Eleanor was a champion debater at high school, but at university she fell in love with philosophy, as she realised that she wanted to ask questions rather than give opinions.

She became particularly interested in how and why people change their minds.

Through her own experiments, including trying to convince a group of men in Kings Cross that women don't like being catcalled, she discovered is that big changes in belief are rarely caused by reasoned argument.

Instead they are often brought about by factors which are messier and much more personal.

Further information

Stop Being Reasonable is published by New South