News & Upcoming Events

4th October 2024 – Cheltenham Literature Festival

Friday 4th October 2024 

Claudia chaired a discussion with the writer Bryony Gordon about her new book Mad Woman at the Cheltenham Literature Festival

1st October 2024 – Centre for Society Mental Health conference at the Science Gallery

Tuesday 1st October 2024 

Claudia chaired a session at the ESRC Centre for Society Mental Health conference on the question: We know that inequalities matter and a have a huge impact on mental health, why are we so bad at doing something about it?

More information about the event here

27th July 2024 – The Vet with Two Brains on Tour – a BBC Archive on 4 programme

Saturday 27th July 2024 

Seven years ago, Claudia followed vet Adam Tjolle as he went through life-changing brain surgery. But how is Adam doing now & what can we learn from his experiences?

Listen to this BBC Archive on 4 programme here

26th July 2024 – Latitude Festival, Suffolk

Friday 26th July 2024

Claudia appeared on Robin Ince’s Bookshambles event at the Latitude Festival

22nd July 2024 – 33rd International Congress of Psychology, Prague, Czech Republic

Monday 22nd July 2024

Claudia gave a keynote address on the subject of kindness and public engagement at the 33rd International Congress of Psychology in Prague

More information on the congress is available here

18th-20th July 2024 – The Colors of Ostrava Festival, Melting Pot Forum, Ostrava, Czech Republic

Thursday 18th July – 20th July 2024

Claudia talked about her books The Art of Rest and The Keys to Kindness at the Melting Pot Forum as part of the Colors of Ostrava Festival in the Czech Republic

24th -25th June 2024 – 5th Zero Suicide International Conference, Liverpool

Monday 24th June-Tuesday 25th June 2024 –  Liver Building,  Liverpool.

Claudia chaired leading researchers and thought leaders from 22 countries at the 5th Zero Suicide International Summit which included a video message from HRH the Prince of Wales

More information about the event here

13th June 2024 – Think Again: The Science of Wellbeing, University of Sussex

Thursday 13th June 2024 – Claudia compered the first in a new series of public events in Brighton showcasing psychological research at the University of Sussex, beginning with the science of wellbeing

9th June 2024 – Should Women Speak Up? – Panel Discussion at Cheltenham Science Festival

Sunday 9th June 2024 – Claudia chaired a discussion with journalist Mary Ann Sieghart and Dr Gillian Sandstrom at the Cheltenham Science Festival on why women ask fewer questions than men at meetings and events

7th June 2024 – Toxic Positivity – Panel Discussion at the Cheltenham Science Festival

Friday 7th June 2024 – Cheltenham Science Festival

Claudia was joined by psychologist Dr Linda Blair, GP and educator Dr Anisha Patel, and wellbeing consultant and content creator Benjy Kusi, for a discussion about the rise of so-called Toxic Positivity.

The event in front of audience was recorded for an episode of All in the Mind. The programme can be heard here

16th March 2024 – Your Amazing Brain – One Day Conference at the London School of Economics

Saturday 16th March 2024 – 10.00am to 5.30pm  – London School of Economics and Political Science, Lecture Theatre TBC , Houghton St , London WC2A 2AE

Claudia will be speaking about time perception, drawing on her book Time Warped, at the Amazing Brain event.

More information about the event here

4th March 2024 – The Keys to Kindness: The Rosalind Franklin Lecture, with Claudia Hammond, chaired by Samira Ahmed

Monday 4th March 2024 – 7.30pm to 9.00pm  – Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, LondonWC1R 4RL

In the 2024 Rosalind Franklin Lecture, Claudia Hammond will take us on an eye-opening tour of kindness: what constitutes kindness, effective strategies to build more of it into our lives, and the benefits of being kind.

She will draw on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and her work in collaboration with the University of Sussex and the BBC, including the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes to kindness.

More information about the event here

24th February 2024 – The Science of the Menopause – Recording of BBC World Service programme The Evidence at the 10th Northern Ireland Science Festival

Saturday 24th February 2024 – 6.30pm to 8.00pm  – The MAC, 10 Exchange Street, Belfast, BT1 2NJ

Every woman’s journey through the menopause is deeply personal and unique. But how does where you live shape your perceptions of this life stage and experiences of it?

In this edition of The Evidence on the BBC World Service, Claudia Hammond looks at how the menopause is viewed around the world and unpacks the latest science along the way.

This event will be broadcast on the BBC World Service at a later date.

