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Winning the Brain Game
Mindful thinking is the new competitive edge
Science confirms the distinction between the biological brain and the conscious mind. Each day, a game of mind versus matter plays out on a field defined by the problems we must solve. Most are routine, and don t demand a more mindful approach. It s when we re faced with more difficult challenges that our thinking becomes vulnerable to brain patterns that can lead us astray.We leap to solutions that simply don t work. We fixate on old mindsets that keep us stuck in neutral. We overthink problems and make them worse. We kill the ideas of others, as well as our own. Worse, we "keep" doing these things, over and over again, naturally and instinctively.But it doesn t have to be that way.In "Winning the Brain Game," author and creative strategist Matthew E. May explains these and other fatal flaws of thinking, catalogued over the course of ten years and hundreds of interactive creative sessions in which he gave more than 100,000 professionals a thought challenge based on a real case far less complex than their everyday problems. Not only did less than 5% arrive at the best and most elegant solution, but the solutions given were remarkably similar, revealing seven observable problem-solving patterns that can block our best thinking.Calling on modern neuroscience and psychology to help explain the seven fatal flaws, May draws insights from some of the world s most innovative thinkers. He then blends in a super-curated, field-tested set of fixes proven through hundreds of creative sessions to raise our thinking game to a more mindful level. Regardless of playing field, mindful thinking is the new competitive advantage, and the seven fixes are a magic set of tools forachieving it."Winning the Brain Game" will lead you to better decision-making, higher levels of creativity, clearer strategies, and overall success in business, work and life.Matthew E. May is a five-time author and recognized thought leader on strategy and innovation. A popular speaker, facilitator, and seminar leader, he confidentially coaches executives, artists, and athletes, and conducts custom thinking sessions for leading organizations all over the world. "
Science confirms the distinction between the biological brain and the conscious mind. Each day, a game of mind versus matter plays out on a field defined by the problems we must solve. Most are routine, and don t demand a more mindful approach. It s when we re faced with more difficult challenges that our thinking becomes vulnerable to brain patterns that can lead us astray.We leap to solutions that simply don t work. We fixate on old mindsets that keep us stuck in neutral. We overthink problems and make them worse. We kill the ideas of others, as well as our own. Worse, we "keep" doing these things, over and over again, naturally and instinctively.But it doesn t have to be that way.In "Winning the Brain Game," author and creative strategist Matthew E. May explains these and other fatal flaws of thinking, catalogued over the course of ten years and hundreds of interactive creative sessions in which he gave more than 100,000 professionals a thought challenge based on a real case far less complex than their everyday problems. Not only did less than 5% arrive at the best and most elegant solution, but the solutions given were remarkably similar, revealing seven observable problem-solving patterns that can block our best thinking.Calling on modern neuroscience and psychology to help explain the seven fatal flaws, May draws insights from some of the world s most innovative thinkers. He then blends in a super-curated, field-tested set of fixes proven through hundreds of creative sessions to raise our thinking game to a more mindful level. Regardless of playing field, mindful thinking is the new competitive advantage, and the seven fixes are a magic set of tools forachieving it."Winning the Brain Game" will lead you to better decision-making, higher levels of creativity, clearer strategies, and overall success in business, work and life.Matthew E. May is a five-time author and recognized thought leader on strategy and innovation. A popular speaker, facilitator, and seminar leader, he confidentially coaches executives, artists, and athletes, and conducts custom thinking sessions for leading organizations all over the world. "
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2016
61 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Matthew May
11 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 7, 2018
A short, readable collection of 7 thinking flaws and how to overcome them. Some were better addressed than others. Anecdotes shared did help to illustrate his points well.
___
The brain is passive hardware, absorbing experience, and the mind is active software, directing our attention. But not just any software, it's intelligent software capable of rewriting the hardware. #neuroplasticity
Problem 1: Leaping - Leaping to solutions (aka JTC - jumping to conclusions) when tackling a complex challenge is natural and intuitive, but almost never results in a elegant solution.
