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Welcome to Your Brain: The Science of Jet Lag, Love and Other Curiosities of Life
Usamos o cérebro em todos os momentos da nossa vida, e somente umas poucas pessoas têm idéia de como ele funciona. Muito do que pensamos saber a respeito dele vem da cultura que usamos somente 10% do nosso cérebro ou que beber álcool mata suas células. Cientistas provaram que essas e outras crenças sobre o cérebro estão erradas. Mais surpreendente ainda é que o que os cientistas têm descoberto sobre esse órgão complexo é praticamente desconhecido fora dos seus laboratórios. Neste livro de leitura agradável, cada capítulo está repleto de ilustrações, dicas práticas e divertidas, e fatos surpreendentes. Além disso, este livro é um guia útil para você cuidar do seu próprio cérebro ao aprender como lidar com o jet lag, quando se preocupar com a possibilidade de um derrame e como manter seu cérebro saudável à medida que envelhece. Com uma linguagem acessível e espirituosa Bem-vindo ao Seu Cérebro é o guia perfeito para qualquer ser pensante.
219 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2008
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3252 people want to read
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August 13, 2010
Previous reviews of this book have ranged from high praise to disdain. This diversity of opinion may reflect a broad spectrum of interests, and background in neuroscience, among the reviewers.
As a career neuroscientist, my view is that the authors have done an excellent job of portraying brain and cognitive function, with a subtle but rigorous depth that professionals can appreciate for their individual areas of interest. For more general readers, there is a clear focus throughout on everyday examples, and these should provide a sense of how brain research is relevant to everyday life.
I will quote and then comment on three examples from the book to show what I mean.
1) Question: “I’m losing my memory. Do I have Alzheimer’s disease?”
Short Answer: “If you forget where you put your glasses, that’s normal aging. If you forget that you wear glasses, then you probably have dementia.”
This simple guideline provides a clear sense of what should be expected with age, and what should be a major concern. The section goes on to explain that dementia involves degeneration of specific brain regions (e.g. cortical frontal lobes), has a strong genetic component, and that exercise and pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen can provide significant protection from its onset. All of these statements are based on rigorous, up-to-date neuroscience/neurological research.
2) (from the book’s subtitle) “Forgetting your keys but remembering how to drive”
Question: “In the movie Memento, Leonard has brain damage that leaves him unable to remember what has happened to him just a few moments before”… “Yet he still remembers how to drive a car perfectly well. How can this be?”
Answer (excerpts): “Although we normally think of memory as a single phenomenon, it really has many components… Leonard’s trouble learning about new facts and events” (was caused by damage to) “the temporal lobes at the sides of the brain”… “A skill such as driving a car uses a number of brain regions but does not require the temporal lobe system.”
Elsewhere in the book, the authors list movies that portray neurological syndromes with accuracy (including Memento, A Beautiful Mind and Awakenings), and those that don’t (e.g. Total Recall and 50 First Dates). In the latter, Drew Barrymore “portrays a pattern of memory loss that never occurs in any known neurological condition”.
3) Question: “Do vaccines cause autism?
Short Answer (paraphrased): Very unlikely – the primary ‘evidence’ suggesting a causal link came from sloppy studies that did not have adequate (or any) control groups.
On a recent family vacation I was asked this question by at least 5 individuals, while discussing the recent work that my lab has done on an autism model. The idea has been pushed hard by celebrity voices, and a parent whose child is diagnosed with autism will certainly look for answers in the events that preceded the diagnosis. But the authors very carefully explain the rules of evidence in studies that look for cause and effect in such cases. Correlation is not causation – we train all graduate students to understand this. In this instance, one key test would be to compare the number of autism diagnoses that occur just BEFORE vaccination (a legitimate control group) with the number just AFTER vaccination. Such tests provide clear indications that vaccines in current use (some containing trace amounts of a non-toxic form of mercury) are very likely not the culprit.
A careful and detailed discussion of these points can be found here:
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/...
The authors draw similar conclusions about the possible roles of environmental contaminants. But there is recent evidence, published since this book went to press (2008), that some environmental contaminants can and likely do increase the incidence of autism. Children living near coal-burning, mercury-emitting power plants are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those living farther away (a type of control comparison). Many more studies of this type will be needed to fully resolve this important controversy. Indeed, one core premise of the book is that new research findings can dramatically improve our understanding of both neurological syndromes and normal brain function.
The bottom line for all of these examples, and for the book, is that we need to base our ideas about brain function and brain disorders on hard-won facts from careful studies. To do that, we need to know the difference between hard evidence on the one hand, and emotion and ‘myth’ on the other. You can run from the truth, or think of facts as evidence when they really are coincidence, or even fiction. But doing so doesn’t solve the very real and tragic problem of severe disorders like autism. More likely, the confusion of fact and fiction will only make matters worse.
