SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable

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SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 342 ratings · 74 reviews

The majority of the world's population is religious or believes in supernatural phenomena. In the United States, nine out of every ten adults believe in God, and a recent Gallup poll found that about three out of four Americans believe in some form of telepathy, déjà vu, ghosts, or past lives. Where does such supernatural thinking come from? Are we indoctrinated by our par...more The majority of the world's population is religious or believes in supernatural phenomena. In the United States, nine out of every ten adults believe in God, and a recent Gallup poll found that about three out of four Americans believe in some form of telepathy, déjà vu, ghosts, or past lives. Where does such supernatural thinking come from? Are we indoctrinated by our parents, churches, and media, or do such beliefs originate somewhere else? In SuperSense, award-winning cognitive scientist Bruce M. Hood reveals the science behind our beliefs in the supernatural.

Superstitions are common. Many of us cross our fingers, knock on wood, step around black cats, and avoid walking under ladders. John McEnroe refused to step on the white lines of a tennis court between points. Wade Boggs insisted on eating a chicken dinner before every Boston Red Sox game. President Barack Obama played a game of basketball the morning of his victory in the Iowa primary and continued the tradition on every subsequent election day.

Supernatural thinking includes loftier beliefs as well, such as the sentimental value we place on photos of loved ones, wedding rings, and teddy bears. It also includes spiritual beliefs and the hope for an afterlife. But in this modern, scientific age, why do we hold on to these behaviors and beliefs?

It turns out that belief in things beyond what is rational or natural is common to humans and appears very early in childhood. In fact, according to Hood, this "super sense" is something we're born with to develop and is essential to the way we learn to understand the world. We couldn't live without it!

Our minds are designed from the very start to think there are unseen patterns, forces, and essences inhabiting the world, and it is unlikely that any effort to get rid of supernatural beliefs, or the superstitious behaviors that accompany them, will be successful. These common beliefs and sacred values are essential in binding us together as a society because they help us to see ourselves connected to each other at a deeper level.(less)

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published April 7th 2009 by HarperOne (first published 2009)

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Dec 14, 2012 Schmacko rated it 2 of 5 stars

OK, so this is a solid book by a neuroscientist on why we believe things that have no rational or logical pattern behind them. It starts with a cardigan, then Hood tells people that a mass murderer wore the cardigan. All of the sudden, people are skeeved out; they feel the material is contaminated with evil. What does this mean? Why does this happen?

Hood explains the physical science and the relative ridiculousness of such beliefs. He is an expert in children, so he spends a lot of time there. H...more

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Mar 27, 2010 Joel Justiss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: critical-thinking, psychology

Hood, a cognitive neuroscientist, pulls together common experience and neuroscience to paint an enlightening picture of how and why we tend to hold supernatural ideas. He explains how children develop theories about how the world works, and shows that adults retain and use those intuitions along with rational thought.

One form of intuitive thinking is the concept that things have non-physical properties that make them unique. For example, objects owned by a celebrity are valued because of that as...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: culture, psychology

Like many of you who are reading this, I can't throw books away. Even thinking about it makes me uncomfortable, so there is no way I could possibly hold a book over a garbage can and just let it drop. Ugh.

I don't know why this should be, to be honest. I mean, they're just books, right? Paper and ink that anyone can buy. And not even special books - first edition, autor-signed, given to me by my beloved grandmother on her deathbed. I would be hard-pressed to throw away even bad books. Mein Kampf,...more

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Oct 11, 2009 Al Bità rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating account of brain science, written for the masses. It is concerned with examining the cognitive development of human beings, and through the use of numerous studies, suggests that we all necessarily have what the author calls a 'supersense' which naturally produces a sense of the 'supernatural' that even the most intellectual of us is unable to avoid. Hood argues that this is why even the most rational and sceptical among us still retain superstitious beliefs and practices (...more This is a fascinating account of brain science, written for the masses. It is concerned with examining the cognitive development of human beings, and through the use of numerous studies, suggests that we all necessarily have what the author calls a 'supersense' which naturally produces a sense of the 'supernatural' that even the most intellectual of us is unable to avoid. Hood argues that this is why even the most rational and sceptical among us still retain superstitious beliefs and practices (to varying degrees).

