Kristen Bell is known for lighting up the screen in Frozen, The Good Place, Veronica Mars, and more recently the Netflix hit Nobody Wants This. Off screen, though, the actress and producer is just as recognizable for two things: her candid, refreshingly honest approach to parenting, and her long-running openness about mental health. Her book recommendations reflect exactly that combination, mixing practical parenting guides with unflinching deep dives into trauma and the mind.
Bell shared several of her favorite reads during an appearance on Open Book With Jenna Bush Hager, offering a window into the nonfiction titles that have shaped how she raises her two daughters and how she thinks about her own well-being. The result is a reading list that feels less like a random celebrity roundup and more like a genuine reflection of who she is. Here is a closer look at the books Kristen Bell recommends, what each one offers, and why these particular choices make so much sense coming from her.
What Kristen Bell Revealed About Her Reading List
During a 2020 conversation on Open Book With Jenna Bush Hager, Bell talked through some of the nonfiction titles she had been reading and recommending. Rather than novels or light escapism, her picks leaned firmly toward books designed to teach something, whether about raising children, understanding the brain, or healing from difficult experiences.
Four titles stood out from that conversation, and together they map neatly onto the two subjects Bell returns to again and again in interviews:
- Ignore It! by Catherine Pearlman, PhD, LCSW (parenting)
- NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman (parenting and child development)
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. (trauma)
- How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (the mind and mental health)
Two are parenting guides. Two are deep, science-driven explorations of the mind and trauma. That split is the whole story, and it says a lot about what Bell values as both a mother and a mental health advocate.
The Parenting Books on Kristen Bell’s Shelf
As a mom of two, a former guest editor for Parents magazine, and the creator of the web series Momsplaining, Bell has built a public identity around honest, achievable parenting. Her parenting book picks fit that reputation perfectly, favoring evidence and realism over rigid rules or guilt.
Ignore It! by Catherine Pearlman
Catherine Pearlman’s book centers on a deceptively simple idea: many attention-seeking behaviors in children fade when parents stop feeding them with constant engagement, negotiation, and reaction. Instead of arguing, bargaining, or lecturing, parents learn when to strategically ignore certain behaviors, so children discover those tactics no longer work.
On the Open Book podcast, Bell indicated that even though she was only partway through the book, its lessons had already started making a difference with her own kids. It is easy to see why the approach appeals to her practical parenting style. A useful caveat worth keeping in mind, and one the method itself acknowledges, is that strategic ignoring is meant for minor attention-driven behavior, not for anything involving safety or genuine distress, which always calls for a parent’s full attention.
NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
NurtureShock takes a myth-busting look at child development, using research to challenge widely held assumptions about how kids learn, behave, and grow. It tackles surprising topics, from why praising children for being smart can backfire to how sleep, honesty, and sibling dynamics actually work, often overturning conventional parenting wisdom in the process.
The book’s appeal to Bell tracks with her science-minded, curious approach. It rewards parents who want to understand the “why” behind their children’s behavior rather than simply following tradition, and it pairs naturally with the practical, in-the-trenches tone of Ignore It!.
The Trauma and Mental-Health Deep Dives She Recommends
The other half of Bell’s list turns inward, toward the brain, trauma, and healing. This is no accident. Bell has spoken publicly for years about living with anxiety and depression, and these titles reflect a genuine, ongoing interest in understanding the mind.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Perhaps the most well-known book on Bell’s list, The Body Keeps the Score by psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk has become a landmark text on trauma. It explores how traumatic experiences are stored not just in memory but in the body itself, and it surveys a range of approaches, from talk therapy to movement and other methods, that may help people recover.
The book has spent years on bestseller lists and is frequently recommended by readers seeking to understand trauma’s lasting effects. It is worth noting, in the interest of balance, that while it is enormously influential and widely praised, some researchers have debated aspects of its claims, as is common with any hugely popular science book. For many readers, though, it has been a meaningful starting point for thinking about how past experiences shape present well-being.
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind examines the science and history of psychedelics and their emerging role in modern mental health research, including studies exploring their potential for conditions like depression and anxiety. Blending reporting, history, and Pollan’s own first-person curiosity, it is a thoughtful look at a subject that has moved from the fringes into serious scientific study.