Solution: Framestorming - To shift the way you perceive or think about something, cycle through 3 stages of enquiry:
1. Why?
2. What if?
3. How?
These questions may not be solutions, but are instead provocative precursors which may spark an elegant solution.
Start by questioning the question you're asking in the first place. The answer is baked into the question. -Tina Seelig
Problem 2: Fixation - aka not questioning assumptions or sacred cows. Many of our mental models are flawed, because most of what guides us is related to one of four intentions: to remain in control, to maximise winning and minimise losing, to suppress negative feelings, and to be as rational as possible. He believed people act this way in order to avoid threat or embarassment.
As we climb the ladder of inference, adding assumptions, drawing conclusions and holding beliefs, our thought becomes more and more abstract, more and more divorced from reality.
Solution: Inversion - flip everything on its head (e.g. opposite world focusing on key attributes of the situation), and use that as a starting point to ask "Why (not)?", "What if?" and "How (might we)?"
Problem 3: Overthinking - relying too much on the plan, not testing assumptions. Think of MBA students doing the marshmallow challenge, contrast with kindergarten kids.
Solution: Prototesting - prototyping + testing #designthinkingprocess. List assumptions using the "What must be true" method when thinking about what has to hold for the current option to be the right choice. This has the added advantage of removing egos from the table, focusing attention on the merits of the solutions themselves.
The ability to view finite resources as a source of creative thought is the hallmark of an artist. Restraining forces are ever present, and relying on slack resources or ignoring constraints not only stifles creative thinking, but also breeds Overthinking.
The natural learning that occurs before we enter the classroom features failure after failure (think of a baby learning to crawl or walk). Except its not just failure, it is a continuous cycle of learning and progressing and improving.
The only time you don't want to fail is the last time you try something. - Charles Kettering
There is a distinction between valid and reliable. There is no point being consistently able to deliver a mediocre or ineffective solution.
Problem 4: Satisficing - settling for half-baked solutions, compromising early in the interest of short-term expediency and efficiency, needing to do something RIGHT AWAY.
Solution: Synthesis - think both-and rather than either-or. What conditions would allow the first option to produce the benefits of the second? Break the larger context down into component parts and examine each separately.
Roger Martin - Integrative thinkers consider more features of the problem as salient to its resolution, consider more complex kinds of casual relationship between the features; they are able to keep the whole problem in mind while they work on the individual parts; and they end up with creative resolutions. Importantly, they do all of this explicitly, pushing to understand "the thinking behind the thinking". #metacognition
Problem 5: Downgrading - it is a premeditated, downwards or backwards revision of a stated goal. It exists because of a mental limit. One might ignore constraints, or settle on a inferior solution and rationalise the shortcomings (gaming the goal). It is the equivalent of declaring victory by preemptively surrendering.
Solution: "Can-if" - we CAN do this IF we can figure out this." Then carry on with the "can-if" or framestorm "what if?" or "how?"
Without a positive construct, the inability to have a ready answer to a difficult question kills the momentum and flow of exploration.
"Why-how" laddering: purpose and process.
Perfection is not the goal, but a vector, like the horizon line. Perfection as a pursuit and process drives breakthroughs. Perfection as a goal can stall progress and stunt creativity.
Problem 6: Not Invented Here (NIH) - a strong resistance to, or automatic rejection of concepts - knowledge, ideas, solutions - produced somewhere else, somewhere external to the individual or group, often resulting in an unnecessary reinvention of the wheel. External idea origination and immediate internal devaluation, is the defining characteristic of NIH.
NIH becomes more prevalent as we develop subject matter expertise, which is a form of power. If we already know all there is to know, what insights can others give us?
Solution: Proudly Found Elsewhere (PFE). Open your mind to let in, leverage, and recycle the ideas and solutions of others. Steal like an artist.
Render your perceived boundaries more permeable by reaching beyond them to absorb concepts created and found elsewhere.
Problem 7: Self censoring is putting ideas of your own to death. Self-censoring is a reflexive response to avoid stress from novel situations, to avoid embarassment for suggesting unconventional solutions.
