'Variety and depth' in book publishing recognised

Books on the immune system's link with the mind, screen time and humans as social beings are among the winners of The 2024 British Psychological Society Book Award. I spoke with this year's winners in three categories – Textbook, Academic Monograph, and joint winners in Popular Science. 

Unlocked: The real science of screen time (and how to spend it better) by Professor Pete Etchells (Bath Spa University), was one of two winners in the Popular Science category. In his book Etchells explores the science behind our fears over apparent addiction to our screens and alleged impacts on our attention spans, as well as offering realistic advice, reassurance, and critical reflection. 

Etchells said the debate over screens and their effects had become emotionally charged and that writing a book that did not simply argue that screens were bad was a challenging position to take. 'In light of that, I couldn't be more grateful for the BPS's support and recognition of Unlocked with this award. 

'My goal in writing the book was to empower readers to make more informed decisions about their own tech use in order to develop healthier digital habits. This isn't about brushing aside the very real concerns we have about things like social media or recommender algorithms. Instead, I hope Unlocked can help foster a more rounded, evidence-based understanding of how digital technologies shape our lives – for better and for worse. 

'If we can better develop that understanding, we're in a stronger position to hold tech companies accountable, and we can more constructively push for apps and platforms that prioritise safety and wellbeing at the core of their design. Receiving this award is a genuine honour, and I am tremendously thankful."

The other joint winner in the Popular Science category was The Immune Mind: The New Science of Health by medical doctor and researcher Dr Monty Lyman (University of Oxford). Lyman's book (reviewed here) offers practical advice for staying healthy given our growing understanding of the links between the brain, microbiome and immune system.

He said he was absolutely delighted to win the award. 'The aim of the book was to explain - via the immune-mind connection - that most chronic illnesses do not neatly fit into society's boxes of 'physical' and 'mental' - and that understanding how psychology and biology influence each other is crucial for healing. This has been validated by lots of wonderful, heartfelt feedback from patients and clinicians, and receiving this prestigious award is the cherry on top!'

The winner of the Textbook category was A Student's Guide to Open Science: Using the Replication Crisis to Reform Psychology by Dr Charlotte Pennington (Aston University). Her book (reviewed here) charts the history of the replication crisis in psychology and offers practical advice on both implementing open science practices and teaching students about them.

Pennington said she had studied stereotype threat during her PhD but had struggled to replicate classic studies in the field which she had learned when she was an undergraduate. She added that she wanted to write a book she wished had existed during her own training that educated researchers about the messiness and complexity of research, dispelled imposter syndrome and promoted teaching and research as a career.   

'This award not only represents a "win" for me but, more importantly, a "win" for open science! The book has been received extremely positively by the academic community and beyond. Educators have adopted this book as essential reading for their undergraduate and postgraduate provision, and it's great to see the topic of Open Science featuring more heavily in the higher education curriculum. 

'It's also fantastic to see that Open Science now features in the QAA benchmark statement and the revised BPS accreditation standards for our discipline, so I'm excited to see how this develops. Students have emailed me to say that the book's content has provided the 'missing pieces' to what they are taught and has unearthed the 'hidden curriculum' around research, such as peer review and the role of journals. Being told that book has "'inspired" students – who represent the grassroots of our discipline – makes me very optimistic about Psychology's future!'

Finally, the winner of the Academic Monograph category is What Makes Us Social? by Emeritus Professors Chris and Uta Frith (both University College London). Their book – you can read an extract here – explores the cognitive processes that make humans the most social creatures on the planet. It touches on themes of empathy, trust and cooperation, as well as the darker side of humans as social creatures. On X, Uta Frith described the award as 'Wonderful news!'

Richard Stephens, Chair of the BPS Research Board, congratulated the winners and said writing and publishing a book was no easy feat. 'From academic texts for budding psychologists to books aimed at making psychological concepts accessible for the general public, this year's winners showcase the variety and depth that exists in psychology publishing.'

– Applications for the 2025 BPS Book Awards will open on 10 March 2025 and close on 22 June 2025.