Its presence on Bell’s list fits her interest in mental health and the brain. It is important to frame the book accurately, though. It is a work of journalism about ongoing research, not a how-to guide or an endorsement of self-experimentation. Psychedelics remain the subject of clinical study and carry real risks, and any legitimate therapeutic use happens under professional and legal supervision.
Why These Books Reflect Who Kristen Bell Really Is
What makes Bell’s reading list interesting is how tightly it mirrors her public life. These are not random picks handed to her by a publicist. They line up almost exactly with the two causes she is most associated with beyond acting.
On parenting, Bell has been remarkably open and down-to-earth. She has guest edited Parents magazine, created Momsplaining to poke fun at the unrealistic standards moms face, co-authored the children’s book The World Needs More Purple People, and shares the ups and downs of raising her daughters with her husband, Dax Shepard. Books like Ignore It! and NurtureShock fit a parent who wants strategies that actually work in real life.
On mental health, Bell has spent years dismantling stigma. After keeping her struggles private for much of her early career, she began speaking openly about her anxiety and depression, describing an approach that includes therapy and other tools, and crediting advice from her mother about seeking help. In 2023 she became the first Mental Health Ambassador for the wellness platform Hers. Given that advocacy, recommending The Body Keeps the Score and How to Change Your Mind reads as completely consistent. Her reading list is, in effect, a summary of her values.
Kristen Bell’s Career and Why Her Recommendations Carry Weight
Part of why fans pay attention to Bell’s recommendations is the trust she has built over a career spanning more than three decades. She broke through as the sharp, resourceful lead of Veronica Mars, voiced Anna in Disney’s blockbuster Frozen, and won critical acclaim in The Good Place. More recently, she starred as Joanne, a podcaster who falls for a rabbi, in the Netflix romantic comedy Nobody Wants This, which premiered in September 2024 and quickly became a hit. She also serves as an executive producer on the series and earned her first Primetime Emmy nomination for the role in 2025.
That combination of comedic warmth, dramatic range, and off-screen authenticity has made Bell one of the more relatable stars of her generation. When someone with that reputation shares the books shaping how she parents and how she cares for her mental health, readers tend to listen, which is exactly why her list travels so widely online.
What Readers Can Take From Kristen Bell’s Picks
For anyone looking to borrow from Bell’s shelf, the list offers something for a few different goals. Here is a quick guide:
- If you want practical, real-world parenting strategies, start with Ignore It!.
- If you enjoy research that challenges conventional parenting assumptions, pick up NurtureShock.
- If you want to understand how trauma affects the body and mind, The Body Keeps the Score is the widely recommended entry point.
- If you are curious about the science of psychedelics and mental health research, How to Change Your Mind is an engaging, journalistic read.
One honest note ties the list together. Two of these books deal with serious subjects, trauma and mental health, and while they can be informative and even comforting, they are companions to professional support rather than replacements for it. Bell’s own story reinforces that message. She has consistently framed therapy and professional help as central to managing her mental health, alongside the reading and self-reflection. Taken in that spirit, her recommendations are a thoughtful starting point for anyone interested in parenting more effectively or understanding themselves a little better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What books does Kristen Bell recommend?
Kristen Bell has recommended Ignore It! by Catherine Pearlman, NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, and How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan, among other reads she discussed on Open Book With Jenna Bush Hager.
What parenting books does Kristen Bell like?
Her parenting-focused recommendations include Ignore It!, which teaches parents to strategically ignore attention-seeking misbehavior, and NurtureShock, a research-driven book that challenges common assumptions about child development.
Why does Kristen Bell recommend books about trauma and mental health?
Bell has been open for years about living with anxiety and depression and is a mental health advocate, serving as the first Mental Health Ambassador for the platform Hers. Books like The Body Keeps the Score and How to Change Your Mind reflect that genuine interest in the mind and well-being.
What is The Body Keeps the Score about?
Written by psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, it explores how trauma affects both the mind and the body and surveys various approaches that may support recovery. It has been a long-running bestseller and a popular introduction to understanding trauma.
Where did Kristen Bell share her book recommendations?
She discussed several of her favorite reads during a 2020 appearance on Open Book With Jenna Bush Hager, alongside talking about her own children’s book, The World Needs More Purple People.
Is Kristen Bell a reader?
Yes. As an actor who values good storytelling, Bell has spoken about enjoying nonfiction that teaches her something, particularly books about parenting, the brain, and personal growth.
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