Brian Hughes is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Galway, specialising in stress psychophysiology, health psychology, and the public understanding of psychology and science. He has written six books and published over 130 academic papers, and collaborates with researchers worldwide, including in the US, UK, Canada, and the Netherlands. He advocates for the importance of scientific psychology and evidence-based policymaking in addressing societal issues. Much of his research focuses on stress, particularly its effects on cardiovascular health, resilience, and long-term health outcomes. 

His latest book -- Psychology's Quiet Conservatism: How a Supposedly Woke Science Promotes Capitalism and Protects Privilege (2025) -- explores psychology’s role in the culture wars and examines how the field legitimises conservative ideologies in science, policy, and healthcare.

His previous books, which include A Conceptual History of Psychology (2023), The Psychology of Brexit (2019), Psychology in Crisis (2018), and Rethinking Psychology: Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience (2016), consider the scientific foundations of psychology while addressing the challenges posed by pseudoscience and political misinformation. His first book, Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology, is now in its second edition (2025), while a German-language edition of The Psychology of Brexit was published in 2022 (as Die Psychologie des Brexit: Erkenntnisse aus Verhaltenswissenschaft und Psychodrama).

Beyond his research, Professor Hughes plays a key role in clinical and scientific advisory boards. He serves on the Clinical Practice Guideline Development Group for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in Ireland, advises the charity Hope 4 ME & Fibro Northern Ireland, and sits on the Science Advisory Board for DecodeME, a large-scale UK-based study of the genetics of ME. He also chairs a global research team for the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation.

Professor Hughes is actively involved in public communication, contributing to various media outlets and blogging at The Science Bit. He was a media spokesperson for the Psychological Society of Ireland during Ireland's national referendums on abortion in 2002 and 2018. His contributions have earned him several awards, including the Early Career Award from the Stress and Anxiety Research Society (2007), the Career Contribution Award from the International Council of Stress Management Professionals (2016), and the Psychological Society of Ireland's inaugural Members Award for Research (2019). In 2024, he received the Lifetime Career Award from the international Stress, Anxiety, Resilience and Trauma Society (STAR), for his "long and distinguished history of scientific contributions" to stress research.

In 2015 he was made a Fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland (FPsSI) in recognition of his services to Irish psychology.

From 2012 to 2019, Professor Hughes served as the university's first Dean of International Affairs, where he promoted global partnerships and ethical internationalisation. He holds a PhD and BA from NUI Galway and an EdM from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

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Brian is also an avid street photographer and posts his work at photoblogism.net. He would be especially pleased if you chose to like some of his pictures on Instagram.

Brian Hughes's experimental research focuses on the physical impact of mental stress, with a particular focus on the cardiovascular system. Click here to view a video that describes this work.

Past research has been supported by agencies such as the Irish Research Council (€0.22 million for the StressBio project), the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (€5.8 million for the ISSP project, €0.64 million for CROLS), the Irish Heart Foundation, the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the National Suicide Review Group, the Health Research Board, the Higher Education Authority, and the National Science Centre of Poland.

Current modules
PS409 Psychology, Science & Pseudoscience
PS336 Psychology, Society & Human Values
PS3100 Historical and Conceptual Issues in Psychology
PS588 Biobehavioural Processes in Health and Illness [Contributor]

Video
'National [ME/CFS] Guidelines: Necessary--But Not Enough!', Norwegian ME Association, May 2025
'A Conceptual History of Psychology'--Interview, David M Tuller, May 2023
'Getting it Right: Addressing Myths about the 2021 NICE Guideline for ME/CFS', Stormont Parliament Buildings, May 2023
Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Anniversary Documentary, PSI, January 2023
'The New NICE Guideline for ME/CFS (2021): Following the Science', Swedish National Association for ME, September 2022
'The New NICE Guideline for ME/CFS (2021)', Norwegian ME Association, March 2022
'The New NICE Guidelines on ME/CFS (2021): How the Paradigm Has Shifted', Hope 4 ME & Fibro NI, September 2021
'The Psychologisation of Illness | Why Long Covid (and ME/CFS) Are Not Just Anxiety', Run-DMC, August 2021
'The Psychologisation of Illness | Part 2 - How to Deal With It', Run-DMC, August 2021
'Off the PACE and not NICE: Challenges with Evidence in MECFS', Hope 4 ME & Fibro NI Annual Conference, September 2019
'Cock-ups and Controversies in ME research', Sheffield ME & Fibromyalgia Group, October 2019

Audio
'ME, Long Covid, and the History of Medical Stigma', Leve Med ME podcast, December 2022
'From Lockdowns to Vaccines: Where are we with COVID?', PSI Podcast, March 2021
'On improving vaccine uptake with COVID-19', News at One, RTÉ Radio 1, December 2020
'On psychological aspects of COVID-19 vaccines', Galway Bay FM, December 2020
'On COVID-19, the economy, mental health, and suicide', PSI Annual Conference, November 2020
'The Psychology of Brexit', PSI Podcast, September 2019
'On Brexiteers', The Last Word, Today FM, May 2019
'On the psychology of chance', Futureproof, Newstalk, May 2019
'Psychology in Crisis', Medical Error Interviews podcast, March 2019