BOOKS

A limited number of autographed copies are available. Books not currently being sold by the publishers might also be available directly from Dr. Epstein.

Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence
(Quill Driver Books, April 2010)

An updated and expanded version of Dr. Epstein's award-winning book, The Case Against Adolescence. It includes a new introduction, the Young Person's Bill of Rights, and a practical guide for parents called, "Finding the Adult in Your Teen." Facts and figures have been updated throughout the book to reflect the latest developments in law, public policy, and psychological research.

From The Library Journal, February 2010:

"Epstein, former editor in chief of Psychology Today, has revised his respected 2007 title, The Case Against Adolescence. He claims that adolescent psychology is a myth created by a culture that overextends childhood and infantilizes teens; that this myth makes young people feel angry and hopeless; and that our current concept of adolescence is an unnecessary historical anomaly brought about by modern industrialization. Epstein recommends judging teens as individuals, not as a group; and for making decisions based on competencies, not age. Each chapter leads with a concise 'Overview,' which might provide enough information for busy readers, and one of two new appendixes contains parenting tips for 'Finding the Inner Adult in Your Teen.' Among the many good titles on the invention theory of adolescence, Epstein’s is the most comprehensive and authoritative."

The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen
(Quill Driver Books, April 2007)

From the Publisher:

A revolutionary proposal for raising responsible and happy teenagers, this groundbreaking book argues that adolescence is an unnecessary period of life that we’re better off without. Epstein shows that teen turmoil is caused by outmoded systems put in place a century ago which destroyed the continuum between childhood and adulthood. Where this continuum still exists in other countries, there is no adolescence. Isolated from adults, American teens learn everything they know from their media-dominated peers—“the last people on earth they should be learning from,” says Epstein. He shows that our teens are highly capable—in some ways more capable than adults—and argues strongly against “infantilizing” young people. We must rediscover “the adult in every teen,” he says, by giving young people adult authority and responsibility as soon as they can demonstrate readiness. This landmark book will change our thinking about teens for decades to come.

Praise for THE CASE AGAINST ADOLESCENCE:

NEWT GINGRICH: “If you are concerned about America's young—and about
America's future—this is a must-read.”

ALBERT ELLIS: “...one of the most revolutionary books I have ever read.” (from the Foreword)

M. SCOTT PECK: “...has vast consequence for our society.”

JOYCE BROTHERS: “…a profoundly important book.”

ALVIN TOFFLER: “If you care about the future of our young people, The Case Against Adolescence is an essential read.”

DEEPAK CHOPRA: “We need to reexamine our basic assumptions about young people, and Epstein shows us how.”

ROBERT COLES: “Here are America’s youth, regarded keenly, knowingly....”

LEON BOTSTEIN: “...a vital book for parents and policy makers on the state and federal levels”

BUZZ ALDRIN: “This book will bring our ideas about teens down to earth.”

MARIEL HEMINGWAY: “This book has opened my eyes….”

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI: “...a very original approach, sure to ignite discussion and controversy.”

DREW PINSKY: “a landmark book”

SUZANNE SOMERS: “Dr. Epstein makes a good case for adolescents to be treated not as a group with a formula, but as individual unique people.”

JEAN LIEDLOFF: “...a powerful case”

ELLEN LANGER: “His arguments deserve serious consideration and open debate.”

JOHN TAYLOR GATTO: “Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a policy maker, or a recovering victim of enforced childishness, you need to read this book.”

CURTIS SLIWA: “…an amazing book, long overdue.”

Parsing the Turing Test: Philosophical and Methodological Issues in the Quest for the Thinking Computer
(Springer, January 2008, co-edited with Gary Roberts and Grace Beber)

Parsing the Turing Test is a landmark exploration of both the philosophical and methodological issues surrounding the search for true artificial intelligence. Will computers and robots ever think and communicate the way humans do? When a computer crosses the threshold into self-consciousness, will it immediately jump into the Internet and create a World Mind? Will intelligent computers someday recognize the rather doubtful intelligence of human beings? Distinguished psychologists, computer scientists, philosophers, and programmers from around the world debate these weighty issues – and, in effect, the future of the human race – in this important volume.

