She was born on 23 May 1971. Hammond grew up in Bedfordshire. She was educated at Sussex University in applied psychology, and Surrey University, where she gained an MSc in health psychology, carrying out research into doctor–patient communication in a breast cancer unit.
Career
Author
Hammond is the author of three books, including Mind Over Money: the psychology of money and how to use it better, published in May 2016 by Canongate. The Telegraph newspaper described it as: "Part fascinating psychological exploration, part practical guide - exposing the myriad ways money messes with our heads and suggesting means by which we might get a handle on it". Hammond's first book was on the science of emotions entitled Emotional Rollercoaster, published in 2005. Reviews were positive, with one saying that although it contained 'rare errors' these mistakes are 'vastly outweighed by the wealth of fascinating observations', and that 'humour, sensitivity and warmth... emanate from every page'. She published her second book, Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception, with Canongate Books in May 2012. The Financial Times calls it a fascinating and at times mind-boggling book that will change the way you think about time. In 2019, Hammond published The Art of Rest, with Canongate Books. The book draws on research from "The Rest Test"- the largest global survey into rest, which was completed by 18,000 people across 135 different countries.
Radio presenter
Hammond has said that she decided that she wanted to work in radio quite suddenly, although early. "I was at a children's book festival and, after I had queued up to get Roald Dahl's autograph, he asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I'm told I said "I want to work in radio". That was the first my parents knew about it. It was probably the first time I realised." She presents programmes about psychology on BBC Radio 4, including All in the Mind. She also presents Health Check on BBC World Service Radio. In 2020, she presented "Inside Health - the Virus" - a version of Inside Health in the wake of the coronavirus 2020 pandemic.
TV presenter
In addition to presenting Health Check on BBC World News every Friday, Hammond has appeared on several other TV programmes commenting on psychological topics. In the past, as reporter, she presented science and medical features for Channel 5 News.
Journalistic philosophy
Hammond has said she tries to "give people a better understanding of the role psychology plays. Helping people articulate and get across a seemingly technical piece of good research is central to my approach. I also like bringing different specialists together – it's amazing how often people who are hugely expert in one area of psychology know next to nothing about related work in a slightly different field." Despite her varied portfolio, Hammond gave 'be choosy' as a piece of careers advice in one interview: "Popular programmes are fine – "I sometimes go on Richard & Judy to talk aboutpsychological research – but if I think a show is going to dumb it down, I say no. And sometimes what they’re looking for is a qualified therapist, and that’s not me."
