Brainwaves

Brainwaves

Brainwaves holds up a magnifying glass to all things cranial, including mental health, neuroscience, and psychology. A host of scientists, psychologists, technologists, and authors offer their insights into the wonders, and limitations of what lies between our ears (and beyond), including mathematician Marcus du Sautoy’s exploration of the creativity of numbers, Joseph Jebelli’s treatise for the transformative power of rest, and Lucy Easthope’s framework on how to cope with crisis.

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Joseph Jebelli: We Need to Calm Down

Tuesday 12 August 14:15 - 15:15

Joseph Jebelli: We Need to Calm Down Find out more
  • Attend in person
  • Captioned
When was the last time you stopped to rest and just let your mind wander? Well, if you need any encouragement to do that more, come hear neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli discussing the findings of his latest book, The Brain at Rest…
 

Nussaibah Younis & Leor Zmigrod: The Science (and Art) of Radicalisation

Tuesday 12 August 16:45 - 17:45

Nussaibah Younis & Leor Zmigrod: The Science (and Art) of Radicalisation Find out more
  • Attend in person
  • Captioned
What goes on in a fundamentalist’s head? The authors of two very different books try to answer this question today…
 

Ben Alderson-Day & Adam Zeman: The Science of Imagination

Thursday 14 August 12:00 - 13:00

Ben Alderson-Day & Adam Zeman: The Science of Imagination Find out more
  • Attend in person
  • Captioned
Reading, reminiscing, planning, daydreaming - none of these activities is possible without the imagination. But how do our imaginations work? And how do our experiences differ?…
 

Jenny Kleeman & Ben Alderson-Day: Mental Health in the Digital Age

Friday 15 August 14:45 - 15:45

Jenny Kleeman & Ben Alderson-Day: Mental Health in the Digital Age Find out more
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Join this insightful conversation with specialists in the field including Ben Alderson-Day and journalist Jenny Kleeman…
 

Suzanne O'Sullivan: The Age of Diagnosis

Saturday 16 August 15:15 - 16:15

Suzanne O'Sullivan: The Age of Diagnosis Find out more
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  • Watch online
  • BSL interpreted
  • Captioned
In her gripping book, The Age of Diagnosis, leading neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan explores the increasingly blurry boundaries between sickness and health…
 

Samuel Fisher & Will Rees: Illness – Real and Imagined

Saturday 16 August 18:30 - 19:30

Samuel Fisher & Will Rees: Illness – Real and Imagined Find out more
  • Attend in person
  • Captioned
Some of the most gripping Book Festival conversations are those blending fiction and non-fiction. Here, we bring together two writers whose work addresses illness…
 

Marcus du Sautoy: Creativity by Numbers

Wednesday 20 August 15:00 - 16:00

Marcus du Sautoy: Creativity by Numbers Find out more
  • Attend in person
Some brains are creative while others are more inclined towards mathematics and logic, and the two shall never overlap - right? Wrong, according to mathematician, broadcaster, and prolific author Marcus du Santoy, whose new book, Blueprints, investigates…
 

Sami Timimi: Searching for Normal

Thursday 21 August 14:15 - 15:15

Sami Timimi: Searching for Normal Find out more
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  • Captioned
The approach to both mental health and neurodivergence in clinical settings has changed enormously in the 30 years that Dr Sami Timimi has been a practicing psychiatrist…