Penguin Books Australia

Have you ever wondered why we get ill?

Can our thoughts and feelings worsen or even cause conditions like heart disease, cancer or asthma?

And what - if anything - can we do about it?

The need for the Six Hats is based on an understanding of how the brain chemicals change with the mode of thinking. Using this method one major corporation reduced the time taken for multinational project discussions from thirty days to just two days.

In Madness Explained leading clinical psychologist Richard Bentall shatters the modern myths that surround psychosis.

'A brilliant, lucid insight into the profound implications of modern biological thinking . . . With this book Matt Ridley establishes himself as one of the finest of contemporary science writers' – Bryan Appleyard

Beck describes both theory and therapeutic techniques for anxiety neuroses, depressions, obsessions, phobias, and psychosomatic disorders and demonstrates the wide range of applicability of the cognitive approach.

The enchanted world of fairy tales has been an integral part of childhood for hundreds of years. But what do they really mean and what importance do they actually bear on our lives?

Dr Bettelheim in his thought-provoking and stimulating exploration of the best known stories casts a very interesting light on this subject. His belief that they represent a complex coping mechanism for children to deal...

In what the General Practitioner called 'this intelligent searching work', the author of 'Stigma' and 'Asylums' presents an analysis of the structures of social encounters from the perspective of the dramatic performance. He shows us exactly how people use such 'fixed props' as houses, clothes, and job situations; how they combine in teams resembling secret societies; and how they adopt discrepant...

Few experts have done more to present the world of children and parents to the general public than D.W. Winnicott. In this classic of child development, Winnicott explores problems of the only child, of stealing and lying, shyness, sex education in schools and the roots of aggression. 'His style is lucid, his manner friendly, and his years of experience provide much wise insight into child behaviour...

Develop the mindset, spirit, and discipline you need to achieve real wealth on your own terms!

'If only we'd stop trying so hard to be happy, we'd have a pretty good time.' Edith Wharton 

The Antidote: Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking is an exploration of a radically new path to happiness.

In an approach that turns decades of self-help advice on its head, Oliver Burkeman explains why positive thinking serves only to make us more miserable, and why 'getting...

What if it is simply unconscious biases — in the way of memory, emotion and attention — that produce most misunderstandings and conflicts between people, groups and even nations? How can you tell if it isn't just your brain running on 'auto-pilot' that makes your moral decisions for you, instead of the logical thinking you've nurtured and developed? Reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink...

Since humans left Africa less than a hundred thousand years ago there has been a staggering explosion of cultures. What caused this blooming of diversity? Why are there so many mutually incomprehensible languages, even within small territories? Why do we rejoice in rituals, wrap ourselves in flags, or define ourselves in opposition to others? In Wired for Culture Mark Pagel, the world's leading expert...