Behavioral Scientist’s Summer Book List 2026
For your intellectual travels this summer, a baker’s dozen of behavioral science books newly published this year.
Culture
Latest Stories
What It’s Like to Be…an Air Traffic Controller
Sequencing departures like a moving puzzle, scrambling when a jet takes off without clearance, and catching what radar misses with a glance out the window with Michael Rejent, an air traffic controller.
What It’s Like to Be…a Flight Attendant
Hugging a mother through an anxiety attack, bidding for the best routes, and absorbing strangers’ confessions at 35,000 feet with Linda Beall, a flight attendant.
Older Stories
What It’s Like to Be…an Airline Pilot
Shooting cat-three landings in the fog, using the “voice of God” on unruly passengers, and declaring Mayday after an engine fire with Paul Drusch, a commercial airline pilot.
What It’s Like to Be…a Clinical Ethicist
Untangling who gets to speak for a dying patient, weighing a treatment’s benefits against its burdens, and searching for clarity in the grayest corners of healthcare with Esther Berkowitz, a clinical ethicist.
Announcing Our Summer Book Club and Podcast
Each summer, we read a novel and explore its themes through conversations with leading thinkers at the intersection of science and culture.
Become a Subscriber — Special offer: Receive a copy of the award-winning print edition, Brain Meets World, or a Behavioral Scientist t-shirt or hat when you join at the Print + Digital + Events or Investor level.