I had the good fortune to discuss Sandra Aamodt’s research with her at a Society for Neurosciences meeting some years ago. She told me that she was taking a job at Nature, one of the top 2 or 3 journals in the world for peer-reviewed, cutting edge science in many fields. Today, Dr. Aamodt is Editor-in-Chief of Nature Neuroscience, a highly prestigious spinoff from the parent journal. As such, she sees an enormous number of cutting-edge manuscripts that are submitted for the journal (most of them are rejected without review, or after peer-review, and published in lesser but still good journals). What this means is that Sandra Aamodt has a critical awareness of the latest and best neuroscience research, to an extent that even most professionals will never achieve.
The take-home message is that this book, co-written by Drs. Aamodt and Sam Wang, is not pop psychology designed to make a quick buck on a marketable idea. It is a precise, closely reasoned discussion of brain function, notwithstanding the studied simplicity of some passages. It is also a readable book that can potentially be enjoyed by a wide audience. Yes, you will need to think carefully to follow the trail – some won’t want to go there, and others already know the path and will prefer more challenging material.
If this is your first read on how the brain works, my advice is to start with any section that interests you from the table of contents. Keep in mind that what you are reading is an accurate portrayal of the state of the art, as current as you are likely to find in a popularized book on science. To me, that makes it a winner.
As a career neuroscientist, my view is that the authors have done an excellent job of portraying brain and cognitive function, with a subtle but rigorous depth that professionals can appreciate for their individual areas of interest. For more general readers, there is a clear focus throughout on everyday examples, and these should provide a sense of how brain research is relevant to everyday life.
I will quote and then comment on three examples from the book to show what I mean.
1) Question: “I’m losing my memory. Do I have Alzheimer’s disease?”
Short Answer: “If you forget where you put your glasses, that’s normal aging. If you forget that you wear glasses, then you probably have dementia.”
This simple guideline provides a clear sense of what should be expected with age, and what should be a major concern. The section goes on to explain that dementia involves degeneration of specific brain regions (e.g. cortical frontal lobes), has a strong genetic component, and that exercise and pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen can provide significant protection from its onset. All of these statements are based on rigorous, up-to-date neuroscience/neurological research.
2) (from the book’s subtitle) “Forgetting your keys but remembering how to drive”
Question: “In the movie Memento, Leonard has brain damage that leaves him unable to remember what has happened to him just a few moments before”… “Yet he still remembers how to drive a car perfectly well. How can this be?”
Answer (excerpts): “Although we normally think of memory as a single phenomenon, it really has many components… Leonard’s trouble learning about new facts and events” (was caused by damage to) “the temporal lobes at the sides of the brain”… “A skill such as driving a car uses a number of brain regions but does not require the temporal lobe system.”
Elsewhere in the book, the authors list movies that portray neurological syndromes with accuracy (including Memento, A Beautiful Mind and Awakenings), and those that don’t (e.g. Total Recall and 50 First Dates). In the latter, Drew Barrymore “portrays a pattern of memory loss that never occurs in any known neurological condition”.
3) Question: “Do vaccines cause autism?
Short Answer (paraphrased): Very unlikely – the primary ‘evidence’ suggesting a causal link came from sloppy studies that did not have adequate (or any) control groups.
On a recent family vacation I was asked this question by at least 5 individuals, while discussing the recent work that my lab has done on an autism model. The idea has been pushed hard by celebrity voices, and a parent whose child is diagnosed with autism will certainly look for answers in the events that preceded the diagnosis. But the authors very carefully explain the rules of evidence in studies that look for cause and effect in such cases. Correlation is not causation – we train all graduate students to understand this. In this instance, one key test would be to compare the number of autism diagnoses that occur just BEFORE vaccination (a legitimate control group) with the number just AFTER vaccination. Such tests provide clear indications that vaccines in current use (some containing trace amounts of a non-toxic form of mercury) are very likely not the culprit.
A careful and detailed discussion of these points can be found here:
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/...
The authors draw similar conclusions about the possible roles of environmental contaminants. But there is recent evidence, published since this book went to press (2008), that some environmental contaminants can and likely do increase the incidence of autism. Children living near coal-burning, mercury-emitting power plants are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those living farther away (a type of control comparison). Many more studies of this type will be needed to fully resolve this important controversy. Indeed, one core premise of the book is that new research findings can dramatically improve our understanding of both neurological syndromes and normal brain function.
The bottom line for all of these examples, and for the book, is that we need to base our ideas about brain function and brain disorders on hard-won facts from careful studies. To do that, we need to know the difference between hard evidence on the one hand, and emotion and ‘myth’ on the other. You can run from the truth, or think of facts as evidence when they really are coincidence, or even fiction. But doing so doesn’t solve the very real and tragic problem of severe disorders like autism. More likely, the confusion of fact and fiction will only make matters worse.
