How Confidence Works

Professor Ian Robertson explains where confidence comes from and how it can be learned.

Imagine we could discover something that could make us richer, healthier, longer-living, smarter, kinder, happier, more motivated and more innovative. What is this elixir? Confidence. If you have it, it can empower you to reach heights you never thought possible. But if you don't, it can have a devastating effect on your future. Confidence lies at the core of what makes things happen.

Probing the science and neuroscience behind confidence that has emerged over the last decade, clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Professor Ian Robertson tells us how confidence plays out in our minds, our brains and indeed our bodies. He explains where it comes from and how it spreads — with extraordinary economic and political consequences. And why it's not necessarily something you are born with, but something that can be learned.

The insights shared in How Confidence Works reveal how understanding and cultivating confidence can lead to profound personal and collective outcomes, urging readers to explore the true potential of confidence in their lives.