Solution: Withhold judgment (brainstorming fundamentals), mindfulness, be a detached observer (see yourself or your situation from the third person POV). Mindfulness follows from uncertainty. When you're uncertain, everything becomes interesting again.
When you're facing sommething that's causing you stress, be aware that you've made two unwarranted assumptions: that something will happen, and when it does it will devastate you. Flip that by asking "will it really happen?" and "if it actually happens, how might it be a good thing?"
As soon as you realise the issue looks different from a different perspective, take that perspective.
___
The brain is passive hardware, absorbing experience, and the mind is active software, directing our attention. But not just any software, it's intelligent software capable of rewriting the hardware. #neuroplasticity
Problem 1: Leaping - Leaping to solutions (aka JTC - jumping to conclusions) when tackling a complex challenge is natural and intuitive, but almost never results in a elegant solution.
Solution: Framestorming - To shift the way you perceive or think about something, cycle through 3 stages of enquiry:
1. Why?
2. What if?
3. How?
These questions may not be solutions, but are instead provocative precursors which may spark an elegant solution.
Start by questioning the question you're asking in the first place. The answer is baked into the question. -Tina Seelig
Problem 2: Fixation - aka not questioning assumptions or sacred cows. Many of our mental models are flawed, because most of what guides us is related to one of four intentions: to remain in control, to maximise winning and minimise losing, to suppress negative feelings, and to be as rational as possible. He believed people act this way in order to avoid threat or embarassment.
As we climb the ladder of inference, adding assumptions, drawing conclusions and holding beliefs, our thought becomes more and more abstract, more and more divorced from reality.
Solution: Inversion - flip everything on its head (e.g. opposite world focusing on key attributes of the situation), and use that as a starting point to ask "Why (not)?", "What if?" and "How (might we)?"
Problem 3: Overthinking - relying too much on the plan, not testing assumptions. Think of MBA students doing the marshmallow challenge, contrast with kindergarten kids.
Solution: Prototesting - prototyping + testing #designthinkingprocess. List assumptions using the "What must be true" method when thinking about what has to hold for the current option to be the right choice. This has the added advantage of removing egos from the table, focusing attention on the merits of the solutions themselves.
The ability to view finite resources as a source of creative thought is the hallmark of an artist. Restraining forces are ever present, and relying on slack resources or ignoring constraints not only stifles creative thinking, but also breeds Overthinking.
The natural learning that occurs before we enter the classroom features failure after failure (think of a baby learning to crawl or walk). Except its not just failure, it is a continuous cycle of learning and progressing and improving.
The only time you don't want to fail is the last time you try something. - Charles Kettering
There is a distinction between valid and reliable. There is no point being consistently able to deliver a mediocre or ineffective solution.
Problem 4: Satisficing - settling for half-baked solutions, compromising early in the interest of short-term expediency and efficiency, needing to do something RIGHT AWAY.
Solution: Synthesis - think both-and rather than either-or. What conditions would allow the first option to produce the benefits of the second? Break the larger context down into component parts and examine each separately.
Roger Martin - Integrative thinkers consider more features of the problem as salient to its resolution, consider more complex kinds of casual relationship between the features; they are able to keep the whole problem in mind while they work on the individual parts; and they end up with creative resolutions. Importantly, they do all of this explicitly, pushing to understand "the thinking behind the thinking". #metacognition
Problem 5: Downgrading - it is a premeditated, downwards or backwards revision of a stated goal. It exists because of a mental limit. One might ignore constraints, or settle on a inferior solution and rationalise the shortcomings (gaming the goal). It is the equivalent of declaring victory by preemptively surrendering.
Solution: "Can-if" - we CAN do this IF we can figure out this." Then carry on with the "can-if" or framestorm "what if?" or "how?"
Without a positive construct, the inability to have a ready answer to a difficult question kills the momentum and flow of exploration.
"Why-how" laddering: purpose and process.
Perfection is not the goal, but a vector, like the horizon line. Perfection as a pursuit and process drives breakthroughs. Perfection as a goal can stall progress and stunt creativity.
