Matilda Gosling is an author, social scientist and researcher. Her latest book, The Infectious Mind: How Social Contagion Makes Us Ill, will be out in January. She is also the author of Teenagers: The Evidence Base and Evidence-Based Parenting. Before moving into independent writing and research, Matilda co-founded and ran an international social research consultancy. She has worked for a variety of governments, charities, foundations and businesses, and has overseen field research in more than 60 countries across Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. Matilda has degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. She lives in Brighton with her partner and two children.

Matilda Gosling is an author, social scientist and researcher. Her latest book, The Infectious Mind: How Social Contagion Makes Us Ill, will be out in January 2027 with Head of Zeus. She is also the author of Teenagers: The Evidence Base and Evidence-Based Parenting (both Swift Press; 2025 and 2024).

Matilda has 25 years’ experience delivering research for a wide range of governments, charities, foundations and businesses: current and former clients include the International Labour Organization, the Government of Chile, the British Council, Save the Children, Pearson, the Mastercard Foundation and the Universities of Cambridge, York and Sheffield.  

She researches across the social sciences, with a particular specialism in social psychology, sensitive topics and belief systems, as well as education, skills and adolescent development. Her skills include research design and management, literature reviews, policy analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, evidence synthesis, monitoring and evaluation, and training/presenting. Matilda previously co-founded and ran an international social research consultancy for 12 years. She has overseen field research in more than 60 countries.

Matilda grew up on Osea Island in Essex. She has degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics, and spent some time after university teaching English in Ecuador, Thailand and India. She is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society, a Member of the Social Research Association and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. 

She lives in Brighton with her partner and two children. In her free time, she plays oboe in a wind band, and likes to read, cook for family and friends, run, lift weights, paint and travel.

Matilda has a variety of areas she is comfortable discussing in media interviews, based on her research and writing. These include the social mind (how we influence each other’s thoughts, emotions and behaviours); social aspects of mental health and illness; social contagions; teenagers and adolescent development; parenting; sex and gender; and equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Matilda has experience writing features, being on panel discussions, being interviewed on podcasts, and presenting at conferences and other events.

Interview on BBC Radio 5 Live on parenting advice and fads: link

Interview on Teenagers Untangled Podcast: Apple Podcast link and Spotify link

Article on Netmums: I’m a scientist – here’s a parent’s guide to surviving the teenage years

Interview on The Thinking Mind Podcast: Apple Podcast link and Spotify link

Opinion piece in Teach Secondary magazine: Unintended Consequences: Are Mental Health Programmes Undermining Well-being?

Interview on Just One Thing for Parents Podcast: Apple Podcast link and YouTube link

Interview on The Lesbian Project Podcast: Spotify link and Apple Podcast link

Opinion piece in The Critic: The Problem with EDI

A gripping investigation into one of the strangest frontiers of human behaviour: how physical and psychological symptoms can spread socially - like viruses.

From the dancing plagues of medieval Europe to the Pokémon episode that hospitalised hundreds of children, social contagion has shaped collective health and hysteria for centuries and across continents. Today, platforms like TikTok and YouTube are driving a new wave - from functional tics to dissociative identities - with symptoms that mimic those of others and spread at startling speed.

Drawing on history, neurology, psychology and culture, social scientist Matilda Gosling shows how our brains and bodies absorb the emotional currents around us. Distress finds new forms of expression in each era: shell shock in the First World War, the recovered memory epidemic of the 1980s, and our modern contagions of identity, pain and fatigue. 

Passing through medieval towns, Victorian sanitoriums, modern therapy rooms and the labyrinthine connections of social media, Gosling examines the pull of fear, suggestion and belonging through a vivid cast of spies, witches, influencers and quack practitioners.

The Infectious Mind reveals why symptoms spread, why some become epidemics, and how we can protect ourselves in an age of mass connectedness.Item description

Teenagers: The Evidence Base deftly summarises decades of research and expert knowledge to offer parents and other interested adults a roadmap to adolescence.

It weaves together insights from fields including social and experimental psychology, neuroscience, family systems and adolescent development, equipping readers with a clear understanding of what it means to be a teenager today: how they develop, the hazard points and opportunities, and how best to support them as they navigate their labyrinthine and very personal route to adulthood.

This practical, engaging guide is essential for any adult wanting to understand the turbulence, creativity and brilliance of the teenage years.

Publication date: 30 January 2025

Reviews

‘The expert’s guide'. The Times

‘Gosling produces a rare entity: a parenting book that is accessible, well evidenced, practical, gritty and not hectoring. In short, one that is genuinely helpful. It’s also funny: she writes with warmth and humour.’ The New Statesman

‘An amazing resource, meticulously researched and full of wise and interesting advice.’ Professor Suzanne Franks, author of Get Out of My Life… But First Take Me & Alex Into Town

‘A tour de force.’ Professor Peter Fonagy OBE CBE, National Clinical Advisor on Children’s Mental Health, NHS England

‘Highly recommended for its compelling blend of research and real-world application.’ Dr Bettina Hohnen, author of The Incredible Teenage Brain

‘Brilliant… Turns the teenage years into a period of growth and connection.’ Stella O’Malley, author of What Your Teen is Trying to Tell You

‘Rigorous, warm and witty… Highly recommended.’ Victoria Smith, author of Hags

‘Navigating the hurdles before we stumble over them is always a wise move. Teenagers: The Evidence Base will help parents and grandparents to do just that.’ Sharron Davies, Olympian and author of Unfair Play

‘A brilliant, must-have book.’ Milli Hill, author of The Positive Birth Book

‘Entertaining… Perfect for all of those times we find ourselves in need of guidance.’ Rachel Richards, host of Teenagers Untangled

A search for ‘parenting’ returns over a billion unique hits on Google. How can parents know which approaches actually work to support their children to be happy, healthy and fulfilled while maintaining their own sanity?

Evidence-Based Parenting draws directly on more than one thousand studies, and indirectly on thousands more, to create a single evidence base and reference manual for parents. This vast knowledge base has been condensed, for the first time, into straightforward ideas to support children’s relationships, physical health, learning and play, behaviour, and happiness and well-being.

Publication date: 25 January 2024

Reviews 

‘Excellent.’ The Times (2025)

‘So useful… Extremely well researched.’ The Times (2024)

‘The book that every parent needs.’ Stella O’Malley, author of Bully-Proof Kids.

‘Clear and rooted in facts rather than opinion – an essential book for every parent.’ Milli Hill, author of The Positive Birth Book

‘Written with both genuine empathy and a wish to communicate to parents about how to be “good enough” and enjoy family life.’ Professor Ellie Lee, Director of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies