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The Idiot Brain: Why Your Brain Gets Things Wrong and Why That's Alright
10th Anniversary Edition
From neuroscientist and internationally bestselling author Dean Burnett comes The Idiot Brain , an accessible, witty examination of how our brains get things wrong - and why that's absolutely fine.
WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION AND AFTERWORD
'A great read.' JON RONSON
'A wonderful introduction to neuroscience.' INDEPENDENT
Have you wondered why we recognise people's faces but forget their names? Or why we get motion sickness? Or jet lag, too, for that matter. And why do we overthink even the smallest things in our lives?
For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett celebrates the imperfections of the human brain in all their glory, and the impact of these quirks on our daily lives.
Covering anxiety, memory, intelligence and personality, this expertly researched and entertainingly book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain seems to get things wrong, and what on earth it's really up to.
From neuroscientist and internationally bestselling author Dean Burnett comes The Idiot Brain , an accessible, witty examination of how our brains get things wrong - and why that's absolutely fine.
WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION AND AFTERWORD
'A great read.' JON RONSON
'A wonderful introduction to neuroscience.' INDEPENDENT
Have you wondered why we recognise people's faces but forget their names? Or why we get motion sickness? Or jet lag, too, for that matter. And why do we overthink even the smallest things in our lives?
For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett celebrates the imperfections of the human brain in all their glory, and the impact of these quirks on our daily lives.
Covering anxiety, memory, intelligence and personality, this expertly researched and entertainingly book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain seems to get things wrong, and what on earth it's really up to.
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Published January 12, 2026
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About the author
Dean Burnett
14 books804 followersDean Burnett is a neuroscientist and psychiatry lecturer at the Centre for Medical Education at Cardiff University and is the author of the Guardian’s most-read science blog,
Brain Flapping.
He lives in Cardiff.
The following is from his website:
This is the website for Doctor Dean Burnett, neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, media pundit, science communicator, comedian and numerous other things, depending on who’s asking and what they need.
Although employed as a tutor and lecturer by the Cardiff University Centre for Medical Education in his day job, Dean is best known for his satirical science column ‘Brain Flapping‘ at the Guardian, and his internationally acclaimed debut book ‘The Idiot Brain‘.
Dean Burnett was born and raised in Pontycymer, a working-class former mining village in the South Wales valleys, which explains his strong Welsh accent. After completing his A-levels he attended Cardiff University to complete a BSc in Neuroscience. After working several jobs he returned to Cardiff University as part of the Psychology School where he completed a neuroscience PhD in the role of the hippocampus in configural learning.
Alongside his studying, Dean developed an interest in comedy, eventually taking the plunge and trying stand-up in 2004, a hobby he maintains to this day. His interest in comedy and science lead to him combining the two and attempt to write humorous takes on topical science stories. This eventually resulted in a regular blog on the Guardian website in 2012, which is still going strong today.
Dean lives in Cardiff with his wife and children.
The following is from his website:
This is the website for Doctor Dean Burnett, neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, media pundit, science communicator, comedian and numerous other things, depending on who’s asking and what they need.
Although employed as a tutor and lecturer by the Cardiff University Centre for Medical Education in his day job, Dean is best known for his satirical science column ‘Brain Flapping‘ at the Guardian, and his internationally acclaimed debut book ‘The Idiot Brain‘.
Dean Burnett was born and raised in Pontycymer, a working-class former mining village in the South Wales valleys, which explains his strong Welsh accent. After completing his A-levels he attended Cardiff University to complete a BSc in Neuroscience. After working several jobs he returned to Cardiff University as part of the Psychology School where he completed a neuroscience PhD in the role of the hippocampus in configural learning.
Alongside his studying, Dean developed an interest in comedy, eventually taking the plunge and trying stand-up in 2004, a hobby he maintains to this day. His interest in comedy and science lead to him combining the two and attempt to write humorous takes on topical science stories. This eventually resulted in a regular blog on the Guardian website in 2012, which is still going strong today.
Dean lives in Cardiff with his wife and children.
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