Problem 6: Not Invented Here (NIH) - a strong resistance to, or automatic rejection of concepts - knowledge, ideas, solutions - produced somewhere else, somewhere external to the individual or group, often resulting in an unnecessary reinvention of the wheel. External idea origination and immediate internal devaluation, is the defining characteristic of NIH.
NIH becomes more prevalent as we develop subject matter expertise, which is a form of power. If we already know all there is to know, what insights can others give us?
Solution: Proudly Found Elsewhere (PFE). Open your mind to let in, leverage, and recycle the ideas and solutions of others. Steal like an artist.
Render your perceived boundaries more permeable by reaching beyond them to absorb concepts created and found elsewhere.
Problem 7: Self censoring is putting ideas of your own to death. Self-censoring is a reflexive response to avoid stress from novel situations, to avoid embarassment for suggesting unconventional solutions.
Solution: Withhold judgment (brainstorming fundamentals), mindfulness, be a detached observer (see yourself or your situation from the third person POV). Mindfulness follows from uncertainty. When you're uncertain, everything becomes interesting again.
When you're facing sommething that's causing you stress, be aware that you've made two unwarranted assumptions: that something will happen, and when it does it will devastate you. Flip that by asking "will it really happen?" and "if it actually happens, how might it be a good thing?"
As soon as you realise the issue looks different from a different perspective, take that perspective.
May 17, 2016
It took be a little bit to get into this book. I generally enjoy "brain" books and thought the description of this one on NetGalley sounded interesting.
Basically, the author posits that our brains have seven flaws and he presents the solutions with reasons and examples of why his way is better. It follows the very familiar pattern of [problem] [solution] [anecdotes about why solution is the correct one] but it did make me think, which was nice.
The seven problems and solutions are
Leaping -- SLOW thinking
Fixation -- framestorming (asking the questions that will lead to the right answer)
Overthinking -- test your own assumptions
Satisficing (settling) -- Synthesis (working so that everyone wins)
Downgrading -- shoot for the stars
Not-Invented-Here (if I didn't think of it, it's not going to work) -- Proudly-Found-Here (seeing where other ideas are working and use/steal them)
Self-Censoring (thinking a solution is wrong before even trying it) -- Mindfulness / finding interest in everything
Basically, the author posits that our brains have seven flaws and he presents the solutions with reasons and examples of why his way is better. It follows the very familiar pattern of [problem] [solution] [anecdotes about why solution is the correct one] but it did make me think, which was nice.
The seven problems and solutions are
Leaping -- SLOW thinking
Fixation -- framestorming (asking the questions that will lead to the right answer)
Overthinking -- test your own assumptions
Satisficing (settling) -- Synthesis (working so that everyone wins)
Downgrading -- shoot for the stars
Not-Invented-Here (if I didn't think of it, it's not going to work) -- Proudly-Found-Here (seeing where other ideas are working and use/steal them)
Self-Censoring (thinking a solution is wrong before even trying it) -- Mindfulness / finding interest in everything
June 10, 2016
A little book that provides LOTS of answers for problem solving!
This book explores what the author calls the "7 Fatal Flaws of Thinking", or 7 tendencies people find themselves embracing when looknig for elegant solutions to problems. These flaws include:
* Leaping
* Fixation
* Overthinking
* Satisficing
* Downgrading
* Not Invented Here (NIH)
* Self-Censoring
Most, if not all, of these flaws will likely seem familiar to most readers, since they are things we've all done or experienced. For example, anyone new to an organization or company has almost certainly heard "that's not how we do things here" or a variation thereof after offering a new idea (a classic example of Not Invented Here).
For each of these flaws, the book not only describes the flaw, but also looks at the behavioral reasons and neurological basis for each, and provides fixes for each as well. The fixes offered are:
Leaping > Framestorming
Fixation > Inversion
Overthinking > Prototesting
Satisficing > Synthesis
Downgrading > Jumpstarting
Not Invented Here (NIH) > Proudly Found Elsewhere (PFE)
Self-Censoring > Self-Distancing
In addition to describing the specific flaws and their fixes, the authors uses a mantra throughout
the book to illustrate the larger challenge we face when succumbing to these 7 fatal flaws:
"What appears to be the problem, isn't.
