Synopsis
'Lively, ingenious and original' Sir Lawrence Freedman
Discover the new science behind warfare. From Dr Nicholas Wright, leading neuroscientist and adviser to the Pentagon.
Why did France lose to the Nazis, despite its defenders having more tanks, troops, and guns? How did Ukraine repel Russia’s initial onslaught? How do you know if you can trust an ally? How can we make clearer decisions under pressure?
In Warhead, Nicholas Wright takes us on a fascinating journey through the brain to show you why, if you want to understand warfare, you must first look inside your own head. Drawing on his work as a neuroscientist, and over a decade advising the Pentagon and the UK Government, he reveals how, whether we like it or not, the brain is wired for conflict – in the office or on the battlefield.
With a unique framework that helps explain today’s rising tensions and how to defuse them, Warhead brings cutting-edge research to life through battle stories from across history. What was it like for a foot soldier at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815? How could Shaka Zulu or Winston Churchill see through the fog of conflict, make better decisions, and communicate with their troops? How will human conflict shape our future technologies?
In an increasingly dangerous world that threatens our values and success, Warhead is an essential read to understand why we fight, lose and win wars.
Details
30 October 2025
9781035013982Reviews
A mind-expanding journey through the literal war for our minds. Combines neuroscience, history and memoir in the best traditions of popular science and military history. Invigorating, educational and entertainingPeter Pomerantsev, Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University and award-winning author of How to Win an Information War and Nothing is True and Everything is Possible
This remarkable book charts the living history of war and conflict, from what unfolds on the evening news to spellbinding examples from military history. Nicholas Wright’s analysis of our capacity for planning, introspection, perspective taking and metacognition lays bare our capacity for deceit, dehumanisation and destruction. However, the books dénouement revisits these fundamentals of the human mind, and they point to another path – a path in which the horrors of war can be avoided through our complementary capacities for consciousness, communication and constructionKarl Friston, Professor of Neuroscience at University College London
In a survival scenario, such as war, fundamental questions arise: How do we survive hunger? How can we think when tired? How do we detect deception? How do we choose our collaborators? In war, if we can’t answer these questions, we will doom ourselves and many others as well. In this distinctive and fascinating book, Nick Wright reminds us of the true importance of all the various brain functions, wherever they may be in the brain's hierarchy of functionChris Frith, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology at University College London, and author of Making up the Mind
This is a lively, ingenious and original book. Taking us on a journey through the distinctive parts of the brain, Nicholas Wright is able to make human behaviour during the extreme circumstances of war make more senseSir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London