I had the good fortune to discuss Sandra Aamodt’s research with her at a Society for Neurosciences meeting some years ago. She told me that she was taking a job at Nature, one of the top 2 or 3 journals in the world for peer-reviewed, cutting edge science in many fields. Today, Dr. Aamodt is Editor-in-Chief of Nature Neuroscience, a highly prestigious spinoff from the parent journal. As such, she sees an enormous number of cutting-edge manuscripts that are submitted for the journal (most of them are rejected without review, or after peer-review, and published in lesser but still good journals). What this means is that Sandra Aamodt has a critical awareness of the latest and best neuroscience research, to an extent that even most professionals will never achieve.
The take-home message is that this book, co-written by Drs. Aamodt and Sam Wang, is not pop psychology designed to make a quick buck on a marketable idea. It is a precise, closely reasoned discussion of brain function, notwithstanding the studied simplicity of some passages. It is also a readable book that can potentially be enjoyed by a wide audience. Yes, you will need to think carefully to follow the trail – some won’t want to go there, and others already know the path and will prefer more challenging material.
If this is your first read on how the brain works, my advice is to start with any section that interests you from the table of contents. Keep in mind that what you are reading is an accurate portrayal of the state of the art, as current as you are likely to find in a popularized book on science. To me, that makes it a winner.
January 3, 2018
Understanding the biology and chemistry behind many emotional concepts as love, blindly trusting people, falling for jerks, anxiety, autism, even dreams was: number one, really cool i felt so much intellectually educated lol, and number two, kind of made me less hard on my own self with a bit more tolerance. I was thinking that i should read more of this well-written non-fictions that analyze topics in a funny and light way -since i started getting easily bored because of some bad bookish choices that i have been making lately and the so many books that i left unfinished.
I want to thank Manfred for the hardcover edition of book, which i borrowed from him but it ended up as a gift : ))
I want to thank Manfred for the hardcover edition of book, which i borrowed from him but it ended up as a gift : ))
March 11, 2021
الخرافة: نستخدم 10٪ فقط من أدمغتنا ...
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اسأل مجموعة من الأشخاص الذين تم اختيارهم عشوائيًا عما يعرفونه عن الدماغ ، ومن المرجح أن تكون الإجابة الأكثر شيوعًا هي أننا نستخدم 10 بالمائة فقط من قدرته. يتسبب هذا الاعتقاد في ارتباك علماء الأعصاب حول العالم. تأسست أسطورة العشرة بالمائة في الولايات المتحدة منذ أكثر من قرن .
لكن بالنسبة للعلماء الذين يدرسون الدماغ ، فإن الفكرة لا معنى لها على الإطلاق ؛ الدماغ هو جهاز فعال للغاية ، ويبدو أن كل قدرته إلى حد كبير ضرورية.
حتى تستمر لفترة طويلة ، يجب أن تقول الأسطورة شيئًا نريد حقًا سماعه. قد يعتمد استمرارها المثير للإعجاب على رسالتها المتفائلة. إذا استخدمنا 10 في المائة فقط من أدمغتنا بشكل طبيعي ، فكر في ما يمكننا فعله إذا استطعنا استخدام جزء ضئيل جدًا من تلك الـ 90 في المائة الأخرى! هذه بالتأكيد فكرة جذابة ، وهي أيضًا ديمقراطية نوعًا ما. بعد كل شيء ، إذا كان لدى كل شخص الكثير من سعة الدماغ الاحتياطية ، فلا يوجد أي شخص غبي حقاً ، فقط مجموعة من آينشتاينز المحتملين الذين لم يتعلموا استخدام ما يكفي من أدمغتهم.
تم استغلال هذه العلامة التجارية من التفاؤل من قبل خبراء المساعدة الذاتية لبيع سلسلة لا تنتهي من الكتب لتحسين القدرات العقلية. استخدم ديل كارنيجي الفكرة للفوز بمبيعات الكتب والتأثير على القراء في الأربعينيات. لقد أعطى الأسطورة دفعة كبيرة من خلال نسب الفكرة إلى مؤسس علم النفس الحديث ، ويليام جيمس. لكن لم يجد أحد نسبة الـ 10 في المائة في كتابات جيمس أو خطاباته. أخبر جيمس جمهوره الشعبي أن الناس لديهم موارد عقلية أكثر مما يستخدمونه. ربما جعل بعض المستمعين المغامرين الفكرة أكثر علمية من خلال تحديد النسبة المئوية.
في الواقع ، أنت تستخدم عقلك بالكامل كل يوم. إذا لم يتم استخدام أجزاء من الدماغ مطلقًا ، فلن يتسبب إتلافها في حدوث مشكلات ملحوظة. هذا ليس هو الحال بالتأكيد! تُظهر طرق التصوير الوظيفية التي تسمح بقياس نشاط الدماغ أيضًا أن المهام البسيطة كافية لإنتاج النشاط في جميع أنحاء الدماغ.