Some might find the style of writing a bit off-putting. At times I felt Hood was writing for teenagers — but perhaps we can forgive him, as the subject of personal consciousness is not an easy field to negotiate, and the issues are complex and difficult: the style of writing helps to ease the reader into this fascinating world.

A more specific problem for me are the the words used to express Hood's conclusions. For example, if it is natural (i.e. a natural process of the brain) to develop this sense of something supernatural, why call the latter 'super'-natural? Hood tries (but in my opinion fails) to resolve this contradiction by defining the latter as having an irrational basis that defies natural laws, then further sub-divides this to speak of 'secular' supernatural beliefs as well as 'religious' supernatural beliefs. Both of these share (again to varying degrees) elements of 'essentialism', 'vitalism', 'holism', 'animism', and 'anthropomorphism'. At the same time Hood seems to argue that all of these are not 'real'. A specific example is 'mind' (as implied in the body/mind problem of dualism): we are told that 'mind' does not really exist (as a nominalist, I agree), yet at the same time our 'irrational' ratiocination of the developing brain 'tells' us that it is not only real, but that it is also necessary for survival — thus 'mind' is 'supernatural', and the sense that even babies have that this unreal 'object' is real is called a 'supersense'.

Whether any of this actually succeeds in explaining human cognitive behaviour is problematic (how can one rationally explain what is essentially irrational behaviour? Is it possible that this irrationality is really rational after all?) but people are working on it. In the meantime this jaunty stroll through this complex maze is a pleasant enough trip.(less)

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Dec 07, 2010 Todd Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: atheism-religion-philosophy, environment-science

In “SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable”, Bruce Hood examines the human propensity to believe in things that don’t exist. These include things like psychic phenomenon and commercial claims to religious beliefs and the afterlife. Hood considers these beliefs to be natural products of the way the mind functions when we are children. Children are predisposed to supernatural explanations of the world. These beliefs may be retained as we develop into adults or be reinforced by culture, res...more In “SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable”, Bruce Hood examines the human propensity to believe in things that don’t exist. These include things like psychic phenomenon and commercial claims to religious beliefs and the afterlife. Hood considers these beliefs to be natural products of the way the mind functions when we are children. Children are predisposed to supernatural explanations of the world. These beliefs may be retained as we develop into adults or be reinforced by culture, resulting in adults with superstitious notions. Though fairly simplistic, Hood does a pretty good job covering the basics, even though I think some of his personal conclusions are off the mark. The book was decent overall, but I’ll focus on a few criticisms, since it’s more fun.

1. Hood seems to equate the reverence people feel for certain objects with magical thinking. He uses the example of a pen owned by Albert Einstein, which would be considered more valuable than the same pen that was owned by someone of lesser note.

I would not mark this reverence down to superstitious thinking, since no supernatural properties are being assigned to the object. Instead, some items are unique by virtue of their provenance. Unique and rare items, particularly those items associated with things that are valued by society, are worth more than items that have no unique history. Of course the real Declaration of Independence is valued more than a replica. It is singular and wholly unique. Similarly, a diamond is more valuable than zircon due to its rarity.

2. Hood’s explanation (captured in the subtitle) of why some people believe the unbelievable rests on notions of evolutionary psychology. Survivability was improved for those who believed they were being watched by an unseen enemy (whether such an enemy was present or not). Those who casually went about their business, but failed to look behind their backs for hidden threats, died sooner.

Like much of evolutionary psychology this ‘just-so’ story has no basis in actual evidence. One could concoct numerous plausible sounding theories of why belief in nonsense makes evolutionary sense. Unfortunately, no proof for these theories exists.

3. Hood chastises atheists like Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens for their desire to eliminate religion (or at the very least, reduce its influence). Hood reasons that because supernatural beliefs are natural and unavoidable, there is no possible way to eliminate nonsensical thinking from our species. As evidence he points to the fact that atheists can also have supernatural beliefs in things with no religious component, like homeopathy and psychic abilities.