More information about the event here

24th February 2024 – All in the Mind Live: The Psychology of Hope at the 10th Northern Ireland Science Festival

Saturday 24th February 2024 – 2.00pm to 3.00pm  – The MAC, 10 Exchange Street, Belfast, BT1 2NJ

Claudia Hammond will host a panel session in which three guests will join her to discuss The Psychology of Hope: exploring the research around hope and what we know about it, how to be hopeful, and what to do when it disappears.

This session will be followed by an audience Q&A for broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at a later date.

More information about the event here

23rd February 2024 – Claudia talks about her book The Keys to Kindness at the 10th Northern Ireland Science Festival

Friday 23rd February 2024 – 7.30pm to 8.30pm  – Crescent Arts Centre, 2-4 University Road, BT7 1NH

What can psychological research tell us about kindness and the most effective strategies for building more kindness into our lives? Broadcaster and author of the Keys To Kindness, Claudia takes on an eye-opening tour of the topic. She draws on her work with Sussex University and BBC Radio 4 on The Kindness Test, the world’s largest study of its type.

More information about the event here 

27th December 2023 – Paperback version of The Keys to Kindness is published by Canongate

The Keys to Kindness: How Kindness unlocks Wellbeing, Success and Purpose is out in paperback, published by Canongate.

More information about the book here

7th October 2023 – Claudia Hammond speaking on the Science of Kindness at New Scientist Live

Saturday 7th October 2023  13.25pm to 14.15pm- New Scientist Live at ExCeL London and Online

What can psychological research tell us about kindness and the most effective strategies for building more kindness into our lives?  Broadcaster and author of the Keys To Kindness, Claudia Hammond takes on an eye-opening tour of the topic. She draws on her work with Sussex University and BBC Radio 4 on The Kindness Test, the world’s largest study of its type.

More information and tickets for the event here

27th June 2023 – Claudia Hammond hosts the All in the Mind Awards Ceremony

All in the Mind listeners were asked to nominate the group, professional or individual who had made a positive impact on their mental health and the winners are announced in this programme, hosted by Claudia Hammond at the Shaw Theatre in London.

You can listen to this programme via this link

Photo by Ian Brodie

11th June 2023 – Claudia Hammond speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival

Sunday 11th June 2023  3.15pm to 4.15pm-  Pillar Room, Cheltenham Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham GL50 1QA

What constitutes kindness? It might not be what you think. Claudia, who is this year a guest curator at the festival, will conduct an eye-opening tour of kindness. Drawing on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, including the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes towards kindness, she will give an insight into the benefits of kindness for our mental health and wellbeing and how we can build more of it into our lives. Chaired by Mark Lythgoe.

More information and tickets for the event here

3rd  June 2023 – Claudia Hammond awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Open University

Saturday 3rd June 2023

On this day, at a graduation ceremony held at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, Claudia was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Open University in recognition of her work in increasing public understanding of psychology and mental health issues.

More information can be found here

21st May 2023 – Claudia Hammond speaking at the Bath Festival

Sunday 21st May 2023  11.00am to 12.00pm –  The Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW

Claudia will talk about her latest book The Keys to Kindness with positive psychologist Miriam Akhtar (The Little Book of Happiness).  She will argue the empathy is a skill that can be learnt and that being kind to others starts with being kind to ourselves.

More information and tickets for the event here

19th May 2023 – Claudia Hammond speaking at the Charleston Festival

Friday 19th May 2023  3pm –  Charleston, West Firle, Lewes BN8 6LL

What does it mean to be kind?

Following their collaboration on ‘The Kindness Project’, the largest global survey of attitudes to kindness, bestselling author of ‘The Art of Rest’ and ‘The Keys to Kindness’ Claudia Hammond and psychologist Robin Banerjee come together for a fascinating conversation about what constitutes kindness and how we can all reap the benefits of being kind

More information and tickets for the event here

18th May 2023 – Claudia Hammond wins Best Achievement Award in the People’s Book Award 2023

Claudia’s latest book  ‘The Keys to Kindness’ was given the Best Achievement Award in the People’s Book Prize for “advancing the human condition”.

