Sixth Form Recommended Reading

You are not so smart by David McRaney

How many of your Facebook friends do you think you know? Would you help a stranger in need? Do you know why you’re so in love with your new smartphone? The truth is: you’re probably wrong. You are not so smart. In this international bestseller, award-winning journalist David McRaney examines the assorted ways we mislead ourselves every single day. A psychology course with all the boring bits taken out, prepare for a whirlwind tour of the latest research in the subject, fused with a healthy dose of humour and wit. You’ll discover just how irrational you really are, which delusions keep you sane, how to boost your productivity, and why you’ve never kept a New Year’s resolution.

Stolen Focus: Why you can’t pay attention by Johann Hari

Is your ability to focus and pay attention in free fall?

You are not alone. The average office worker now focuses on any one task for just three minutes. But it's not your fault. Your attention didn't collapse. It has been stolen. Internationally bestselling author Johann Hari shows twelve deep factors harming our focus. Once we understand them, together, we can take back our minds.

Inventing Ourselves by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

Up to the minute brain science from a world class scientist. Sarah Jayne Blakemore explains how the adolescent brain transforms as it develops and shapes the adults we become. Drawing upon her cutting-edge research Professor Blakemore explores: · What makes the adolescent brain different? · What drives the excessive risk-taking and the need for intense friendships common to teenagers? · Why it is that many mental illnesses - depression, addiction, schizophrenia - begin during these formative years? And she shows that while adolescence is a period of vulnerability, it is also a time of enormous creativity and opportunity.