Dr Daniel C. Richardson explores everyday psychology in new book

Where do our thoughts live? Do we see the same colours as everyone else? Why do people commit violence?

Dr Daniel C. Richardson, UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, uses psychology to tackle these questions in his new book.

Man vs. Mind: Everyday Psychology Explained demonstrates how psychological science and theories underpin everyday human existence. Written for all curious-minded audiences – including those new to psychology – the book also aims to show how we can use this knowledge to take greater control of our lives.

“I was inspired to write this book after several years teaching psychology, realising that often people don’t see how psychology written about in the textbooks connects to their everyday lives. So, I designed a course where we began each week with a simple naïve question – why do people see ghosts? Do we see the same blue? – and used all the tools of modern psychology, behavioural science and neuroscience to find answers. I decided to take some of my favourite questions and expand them into this book,” Dr Richardson said.

Dr Richardson is a Reader in Social Cognition at UCL PaLS in the Experimental Psychology department. He was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and an assistant professor at University of California Santa Cruz. While at UCL, he has received two Provost’s Teaching Awards and performed in scientific shows at the Bloomsbury Theatre.

Dr Richardson’s research focuses on how individuals’ thought processes are related to the people around them. He currently directs the Eye Think Lab.

Man vs. Mind will be published by Aurum Press Ltd on October 19th 2017.