What appears to be the solution, isn't.
What appears to be impossible, isn't."
Put another way, we often tend to mis-understand the problem we're trying to solve, identify
incorrect or inadequate solutions to those problems, and give up and claim our problems can't be solved. However, with the proper thinking tools (namely, the fixes he describes), we can identify the real problems we face, devise workable and effective solutions to those problems, and accomplish things we once thought were impossible.
The writing is very engaging and reader-friendly. The examples the author uses are clear and
help illustrate and demonstrate the flaws and their fixes. The author introduces several chapters in the book with thought problems or exercises designed to highlight the specific flaw he is examining, and also challenges the reader to try these exercises on their own (and provides answers to some) to better engage the reader.
I have only one very minor quibble with this book, and that's the lack of a summary chapter. The author does includes some final thoughts towards the end of the last chapter, but I would have liked to see a summary.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their problem solving skills, or looking to learn more about how we think about and approach problems.
This book explores what the author calls the "7 Fatal Flaws of Thinking", or 7 tendencies people find themselves embracing when looknig for elegant solutions to problems. These flaws include:
* Leaping
* Fixation
* Overthinking
* Satisficing
* Downgrading
* Not Invented Here (NIH)
* Self-Censoring
Most, if not all, of these flaws will likely seem familiar to most readers, since they are things we've all done or experienced. For example, anyone new to an organization or company has almost certainly heard "that's not how we do things here" or a variation thereof after offering a new idea (a classic example of Not Invented Here).
For each of these flaws, the book not only describes the flaw, but also looks at the behavioral reasons and neurological basis for each, and provides fixes for each as well. The fixes offered are:
Leaping > Framestorming
Fixation > Inversion
Overthinking > Prototesting
Satisficing > Synthesis
Downgrading > Jumpstarting
Not Invented Here (NIH) > Proudly Found Elsewhere (PFE)
Self-Censoring > Self-Distancing
In addition to describing the specific flaws and their fixes, the authors uses a mantra throughout
the book to illustrate the larger challenge we face when succumbing to these 7 fatal flaws:
"What appears to be the problem, isn't.
What appears to be the solution, isn't.
What appears to be impossible, isn't."
Put another way, we often tend to mis-understand the problem we're trying to solve, identify
incorrect or inadequate solutions to those problems, and give up and claim our problems can't be solved. However, with the proper thinking tools (namely, the fixes he describes), we can identify the real problems we face, devise workable and effective solutions to those problems, and accomplish things we once thought were impossible.
The writing is very engaging and reader-friendly. The examples the author uses are clear and
help illustrate and demonstrate the flaws and their fixes. The author introduces several chapters in the book with thought problems or exercises designed to highlight the specific flaw he is examining, and also challenges the reader to try these exercises on their own (and provides answers to some) to better engage the reader.
I have only one very minor quibble with this book, and that's the lack of a summary chapter. The author does includes some final thoughts towards the end of the last chapter, but I would have liked to see a summary.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their problem solving skills, or looking to learn more about how we think about and approach problems.
May 7, 2016
WINNING THE BRAIN GAME goes beyond problem-solving techniques, emphasizing how to remove the blocks that overshadow our creativity to find solutions to complex situations or problems, providing as Matthew May called the elegant solution.
With a compelling style, enjoyable and easy to understand Matthew May shows the seven fatal flaws that we have picked in our lives since we were kids, for example, because of our educational system.
The seven flaws are:
CHAPTER 1. Leaping
CHAPTER 2. Fixation
CHAPTER 3. Overthinking
CHAPTER 4. Satisficing
CHAPTER 5. Downgrading
CHAPTER 6. Not invented here (NIH)
CHAPTER 7. Self-Censoring
This is a book to reread and practice to be aware of the flaws that create this gap between the mind and the brain, and how to fix them.