The Big Book of Motivation Games: Quick, Fun Activities for Energizing People at Work and at Home
(McGraw Hill, 2001, with Jessica Rogers)
This addition to the best-selling Big Book of Business Games Series is packed with over 40 original games and exercises managers can use to motivate their teams ­ and themselves. The Big Book of Motivation Games presents managers with a variety of games that can be customized to suit their specific needs and group size. Dr. Robert Epstein provides games designed to stop procrastination, beat burnout, fight boredom, overcome failure, and boost performance.

The Big Book of Creativity Games: Quick, Fun Activities for Jumpstarting Innovation
(McGraw Hill, 1995)
In the modern economy, where most workers are knowledge workers, creativity and innovation are the most easily sustainable competitive advantages. In The Big Book of Creativity Games, Harvard-trained psychologist Robert Epstein provides dozens of games and activities designed to stimulate creativity and generate innovation in the workplace. Dr. Epstein describes the scientific principles of creativity that underlie the games, and how these principles can be applied to tasks like problem solving, new product development, and marketing. Timely and innovative, The Big Book of Creativity Games is the ideal book for managers to turn to whenever they need games that are easy to lead and fun to play, exercises that go far beyond standard brainstorming techniques and innovation jump-starters for team meetings and work groups. For the Spanish edition, click here.

The Big Book of Stress Relief Games: Quick, Fun Activities for Feeling Better
(McGraw Hill, 2000)
These quick games, exercises and activities are designed to reduce stress wherever and whenever it strikes: in meetings, in front of the computer, or when dealing with difficult people. Former Psychology Today Editor-in-Chief Dr. Robert Epstein has created fifty 1-3 minute games based on STRESS-PROOFING, an original system derived from scientific research that makes stress reduction effortless and effective. For everyone from desk bound office workers to managers in meetings, this is the latest addition to one of McGraw-Hill?s best-selling book series ­ it helps alleviate high-pressure situations at home and at work. Includes comprehensive life-planning and life-organization activities. For the Spanish edition, click here.

Stress Management and Relaxation Activities for Trainers
(McGraw Hill, 1999)
Teach trainees to "stress-proof" themselves with these training activities from a renowned Harvard-trained psychologist. Designed to provide lasting results, as well as on-the-spot relaxation, Dr. Robert Epstein's world-famous, science-based stress-proofing methods are fun to teach and easy to apply. Filled with what Psychology Today calls "gems," the exercises in this book can be taught to your trainees in minutes and can be performed anytime, anywhere, with a dramatic effect on mood and performance. The book gives you quick methods for relaxing groups of any size or type and helping them be open and receptive to any training content you present. This simple "bag of tricks" will help trainers raise people?s stress-tolerance levels, create a comfortable learning environment, and unleash their creativity. Also included are special methods for handling organizational change and interpersonal conflict, reproducible handouts, and more. Available in trade paperback or trainers-notebook editions.

Irrelativity
(Astrion, 1997)
Editorial Reviews: The Book Reader, Summer 1997, p.42
The equivalent of Spike Jones to music, this dose of irreverence is a hoot. Epstein is legit, with a Ph.D. from Harvard, widely published in quality journals. But he just had to shake the jowls of that other -stein, Ein-, and give equal time to another scientist. A fictitious one called U.T. Zalna. His theory? Irrelativity. 'This is probably for the best, since the universe actually parts its hair somewhat differently than Einstein led us to believe.' ....Just throw caution to the relative wind and read on, as Epstein tickles. He jabs at modern physics and the extent to which it defies common sense. He wonders whether there really could be extra-dimensional burgers. Then he 'gets serious' with discourses on The Big Bore, Missing Bodies, the Mind-Body Problem, Religion and Black Holes. 'The black hole, the greatest of all swallowers of everything, spits up radiation.' He concludes with a salute to his own Zalna and ponders Bathroom Graffiti on the Foundations of Science. His concoction makes life somewhat more easy to understand. None of that curved space and relative time stuff. Although...how can he zap his theories back in time to read as a kid, to pre-date Einstein? Like the movies? Then he remembers. His theory is not only irrelative, it's irrelevant. The book is not. One physicist reader winced, got angry - then broke down laughing.

From the Publisher
Among many letters received were three from outstanding writers of science fiction. "Einstein meets Seinfeld! An oddly satisfying romp through some really weird neighborhoods of both substance and theory. Douglas Adams, take a glance over your shoulder and say hello to Robert Epstein!" (Mike Sirota, author of Bicycling Through Space and Time) "A rich mix of fact and fantasy, told in a style somewhere between Martin Gardner and Henny Youngman. Epstein spoofs Big Science while simultaneously conveying real data about the universe. A fun book." (Charles Platt, author of The Silicon Man) "An infuriating book! I can't count the times I winced, got angry...then broke down laughing." (David Brin, physicist, winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards, author of Earth and The Postman)

From the Back Cover
"The ideal book for people who don't already know everything about the universe. It synthesizes unequal parts of modern physics and the philosophy of science with perfectly necessary doses of wit and humor."

Creativity Games for Trainers: A Handbook of Group Activities for Jumpstarting Workplace Creativity
(McGraw Hill, 1995)
One of McGraw-Hill Business Division's best sellers, Creativity Games for Trainers is a step-by-step guide that allows professional trainers (or managers or teachers) to boost the creativity of any group or organization. Based on extensive scientific research by creativity expert Dr. Robert Epstein, Creativity Games uses a competencies approach to boosting creativity. According to Dr. Epstein, the ability to express creativity is based on a number of measurable, trainable skills. This book includes an abridged version of one of Epstein's creativity competencies tests that allows trainers to quickly assess where participant's strengths and weaknesses lie. Then, through fun and upbeat games, trainers can work with any group to boost competencies where they're weak. The games boost creativity, improve basic skills needed to express creativity, and increase people's understanding of how creativity works. It thus gives people a foundation for being able to express more creativity throughout their lives. The book includes recommended programs for half-day, full-day, or two-day training sessions. Available in trade paperback or trainers-notebook editions.

Cognition, Creativity and Behavior: Selected Essays
(Praeger, 1996)
This is a collection of more than 30 of Dr. Epstein's scientific, scholarly, and popular papers on creativity, resurgence, imitation, parenting, peace, and more. From the back cover:

"Robert Epstein's immense influence on the field of psychology started early and has never abated. He established an international reputation while still a graduate student working under the guidance of B. F. Skinner at Harvard University. His scholarly contributions and achievements since that time, many of which are summarized in this book, have been nothing short of extraordinary. Professor Epstein thinks profound thoughts nonstop, generate novel and creative ideas at the drop of a hat, and is famous for his propensity to translate these ideas into bold deeds. As I see it, the book's title is a reflection of th areas in which he excels. This collection of some of Epstein's most celebrated essays will surely fascinate anyone who has ever contemplated the mysteries of cognition, creativity, and behavior." —John Wixted, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego

"Epstein shows how far one can go without positing internal representations and processes. He provides an unusual perspective on such central topics in cognitive science as creativity, and shows the value of regarding complex cognitive phenomena from multiple perspectives. Even those who disagree with his basic assumptions will find it worthwhile to consider Epstein's approach." —Stephen M. Kosslyn, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University

"Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior" is a wonderfully informative and entertaining volume with particularly impressive breadth and coverage. Granted such coverage is only useful if the author can back up his ideas and suggestions, but Professor Epstein can and does. He describes unambiguously valid methods and research findings, but is equally careful to describe bridges between the laboratory and the natural environment. He relies on sound methods (both experimental and logical), but at the same time stretches the boundaries of application by tackling such topics as self-control, spontaneous behavior, creativity, and world peace. This truly is a book for everyone...." —Mark A. Runco, Editor, Creativity Research Journal

Pure Fitness: Body Meets Mind
(Masters Press, 1996; co-authored with Lori "Ice" Fetrick of the American Gladiators)
Editorial Review: Ingram
When a beautiful female athlete meets a Harvard-trained psychologist, the result is a book that redefines fitness for the '90s and beyond. Lori Fetrick, who's also known as "Ice" on the popular TV show American Gladiators, teams up with Dr. Robert Epstein to present readers with 12 keys to achieving mental, physical, and spiritual balance. Photos.

Self Help Without the Hype
(Performance Management Associates, 1997)

Editorial Review from Amazon.com: The essence of practicality!

In the tradition of The One Minute Manager, this book is delivered as a short story of a younger man learning from an older man. The content is simple. And it is extremely practical. I wrote the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I have to say I was a little jealous at what Epstein had done. It is clear, simple, and one hundred percent practical. Epstein says his real-life model for the older man in the book is none other than B. F. Skinner, whom Epstein knew personally.

Skinner for the Classroom
(Research Press, 1982)

The New Psychology Today Reader
(Kendall Hunt, 1999)

Notebooks: B. F. Skinner
(Prentice-Hall, 1980)

BIOGRAPHY

"The breadth of Epstein's explorations
has left us all with a great deal to do."
Carl D. Cheney, Professor of Psychology,
Utah State University

ROBERT EPSTEIN is an author, editor, and longtime psychology researcher and professor—a distinguished scientist who is passionate about educating the public about advances in mental health and the behavioral sciences. The former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, Dr. Epstein is currently Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. He is also the founder and Director Emeritus of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in Massachusetts.

"Epstein is an extremely broad-gauged,
dynamic, indeed charismatic figure."
William J. McGill, President Emeritus,
Columbia University

Through 2003, he served as University Research Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. He received his Ph.D. in psychology in 1981 from Harvard University.

"My major contact with Epstein was
in the laboratory. It was he who got me
back into research after a break of nearly
two decades. Our work was, I believe,
extraordinarily important."
B. F. Skinner, Edgar Pierce Professor
of Psychology Emeritus, Harvard University

He has hosted a number of psychology-related radio programs, most recently a show called Psyched!®, which aired throughout the U.S. and Canada on Sirius/XM Radio between 2005 and 2008. In connection with the magazine or his radio programs, Dr. Epstein has interviewed many notable people, including Laura Bush, Jimmy Carter, Tipper Gore, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Christie Brinkley, Sally Field, Jamie Lee Curtis, Maria Shriver, Sarah Ferguson, and Steve Allen.

"Dr. Epstein is an engaging, concerned
human being, brilliant, visionary, but at the
same time practical.... by far the youngest
person I have met to have earned the title
'emeritus,' a title which he richly deserved
after ten years as Founder, Executive
Director and Trustee of the Cambridge
Center for Behavioral Studies."
Arthur L. Loeb, Senior Lecturer on Visual and
Environmental Studies, Harvard University

His research on creativity and innovation has been featured in Time magazine, the New York Times, and Discover, as well as on national and international radio and television. He has published more than 350 articles, including scientific articles in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). His 2015 report on the discovery of the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME) has been downloaded or accessed from PNAS's website more then 250,000 times. SEME has been replicated multiple times since 2015. Dr. Epstein has also conducted pioneering research on creativity, adolescent and adult competence, voter manipulation, self-control, relationship skills, sexual orientation, and other topics, and a seminal article he wrote for The Washington Post helped stimulate a worldwide call for an armistice on January 1, 2000. He has also developed a number of unique online competency tests which are taken by more than a million people a year. 