أحد التفسيرات المحتملة لكيفية بدء أسطورة العشرة بالمائة هو أن وظائف مناطق معينة من الدماغ معقدة بدرجة كافية بحيث تكون آثار الضرر خفية. على سبيل المثال ، يمكن للأشخاص الذين أصيبوا بأضرار في الفصوص الأمامية للقشرة الدماغية في كثير من الأحيان أداء معظم الإجراءات العادية في الحياة اليومية ، لكنهم لا يختارون السلوكيات الصحيحة . على سبيل المثال ، قد يقف مثل هذا المريض في منتصف اجتماع عمل مهم ويخرج بحثًا عن الغداء. وغني عن القول ، إن مرضى مثل هؤلاء يجدون صعوبة في التجول في العالم.
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Sandra Aamodt
Welcome to your brain
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
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.
اسأل مجموعة من الأشخاص الذين تم اختيارهم عشوائيًا عما يعرفونه عن الدماغ ، ومن المرجح أن تكون الإجابة الأكثر شيوعًا هي أننا نستخدم 10 بالمائة فقط من قدرته. يتسبب هذا الاعتقاد في ارتباك علماء الأعصاب حول العالم. تأسست أسطورة العشرة بالمائة في الولايات المتحدة منذ أكثر من قرن .
لكن بالنسبة للعلماء الذين يدرسون الدماغ ، فإن الفكرة لا معنى لها على الإطلاق ؛ الدماغ هو جهاز فعال للغاية ، ويبدو أن كل قدرته إلى حد كبير ضرورية.
حتى تستمر لفترة طويلة ، يجب أن تقول الأسطورة شيئًا نريد حقًا سماعه. قد يعتمد استمرارها المثير للإعجاب على رسالتها المتفائلة. إذا استخدمنا 10 في المائة فقط من أدمغتنا بشكل طبيعي ، فكر في ما يمكننا فعله إذا استطعنا استخدام جزء ضئيل جدًا من تلك الـ 90 في المائة الأخرى! هذه بالتأكيد فكرة جذابة ، وهي أيضًا ديمقراطية نوعًا ما. بعد كل شيء ، إذا كان لدى كل شخص الكثير من سعة الدماغ الاحتياطية ، فلا يوجد أي شخص غبي حقاً ، فقط مجموعة من آينشتاينز المحتملين الذين لم يتعلموا استخدام ما يكفي من أدمغتهم.
تم استغلال هذه العلامة التجارية من التفاؤل من قبل خبراء المساعدة الذاتية لبيع سلسلة لا تنتهي من الكتب لتحسين القدرات العقلية. استخدم ديل كارنيجي الفكرة للفوز بمبيعات الكتب والتأثير على القراء في الأربعينيات. لقد أعطى الأسطورة دفعة كبيرة من خلال نسب الفكرة إلى مؤسس علم النفس الحديث ، ويليام جيمس. لكن لم يجد أحد نسبة الـ 10 في المائة في كتابات جيمس أو خطاباته. أخبر جيمس جمهوره الشعبي أن الناس لديهم موارد عقلية أكثر مما يستخدمونه. ربما جعل بعض المستمعين المغامرين الفكرة أكثر علمية من خلال تحديد النسبة المئوية.
في الواقع ، أنت تستخدم عقلك بالكامل كل يوم. إذا لم يتم استخدام أجزاء من الدماغ مطلقًا ، فلن يتسبب إتلافها في حدوث مشكلات ملحوظة. هذا ليس هو الحال بالتأكيد! تُظهر طرق التصوير الوظيفية التي تسمح بقياس نشاط الدماغ أيضًا أن المهام البسيطة كافية لإنتاج النشاط في جميع أنحاء الدماغ.
أحد التفسيرات المحتملة لكيفية بدء أسطورة العشرة بالمائة هو أن وظائف مناطق معينة من الدماغ معقدة بدرجة كافية بحيث تكون آثار الضرر خفية. على سبيل المثال ، يمكن للأشخاص الذين أصيبوا بأضرار في الفصوص الأمامية للقشرة الدماغية في كثير من الأحيان أداء معظم الإجراءات العادية في الحياة اليومية ، لكنهم لا يختارون السلوكيات الصحيحة . على سبيل المثال ، قد يقف مثل هذا المريض في منتصف اجتماع عمل مهم ويخرج بحثًا عن الغداء. وغني عن القول ، إن مرضى مثل هؤلاء يجدون صعوبة في التجول في العالم.
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Sandra Aamodt
Welcome to your brain
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
May 31, 2011
Welcome to Your Brain is a nice overview of the brain and its functions. Although it doesn’t go into much depth, the book is well written and easy to read. Overall, it’s an good introduction to neuroscience for non-scientists.
Two criticisms:
1) The book is replete with bounded side boxes, each a few paragraphs in length, with a short explanation of a topic related to the main text. I found these to be both distracting and annoying as you are forced to repeatedly interrupt the flow of the book with these side discussions. It would have been better had the authors simply incorporated these topics into the main body of the text.
2) The authors characterized Richard Dawkins as a “bomb thrower”, an accusation that is unsupported by the evidence. Someone who presents data to critique a view of history, math or science is not considered a “bomb thrower”. Neither are criticisms of politics, social institutions or public policy viewed as such. One, and only one, topic appears to be immune from rational discourse, and that is the topic of religion. Dawkins has simply applied the rules of evidence we use in every other aspect of life to spiritual beliefs. I think “rationalist” would have been a better descriptor.
Two criticisms:
1) The book is replete with bounded side boxes, each a few paragraphs in length, with a short explanation of a topic related to the main text. I found these to be both distracting and annoying as you are forced to repeatedly interrupt the flow of the book with these side discussions. It would have been better had the authors simply incorporated these topics into the main body of the text.
2) The authors characterized Richard Dawkins as a “bomb thrower”, an accusation that is unsupported by the evidence. Someone who presents data to critique a view of history, math or science is not considered a “bomb thrower”. Neither are criticisms of politics, social institutions or public policy viewed as such. One, and only one, topic appears to be immune from rational discourse, and that is the topic of religion. Dawkins has simply applied the rules of evidence we use in every other aspect of life to spiritual beliefs. I think “rationalist” would have been a better descriptor.
April 1, 2010
Although published for adults, this reminded me of the good ya nonfiction I enjoy reading. The great subtitle sets the tone for an exploration of recent knowledge about the human brain. I keep telling friends bits of information I learned in the small boxes throughout. Did you know frequent jet lag can cause brain damage? 25% of the US population sneezes when they see a bright light. And lots of amusing quotes, too. Made me want to do a booktalk.
March 21, 2020
I liked reading this book, but only half of the book was interesting to me, other half was not so much. I already read something similar and knew some facts before, but anyway i recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about brain funtions and in general about yourself.
February 3, 2020
Summary: Lots of good solid info. This category is getting very crowded and difficult to make a splash in. I think it's hard to get 5 stars relative to some of the targetted writing like The male brain and the female brain.
Book starts with a great test. If you pass it, you prob already know too much about the brain and this will not be your book.
First, can I say, I hate Kindle having books with no page numbers. It is the worst.
Chapter 4 -
The idea and example that you are actually quite able to multi-task, it's just the degree to which you allow and train yourself to do so. The video game example is an interesting one. Makes you think about how ought you to treat people who are constantly on their phone.
Also in this chapter, they talk about the dangers of people frequently cross many time zones and how this can create damage to brain and memory. I don't quite get the impression they know why though, which is unfortunate. Hard to say if this is a real study.
Chapter 5 - It talks about weight loss. The brain doesn't like to use fat for energy. It also talks about the fact that there are may studies on calorie restriction and extended life. This whole fasting thing is really intriguing.
Chptr 6- You need to train the senses. The whole patch over an eye is a bad thing. Let your eyes figure out how to see out of both or have depth perception and a host of other issues for year. I had this prob as a kid personally and still cant really catch a ball correctly.
Chpt 7 - Hearing. they talk about how amazing the brain is at differentiating sound. When you're a kid, you can do it among foreign languages. Later you kind of can't. There is very little done on multi-lingual, which is what i find curoius. It also talks about how the brain rewires to hone in on particular sounds. It also says that the hearing experiments show that certain parts of the brain are far more plastic early on, but others are fine on plasticity later. It's intriguing. 90% of your brain is done at age 6 though.
Chtr 10 - they talk about Mozart has nothing to do with baby development but stimuli in general do. Most of baby research though is on animals, not actual babies. That would be cruel.
Chptr 11 - Even deaf children that learn to sign late have difficulty with grammar, etc. The whole information on pitch and how absolute pitch is genetic and more common among those that speak tonal languages. Most people have relative pitch. There is an area in the brain that relates to sound that is more developed.
But then again Stravinsky started training late, so you just don't know.
Chapter 12 - 90% of size by age 6. They now know it's about the connections that you create. This can dictate more what is going on. Intellligence is about synapses and forming the hell out of them.
Ch 14 - Older people use different parts of their brain to accomplish the same task as young people. Has to do how we conceptualize (?) the task, using both right and left brain most of the time.
Anything you learned thoroughly when you were young tends to be spared as you age.
Chapter 18 - Sex is the one thing that makes people truly happy. Nothing else correlates quite as high. All the other stuff, writing down gratefulness, small things pale in comparison.
Ch 19 - ADHD was great for hunter gathering.
Ch 20 - The relationship between trust, oxytocin and sex.
Ch 22 - Women perform worse when reminded that women are dumb. Women in general are worse at spatial recognition, though if you add testosterone to them, they suddenly become great at it.