The prize is a unique literary competition decided exclusively by the public. More information about the prize and other winners can be found here 

13th April 2023 – Claudia Hammond appearing at the Edinburgh Science Festival

Thursday 13th April 2023  6pm –  National Museum of Scotland, Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1JF

Claudia will conduct an eye-opening tour of kindness: what it is, how we can build it into our lives and why we should practise it. Drawing on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, she will present the enormous benefits that kindness has for our mental health and wellbeing. Chaired by Pennie Latin-Stuart, broadcaster and presenter of BBC radio series Brainwaves.

More information and tickets for the event here

16th December 2022 – Claudia Hammond appearing at Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People in London

Friday 16th December 2022  7pm – King’s Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG

Claudia will be one of the guests at the annual festive ‘cavalcade of science, comedy, music and mayhem’  hosted by comedian and star of BBC Radio 4’s Infinite Monkey Cage, Robin Ince

More information and tickets for the event here

24th November 2022 – An Evening with Claudia Hammond at Chorleywood Bookshop

Thursday 24th  November 2022  7pm – 8pm  at Chorleywood Bookshop, 7 New Parade, Chorleywood, WD3 5NJ

A deep-dive into kindness, the science behind it and how we can better build it into our lives, from the author of The Art of Rest.

Book tickets for the event here

20th November 2022 – The Keys to Kindness at Folkestone Book Festival 2022

Sunday 20th  November 2022  2pm – 3pm  at the Folkestone Book Festival, Quarterhouse, Mill Bay, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1BN

Using the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and working in collaboration with the University of Sussex’s world-leading Kindness Institute, Claudia Hammond takes us on an eye-opening tour of kindness and suggests effective strategies to build more of it into our lives.

Book tickets for the event here

13th November 2022 – Why we all need to be a lot less hesitant about being kind by Claudia Hammond – Article for the Observer

While researching a book on kindness, Claudia found that being kind enhances the mood of not just the receiver – but the giver, too

Read the article here

13th October 2022 – Rationality in an Irrational Age – Claudia interviews Steven Pinker

Thursday 13th  October 2022  11.am – 12pm  at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Baillie Gifford Stage, Town Hall, Cheltenham

We live in an era of breath-taking scientific discovery, but also fake news, conspiracy theories and post-truth rhetoric. Why do we act irrationally or succumb to bad arguments? Rejecting the cynical view that we’re saddled with biases, fallacies and illusions, world-renowned psychologist Steven Pinker (Rationality) examines how we can harness rational thinking to help us see the world more clearly. He will be in discussion with Claudia Hammond.

Book tickets for the event here

2nd September 2022 – The Dangers of Being Overconfident – Article for BBC Future

Some of us seem to have an over-inflated belief in our abilities. Why are we resistant to the idea we might not be good at something?

Read the article here

10th July 2022 – Claudia on the Psychology of Wordle

Sunday 10th  July 2022  12.pm – 1pm  at the ALSO FESTIVAL Park Farm, Compton Verney, Warwick CV35 9HJ

From Wordle, quordle, octordle, semantle to Lordle (the Lord of the Rings Version – no really) word games seem to have caught our imagination in 2022. So much so that award-winning author and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘All in the Mind’ Claudia Hammond and neuroscientist and academic Prof Catherine Loveday will be setting up in the woods to explain how and why the brain enjoys these challenges so much and advise on how you can ace them. We hear there will be solving these word games LIVE.

9th July 2022 – Claudia on the Psychology of Rest, Money, Time Perceptions and Emotion

Saturday 9th July 3.pm – 4pm  at the ALSO FESTIVAL Park Farm, Compton Verney, Warwick CV35 9HJ

Claudia Hammond is an award-winning broadcaster, author and psychology lecturer. In her work, she shares the ways that psychological and medical research can help us in our everyday lives, whether through her radio show ‘All in the Mind’, TV, podcasts, public events or books. She first started presenting about matters of the brain aged 14, she won our Transmission Prize for the Communication of Ideas in our very first year. So we thought it was time to ‘do’ Claudia’s Greatest Hits. We’ll be asking her what we need to know about the psychology of rest, money, time perception and emotions. Don’t miss it!

2nd March 2022 – Claudia presents The Anatomy of Kindness: Results at a special BBC event

The Anatomy of Kindness: Results.

Weds 2 March 7:00pm – 8:30pm, BBC Radio Theatre, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA

The Anatomy of Kindness is BBC Radio 4’s latest scientific study. More than 60,000 people took part in The Kindness Test – examining public attitudes to this important topic, in a partnership between the BBC and the University of Sussex. This event will announce the results. Claudia will be joined by Professor Robin Bannerjee, medical ethicist Deborah Bowman plus three other guests to reveal the results and unpick what they mean in today’s uncertain world.

