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Mindfulness-integrated CBT
by Bruno A. CayounMindfulness-integrated CBT: Principles and Practice represents the first set of general principles and practical guidelines for the integration of mindfulness meditation with well-documented and newly developed CBT techniques to address a broad range of psychological dysfunctions.The first book to provide a strong rationale and general guidelines for the implementation of mindfulness meditation integrated with CBT for a wide range of psychological difficultiesIncorporates ancient Buddhist concepts of how the mind works, while remaining firmly grounded in well-documented cognitive and behavioural principlesProvides new insights into established understanding of conditioning principlesIncludes a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions, week-by-week instructions for professionals to facilitate application of the therapy, along with case examples and the inspiring stories of former clients
Mindfulness-integrated CBT for Well-being and Personal Growth: Four Steps to Enhance Inner Calm, Self-Confidence and Relationships
by Bruno A. CayounThis is a clear, streamlined guide to using Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) to improve well-being and manage a range of personal and interpersonal difficulties. Integrates the core principles of Eastern mindfulness with the Western evidence-based principles of CBT Provides simple and practical, step-by-step guidance to understanding and implementing the four stages of MiCBT with helpful FAQ sections, success stories from patients, and free access on the companion website to the author’s MP3 audio instructions for basic and advanced mindfulness meditation techniques Written by the foremost expert in this area, with over 25 years’ experience in mindfulness meditation and training from around the world Perfect for individuals working toward self-improvement on their own, as well as professionals assisting clients in individual or group therapy
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
by Dr Danny Penman Professor Mark WilliamsMINDFULNESS reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that can be incorporated into daily life to help break the cycle of unhappiness, stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion and promote genuine joie de vivre. It's the kind of happiness that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life can throw at you with new courage. The book is based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT revolves around a straightforward form of mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed. MBCT has been clinically proven to be at least as effective as drugs for depression and it is recommended by the UK's National Institute of Clinical Excellence - in other words, it works. More importantly it also works for people who are not depressed but who are struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world. MINDFULNESS focuses on promoting joy and peace rather than banishing unhappiness. It's precisely focused to help ordinary people boost their happiness and confidence levels whilst also reducing anxiety, stress and irritability.
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
by Dr Danny Penman Professor Mark WilliamsTHE LIFE-CHANGING BESTSELLER - OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD'A deeply compassionate guide to self-care - simple and profound' Sir Kenneth Branagh'If you want to free yourself from anxiety and stress, and feel truly at ease with yourself, then read this book' Ruby WaxAuthoritative, beautifully written and much-loved by its readers, Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world has become a word-of-mouth bestseller and global phenomenon. It reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that you can incorporate into daily life to break the cycle of anxiety, stress unhappiness and exhaustion. It promotes the kind of happiness that gets into your bones and allows you to meet the worst that life throws at you with new courage. Mindfulness is based on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Co-developed by Professor Mark Williams of Oxford University, MBCT is recommended by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and is as effective as drugs for preventing depression. But, equally, it works for the rest of us who aren't depressed but who are struggling to keep up with the relentless demands of the modern world. By investing just a few minutes each day, this classic guide to mindfulness will put you back in control of your life once again.
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
by Dr Danny Penman Professor Mark WilliamsMINDFULNESS reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that can be incorporated into daily life to help break the cycle of unhappiness, stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion and promote genuine joie de vivre. It's the kind of happiness that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life can throw at you with new courage. The book is based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT revolves around a straightforward form of mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed. MBCT has been clinically proven to be at least as effective as drugs for depression and it is recommended by the UK's National Institute of Clinical Excellence - in other words, it works. More importantly it also works for people who are not depressed but who are struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world. MINDFULNESS focuses on promoting joy and peace rather than banishing unhappiness. It's precisely focused to help ordinary people boost their happiness and confidence levels whilst also reducing anxiety, stress and irritability.
Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
by Mark Williams Danny PenmanThe Life-Changing International BestsellerMindfulness reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that you can incorporate into daily life to help break the cycle of anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and exhaustion. It promotes the kind of happiness and peace that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life throws at you with new courage.The book is based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT revolves around a straightforward form of mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed. MBCT has been clinically proven to be at least as effective as drugs for depression and is widely recommended by US physicians and the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence—in other words, it works. More importantly it also works for people who are not depressed but who are struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world.MBCT was developed by the book's author, Oxford professor Mark Williams, and his colleagues at the Universities of Cambridge and Toronto. By investing just 10 to 20 minutes each day, you can learn the simple mindfulness meditations at the heart of MBCT and fully reap their benefits. The book includes links to audio meditations to help guide you through the process. You'll be surprised by how quickly these techniques will have you enjoying life again.
Mindfulness: An Eight-week Plan For Finding Peace In A Frantic World
by Mark Williams Danny PenmanFrom one of the leading thinkers on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, a pioneering set of simple practices to dissolve anxiety, stress, exhaustion, and unhappiness. In Mindfulness, Oxford professor Mark Williams and award-winning journalist Dr. Danny Penman reveal the secrets to living a happier and less anxious, stressful and exhausting life. Based on the techniques of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, the unique program developed by Williams and his colleagues, the book offers simple and straightforward forms of mindfulness meditation that can be done by anyone--and it can take just 10-20 minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed.
Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology
by Willem Kuyken Christina FeldmanHow does mindfulness promote psychological well-being? What are its core mechanisms? What value do contemplative practices add to approaches that are already effective? From leading meditation teacher Christina Feldman and distinguished psychologist Willem Kuyken, this book provides a uniquely integrative perspective on mindfulness and its applications. The authors explore mindfulness from its roots in Buddhist psychology to its role in contemporary psychological science. In-depth case examples illustrate how and why mindfulness training can help people move from distress and suffering to resilience and flourishing. Readers are guided to consider mindfulness not only conceptually, but also experientially, through their own journey of mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness: Living Through Challenges and Enriching Your Life In This Moment
by Richard W. SearsMindfulness: Living Through Challenges and Enriching Your Life In This Moment shows how the ancient practice of mindfulness can help us live a fuller and more enriching life. Presents material through a balance of clinical case work with the author’s personal stories of the Dalai Lama, ninja, and Zen Buddhism Reveals ways that mindfulness can be applied to modern problems based on psychological principles and evidence-based programs Shows how to apply mindfulness principles to a variety of problems, including stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and more Provides guidelines for readers to conduct their own mindfulness training sessions at home
Minding Emotions: Cultivating Mentalization in Psychotherapy (Psychoanalysis and Psychological Science)
by Elliot JuristMentalization--the effort to make sense of our own and others' actions, behavior, and internal states--is something we all do. And it is a capacity that all psychotherapies aim to improve: the better we are at mentalizing, the more resilient and flexible we tend to be. This concise, engaging book offers a brief overview of mentalization in psychotherapy, focusing on how to help patients understand and reflect on their emotional experiences. Elliot Jurist integrates cognitive science research and psychoanalytic theory to break down "mentalized affectivity" into discrete processes that therapists can cultivate in session. Clinical vignettes are interspersed with discussions of published memoirs that examine emotions in the context of autobiographical memory. A reproducible assessment instrument (the Mentalized Affectivity Scale) can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.
Minding Minds: Evolving a Reflexive Mind by Interpreting Others
by Radu J. BogdanMental reflexivity, or metamentation--a mind thinking about its own thoughts--underpins reflexive consciousness, deliberation, self-evaluation, moral judgment, the ability to think ahead, and much more. Yet relatively little in philosophy or psychology has been written about what metamentation actually is, or about why and how it came about. In this book, Radu Bogdan proposes that humans think reflexively because they interpret each other's minds in social contexts of cooperation, communication, education, politics, and so forth. As naive psychology, interpretation was naturally selected among primates as a battery of practical skills that preceded language and advanced thinking. Metamentation began as interpretation mentally rehearsed: through mental sharing of attitudes and information about items of common interest, interpretation conspired with mental rehearsal to develop metamentation. Drawing on philosophical, psychological, and evolutionary perspectives, Bogdan analyzes the main phylogenetic and ontogenetic stages through which primates' abilities to interpret other minds evolve and gradually create the opportunities and resources for metamentation. Contrary to prevailing views, he concludes that metamentation benefits from, but is not a predetermined outcome of, logical abilities, language, and consciousness.
