Search results for ""Author Richard Wiseman""

You are remarkable: You experience a vast range of thoughts and feelings, including falling in love, remembering last Tuesday, and contemplating the meaning of life. And you can carry all sorts of astonishing behaviours, such as sauntering down the street, singing in falsetto and riding a unicycle. Psychologists study every aspect of how you think, feel, and behave. Richard Wiseman takes you on a personal journey into this fascinating world, focusing on what makes for meaningful research. He explores how psychology reveals the hidden workings of the mind, boosts critical thinking, debunks myths, improves lives, and informs debates in politics, philosophy, and education. This insider’s guide lifts the lid on how psychologists go about their work, examines contemporary challenges associated with studying the mind, and encourages students and researchers to reflect on why they do what they do.If you’ve ever wanted to think like a psychologist, spot a liar, uncover the truth about happiness, or discover how to create a more altruistic society, then this book is for you.

Read more less

Almost a third of your whole life is spent asleep. Every night you close your eyes, become oblivious to your surroundings and waste hours flying, being chased or watching all your teeth fall out – and then you wake up. What on earth is going on? Based on exciting new peer-reviewed research, mass-participation experiments and the world’s largest archive of dream reports, Night School uncovers the truth about the sleeping brain – and gives powerful tips on how you can use those hours of apparently ‘dead’ time to change your waking life. Along the way you will discover how to learn information while you sleep, the creative potential of a six-minute nap, and what your dreams really mean. Studies show that even a small lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on health and happiness. It’s time to banish nightmares, make the most of the missing third of your days, and get the best night’s sleep of your life.

Read more less

Ever wondered why bad musicians always win the Eurovision Song Contest, or how incompetent politicians get elected?You need some Quirkology in your life.While other scientists beaver away on obvious problems, Richard Wiseman has been busy uncovering the secret ingredients of charisma, exploring how our personalities are shaped by when we are born and examining why people usually miss the obvious signs of their partner's infidelity. Using scientific methods to investigate offbeat topics that interest the general public as well as the scientific community, Quirkology brings a new understanding to the backwaters of the human mind and takes us to places where mainstream scientists fear to tread. Comparable to Freakonomics, but British, far more populist, and a lot funnier.Findings include:How does your surname influence your life?What does the way you walk reveal about your personality?Why should women have men write their personal ads?What is the funniest joke in the world?

Read more less

Here''s a magician''s biggest and best-kept secret: learning magic tricks can help you grow your confidence, feel happier, and boost your brain power!Professor Richard Wiseman, psychology professor and member of the prestigious Magic Circle, reveals the secrets behind some jaw-dropping magic tricks that will bring out the magic in YOU - and teach you some cool skills to impress your friends!Learn to defy gravity, read minds, pluck coins from thin air, make a sausage appear from nowhere AND predict the future, all while boosting your mental wellbeing, resilience and self-belief. Magic Your Mind Happy will show you how to master the awe-inspiring ancient art of performing magic, anytime, anywhere and for anyone.IT''S FUN, IT''S EASY, IT''S MAGIC!

Read more less

A useful manual for any magician, or for anyone who wonders why the tricks seem so real, this guide examines the psychological aspects of a magician''s work. Exploring the ways in which human psychology plays into the methods of conjuring, rather than focusing on the individual tricks themselves, the book explains general principles of magic. Chapters on the use of misdirection, sleight of hand, and reconstruction, provide a better understanding of this ancient art and a section on psychics warns of their deceptive magic skills.

Read more less

Extraordinary feats of conjuring have long entertained and astounded audiences. However, few people realise that magic also has the power to improve health and to enhance wellbeing. Join magician, author, and psychologist Richard Wiseman as he journeys into this secretive world and uncovers the surprising therapeutic and educational benefits of making the impossible possible. Written for both performers and practitioners, this comprehensive but accessible guide describes the many ways in which watching and learning magic helps people. Discover how hospital magicians promote the recovery of patients, how occupational therapists teach tricks that boost movement and coordination, how counsellors conjure up life skills, and how illusions enhance curiosity and learning in the classroom. Along the way, Wiseman reveals some of the amazing but simple tricks of the trade, presents key initiatives from around the world, explores academic research examining the efficacy of magic-based interventions, and interviews experienced practitioners carrying out this work. The first publication of its kind, Magic is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand and utilise the real magic of magic.

Read more less

'People are emotionally drawn to the supernatural. They actively want weird, spooky things to be true . . . Wiseman shows us a higher joy as he deftly skewers the paranormal charlatans, blows away the psychic fog and lets in the clear light of reason.' Richard DawkinsProfessor Richard Wiseman is clear about one thing: paranormal phenomena don't exist. But in the same way that the science of space travel transforms our everyday lives, so research into telepathy, fortune-telling and out-of-body experiences produces remarkable insights into our brains, behaviour and beliefs. Paranormality embarks on a wild ghost chase into this new science of the supernatural and is packed with activities that allow you to experience the impossible. So throw away your crystals, ditch your lucky charms and cancel your subscription to Reincarnation Weekly. It is time to discover the real secrets of the paranormal.Learn how to control your dreams -- and leave your body behindConvince complete strangers that you know all about themUnleash the power of your unconscious mind

Read more less

'Fascinating new book examines the history of Nasa's Apollo space missions' Daily Mail_______Eight key lessons to revolutionise your life with the mindset that got man to the moon.20th July 1969: Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon. We all recognize this to be one of mankind's greatest achievements. Yet what did it take to make John F. Kennedy's dream a reality?In this remarkable book, Professor Richard Wiseman presents a pioneering study of the mindset that took humanity to the Moon, and shows how you can harness and use it to achieve the extraordinary in your everyday life.Combining personal interviews, mission archives and cutting-edge psychology, Wiseman embarks on the ultimate voyage through inner space. Along the way he identifies eight key principles that make up the Apollo Mindset, including how pessimism is crucial to success, and how fear and tragedy can be transformed into hope and optimism. You will discover a series of practical techniques that you can use to incorporate these winning principles into both your professional and personal life. Whether you want to start a business venture, change careers, find your perfect partner, raise a loving family, get promoted, gain a new qualification, escape the rat race, or pursue a lifelong passion, these techniques will help you to reach your own Moon.

Read more less

IS LUCK REAL?Why do some people lead happy successful lives whilst other face repeated failure and sadness? Why do some find their perfect partner whilst others stagger from one broken relationship to the next? What enables some people to have successful careers whilst others find themselves trapped in jobs they detest? And can unlucky people do anything to improve their luck - and lives?Ten years ago, Professor Richard Wiseman decided to search for the elusive luck factor by investigating the actual beliefs and experiences of lucky and unlucky people. The results reveal a radical new way of looking at luck: in many important ways, we make our own luck. If you think you're unlucky, that bad luck may be the direct result of you believing you're unlucky.Wiseman identifies the four simple behavioural techniques that have been scientifically proven to help you attract good fortune. He then shows how you can use these methods to revolutionise every area of your life - including your relationships, personal finances and career.

Read more less

You are remarkable: You experience a vast range of thoughts and feelings, including falling in love, remembering last Tuesday, and contemplating the meaning of life. And you can carry all sorts of astonishing behaviours, such as sauntering down the street, singing in falsetto and riding a unicycle. Psychologists study every aspect of how you think, feel, and behave. Richard Wiseman takes you on a personal journey into this fascinating world, focusing on what makes for meaningful research. He explores how psychology reveals the hidden workings of the mind, boosts critical thinking, debunks myths, improves lives, and informs debates in politics, philosophy, and education. This insider’s guide lifts the lid on how psychologists go about their work, examines contemporary challenges associated with studying the mind, and encourages students and researchers to reflect on why they do what they do.If you’ve ever wanted to think like a psychologist, spot a liar, uncover the truth about happiness, or discover how to create a more altruistic society, then this book is for you.

Read more less