22nd February 2022 – Claudia chairs an event on Antimicrobial Resistance at the Wellcome Collection in London

Antimicrobial Resistance

Tues 22 Feb 7:00pm – 8:20pm, Reading Room, Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London.

Claudia and guests Professor Dame Sally Davies and Ross McFarlane will discuss one of the biggest public health challenges of our time: antimicrobial resistance. What can we do as disease-causing bacteria and viruses stop responding to treatment and drug-resistant infections increase?

The event will be recorded live with an audience and edited into a programme to be broadcast on the BBC World Service.

11th June 2021 – Claudia chairs an event on the Science of Courage at the Cheltenham Science Festival

Under Pressure: The Science Of Courage

Fri 11 Jun 5:00pm – 5:55pm, Pillar Room, Town Hall, Cheltenham

How would you react under extreme pressure? For some, courage comes naturally in stressful situations; for others, the ability to keep a cool head can seem almost impossible. Considering everything from public speaking to emergency situations, Claudia is joined by psychologists Rachel Manning and Patrick Tissington and mental health campaigner and adventurer Alex Staniforth to discuss the qualities of courage, heroism and bravery and to explore whether we can train ourselves to process fear more successfully when everyday life puts us under pressure.

27th May 2021 – Claudia joins a panel at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge to discuss The Anatomies of Touch

Thursday 27 May at 17.30 – Anatomies of Touch

Claudia will be taking part in an online discussion of the Anatomies of Touch with a specially invited panel that also includes  hand surgeon James Hopkinson-Woolley, and artist Jane Dixon. The event will be chaired by Suzanne Reynolds and Elenor Ling, co-curators of a new exhibition on touch  The Human Touch, open 18 May-1 August. Tickets for the event here 

9th May 2021 – Claudia discusses The Art of Rest at The Swindon Festival of Literature

What is rest? How do we rest best? Why is there ‘no rest for the wicked’? What is not rest? Why do we need rest? Is rest best? Do we really rest when we sleep? What’s the difference? Much of value has been written about sleep, but rest is different. Rest is how we unwind, calm our minds, and recharge our bodies.  Claudia Hammond reveals how we get real rest and how it is directly linked to our sense of wellbeing. Counting down through the top ten most restful activities, Claudia explains precisely why rest matters; looks at the science that shows what really works; and offers a roadmap for a new, more restful and balanced life. This event will take place at 6pm on Sunday 9th May. More information here

23rd April 2021 – Claudia Hammond discusses ‘The art and neuroscience of rest’ as part of the British Neuroscience Association’s festival of neuroscience

In ‘The art and neuroscience of rest’ Claudia Hammond will examine why rest matters, why the brain needs rest as well as sleep and how we can find more rest in our lives.  Register free here 

12th April 2021 – Claudia Hammond’s book The Art of Rest is published in Germany

The Art of Rest is published in Germany by Dumont as Die Kunst des Ausruhens

This is the latest foreign translation of The Art of Rest – in all the book has been translated into 17 languages, with some lovely covers.

26th January 2021 – Claudia Hammond discussed her book Time Warped on BBC Radio 4 programme The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

Drawing on her book Time Warped published in 2012, Claudia joined presenters Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry to explain how emotion and memory are big factors in how time is perceived,  stressing how time can stretch and squeeze depending on whether you are looking backwards or forwards, and revealing how lockdowns because of the Covid pandemic have warped time in different ways for different people.

Listen back to the programme here

3rd December 2020 – Claudia Hammond discusses her latest book The Art of Rest at The Royal Institution

Using results from The Rest Test – the largest global survey into rest ever undertaken – Claudia will explain why rest matters, examine the science behind the results to establish what really works and offers a roadmap for a new, more restful and balanced life.

This on-line event will take place between 7pm and 8.30pm

You can register for this event here

19th November 2020 – Claudia Hammond joins A Drink with the Idler

Claudia Hammond will join Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson and philosopher Mark Vernon for a chat about rest.

This event is free for Idler subscribers.

It is an online event. Find more here

14th November 2020 – Claudia Hammond talks about rest at the Stylist Live 2020 event

Claudia  will be looking at the art of rest in a pandemic, speaking about how we can unwind and recharge our bodies for a more restful and balanced life.