Humans certainly do appear to have a built in belief engine that naturally predisposes us to magical thinking. Here’s the thing … people who believe in psychic abilities do not fly planes into buildings as a result of these beliefs. Psychics do not deny condoms to those who would otherwise die of AIDS, they do not suppress stem cell research that may result in promising medical breakthroughs and they do not dress their women in burlap sacks. Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens understand that humans are irrational. They also understand that some beliefs are more likely than others to create human misery and suffering. They are directing their attention towards religion (and fundamentalist religions in particular) as a subset of supernatural beliefs, for a reason.
(less)

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Sep 29, 2012 Pctrollbreath rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

This book is a bit of a surprise. When I first saw it on the shelves I ignored because the cover made me think it was trying to support supernatural beliefs. (OK... you shouldn't judge by the cover... but who can honestly say they don't?)

Then I saw it advertised as a daily deal on the Kindle for 99p, gave the description a read and thought it was a debunking of supernatural beliefs. So I bought it. I'll admit, I was looking forward to a smug time of having what I considered to be my "Rational" s...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

This came in store, I skimmed the back cover and thought it sounded interesting so here we go again spending even more money on books.

This book looks at the belief in the supernatural (religious and/or secular) and delves a little into why we as rational people still choose/want/need to believe in something that clearly isn't rational (don't become outraged - your belief cannot be measured or seen and it doesn't follow any of nature's laws, thus you can't rationalise it's existence, that's why i...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was interesting to be reading this right after Unbelievable, as they both address theories of the mind. But while the author of Unbelievable has more of an open mind, Bruce Hood seems to be set in what he believes, and not all that interested in exploring the benefits of what he calls the "supersense", i.e. supernatural thinking.

His expertise is in children and so he spends a lot of time going over theories of what kids believe, and why. The book grows repetitive and I felt myself skimming a...more

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Feb 11, 2010 John Pombrio rated it 5 of 5 stars

I could never understand why normal, educated folks like myself could possibly believe in such strange things like ghosts, good luck charms, ESP, an afterlife, and a host of other supernatural events. For the first time EVER, I finally found someone who could explain such things in a reasonable, well thought out and at times, humorous way. And it is the most obvious of reasons, one that is right under our noses (literally!), a look at the world through a child's eyes and mind.
I enjoyed the book...more

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Jul 29, 2009 Marfita rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone - should be required reading

Recommended to Marfita by: Hemant Mehta, The Friendly Atheist

Shelves: religion-atheism

This was an eminently readable book about a fascinating topic. Hood posits that supernatural thinking (which covers a wide range of beliefs from religion to the feeling that someone is looking at you) is one of the bag of tricks in all human brains that came to us thanks to evolution. Is it possible to be free from it? Probably not, and this Supersense has its use in creating a sense of community in people, in sorting, in categorizing. Religion, it seems, is just a bonus. I read a review about t...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Meaghan McQuade rated it 1 of 5 stars

Frankly, this book pissed me off! Scientists seem to forget that science is simply one form of knowledge and that it is merely a lens for reality. Evolutionary theories are certainly valid, but you have to remember that these are made post hoc and cannot be tested in the same way that other scientific theories can. This book does bring up some interesting points about why we are inclined to believe in the supernatural, however, it is important to keep in mind that before gravity was scientifical...more

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Tim The riddle of how gravity works was unravelled, and frankly I'm grateful. The scientific view of the world is not just one paradigm amongst numerous e...more
Apr 30, 2012 09:08am

Meaghan McQuade To each their own I would suppose. I think it is faulty to hold any one paradigm as the be all to end all without at least close observation. Shamans...more
Apr 30, 2012 06:30pm

Tim I agree. It pushed the envelope, and gave us an incredible toolbox for critiquing power, and the dominant discourses of our times, one of which is the...more
May 01, 2012 12:53am

Jan 15, 2011 Steve Strong rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the first few chapters he sets up an very intriguing question of ways we all think about feeling that "there's something more". How or what labels vary. It really got me thinking, in fact enough to finish the book. After the initial hypothesis, the rest of the book seemed like a long inexhaustible list of folk myth and medical hear-say, but were linked just enough to keep me rethinking the original concept. Not sure I could recommend the whole book, but the first few chapters are worth it.