Minding Spirituality (Relational Perspectives Book Series #24)
by Randall Lehmann SorensonIn Minding Spirituality, Randall Sorenson, a clinical psychoanalyst, "invites us to take an interest in our patients' spirituality that is respectful but not diffident, curious but not reductionistic, welcoming but not indoctrinating." Out of this invitation emerges a fascinating and broadening investigation of how contemporary psychoanalysis can "mind" spirituality in the threefold sense of being bothered by it, of attending to it, and of cultivating it. Both the questions Sorenson asks, and the answers he begins to formulate, reflect progressive changes in the psychoanalytic understanding of spirituality. Sorenson begins by quantitatively analyzing 75 years of journal literature and documenting how psychoanalytic approaches to religious and spiritual experiences have evolved far beyond the "wholesale pathologizing of religion" prevalent during Freud's lifetime. Then, in successive chapters, he explores and illustrates the kind of clinical technique appropriate to the modern treatment of religious issues. And the issue of technique is consequential in more than one way -- Sorenson presents evidence that how analysts work clinically has a greater impact on their patients' spirituality than the patients' own parents have. Sorenson brings an array of disciplinary perspectives to bear in examining the multiple relationships among psychoanalysis, religion, and spirituality. Empirical analysis, psychoanalytic history, sociology of religion, comparative theory, and sustained clinical interpretation all enter into his effort to open a dialogue that is clinically relevant. Turning traditional critiques of psychoanalytic training on their head, he argues that psychoanalytic education has much to learn from models of contemporary theological education. Beautifully crafted and engagingly written, Minding Spirituality not only invites interdisciplinary dialogue but, via Sorenson's wide-ranging and passionately open-minded scholarship, exemplifies it.
Minding the Body: Psychotherapy in Cases of Chronic and Life-Threatening Illness
by Ellyn KaschakSupport and empower women who are coping with the pain, fear, and stigma of serious diseaseBeing diagnosed with cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, or fibromyalgia is a traumatic event that takes place at a time when the patient is already feeling physically (and often emotionally) drained. Minding the Body combines feminist and social constructionist approaches to offer an intimate look into the ways a therapist can help clients cope with the pain, fear, and stigma of serious disease.Minding the Body offers an alternative to the reductive view of the mind-body connection and also examines the potential for growth that such experiences often allow. The essays gathered here show how an effective therapist can help the client deal with the painful and difficult emotions that exacerbate illness, while learning the emotional and spiritual lessons illness can teach. Minding the Body presents both theoretical views and personal accounts of illness, including: scholarly discussions of the issues involved in autoimmune disorders a therapist's personal experience of chronic fatigue syndrome a personal and professional exposition of a woman's struggles with injury, illness, and managed care, co-written by client and therapist suggestions for understanding the social construction of illness and treating disease from a social-constructivist point of view narratives reflecting on the change and growth of therapists diagnosed with cancer and other serious illnessesBy looking at illness in the context of mind, body, society, and medical establishment, Minding the Body will help therapists, doctors, nurses, counselors, and clients deal with the grief, disappointment, and frustration of chronic and life-threatening illness.
Minding the Body: The body in psychoanalysis and beyond (New Library of Psychoanalysis)
by Alessandra LemmaMinding the Body: The Body in Psychoanalysis and Beyond outlines the value of a psychoanalytic approach to understanding the body and its vicissitudes and for addressing these in the context of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The chapters cover a broad but esoteric range of subjects that are not often discussed within psychoanalysis such as the function of breast augmentation surgery, the psychic origins of hair, the use made of the analyst’s toilet, transsexuality and the connection between dermatological conditions and necrophilic fantasies. The book also reaches ‘beyond the couch’ to consider the nature of reality television makeover show. The book is based on the Alessandra Lemma’s extensive clinical experience as a psychoanalyst and psychologist working in a range of public and private health care settings with patients for whom the body is the primary presenting problem or who have made unconscious use of the body to communicate their psychic pain. Minding the Body draws on detailed clinical examples that vividly illustrate how the author approaches these clinical presentations in the consulting room and, as such, provides insights to the practicing clinician that will support their attempts at formulating patients’ difficulties psychoanalytically and for how to helps such patients. It will be essential reading for psychoanalysts, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health workers, academics and literary readers interested in the body, sexuality and gender.