"During my tenure as Department Chair,
our staff in charge of undergraduate
affairs were virtually inundated with
students coming to them raving about
Epstein's class, and asking that he be
hired to teach future classes."
Ben A. Williams, Professor of Psychology,
University of California San Diego

Epstein's 15 books include Teen 2.0: Saving Our Children and Families from the Torment of Adolescence (cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 in the case Graham v. Florida); Parsing the Turing Test: Philosophical and Methodological Issues in the Quest for the Thinking Computer (with Grace Beber and Gary Roberts); The Big Book of Motivation Games (with Jessica Rogers); The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen (an earlier version of Teen 2.0); The Big Book of Stress Relief Games; The Big Book of Creativity Games; Creativity Games for Trainers; Stress-Management and Relaxation Activities for Trainers; Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays; The New Psychology Today Reader; Pure Fitness: Body Meets Mind (with Lori "Ice" Fetrick of the American Gladiators); Self-Help Without the Hype; and Irrelativity. He is also the editor of two books of writings by the eminent psychologist, B. F. Skinner—Skinner for the Classroom and Notebooks. Epstein was Skinner's last doctoral student.

"Although trained by Skinner, Epstein's
scientific interests and research seem
distinctly non-Skinnerian; in fact, they're
difficult to pigeonhole into any category.
His work on creativity has all the rigor of
the best experimental work in the field,
and yet it has the richness and depth of
Gestalt, cognitive, and lay perspectives
on creativity."
Joseph R. Cautela, author,
Covert Conditioning Handbook

He has taught at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Boston University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of California San Diego, the HAL College of Technology and Design (Japan), the University of the South Pacific, and other universities. Dr. Epstein also served as Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology at National University, where he was subsequently appointed Research Professor. From 1990 to 1995, he directed the Loebner Prize Competition in Artificial Intelligence, an annual contest in which human intelligence was pitted against machine intelligence. The contest was eventually held each year at Bletchley Park in the UK, where computer pioneer Alan Turing built the computing machine used to break the German Enigma code in World War II. No AI ever outscored humans during the 29 years of the contest, which ceased operation in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Dr. Epstein is a major figure in the area
of learning and motivation, excelling as a
research scientist, an educator, an
administrator and also as one who has
made the basic tenets of conditioning
accessible to lay people."
Edmund Fantino, Professor of Psychology,
University of California San Diego

Dr. Epstein has been a commentator for NPR's "Marketplace," the Voice of America, and Disney Online, and his popular writings have appeared in Politico, TIME, U.S. News & World Report, Reader's Digest, The Washington Post, Psychology Today, Scientific American Mind, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, USA Today, The Hill, Aeon, and other publications.

"Epstein is one of a kind: a distinguished
research psychologist who effortly
bridges the gap between the laboratory
and the real world."
Suneet Wadhwa, founder of Engage.com
and co-founder of Snapfish.com

His upcoming books include Think Again: Mind Control in the Digital Age, and How to End It, Making Love: How People Learn to Love, and How You Can Too, and Small Plate, Lose Weight: Permanent Weight Loss, No Willpower Needed.

Dr. Epstein is the father of five children. An autobiographical essay about his life and work appeared in 2006 in Perspectives on Psychological Science and can be downloaded here. You can listen to a 90-minute 2019 interview about Dr. Epstein's career on STEM Talk, "The Most Interesting People in the World of Science and Technology," accessible here. To hear two bots talking about Dr. Epstein's career in 2024, click HERE (15-min. audio). And this conversation was made by an A.I.!

His cutting-edge research on online manipulation is featured in the 2018 documentary film, "The Creepy Line," accessible at https://CreepyLine.org.

His 160-minute 2022 interview on The Joe Rogan Experience can be viewed at https://EpsteinOnRogan.com. His 158-minute 2024 interview on The Joe Rogan Experience can be viewed at https://EpsteinOnRogan2.com. 

To view his 2019 testimony before a committee of the U.S. Congress about the threat that Google and other Big Tech companies pose to democracy, visit https://EpsteinTestimony.com (7-min. video). To view his December 2023 testimony before a committee of the U.S. Congress about his deployment of https://AmericasDigitalShield.com—the world's first nationwide system for tracking the personalized ephemeral content that Big Tech companies are sending to voters and children—visit https://2023EpsteinTestimony.com (6-min. video). 

