How Confidence Works: The new science of self-belief

Exploring the new science of confidence, Professor Ian Robertson explains where it comes from, how it spreads 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.