Minding the Child: Mentalization-Based Interventions with Children, Young People and their Families
by Nick Midgley Ioanna VrouvaWhat is 'mentalization'? How can this concept be applied to clinical work with children, young people and families? What will help therapists working with children and families to 'keep the mind in mind'? Why does it matter if a parent can 'see themselves from the outside, and their child from the inside'?<P><P> Minding the Child considers the implications of the concept of mentalization for a range of therapeutic interventions with children and families. Mentalization, and the empirical research which has supported it, now plays a significant role in a range of psychotherapies for adults. In this book we see how these rich ideas about the development of the self and interpersonal relatedness can help to foster the emotional well-being of children and young people in clinical practice and a range of other settings. <P> With contributions from a range of international experts, the three main sections of the book explore:<P> • the concept of mentalization from a theoretical and research perspective<P> • the value of mentalization-based interventions within child mental health services<P> • the application of mentalizing ideas to work in community settings.<P> Minding the Child will be of particular interest to clinicians and those working therapeutically with children and families, but it will also be of interest to academics and students interested in child and adolescent mental health, developmental psychology and the study of social cognition.
Minding the Children: Child Care in America from Colonial Times to the Present
by Geraldine YouchaBeyond childcare theories and early childhood gurus, here is how children have actually been raised in America over the last four centuries. From wet nurses and Southern mammys, settlement houses and orphan trains, to rigid British nannies, foster care, and the modern two-worker family, Geraldine Youcha's delightful book paints a wide-ranging picture of American childhood. In this updated paperback edition a lively new chapter brings the story through current childcare wars and present economic realities. All in all, it is a reassuring picture, for despite a bewildering array of different styles and fads, children have survived and often thrived. While there are some harsh lessons to be learned here, there is also plenty to lend optimism and help anxious parents relax.
Minding the Climate: How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis
by Ann-Christine DuhaimeA neurosurgeon explores how our tendency to prioritize short-term consumer pleasures spurs climate change, but also how the brain’s amazing capacity for flexibility can—and likely will—enable us to prioritize the long-term survival of humanity.Increasingly politicians, activists, media figures, and the public at large agree that climate change is an urgent problem. Yet that sense of urgency rarely translates into serious remedies. If we believe the climate crisis is real, why is it so difficult to change our behavior and our consumer tendencies?Minding the Climate investigates this problem in the neuroscience of decision-making. In particular, Ann-Christine Duhaime, MD, points to the evolution of the human brain during eons of resource scarcity. Understandably, the brain adapted to prioritize short-term survival over more uncertain long-term outcomes. But the resulting behavioral architecture is poorly suited to the present, when scarcity is a lesser concern and slow-moving, novel challenges like environmental issues present the greatest danger. Duhaime details how even our acknowledged best interests are thwarted by the brain’s reward system: if a behavior isn’t perceived as immediately beneficial, we probably won’t do it—never mind that we “know” we should. This is what happens when we lament climate change while indulging the short-term consumer satisfactions that ensure the disaster will continue.Luckily, we can sway our brains, and those of others, to alter our behaviors. Duhaime describes concrete, achievable interventions that have been shown to encourage our neurological circuits to embrace new rewards. Such small, incremental steps that individuals take, whether in their roles as consumers, in the workplace, or in leadership positions, are necessary to mitigate climate change. The more we understand how our tendencies can be overridden by our brain’s capacity to adapt, Duhaime argues, the more likely we are to have a future.
