Professor Richard Wiseman is a Psychologist, Broadcaster, Keynote Business Speaker and Author.
Described by a Scientific American columnist as ‘…one of the most innovative experimental psychologists in the world today’, Richard’s books have sold over 3 million copies.
His books explore the science of success and focus on practical, evidence-based, techniques that improve people’s personal and professional lives. For instance, The Luck Factor is based on Richard’s ten-year investigation into exceptionally lucky people, 59 Seconds describes techniques that people can learn in less than a minute, and Night School examines how to get the perfect night’s sleep.
Professor Wiseman has established an international reputation for research into the scientific examination of unusual areas within psychology.
Wiseman started his working life as an award-winning professional magician and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. He then obtained a first-class honours degree in Psychology from University College London and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Edinburgh.
He currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.
Richard Wiseman’s research has been reported in over 40 academic journal articles, including those In Nature, Science and Psychological Bulletin.
In addition, he has co-authored a number of books and presented over 50 papers at both national and international conferences.
Prof. Wiseman has given invited addresses at The Royal Society, The Royal Television Society, The Royal Statistical Society, The Royal Society for the Arts and The Royal Institution.
Richard often appears on the media and has been a regular guest on BBC1’s ‘Tomorrow’s World’ and Radio 4’s ‘Today‘ programme. His work has also been reported on a large number of other radio and television programmes, including BBC2’s ‘Horizon’, Channel 4’s ‘Equinox’, ITV’s ‘World In Action’, and Radio 4’s ‘Start The Week’ and ‘Midweek’.
Feature articles about this work have appeared in various newspapers, including The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Guardian. He completed a documentary about The Psychology of Luck for BBC1, and an international documentary on The Science of Humour for the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
A survey by The Times Higher Education Supplement revealed that he was ‘the psychologist most frequently quoted by the British media’.
Professor Richard Wiseman has spoken about the psychology of lying at several prestigious business conferences and provided training in the detection of deception to many organisations, including city banks, law firms and fraud investigators.
Prof. Wiseman was the recipient of The CSICOP Public Education In Science Award in 2000 and the Joseph Lister Award For Social Science in 2002. In 2004 he was awarded a NESTA DreamTime Fellowship for his innovative work in science communication, and in 2005 served as President of the General Section of The British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Speech topics include:
The Psychology of Luck:
Professor Wiseman examines psychological differences between exceptionally lucky and unlucky people and develops techniques to enhance luck.
The Psychology of Deception:
Why do some people lie and deceive? Is it possible to employ technology to help catch a liar? Why are most people very poor lie detectors, and can anything be done to improve their skills? Richard Wiseman presents an insight into the psychology of deceit, and how science can help distinguish truth from fiction.
Night School:
Professor Wiseman is on a mission to put the world to sleep. He has explored the new science of sleep and dreaming, examined the power of napping, and assembled the world’s largest archive of dream reports. Join Wiseman as he delves deep into the sleeping mind, reveals how you can get the perfect night’s sleep, decodes your dreams, and shows how you can improve your life without moving a muscle.