With a compelling style, enjoyable and easy to understand Matthew May shows the seven fatal flaws that we have picked in our lives since we were kids, for example, because of our educational system.
The seven flaws are:
CHAPTER 1. Leaping
CHAPTER 2. Fixation
CHAPTER 3. Overthinking
CHAPTER 4. Satisficing
CHAPTER 5. Downgrading
CHAPTER 6. Not invented here (NIH)
CHAPTER 7. Self-Censoring
This is a book to reread and practice to be aware of the flaws that create this gap between the mind and the brain, and how to fix them.
August 12, 2016
Good stuff! I wish it had been longer, more emphasis on breaking down practices into procedures, but good, as is, nevertheless.
Primary idea is this: neurosciences show your brain has a number of "hardwired hardware" processes, and your mind is the software that works under your control within the hardware. Although the brain processes are useful for many aspects of life, they also block the mind's ability to exercise the best in creative problem solving. The book explores seven ways to gain control over the hardware and be better at creative problem solving.
Primary idea is this: neurosciences show your brain has a number of "hardwired hardware" processes, and your mind is the software that works under your control within the hardware. Although the brain processes are useful for many aspects of life, they also block the mind's ability to exercise the best in creative problem solving. The book explores seven ways to gain control over the hardware and be better at creative problem solving.
May 1, 2019
Waste of time. Writing is mediocre and ideas are half baked. Needed far more supporting evidence and actionable advice to go to press.
July 7, 2016
Will get back to it, in few years, to reread it.
January 2, 2018
Obsessing over certainty and worrying about achieving 100% error-free output can foster overthinking. And overthinking, in turn, prevents us from taking real action, blindsiding us against seeing the obvious when making decisions. Escaping this erroneous pattern of thought and many more are the themes of Mathew E. May's book, Winning The Brain Game: Fixing The 7 Fatal Flaws Of Thinking.
When it comes to overthinking, Mathew E. May says, we have a lot to learn from children. He believes children rarely falls into this habit. Also, he believes the ways children solve day to day problems can help us escape the problem of overthinking. He writes:
I remember vividly my daughter as an infant in her high chair dropping food on the floor. She was a perfect little learner, wondering what would happen if she could somehow get her strained carrots on the floor. I’m certain that the problem was somehow framed quite clearly to her— how do I get them on the ground? —perhaps not in words, for she could not yet talk. Tracking her eye movements, I watched her consider several hypotheses: she could tip her entire bowl over the tray, she could fill her spoon and flick away, or simply grab a fistful and fling—three viable ways to answer the question. Now the fun begins. She decides quickly to try the bowl- tip method, and runs her test. Her success metric is obvious: food on the floor. Her test works wonderfully well. In fact, the feedback exceeds her expectations: the noise from her dish as it crashes on the tile gives her great glee, food is everywhere, and Mom gets really busy. Yay! So fun!! It works so well she adopts it as her tentative best practice. As Mom cleans up and replaces a full bowl of food on the tray, she does what any good scientist does, and confirms her results. This time, however, the feedback is a bit different, and not as positive as the initial trial: Mom isn’t happy about it, and Dad has to get involved. Lesson learned. So she launches another experiment, this time with the spoon method. Without any help or guidance, my daughter was learning just fine on her own, in the most powerful way: satisfying her natural curiosity through rapid experimentation. In this type of learning, the test came before the lesson. There was no sense of failure, for it was a concept yet to be introduced. Without a sense of failure, she was fearless in her learning and experimenting. It would not be long before it would disappear. Once in the classroom, her fearless learning through testing was replaced by a new kind of learning. Her teachers now asked the questions, and she had to answer correctly. the need to be certain and correct grew. In a complete reversal of her toddler learning, she faced a new kind of test, one that came after the lesson. There was a right and wrong answer involved with this kind of test, and a grade called 'F', for failure. Along with grades on tests came fear.
At the root of overthinking is fear. And with this fear comes the fixation of making fewer errors, thus reverting to easy patterns of thinking, focusing on what has worked before and reluctance to take risks. In the long run, this cripples creativity in individuals and foster timidity of thought in organisations.