Minding the Self: Jungian meditations on contemporary spirituality
by Murray SteinMany people have an aptitude for religious experience and spirituality but don't know how to develop this or take it further. Modern societies offer little assistance, and traditional religions are overly preoccupied with their own organizational survival. Minding the Self: Jungian meditations on contemporary spirituality offers suggestions for individual spiritual development in our modern and post-modern times. Here, Murray Stein argues that C.G. Jung and depth psychology provide guidance and the foundation for a new kind of modern spirituality. Murray Stein explores the problem of spirituality within the cultural context of modernity and offers a way forward without relapsing into traditional or mythological modes of consciousness. Chapters work towards finding the proper vessel for contemporary spirituality and dealing with the ethical issues that crop up along the way. Stein shows how it is an individual path but not an isolationist one, often using many resources borrowed from a variety of religious traditions: it is a way of symbol, dream and experiences of the numinous with hints of transcendence as these come into personal awareness. Minding the Self: Jungian meditations on contemporary spirituality uses research from a wide variety of fields, such as dream-work and the neuroscience of the sleeping brain, clinical experience in Jungian psychoanalysis, anthropology, ethics, Zen Buddhism, Jung's writings and the recently published Red Book. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, Jungian scholars, undergraduates, graduate and post-graduate students and anyone with an interest in modern spirituality.
Minding the Weather: How Expert Forecasters Think (The\mit Press Ser.)
by H. Michael Mogil Robert R. Hoffman Daphne S. Ladue Paul J. Roebber J. Gregory TraftonA detailed study of research on the psychology of expertise in weather forecasting, drawing on findings in cognitive science, meteorology, and computer science.This book argues that the human cognition system is the least understood, yet probably most important, component of forecasting accuracy. Minding the Weather investigates how people acquire massive and highly organized knowledge and develop the reasoning skills and strategies that enable them to achieve the highest levels of performance.The authors consider such topics as the forecasting workplace; atmospheric scientists' descriptions of their reasoning strategies; the nature of expertise; forecaster knowledge, perceptual skills, and reasoning; and expert systems designed to imitate forecaster reasoning. Drawing on research in cognitive science, meteorology, and computer science, the authors argue that forecasting involves an interdependence of humans and technologies. Human expertise will always be necessary.
Mindless: Why Smarter Machines are Making Dumber Humans
by Simon HeadThe tools of corporate efficiency - expert systems, databases, and operations management - have improved our lives significantly, but with a cost: they're turning us into mindless drones. This book traces how these IT-intensive management systems have come to dominate our lives, with a profound effect in particular on the middle class.
Mindmade Politics: The Cognitive Roots of International Climate Governance (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Manjana MilkoreitHow integrating cognitive theories and international relations scholarship can yield valuable insights into the effectiveness of climate negotiations.Mindmade Politics takes a novel, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex and contentious dynamics of global climate politics. Manjana Milkoreit argues that integrating cognitive theories and international relations scholarship can yield valuable insights into multilateral cooperation (or the lack of it) on climate change and the process of negotiating climate agreements. Milkoreit argues that cognition is at the root of all political behavior and decision making. Some of the most important variables of international relations scholarship—the motivations of political actors—are essentially cognitive variables. Drawing on interviews with participants in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Milkoreit examines the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions of individuals and groups, focusing on the mental mechanisms connecting decision-relevant factors and observed political behavior. Milkoreit offers a brief introduction to international relations theory and key insights regarding the politics of climate change; outlines the basic cognitive theories and concepts that she applies in her analysis, discussing the cognitive challenges of climate change; and describes the integrated methodological approach she used for her cognitive-political analysis. She presents four cognitive-affective lessons for global change politics, including the “cognitive triangle” of three major concerns of climate negotiators—threat, identity, and justice—and she identifies six major belief systems driving negotiators. Finally, she offers guidance for climate governance based on her findings. Utilizing recent advances in cognitive science, Milkoreit builds a theoretical bridge between two major disciplines that will benefit both scholars and practitioners.
