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  • Published: 31 August 2021
  • ISBN: 9781787633728
  • Imprint: Bantam Press
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320

How Confidence Works

The new science of self-belief




Professor Ian Robertson explains where confidence comes from and how it can be learned.

Imagine we could discover something that could make us richer, healthier, longer-living, smarter, kinder, happier, more motivated and more innovative. What is this elixir? Confidence. If you have it, it can empower you to reach heights you never thought possible. But if you don't, it can have a devastating effect on your future. Confidence lies at the core of what makes things happen. Probing the science and neuroscience behind confidence that has emerged over the last decade, clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Professor Ian Robertson tells us how confidence plays out in our minds, our brains and indeed our bodies. He explains where it comes from and how it spreads - with extraordinary economic and political consequences. And why it's not necessarily something you are born with, but something that can be learned.

  • Published: 31 August 2021
  • ISBN: 9781787633728
  • Imprint: Bantam Press
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320

About the author

Ian Robertson

Ian Robertson is Professor of Psychology at Trinity College, Dublin. Formerly a scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, where he was a fellow of Hughes Hall, he is also a visiting professor at University College London with a further appointment in Toronto. One of the world's leading researchers on brain rehabilitation, he has published numerous scholarly books and scientific papers on the subject. He is the author of Mind Sculpture: unleashing your brain's potential and The Mind's Eye, both published by Bantam Press.

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Praise for How Confidence Works

A revelatory and practical new exploration of the science of confidence, which is important for everyone but crucial for women.

Mary Robinson

A brilliant and thought-provoking book - it will change how you think about confidence.

Johann Hari

Rich stories and change-inspiring examples for every kind of performer.

Pippa Grange

An inviting explanation of an interesting and important new topic in psychological science.

Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of HOW THE MIND WORKS and RATIONALLY

A fascinating read.

RTE Radio One

A revelatory and practical new exploration of the science of confidence, which is important for everyone but crucial for women.

Mary Robinson

A brilliant and thought-provoking book - it will change how you think about confidence.

Johann Hari

Rich stories and change-inspiring examples for every kind of performer.

Pippa Grange

An inviting explanation of an interesting and important new topic in psychological science.

Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of HOW THE MIND WORKS and RATIONALLY

A fascinating read.

RTE Radio One