‘A masterpiece of popularization’ Times Literary Supplement‘A fascinating account, based on objective scientific research, of the ways in which mental states affect the individual’s liability to disease… Martin is a highly civilised scientist, who seasons his text with witty parentheses. He also provides many examples from literature, ranging widely from Shakespeare, Goethe and Hardy to Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Kafka… Interesting, informative and a pleasure to read.’ ANTHONY STORR, Sunday...
Is pleasure selfish and are we selfish to pursue it, scientifically speaking?'I know the ways of pleasure, the sweet strains,The lullings and relishes of it' George HerbertThis is a book about the lengths people will go to nuzzle out some pleasure – and the scientific reasons that lie behind those impulses, written in an accessible and entertaining way.Paul Martin looks at changing attitudes to pleasure over the centuries, including religious and philosophical lawgiving on the subject, before...
All parents want their children to be happy – but no parent knows how to guarantee it. Now this groundbreaking book explores the ways in which parents can influence their children’s happiness, providing a positive framework for emotional growth.Happiness is simultaneously the most sought after and the most elusive human property. But it is also poorly understood. Making Happy People breaks new ground in two ways: by offering a scientific perspective on a subject often dominated by philosophers,...
A brilliant overview of that most vital, most underrated and most elusive of human activities, sleep.Using the approach and skills he deployed to such successful effect on the relationship between mind and body in the prize-winning ‘The Sickening Mind’, likeable British popular science author Paul Martin here tackles the science of that most mysterious, elusive and alluring of human activities, sleeping, and draws on both cutting-edge neuroscience and classic literature to do so.We spend one...