Dr. Epstein can be reached at info@outinfrontpublicity.com.

"Epstein’s immense influence on
the field of psychology started early
and has never abated."
John T. Wixted, Chair,
Department of Psychology,
University of California San Diego

The Chautaqua Institution (audience of 3,000) ▪ National Inventors Hall of Fame ▪ The Smithsonian Institution ▪ Procter & Gamble ▪ Bayer ▪ Nestlé ▪ Dupont Merck ▪ Respironics ▪ City of Brea (California) ▪ Adhesives Manufacturers Association ▪ Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association ▪ Army Research Institute ▪ U. S. Army National Training Center ▪ Creative Problem Solving Institute ▪ American Association of Plastic Surgeons ▪ Tenneco ▪ Georgia Power Company ▪ Institute for International Research ▪ Cambridge Institute for Executive Leadership ▪ National Association of Science Writers ▪ American Society of Safety Engineers ▪ TIME ▪ The New York Times ▪ Sports Illustrated ▪ NPR ▪ BBC ▪ Psychology Today ▪ Parenting ▪ Good Housekeeping ▪ USA Today ▪ Boston Globe ▪ New York Post ▪ New York Daily News ▪ National Enquirer ▪ Cosmopolitan ▪ Popular Science ▪ Wired ▪ Advertising Age ▪ New York Sun ▪ Christian Science Monitor ▪ Scientific American Mind ▪ CNBC ▪ Women's Health ▪ Reason ▪CBS Early Show▪Radio Netherlands▪ Wprost (Poland)▪ Baltimore Sun ▪ Verdens Gang (Norway)▪WHYY (Philadelphia)▪ Die Zeit (Germany)▪ Denver Post ▪ Marie Claire ▪WHDH (Boston)▪ Sunday Times (London)▪ London Evening Standard ▪ Sunday Post (Scotland)▪Voice of America▪ National Examiner ▪Fox News▪Swedish National Radio▪ Cosmogirl ▪48 Hours (CBS)▪Soap Talk▪ Observer (London)▪The Other Half (NBC)▪Sirius Satellite Radio▪ Elle ▪ Sunday Herald Tribune (Australia)▪WABC (New York)▪ Chicago Sun Times ▪CNN▪ Le Nouvel Observateur (France)▪ Focus (Germany)▪ Der Spiegel (Germany)▪ Diario (Italy)▪Radio National (Australia)▪BBC Radio Scotland▪ Los Angeles Times ▪ Mail on Sunday (London)▪ The Daily Mail (London)▪ Slate.com ▪ New York Daily News ▪The O'Reilly Factor (Fox)▪ San Diego Union-Tribune ▪WROR (New York)▪ Salon ▪The Mitch Albom Show (ABC)▪ The Guardian (London)▪ Washington Post ▪Canadian Broadcasting Company▪ Washington Times ▪The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet (Fox)▪TVO Television (Toronto)▪ Orlando Sentinel ▪The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch▪ Globe and Mail (Toronto)▪BBC World Service▪BBC Radio Ulster▪ Text zur Kunst (Germany)▪Smart Marriages Annual Meeting (audience of 2,500)▪ Reader's Digest ▪Southern Growth Policies Board▪Centre for Confidence and Well-Being (Scotland)▪University of Strathclyde▪International Business School (Isle of Man)▪Keio University (Tokyo)▪California Western School of Law▪Yale University▪University of Kyoto (Japan)▪Osaka City University (Japan)▪Rowland Institute for Science▪Marine World (San Francisco)▪The Neurosciences Institute ▪ Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality ▪ The Kinsey Institute ▪ American Psychological Association ▪ Association for Behavior Analysis ▪ Lifetime Television Network ▪ CBS Sunday Morning ▪ National Geographic ▪ l'Actualité (Canada) ▪ Smart Money ▪ Rady School of Management ▪ Max Planck Institute for Human Development ▪ iChannel ▪ Daily Herald ▪