I'm known as the Teenage Brain Woman but, frankly, any brain will do! I'm so interested in that 1.5kg lump of stuff between our ears that I've spent 25 years studying it, taking in neuroscience, psychology, and counseling. As a child, I was fascinated by how things work. I took things to pieces and (sometimes) put them back together. If you know how something works you can make it work better and mend it when it doesn’t. Human brains are just things. The more we understand our own, the better we can make it work. My life now involves sharing that understanding with anyone who’ll listen. Our brains are in our hands.
If you’ve ever heard that the “marshmallow research” shows that the ability to delay gratification aged 3 determines your life success and skills later, this book will put you right! It is far more positive, interesting and practical than that and you need to read the whole book, not just the headlines. There are techniques you can put into practice to improve your (and your family’s) habits in relation to pretty much anything. I use it to help develop healthy screen-time behaviours – for myself, too! And I refer to it regularly when giving talks and training to teachers and parents.
A child is presented with a marshmallow and given a choice: Eat this one now, or wait and enjoy two later. What will she do? And what are the implications for her behaviour later in life?
Walter Mischel's now iconic 'marshmallow test,' one of the most famous experiments in the history of psychology, proved that the ability to delay gratification is critical to living a successful and fulfilling life: self-control not only predicts higher marks in school, better social and cognitive functioning, and a greater sense of self-worth; it also helps us manage stress, pursue goals more effectively, and cope…
If you want to change and improve your habits – whether dealing with existing bad habits relating to alcohol, chocolate, or screen time (I’m looking at myself…) or understanding and improving your behaviour with exercise or work/life balance (still looking at me) – I recommend starting with The Marshmallow Effect and then following immediately with The Power of Habit. The very worst that can happen is that your bad habits continue but you understand why! But much more likely is that you gain insights that will change your life for the better. It’s a perfect blend of science, common sense, and practical application.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times
In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporterCharles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents…
When I do in-service training in schools – or talks for parents – easily the thing the audience most commonly and keenly asks about in the Q&A relates to what I’ve said about introverts and their experience in school. Despite this, although I do discuss it in several of my books, I haven’t written a book about it, for one good reason: Quiet Poweris all you need! Susan Cain also wrote a book called Quietbut Quiet Power is the one I recommend specifically to parents, teachers, and young people themselves because it is written with young people specifically in mind and contains tips for teachers and students. Introverts are poorly served in most schools but with proper understanding (including by themselves) they – I mean “we”, as I’m strongly introverted myself – could thrive better. We do not need to change the environment to suit one group of people – there is room for everyone to shine, with a few simple strategies and some deep understanding.
"Quiet Power is a brilliant handbook for quiet children (and their parents). It is a celebration of the introvert" - Guardian
Your child's teenage years is a time wrought with insecurity and self-doubt. Their search for a place in the world can seem daunting. Focusing on the strengths and challenges of being introverted, Quiet Power is full of examples from school, family life and friendship, applying the breakthrough discoveries of Quiet to teenagers that so badly need them.
This insightful, accessible and empowering book is eye-opening to extroverts and introverts alike. Unlock your teenager's hidden superpower and give them the…
Most teachers will know this book and most schools either explicitly or implicitly teach growth mindset to students. So it would be helpful for parents to have this insight, too. But you might have heard growth mindset being “disproved” – that is not true!Some people had taken the conclusions too far and made too many claims or misunderstood, but if you actually read Dweck’s work in this book you’ll see what she actually said. It is quite a densely-written book, which is possibly why some people have skimmed it and reached certain conclusions. What you could do is a) take my word for it that the research is strong and meaningful and b) read the “grow your mindset” tips at the end of each chapter. Or settle down and read it all!
World-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, in decades of research on achievement and success, has discovered a truly groundbreaking idea-the power of our mindset.
Dweck explains why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success-but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn't foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals-personal and professional. Dweck reveals what all great parents, teachers,…
For my recommendation, it was a choice between this and How We Learn by Benedict Carey but I had to choose The Organized Mind because I had so many page markers stuck in it! Yes, this is a book I’ve referred to over and over again because it reveals so much about how our busy minds work and why when they get too busy they don’t work so well. I think for most people nowadays, especially students, parents, and teachers, recognizing, understanding, and dealing with “brain bandwidth” overload is fascinating, revealing, and empowering. For me this book was transformative. It got me into the whole science of brain bandwidth, which is now one of the most popular parts of my talks for parents and teachers. Once you know about it you’ll spot examples of it in action many times a day!
In The Organized Mind, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin offers practical solutions to the problems of information overload. ___________________________________________________
Overwhelmed by demands on your time? Caught in an unproductive spiral of emails and multitasking?
You're not alone. When we're deluged with information our creativity plummets, our decision making suffers and we grow absent-minded. Nowadays, we drown in our inboxes, forever juggle several tasks at once and try to make complex decisions ever more quickly. This is information overload.
Combining the latest neuroscience with everyday examples, Daniel Levitin explains how to take back control…
Teenagers are not the lazy, rude, and disorganised people the media portrays them as. And any behaviours you do notice have fascinating explanations in neuroscience and psychology. During the teenage years the brain undergoes radical and fundamental changes. My carefully researched, accessible, and empathetic examination of the ups and downs of the teenage brain deals with powerful emotions, sleep, risk-taking, sex and gender, the lure and effects of screens and social media, and the reasons behind addiction or depression.
For 2023, a brand-new edition brings the research bang up to date and adds material concerning the social brain, distraction, and impulsivity, as well as the role of sex and gender differences. Read and understand; you’ll be reassured, empowered, and inspired.
My book is fantastical historical fiction about two characters who're wrestling with the monstrosity of their grief.
It takes you into London high society, where Ambrose tries to forget about how much he misses Bennett and how much he dreads becoming as cold as their Grandfather. It takes you to the family's country manor house, where Mattie isolates and old ghosts start to come out of the woodwork.
It's a story about loss and depression; it's a story about friends who don't let you walk through the valley of death alone.
Ambrose Bancroft returns to London society with his younger sister, hoping they'll leave ghosts of memory behind. They have only each other left. While Ambrose attempts to draw Mattie out, dragging her to balls and threatening to seek suitors for her, his sister recoils from his meddling. Finally, when Ambrose compels her to attend art class before she's ready, Mattie paints something horrific enough to banish them from society in public disgrace.
At Linwood Manor, Mattie and Ambrose aren't as alone as they think. Taking advantage of Mattie's desperate need to find freedom, a vanishing room lures Ambrose's sister into…