This on-line event will start at 11.30am

Find more information and tickets here

13th November 2020 – Claudia Hammond co-curates part of the #KindFest 2020

Claudia Hammond will be co-curating Tent 3 – Thinking Kindness with Professor Robin Bannerjee who runs Sussex University’s Kindness Research.

The event will focus on kindness-focused research.

  • What do we know about kindness?

  • How does kindness work?

  • What is the relationship between health and kindness?

  • How does kindness affect us and those around us?

  • How can we build kinder communities?

Find more information and tickets here 

1st November 2020 – The Art of Rest  is unveiled as ”Nonfiction book of the month” by the leading bookshop chain, Waterstones.

Waterstones describe The Art of Rest as “sure to restore the equilibrium.Drawing on a ground-breaking global study of rest, as distinct from sleep, Hammond’s practical and inspiring book unravels the transformative benefits of quality downtime and the secrets of how to unwind.”

The Art of Rest is one of just four books chosen as a prestigious ‘book of the month’ – the other categories are fiction, thriller and children’s book – by the leading UK booksellers.

Find out more and buy a copy of the book here 

12th October 2020 – Claudia Hammond discussed her life and work as part of the British Academy’s Leaders in SHAPE series

In this event. as part of the British Academy’s  SHAPE  series, Claudia Hammond  joined Dorothy Bishop, Professor of Developmental Neuropsychology at Oxford University, to discuss her life, career and latest book The Art of Rest

SHAPE (Social sciences, humanities & the arts for people and the economy) is a new collective name for those subjects that help us understand ourselves, others and the human world around us. 

You can watch a video recording of this online event here 

28th to 30th August 2020 – Claudia Hammond appeared at the Also Festival, Park Farm, Compton Verney, Warwickshire

Claudia spoke about her latest book The Art of Rest and discussed the role of music in helping us to rest at two talks at this year’s Also Festival. The festival, in the Warwickshire countryside, was one of very few live events that took place during the summer of 2020 and it was featured in a special article in the Guardian  

19th August 2020 – The Art of Rest shortlisted for the British Psychological Society’s Popular Science Book Award

The Art of Rest has been chosen by a panel drawn from the Research Board, Practice Board and the Education and Training Board of the prestigious British Psychological Society as one of the shortlisted books for its 2020 Popular Science Book Award.

This is the second time Claudia has been nominated for the award.  She was the winner back in 2013 for her book Time Warped.

See the other books on the shortlist here

The Art of Rest by Claudia Hammond

6th August 2020 – The Art of Rest included in Hay Festival #ImaginetheWorld reading list

The Art of Rest was included, along with books by Albert Camus, Michelle Obama, Atul Gawande, Naomi Klein and many other luminaries, in a publicly chosen list of books that could act as catalysts for change around the world.

The #imaginetheworld project is coordinated by the Hay Festival

Read more and see the full reading list here

21st May 2020 – Why time seems to be going faster while we are in lockdown – Article for BBC Future

To some, our days in lockdown seem to be slipping past faster than usual. But why?

Read Claudia’s article here

25th February 2020 – The Art of Rest – Talk at Action for Happiness, London

Claudia Hammond spoke to an audience in London on on how to find more rest in a frantic world. The event was filmed at an Action for Happiness event in London on 25 Feb 2020

You can watch the video here

29th January 2020  – Why you need more rest  – a Feel Better Live More Podcast with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Claudia joined Rangan Chatterjee to argue that being busy isn’t a badge of honour – and taking time out is definitely not lazy.  She examines the science behind our struggles to relax and she shares some insights on our attitudes to downtime, the top 10 activities most likely to help us switch off, and what the benefits are for our health, well-being and productivity.

If you need a reminder of why rest is so important – and permission to do it, without feeling guilty – this is it. So put your feet up (or head out for a walk, if you find that more restful), and listen in.

Listen here 

5th December 2019 – The Books that Made Me in BBC Science Focus Magazine

Claudia chose six books which informed and inspired her for BBC Science Focus.
Read the article here

3rd December 2019 –  What we get wrong about time – Article for BBC Future

Most of us tend to think of time as linear, absolute and constantly “running out” – but is that really true? And how can we change our perceptions to feel better about its passing?

Read Claudia’s article here

11th July 2017 – Money and Happiness talk at Action for Happiness event in London

Claudia explores the psychology of money, its implications for our well-being and how can we use our money in ways that make us – and others – happier. This is an edited version of a longer talk filmed at an Action for Happiness event in London on 11 July 2017
Watch here