Winning The Brain Game takes a comprehensive look at why we think the way we do and how to reset our brains to look at situations from a neutral point of view in place of lazy or biased perspectives.
Winning The Brain Game can be a bit difficult to read in parts. However, its real-life examples and illustrations help put its point across. If you don't like complex theories with long analogies, this might not be the book for you. But if you are willing to stick it out, the reward can be great. I recommend this book to those seeking change in the way they think about life and problems.
Many thanks to McGraw-Hill Education for review copy.
When it comes to overthinking, Mathew E. May says, we have a lot to learn from children. He believes children rarely falls into this habit. Also, he believes the ways children solve day to day problems can help us escape the problem of overthinking. He writes:
I remember vividly my daughter as an infant in her high chair dropping food on the floor. She was a perfect little learner, wondering what would happen if she could somehow get her strained carrots on the floor. I’m certain that the problem was somehow framed quite clearly to her— how do I get them on the ground? —perhaps not in words, for she could not yet talk. Tracking her eye movements, I watched her consider several hypotheses: she could tip her entire bowl over the tray, she could fill her spoon and flick away, or simply grab a fistful and fling—three viable ways to answer the question. Now the fun begins. She decides quickly to try the bowl- tip method, and runs her test. Her success metric is obvious: food on the floor. Her test works wonderfully well. In fact, the feedback exceeds her expectations: the noise from her dish as it crashes on the tile gives her great glee, food is everywhere, and Mom gets really busy. Yay! So fun!! It works so well she adopts it as her tentative best practice. As Mom cleans up and replaces a full bowl of food on the tray, she does what any good scientist does, and confirms her results. This time, however, the feedback is a bit different, and not as positive as the initial trial: Mom isn’t happy about it, and Dad has to get involved. Lesson learned. So she launches another experiment, this time with the spoon method. Without any help or guidance, my daughter was learning just fine on her own, in the most powerful way: satisfying her natural curiosity through rapid experimentation. In this type of learning, the test came before the lesson. There was no sense of failure, for it was a concept yet to be introduced. Without a sense of failure, she was fearless in her learning and experimenting. It would not be long before it would disappear. Once in the classroom, her fearless learning through testing was replaced by a new kind of learning. Her teachers now asked the questions, and she had to answer correctly. the need to be certain and correct grew. In a complete reversal of her toddler learning, she faced a new kind of test, one that came after the lesson. There was a right and wrong answer involved with this kind of test, and a grade called 'F', for failure. Along with grades on tests came fear.
At the root of overthinking is fear. And with this fear comes the fixation of making fewer errors, thus reverting to easy patterns of thinking, focusing on what has worked before and reluctance to take risks. In the long run, this cripples creativity in individuals and foster timidity of thought in organisations.
Winning The Brain Game takes a comprehensive look at why we think the way we do and how to reset our brains to look at situations from a neutral point of view in place of lazy or biased perspectives.
Winning The Brain Game can be a bit difficult to read in parts. However, its real-life examples and illustrations help put its point across. If you don't like complex theories with long analogies, this might not be the book for you. But if you are willing to stick it out, the reward can be great. I recommend this book to those seeking change in the way they think about life and problems.
Many thanks to McGraw-Hill Education for review copy.
February 19, 2025
I did like this book however I would not recommend the audiobook. It is read well, however, the author references so many studies and so many sources that it's very hard to follow.
I found myself having to stop the audiobook frequently during my commute to take audio notes of my own to follow up with later. The bonus material that comes on the audiobook is simply the appendix answers to several of the brain teasers, it doesn't give you much to help you remember the content of the book. I wrote to the author, as I often do, and told him of my concern but I got no reply.
I do feel that the book has some value, and the exercises I will definitely start incorporating in an upcoming event, however I do feel that a print version or a digital version of this book is beneficial so you can take the time to look up the research that he cites and truly think about the mind teasers.
