand Weeks Essential reading for anyone who has wondered why people do, feel, and think what they do. Paul Bloom is that rarest of experts - able to tell a story, make it practical, and yet faithfully capture the complexity and nuance of the latest research -- ANGELA DUCKWORTH, author of Grit This book is a gem. Insightful, accessible, witty and provocative in the best sense, it presents state-of-the art science and its controversies in an even-handed manner. A wonderful book, whether for a newcomer or a specialist who has studied one tree so long that the forest has been forgotten -- ROBERT SAPOLSKY, author of Behave I don't remember the last time I was this excited about a psychology-related book. The Human Mind is everything a reader wants. Enlightening, thoroughly researched, and witty too. Paul Bloom knows his stuff and has a way of sharing that will delight you. I wish psychology was always taught in this way -- SOPHIE MORT (aka Dr Soph), author of A Manual For Being Human Paul Bloom can always be counted on to take your confident assumptions about humanity and turn them upside down -- SUSAN CAIN, author of Quiet Really wonderful, hugely readable -- DERREN BROWN (on Twitter) Explains the deep and lasting insights from the science of the mind ... such a pleasure to read -- STEVEN PINKER, author of Enlightenment Now Bloom asks the big, thought-provoking questions, and his passion and enthusiasm for his line of work are evident on every page ... [The Human Mind] is a success at giving readers a taste of their own minds ... Readers will learn a lot about themselves * Washington Examiner * A perfect testament to why understanding the puzzles of the mind can be so damn fun -- LAURIE SANTOS, host of The Happiness Lab podcast Perhaps the wittiest, most captivating overview of the field of psychology to date -- JENNIFER SENIOR, author of All Joy and No Fun The story of the human mind as told by psychology's best storyteller ... a fantastic journey -- DANIEL GILBERT, author of Stumbling on Happiness Powerful ... The Human Mind is a sane corrective in an increasingly crazed world * Prospect * An ambitious, up-to-the-minute guide to the mind ... From perception and behaviour to choice and morality, psychologist Paul Bloom's book on the mind takes on a comprehensive journey of what it means to be human -- Simon Ings * New Scientist * Excellent ... [Bloom's] stories are sometimes surprising and made me laugh out loud ... a very enjoyable read * The Conversation *