Edi...more

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Dec 15, 2009 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: spiritual, non-fiction

This very skeptical guide uncovered the origins of our human need for spiritualism and belief. In fact we are actually built with something that gives us a sense of the spirit or we aren't; simple as that. We are believers or we're not. It's in our dna. It was easy to understand all the science and quite an eye-opener. I especially liked the part where he had asked his students to put on a sweater that had belonged to a sadistic murderer. So many were appalled and disgusted. Why? The sweater can...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Stellarmouse rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was fascinating to me. After a sick day in front of the TV watching Ghost Hunters and A Haunting left me scratching my head as to how seemingly reasonable people could believe in things that simply can't be true (well the people on Ghost Hunters don't seem that reasonable...), a few Google searches brought me to this book. Although Mr. Hood's writing style felt meandering at times, the thesis was sufficiently gripping to keep me turning the pages. Now I feel quite a bit better. There i...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fact, non-fiction, philosophy

My sister and I sort of looked at this together -- a sceptical atheist about to do a medical degree and a religious humanities graduate would not, you might think, agree at all when it comes to a book about supernatural feelings, thoughts and beliefs. (Before we go further, I'll add that I am the humanities graduate, for those who don't know me.) You'd think I'd be more resistant to the conclusions of the book, and that she'd be much happier to go along with it.

As it is, we both found the ideas...more My sister and I sort of looked at this together -- a sceptical atheist about to do a medical degree and a religious humanities graduate would not, you might think, agree at all when it comes to a book about supernatural feelings, thoughts and beliefs. (Before we go further, I'll add that I am the humanities graduate, for those who don't know me.) You'd think I'd be more resistant to the conclusions of the book, and that she'd be much happier to go along with it.

As it is, we both found the ideas fascinating, but somewhat lacking in rigour. For example, we both did the questionnaire at the end intended to measure one's level of 'supersense', and both came out with zero. This is not because we lack superstitions (she has a pair of Miffy socks which she wears for all exams; I ask my close friends to 'think good thoughts for me' in times of stress; neither of us can sleep without our teddy bears...) but because the questions were badly phrased. "Things sometimes seem to be in different places when I get home, even though no one has been there", for example. If you answer 'true', this counts as a point toward 'supersense' -- even if, like me and my sister, you actually have that feeling but know, without a doubt, that you just forgot where you put something down (or that someone else sharing the household came in unexpectedly). I don't think we have 'supersense', as defined by Bruce Hood, in that case: there's nothing mystical, to our minds, about how the situation came about.

So, interesting, but at times badly defined. Despite me and my sister's determination to break every question in the test, I think we all have superstitious beliefs, and that Hood is right that to some extent that behaviour is hard-wired into us. To his credit, he does ask after the set of questions whether it does actually measure 'supersense'.

It's particularly intriguing to read this as someone who suffers from anxiety, actually. I'm very used to questioning my own view of reality: if I have a generalised feeling of anxiety, I could choose to be afraid that I'm predicting a terrible event, or that there's a malevolent spirit in the room with me. However, I know I'm not and there isn't: somewhere something bad is happening, and no doubt someone is ill-wishing me, but I am certain I don't know about it through mystical means -- I'm just guessing. I once told my brother that something bad was going to happen because everyone we knew felt crappy; when I woke up the next morning, terrorist attacks had taken place in London. I believed I predicted that, but the logically trained part of me knows that it was a coincidence. I connected my prediction with the event because such an amazing event couldn't be a coincidence, but now I think about it and I'm sure that many other nights all our friends felt bad, and nothing bad happened the next day. I just didn't notice, because nothing important happened.

I can rationalise everything away if you let me at it for long enough, just as above, and in fact that's exactly what my doctor wants me to do, but at the same time I'm religious. I pray, and believe that it helps in some way -- not just that it makes me feel better, but that it has tangible results. How can you rationalise away all the bad/creepy stuff, and still believe in the positive stuff?