I found myself having to stop the audiobook frequently during my commute to take audio notes of my own to follow up with later. The bonus material that comes on the audiobook is simply the appendix answers to several of the brain teasers, it doesn't give you much to help you remember the content of the book. I wrote to the author, as I often do, and told him of my concern but I got no reply.
I do feel that the book has some value, and the exercises I will definitely start incorporating in an upcoming event, however I do feel that a print version or a digital version of this book is beneficial so you can take the time to look up the research that he cites and truly think about the mind teasers.
March 13, 2018
Well-done survey of common flaws in our thought processes. The book provides plenty of examples for the reader to work through to help embed the author's points. Great for those who value experiential learning.
July 28, 2018
Although the book does write about flaws with our brain it is just overwhelming. The number of models and solutions is something I can't keep count of. I would advice anyone who reads it to jot down some notes to get a better insights of the solutions.
May 31, 2018
Solid book. Helpful to push you through flawed-thinking paradigms
July 23, 2018
Shows flaws of human thinking/reasoning and tries to provide a solution to them.
January 22, 2019
I like this book quite a bit, but it's worth the deeper dive into the other books referenced within.
November 26, 2020
Sadly this book was archived before I could download to read it. It has been added to my TBR and I’ll keep an eye out for it again in the future or at my local library.
May 6, 2021
Great examples of how to develop and use critical thinking skills.
December 12, 2023
The book is well-written and engaging, and May does a good job of explaining the science behind the seven flaws. The fixes are also practical and easy to implement. However, I found that the book's focuses solely on its applications at work, limiting its potential.
The seven flaws are not just productivity hacks. They can also have a significant impact on our personal lives. For example, the flaw of "fixation" can lead us to stay stuck in bad relationships or jobs, while the flaw of "overthinking" can prevent us from taking risks or making decisions.
I would have liked to see the book spend more time exploring the applications to life in general.
Overall, Winning the Brain Game is a valuable book that can help us to improve our thinking. However, I believe that its potential would have been even greater if it had broadened its focus to life in general.
The seven flaws are not just productivity hacks. They can also have a significant impact on our personal lives. For example, the flaw of "fixation" can lead us to stay stuck in bad relationships or jobs, while the flaw of "overthinking" can prevent us from taking risks or making decisions.
I would have liked to see the book spend more time exploring the applications to life in general.
Overall, Winning the Brain Game is a valuable book that can help us to improve our thinking. However, I believe that its potential would have been even greater if it had broadened its focus to life in general.
November 20, 2016
This book offers challenging lessons in mindfulness -- ways to expand the brain to find new solutions and to avoid common mental traps. My only concern -- the author's advice to go beyond societal or traditional norms. This is problematic for a religious person like me, who is bound by rules. (And brings up the issue of moral relativism.) Perhaps that is why there might be many Orthodox Jewish doctors, but few Orthodox Louis Pasteurs. Interestingly, he recommends the NEW YORKER cartoon contests, of which I'm a fan, to create mental associations among different items. I have tried, but alas, never succeeded in winning these. Maybe some day, once my mind is stretched further.
October 19, 2016
This book succinctly goes through some common flaws and set mindsets in thinking and some methods about how to overcome them. Rather than just presenting them, this book’s usefully gives little questions and examples for the reader to experience, rather than just be told, what those flaws are. However, the book ended rather abruptly and could have really benefited from a closing chapter, however short, to tie everything together.
June 18, 2016
There is really nothing new here. Just a compilation of the work of many others in the same field. Daniel Kahneman's work, for example, is mentioned many times. Read Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, instead.
January 4, 2018
Simple quick and enlightening
Nothing earth shattering or new in this book. However, I enjoyed the exercises and examples throughout the book. They really helped drive home the points in the book and make it more relatable.
Nothing earth shattering or new in this book. However, I enjoyed the exercises and examples throughout the book. They really helped drive home the points in the book and make it more relatable.
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January 5, 2019Very interesting read detailing how our own brains and thinking habits get in the way of accomplishments and solutions. Helpful details about how to work around these constraints.
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