In this special episode, I talk about my new book, 'Humanise: how knowing ourselves could change the world'. Some of the ideas behind the format for the book evolved from previous episodes of the 'Humans & Hope' podcast.

Humanise is a popular psychology book that reveals the latest understanding of how human beings think and behave, and shows how we could use this knowledge to tackle some of our biggest challenges, from obesity to violence to climate change, and build a better future for people and our planet. It therefore aims to bring together some of the previous themes we discussed in the podcast and explore them at a deeper level, as well as why human beings seem to be struggling generally in the modern world, and how we can build a world fit for the creatures we really are. It is a book of big ideas challenging some of our most cherished beliefs about ourselves, and the ideas, institutions and societies that surround us. The audio is taken from a talk I did about the book.

You can buy it from Amazon and all good bookshops from October 25th 2024.

In this episode I’m talking to Dr Giovanni Travaglino about organised crime and criminal groups - how they gain influence and power and affect people’s lives - and what can be done to address them.

We’ll see how organised crime is a bigger part of our lives and the global economy than we might think. We’ll explore the surprising role that criminal groups play in local communities and the steps they take to inspire loyalty in people. We’ll also explore how psychology can help us to tackle organised crime and criminal groups around the world.

Giovanni is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research focusses on the psychology of organised crime and criminal governance.

In this episode I’m talking to Dr Matt Easterbrook about how different forms of inequality in education can affect children’s lives - and what can be done to address them.

We’ll see how inequality has some surprising consequences - from how children perform and feel about education through to how teachers evaluate the performance and potential of their pupils. We’ll also explore what can be done to build an education system that benefits everyone, regardless of their background or identity.

Matt is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sussex. His research focusses on the impact of education and inequality on people's identities, wellbeing, and socio-political attitudes.