Ch 25 - Men think about the physical arrangement of hte world diff from women. Also, the Larry Summers comment on men being better at math, he missed the distribution. Men on average and according to the distribution are better, it's the extremes of the distribution.
Ch 29 - The importance of blood flow to the brain. You get about 3 hrs.
Ch 30 - Trips and their impact on seratonin
Ch 31 - The use of brain-machine interfaces for curing depression.
Book starts with a great test. If you pass it, you prob already know too much about the brain and this will not be your book.
First, can I say, I hate Kindle having books with no page numbers. It is the worst.
Chapter 4 -
The idea and example that you are actually quite able to multi-task, it's just the degree to which you allow and train yourself to do so. The video game example is an interesting one. Makes you think about how ought you to treat people who are constantly on their phone.
Also in this chapter, they talk about the dangers of people frequently cross many time zones and how this can create damage to brain and memory. I don't quite get the impression they know why though, which is unfortunate. Hard to say if this is a real study.
Chapter 5 - It talks about weight loss. The brain doesn't like to use fat for energy. It also talks about the fact that there are may studies on calorie restriction and extended life. This whole fasting thing is really intriguing.
Chptr 6- You need to train the senses. The whole patch over an eye is a bad thing. Let your eyes figure out how to see out of both or have depth perception and a host of other issues for year. I had this prob as a kid personally and still cant really catch a ball correctly.
Chpt 7 - Hearing. they talk about how amazing the brain is at differentiating sound. When you're a kid, you can do it among foreign languages. Later you kind of can't. There is very little done on multi-lingual, which is what i find curoius. It also talks about how the brain rewires to hone in on particular sounds. It also says that the hearing experiments show that certain parts of the brain are far more plastic early on, but others are fine on plasticity later. It's intriguing. 90% of your brain is done at age 6 though.
Chtr 10 - they talk about Mozart has nothing to do with baby development but stimuli in general do. Most of baby research though is on animals, not actual babies. That would be cruel.
Chptr 11 - Even deaf children that learn to sign late have difficulty with grammar, etc. The whole information on pitch and how absolute pitch is genetic and more common among those that speak tonal languages. Most people have relative pitch. There is an area in the brain that relates to sound that is more developed.
But then again Stravinsky started training late, so you just don't know.
Chapter 12 - 90% of size by age 6. They now know it's about the connections that you create. This can dictate more what is going on. Intellligence is about synapses and forming the hell out of them.
Ch 14 - Older people use different parts of their brain to accomplish the same task as young people. Has to do how we conceptualize (?) the task, using both right and left brain most of the time.
Anything you learned thoroughly when you were young tends to be spared as you age.
Chapter 18 - Sex is the one thing that makes people truly happy. Nothing else correlates quite as high. All the other stuff, writing down gratefulness, small things pale in comparison.
Ch 19 - ADHD was great for hunter gathering.
Ch 20 - The relationship between trust, oxytocin and sex.
Ch 22 - Women perform worse when reminded that women are dumb. Women in general are worse at spatial recognition, though if you add testosterone to them, they suddenly become great at it.
Ch 25 - Men think about the physical arrangement of hte world diff from women. Also, the Larry Summers comment on men being better at math, he missed the distribution. Men on average and according to the distribution are better, it's the extremes of the distribution.
Ch 29 - The importance of blood flow to the brain. You get about 3 hrs.
Ch 30 - Trips and their impact on seratonin
Ch 31 - The use of brain-machine interfaces for curing depression.
June 12, 2013
(Note: This review is for the audio version, which at the time of this writing isn't listed on Goodreads.)
This book was okay. I learned some interesting things. Most people would learn more than I did, because I follow the Brain Science Podcast and have read other brain science books.
The most valuable thing I learned was just how scary strokes are. Holy crap. To me, that stuff is scarier than any horror story!
What I disliked the most was the chapter on religion. The parts of the chapters that aren't an attack on atheist writers are basically an apologetic for why brain science doesn't invalidate religious belief, even while science tries to explain such belief. For a book that claims so hard to be based on science and scientific research, this was a huge disappointment.
This book was okay. I learned some interesting things. Most people would learn more than I did, because I follow the Brain Science Podcast and have read other brain science books.
The most valuable thing I learned was just how scary strokes are. Holy crap. To me, that stuff is scarier than any horror story!
What I disliked the most was the chapter on religion. The parts of the chapters that aren't an attack on atheist writers are basically an apologetic for why brain science doesn't invalidate religious belief, even while science tries to explain such belief. For a book that claims so hard to be based on science and scientific research, this was a huge disappointment.
January 3, 2014
كتاب جميل،يعرض معلومات علمية بطريقة جذابة و بسيطة.
في كل فصل يضع معلومة علمية لافتة وخرافة منتشرة.
يحوي الكتاب ستة أقسام رئيسية:
-دماغك والعالم.
