topic hub
the best psychology books
The psychology books most often recommended by therapists, neuroscientists, podcasters, and writers in our index. Covers the canon (Kahneman, Cialdini, Frankl) plus the contemporary applications.
60 books, ranked by how many of the 4,800 notable readers in our index have publicly recommended each one.
- 51 people
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
Robert B. Cialdini, PhD · 2006
51 recommenders
- 28 people
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Matthew Walker · 2017
28 recommenders
- 25 people
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Jonathan Haidt · 2021
25 recommenders
- 18 people
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
Jonathan Haidt & Greg Lukianoff · 2018
18 recommenders
- 17 people
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
Steven Pinker · 2018
17 recommenders
- 12 people
The Elephant in the Brain
Robin Hanson and Kevin Simler · 2017
12 recommenders
- 12 people
The Way of the Superior Man : A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire
David Deida · 2004
12 recommenders
- 10 people
The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma
Bessel A. van der Kolk · 2014
10 recommenders
- 8 people
The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance
David Epstein · 2013
8 recommenders
- 6 people
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Malcolm Gladwell · 2015
6 recommenders
- 6 people
The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
Jim Loehr · 2003
6 recommenders
- 5 people
How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain: How We Create Emotions Through Brain, Body, and Culture
Lisa Feldman Barrett · 2018
5 recommenders
- 5 people
Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn from Their Mistakes--But Some Do
Matthew Syed · 2015
5 recommenders
- 5 people
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
David Eagleman · 2011
5 recommenders
- 4 people
Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion
Paul Bloom · 2016
4 recommenders
- 4 people
What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People
Joe Navarro · 2014
4 recommenders
- 4 people
The Coddling of the American Mind
Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff · 2019
4 recommenders
- 4 people
Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger
Soraya Chemaly · 2018
4 recommenders
- 4 people
Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
Dr. Kristin Neff · 2011
4 recommenders
- 3 people
The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us (Chinese Edition)
Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons · 2016
3 recommenders
- 3 people
Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases
Daniel Kahneman & Paul Slovic and Amos Tversky · 1982
3 recommenders
- 3 people
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Erving Goffman · 1952
3 recommenders
- 3 people
Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study
George E. Vaillant · 2012
3 recommenders
- 3 people
Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom
Daniel T. Willingham · 2009
3 recommenders
- 3 people
Finding Your Element
Ken Robinson & Lou Aronica · 2013
3 recommenders
- 2 people
Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion
Anthony R. Pratkanis · 2001
2 recommenders
- 2 people
The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology
Lee Ross and Richard E. Nisbett · 2011
2 recommenders
- 2 people
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things
Don Norman · 2003
2 recommenders
- 2 people
The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time
Maria Konnikova · 2016
2 recommenders
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Methodology: each book is ranked by the number of recommenders in our index who have publicly endorsed it. Curated topics use a hand-picked book list; year-stamped pages query our index by publication year. More on methodology →