human behavior

"The Busy Brain Cure" by Dr. Romie Mushtaq is the culmination of 20+ years of clinical research as a brain doctor and experience in corporate wellness as a Chief Wellness Officer.

What does our desire for certainty and control have to do with our decision-making? According to behavioral economics pioneer Peter Atwater, the answer is simple: everything.In his book, "The Confidence Map," Atwater explores the hidden role of confidence in the choices we make, and why events described as being unprecedented are often entirely predictable—if we know what to look for.

In her first book, former TV Broadcaster Nancy Regan gives us a behind-the-scenes account of her experience hosting a successful newsmagazine – all while studiously concealing fear, insecurity, and self-doubt. In “From Showing Off to Showing UP,” Regan explores how overcoming these challenges enriched her life and now fuels her ability to help others.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that terrible apologies are the worst. We all recognize bad apologies when we hear them. So why is it so hard to apologize well? How can we do better? How could they do better? Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy show us the way in their book, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies.

Many of us feel trapped in a grind of constant change: rolling news cycles, the chatter of social media. We feel fearful and tired, not quite knowing what has us perpetually depleted. For Katherine May, this low hum of fatigue and anxiety made her wonder what she was missing. In "Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age," May invites the reader to come with her on a journey to reawaken our innate sense of wonder and awe. She shares stories of her own struggles with work, family, and the aftereffects of pandemic.Katherine May is the New York Times–bestselling author of "Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times."

In the new book “Awe,” Dacher Keltner presents a radical investigation and deeply personal inquiry into this elusive emotion.

Everybody has regrets, Daniel H. Pink explains in "The Power of Regret" (Riverhead Books). They’re a universal and healthy part of being human. And understanding how regret works can help us make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and bring greater meaning to our lives. Drawing on research in social psychology, neuroscience, and biology, Pink debunks the myth of the “no regrets” philosophy of life. Using the largest sampling of American attitudes about regret ever conducted as well as his own World Regret Survey — which has collected regrets from more than 15,000 people in 105 countries — he lays out the four core regrets that each of us has. These deep regrets offer compelling insights into how we live and how we can find a better path forward.

If you’re like most people, the relentless daily grind of go-go-go, do-do-do, can run down your energy and deplete your resources. While most of us find our lives full of “Upstate” moments that rev up our stress engines, it doesn’t have to be this way.Sleep researcher Dr. Sara Mednick, shows how we can access the most replenishing and repairing aspects of sleep through activities and moments that happen during our day by diving into our “Downstate.” Dr. Mednick shows that bringing ourselves back to the Downstate is critical for our health, well-being, and cognitive longevity.Her new book is: "The Power of the Downstate."

*Originally aired as The Book Show #1668.Joe Donahue: Amity Gaige's new novel “Sea Wife” is a swift and thrilling literary page turner about a young…

Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels "Still Alice," "Left Neglected," "Love Anthony," "Inside the O'Briens," and "Every Note…