-التعرف إلى حواسك.
-كيف يتغير دماغك خلال كامل الحياة.
-دماغك العاطفي.
-دماغك العقلاني.
-دماغك في حالات معدلة.
كل قسم يتكون من ٤-٦فصول قصيرة تقريباً.
استمتعتُ به حقاً.
في كل فصل يضع معلومة علمية لافتة وخرافة منتشرة.
يحوي الكتاب ستة أقسام رئيسية:
-دماغك والعالم.
-التعرف إلى حواسك.
-كيف يتغير دماغك خلال كامل الحياة.
-دماغك العاطفي.
-دماغك العقلاني.
-دماغك في حالات معدلة.
كل قسم يتكون من ٤-٦فصول قصيرة تقريباً.
استمتعتُ به حقاً.
April 20, 2020
I really enjoyed reading “Welcome to Your Brain” by Sandra Aamodt, Ph.D and Sam Wang, Ph.D. Prior to reading this book for a class assignment, I was not aware of all the inaccuracies that I believed about the brain and how it works. This book addresses those myths and common misconceptions, while also diving into the complex processes and characteristics of the brain. The text is broken into six parts. Each part explores a different topic related to the brain including the anatomy of the brain, how the brain develops, senses, emotions, decision-making, memory, spirituality, and how the brain operates in altered states (dreams, consciousness, drugs and alcohol).
This book begins with a quiz on common misconceptions about the brain. I completed the quiz before reading the chapters, which made for a fun and engaging reading experience. Each question on the quiz is addressed at some point in the text. I appreciated the decision to include those topics in the text, as I scored a 6/20 on the “how well do you know your brain” quiz—yikes!
I also enjoyed the myths vs. facts portions of the text. I liked how the discussion about myths related to the topic in the chapter were discussed in a separate text box completely dedicated to debunking said myths. It is amazing what we allow ourselves to believe, but even more amazing to get a glimpse into why we believe those things. Exploring the origins of the myths presented was a fun side-bar activity throughout the text.
This text was sometimes difficult to follow when discussing the complex processes of the brain and occasionally, I wondered if the information I was reading was rooted in science or personal beliefs. Nevertheless, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light, leisure read packed full of information on why, and how, our brain does all the things it can do!
This book begins with a quiz on common misconceptions about the brain. I completed the quiz before reading the chapters, which made for a fun and engaging reading experience. Each question on the quiz is addressed at some point in the text. I appreciated the decision to include those topics in the text, as I scored a 6/20 on the “how well do you know your brain” quiz—yikes!
I also enjoyed the myths vs. facts portions of the text. I liked how the discussion about myths related to the topic in the chapter were discussed in a separate text box completely dedicated to debunking said myths. It is amazing what we allow ourselves to believe, but even more amazing to get a glimpse into why we believe those things. Exploring the origins of the myths presented was a fun side-bar activity throughout the text.
This text was sometimes difficult to follow when discussing the complex processes of the brain and occasionally, I wondered if the information I was reading was rooted in science or personal beliefs. Nevertheless, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light, leisure read packed full of information on why, and how, our brain does all the things it can do!
April 17, 2020
In connection with my career, I have studied various aspects of the brain as they apply to learning, but I am the first to admit that I am not a neuroscientist nor can I even begin to have a true understanding of how the brain works; however, it is a subject that I have found interesting over the years. In this book, Aamodt and Wang explain various aspects of the brain and how it works in simple terms with everyday examples. This approach is very reader friendly as it does not put-off the reader with pretentious jargon, which is greatly appreciated.
One of the topics discussed is how our brains relate to and perceive the world around us. They include examples from popular films and how our brains interpret video and still images. They even go on to make that all too important connection of our brain and weight as this is a struggle many deal with. Along with these more pedestrian topics, they lay out the actual workings of neurons and synapses which make up the actual workings of our brains in terms even I could understand.
The authors go on to cover the topic of how the 5 senses interact and are controlled by different portions of our brains and how that governs our perception of the world. One of the more interesting subjects they tackle is the brain and how it changes throughout one’s lifespan looking from early childhood development to adolescent hormonal changes to the brain through to the affects of aging and how to counteract these affects. They go on to discuss both the emotional as well as the rational aspects and how those can sometimes play against one another. The final supposition that is made is how the brain is affected and altered by sleep, religion, injuries, therapy, and substances.
Overall, this book takes a fascinating yet understandable look at the brain and how it functions and is influenced. The everyday examples and suppositions they make allows for an understanding and connection by readers even if they have little prior knowledge of the brain or neuroscience tenants.
One of the topics discussed is how our brains relate to and perceive the world around us. They include examples from popular films and how our brains interpret video and still images. They even go on to make that all too important connection of our brain and weight as this is a struggle many deal with. Along with these more pedestrian topics, they lay out the actual workings of neurons and synapses which make up the actual workings of our brains in terms even I could understand.