Mindmatics: A Nexus of Ideas (Mathematics in Mind)
by Yair NeumanMindmatics invites readers into a captivating exploration where the boundaries between mind and mathematics dissolve. Professor Neuman delves into the profound connections between cognitive processes and mathematical expression in this groundbreaking work. From how children grasp abstract concepts to symmetry's role in art and mathematics, this book uncovers the hidden structures that shape our understanding of the world. With insightful discussions on the relationship between poetry and mathematics and the essential role of the unconscious in fostering mathematical imagination, Mindmatics offers a unique perspective on the interplay of thought, creativity, and logic. This book is a must-read for anyone curious about the deeper links between the human mind and the mathematical universe.
Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are
by David J. LiebermanTired of guessing what they&’re really thinking? Read people in every situation—in person, on a screen, or in writing—using the new science of psycholinguistics, from a New York Times bestselling author and consultant to the FBI, CIA, and NSA. &“A treasure trove of concepts, ideas, and tools that we can all master to be safer and happier. It&’s a must-read!&”—Joe Navarro, author of Dangerous Personalities What did your boss mean in that email? Is your mechanic stretching the truth? Whether you&’re engaged in a casual conversation or a high-stakes negotiation, it&’s critical to understand the subtext of a situation. But with so much interaction happening on screens—via email, texts, or video chat—we are losing the ability to interpret expressions and cues. Furthermore, since many are now savvy about the meaning of body language, it&’s become even harder to discern someone&’s true thoughts or intentions.A leading lie-detection expert who instructs the FBI and other security agencies, noted psychotherapist David Lieberman, PhD, takes &“people reading&” to a whole new level. Drawing on the latest research in psycholinguistics—the cues embedded in spoken and written speech—he shows you how to apply his cutting-edge methods to countless everyday situations, including: • Detecting the messaging behind passive language, personal or impersonal descriptions, and level of detail.• Determining whether someone&’s account of any incident is the truth or a work of fiction.• Finding out whether a potential hire, dating app match, or new babysitter is trustworthy or hiding something. Nobody wants to be played a fool. Mindreader will help us identify who can be trusted, and who may be out to get us.
Mindreaders: The Cognitive Basis of "Theory of Mind"
by Ian ApperlyTheory of mind, or "mindreading" as it is termed in this book, is the ability to think about beliefs, desires, knowledge and intentions. It has been studied extensively by developmental and comparative psychologists and more recently by neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists. This book is the first to draw together these diverse findings in an account of the cognitive basis of "theory of mind", and establishes the systematic study of these abilities in adults as a new field of enquiry. Apperly focuses on perceptions, knowledge and beliefs as paradigm cases of mindreading, and uses this as a basis from which more general lessons can be drawn. The book argues that an account of the cognitive basis of mindreading is necessary for making sense of findings from neuroscience and developmental and comparative psychology, as well as for understanding how mindreading fits more broadly into the cognitive system. It questions standard philosophical accounts of mindreading, and suggests a move away from the notion that it consists simply of having a "theory of mind". This unique study into the cognitive basis of mindreading will be ideal reading for academics and advanced students from the diverse disciplines that have studied theory of mind in particular, and social cognition more generally.
Minds Make Societies: How Cognition Explains the World Humans Create
by Pascal BoyerA scientist integrates evolutionary biology, genetics, psychology, economics, and more to explore the development and workings of human societies. &“There is no good reason why human societies should not be described and explained with the same precision and success as the rest of nature.&” Thus argues evolutionary psychologist Pascal Boyer in this uniquely innovative book. Integrating recent insights from evolutionary biology, genetics, psychology, economics, and other fields, Boyer offers precise models of why humans engage in social behaviors such as forming families, tribes, and nations, or creating gender roles. In fascinating, thought-provoking passages, he explores questions such as: Why is there conflict between groups? Why do people believe low-value information such as rumors? Why are there religions? What is social justice? What explains morality? Boyer provides a new picture of cultural transmission that draws on the pragmatics of human communication, the constructive nature of memory in human brains, and human motivation for group formation and cooperation.&“Cool and captivating…It will change forever your understanding of society and culture.&”—Dan Sperber, co-author of The Enigma of Reason&“It is highly recommended…to researchers firmly settled within one of the many single disciplines in question. Not only will they encounter a wealth of information from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences, but the book will also serve as an invitation to look beyond the horizons of their own fields.&”—Eveline Seghers, Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture