The Compassionate Mind is your 18th book. What prompted you to write it?

My first degree was in economics and I was very interested in the link between economic conditions and people's mental states. I also became interested in the Buddhists' concepts of consciousness and their spiritual views, particularly those of compassion. The recognition that both our evolved minds and our social context shape us, and that we have less control over our minds than we think, is to me a call to compassion.

Does this book represent a convergence of different theories?

It brings together research in evolutionary approaches on how our minds work, with a focus on the importance of attachments, love and affection; it brings in the neuroscience of affection and the importance of affection in our lives; and it integrates that with various Buddhist ideas that have been around for thousands of years. There is now a lot of neurophysiological evidence that kindness and affection really does help us calm our threat systems.

How has Buddhism fed into your work?

Its followers have argued that it is training the mind that can liberate us from this brain that we inherit.

Who would benefit from this approach?

Everybody can benefit from thinking about, and perhaps practising and making decisions to develop, their inner compassionate self. Self-critical people and those who are unhappy with themselves will especially find it useful.

Could it make a difference to how depression is treated?

I think it will advance CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and other interventions, and improve relapse prevention.

The government has been advocating the increased availability of CBT. Do you think it is open to your ideas?

The idea that you are going to solve these problems by having lots of CB therapists floating about seems to me unrealistic. But whatever therapy hybrid emerges over the next 10, 20, 50 years, I think that CBT techniques and concepts will play a central role.

If you could have another career, what would it be?

I originally wanted to be a rock guitarist. Unfortunately. I was a very average sort of player and I recognised that this wasn't going to take me very far.