So yeah, this book is good to read if you're interested in questioning your own thoughts/beliefs and so on, and interestingly, it also ascribes a positive role in society to superstition and the like.(less)

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Jul 28, 2011 Rob Dewitte added it

Religious believers will be left disheartened by Hood's chapter on the error of mind-body dualism; conspiracy theorists will (should) be given pause after learning that the mind is hard-wired pre-birth to seek patterns and to fill in gaps with information that it views as plausible. Thing is, those fill-ins are rarely accurate. Hood also says, however, that the glue of society is found in each person's "supersense"--the capacity to believe in the unbelievable--and that without it, our society wo...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Jorge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: neuroscience

SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable by Bruce M. Hood

“SuperSense" is the engaging, fascinating book about the origins of supernatural beliefs, why they are so common, and why they may be so difficult to get rid of. It’s a popular science book that is a lot to fun to read and ultimately enlightening. Dr. Bruce Hood uses modern psychology, cognitive neuroscience and an entertaining prose to entertain the masses in this wonderful and at times enthralling read. This 320-page book is compos...more

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Aug 31, 2009 Renee rated it 3 of 5 stars

One thing I love about the library is that it's liberated me from that feeling of fiscal responsibility to finish a book I just paid for. I didn't finish reading this book.

I felt like this was a book where somebody kept talking about the trick instead of doing the trick. "Now, then i will prove why we believe in super sense. See, I will soon be proving why super sense is natural. Very soon you will be wowed and amazing by why we all have super sense." Okay, buddy, I get it! Just tell us what th...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Marian rated it 5 of 5 stars

full disclosure: I am acquainted with Dr. Hood and members of his lab. SuperSense is written in a breezy, accessible style which could perhaps have used a bit more editing, but which I found very entertaining and a joy to read. Separately, I love the sections on the nature of our supersense and on cognitive development. There's no good pop science treatment of cognitive development that I'm aware of, and I think Bruce did a great job of summarizing a lot of the research in a very diverse and div...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, religion-and-sprituality, psychology-and-the-brain, brain-candy

What is it about people that we are so suggestible when it comes to magical interpretations of the world around us? Hood offers answers in this enlightening analysis of how it is that we buy into such obvious silliness, and why we are unlikely to ever evolve into a purely rational species.

Sorry, I did not really write a full review of this, but I found a wealth of passages in the book that I found interesting.

P xiv
Humans are naturally inclined towards supernatural beliefs. Many highly educated a...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good explanation of how we make up crap to explain random events in our world. The author claims that is what makes us sacred. Odd use of the word sacred in context of this book. Yeah, we're special alright. Not sure I agree with the author putting our mental blindpots as something noble. They are evolutionary quirks that other species would have if they had a neocortex. I wouldn't say that are that great. I still see how they create more trouble than their intrinsic "sacred" value to humanity.

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Nov 22, 2012 Brandon Vaughan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is very similar to Michael Shermer's books Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain. However, while Shermer does have a degree in psychology, he tends to be more focused on the debunking rather than explaining WHY people actually do believe weird things (though The Believing Brain does actually use a good bit of psychology). Bruce Hood focuses a lot more on the psychology of belief, which I find very interesting. I think anyone that enjoys Michael Shermer's books will en...more

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Sep 03, 2009 Rosalía rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was absolutely phenomenal. Steven Pinker says, "An intriguing look at a feature of the human mind that is subtle in its operation but profound in its consequences."

Some may know that my Minor in college at U.C. Davis was Psychology, and I recall several of the experiments referred to in this book, but in Supersense, many events receive clarity like never before. The book delves into not only our human beliefs, but WHY we believe the way we do. And you don't need a college education to...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Compared to some of the books of the same genre, which often seem to unravel into an angry rant against God/gods, this book is rational and scientific. Professor Hood's tone is gentle, endearing, and witty. He exposes and explains the evolutionary reasons for human superstition and religion, without any moral judgement, but with a lot of sense! I can't recommend highly enough to skeptics and believers alike.

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Oct 21, 2012 Caitlin Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-philosophy-psychology, non-fiction

I found it really hard to rate this book, there are parts I loved and parts where I felt like I was being told what to believe without all of the options being explored. On the whole, it is well cited and provides an interesting look into the societal, neurobiological and evolutionary reasons for believing in the supernatural (religious or secular). I'll try to remember in the future that people who believe in these kinds of things aren't necessarily stupid or lacking reasoning skills, but that...more

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Nov 23, 2009 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It's a book where you read a chapter, set it aside, and think about what you learned, promoting comprehension. The author's main thesis, which he comes back to fruitlessly, is that humans are inherently born with this supernatural sense. Lots of interesting psychological experiments on children, some of which I may have to try on my cousin's infant when I see him. (but definitely nothing like these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_A...)

My one complaint is that som...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Michael Brady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hood does a very thorough job explaining the way the human mind is inclined to attribute essence to inanimate objects or intentionality to mindless physical processes. To that end Supersense is about why we believe in one particular sort of unbelievable - our very natural intuition that unseen forces energize the natural world around us. This tendency explains the earliest of religious notions - animism - and the concept of the mind-body duality held by both the conventionally religious and the...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Joanna (J.F.Penn) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I like this book a lot because it understands that we don't have to be
a) religious or
b) atheists
Many of us, like myself, consider ourselves spiritual - but don't adhere to a specific religion. This book remains on my active Kindle list as I want to re-read and make notes. Recommended for those thinking about faith and who might sit on the margins themselves.

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May 06, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Really, I would say this is a 3.5 star book. I don't necessarily agree with his points and he sometimes takes sources out of context or misquotes them entirely. It is a charming read and fascinating subject, however, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the way people think about God or other supernatural phenomenon.

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Mar 31, 2013 Chris Pederson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Our minds are designed from the very start to think there are unseen patterns, forces, and essences inhabiting the world. These common beliefs and sacred values are essential in binding us together as a society because they help us to see ourselves connected to each other at a deeper level.' Bleh! And met BH at TAM8, nice guy!

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About Bruce M. Hood

I was born in Toronto, Canada, and my middle name is MacFarlane. This a legacy of my Scottish heritage on my father's side. My mother is Australian and has the very unusual first name of Loyale. I used to believe for many years that she had two sisters called Hope and Faith, but that was just my fertile imagination. Why Toronto I hear you ask. My father was a journalist and plied his art on variou...more I was born in Toronto, Canada, and my middle name is MacFarlane. This a legacy of my Scottish heritage on my father's side. My mother is Australian and has the very unusual first name of Loyale. I used to believe for many years that she had two sisters called Hope and Faith, but that was just my fertile imagination. Why Toronto I hear you ask. My father was a journalist and plied his art on various continents. By the time I had finally settled in Dundee, Scotland, at 8 years of age, I had already lived in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. If you are wondering, I support Scotland during the Rugby World Cup. I have an older brother who was also born in Toronto, but he doesn't have a mid-Atlantic accent like I do. He is sensible. He is a lawyer.

In Dundee, I went to school and then university where I studied psychology and socializing. I then went to Cambridge to conduct research on visual development in babies. Not because they are cute, but because their visual system is so interesting. I completed my Ph.D. in two years in 1991. That year I got married with a "Dr." in front of my name to my wife who is a real doctor and would not marry me until I was doctored. After a brief research period in London, we both set off to Boston, Massachusetts, to sample some U.S. academic life for a year. By the time we were ready to travel, we were now three, as my eldest daughter had been born. When my wife wasn't paying attention, I applied for and was given an associate professorship at Harvard. I interviewed without telling her. What was supposed to be just one year abroad in the United States turned into five. I do stuff like that all the time.

We decided that we wanted to raise our daughter in the U.K. because we did not want her to call us "Mom" and "Pop," or by our first names. So, 10 years ago, we moved back to the countryside just south of Bath. If you have ever been there, you'll know why. I work in the psychology department at the University of Bristol nearby. I conduct research, teach, and of course, write books. We have a second daughter now, and we all live in a medieval barn with mice. I also bought that without telling my wife. That's where I am up to now.(less)

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