The authors go on to cover the topic of how the 5 senses interact and are controlled by different portions of our brains and how that governs our perception of the world. One of the more interesting subjects they tackle is the brain and how it changes throughout one’s lifespan looking from early childhood development to adolescent hormonal changes to the brain through to the affects of aging and how to counteract these affects. They go on to discuss both the emotional as well as the rational aspects and how those can sometimes play against one another. The final supposition that is made is how the brain is affected and altered by sleep, religion, injuries, therapy, and substances.
Overall, this book takes a fascinating yet understandable look at the brain and how it functions and is influenced. The everyday examples and suppositions they make allows for an understanding and connection by readers even if they have little prior knowledge of the brain or neuroscience tenants.
April 21, 2020
As a Middle School teacher and a future parent I found this book very helpful about how the human brain works. This book provides an in depth study of the senses, development of the brain, emotions and altered states of the human brain. This book provides a lot of information that could be very beneficial to anyone in the education field or anyone who is a parent.
This book takes an in-depth look at how the senses help humans learn. This book explains how each one of these senses are connected to the brian, and how the brain interprets this into learning. For example the book mentions that we do not like bitter tasting food because bitter is often associated with toxins.
The part I enjoyed most as a teacher was how the brain develops through someone's life. The book covers how young children and babies learn how older people can retain the information that they learned throughout their lives.
The book also covers how humans deal with emotions that we deal with. The book describes how emotions motivate us to shape our behaviors to seek our desires and to avoid fears and physical pain. Emotions are often thought to cloud decision making, but they actually help in the decision making process.
The last part I wanted to cover is what if the brain is altered. This part of the book covers what happens when something happens to your brain like drug or alcohol abuse. These things can have an effect on learning and decision making of the brain.
Overview this book takes a deep dive into the processes and functions of the human brain, and I would encourage educators, parents, and any other person that has personal interest in the brain. This book will bring some insight on the human brain.
This book takes an in-depth look at how the senses help humans learn. This book explains how each one of these senses are connected to the brian, and how the brain interprets this into learning. For example the book mentions that we do not like bitter tasting food because bitter is often associated with toxins.
The part I enjoyed most as a teacher was how the brain develops through someone's life. The book covers how young children and babies learn how older people can retain the information that they learned throughout their lives.
The book also covers how humans deal with emotions that we deal with. The book describes how emotions motivate us to shape our behaviors to seek our desires and to avoid fears and physical pain. Emotions are often thought to cloud decision making, but they actually help in the decision making process.
The last part I wanted to cover is what if the brain is altered. This part of the book covers what happens when something happens to your brain like drug or alcohol abuse. These things can have an effect on learning and decision making of the brain.
Overview this book takes a deep dive into the processes and functions of the human brain, and I would encourage educators, parents, and any other person that has personal interest in the brain. This book will bring some insight on the human brain.
April 17, 2023
The book, “Welcome to Your Brain, Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive” by two top neuroscientists, Sandra Aamodt, and Sam Wang, is a good read that was well written, easy to read, and somewhat understandable. At the beginning of the book, the authors have a quiz that one can take to see if they know much or understand how the brain works. After taking the quiz, I was more curious about how the brain actually operates. It was a little difficult for me to get into some parts of the book but then other parts were pretty interesting. This book discusses different views of the brain and the way it functions. There is a lot of good information that the authors provide to anyone interested in more information about how the brain operates. The authors write this book using different types of examples of everyday life to explain how the different parts of the brain work. They also compare the way that the human brain works which has some similarities to the brains of other mammals. There is also a discussion of men's and women’s brain functions that are the same and different in ways. The brain has many different functions that help us get through our daily activities. Being able to understand the way the brain works helps us to understand why and how we do things and why we make the decisions we do. I enjoyed reading chapter nine about “Touching All the Bases: Your Skin’s Senses”. I enjoyed this one because after some surgeries the feeling of the skin after the scar starts to heal still is tender for a period of time. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about how the brain functions and operates, and why we do some of the things that we decided to do.
August 4, 2020
I absolutely loved reading this book. I was incredibly engaged towards differing facts and myths mentioned within each chapter and getting to dive deeper into interesting topics. I almost felt as if I was back in high school studying Psychology again, which was one of my favourite subjects. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in furthering your knowledge towards an incredibly complex organ we all possess.
January 29, 2016
Spoiler (с) ... определенные бихевиоральные упражнения могут повысить уровень ощущения счастья. Эти упражнения будут более эффективными, если их выполнять регулярно. Ниже мы приводим некоторые из них.
• Сосредоточивайтесь на позитивных событиях. Каждый вечер в течение месяца записывайте три хороших события, которые произошли с вами за этот день, и поясняйте, что их вызвало. Это упражнение повышает уровень ощущения счастья и ослабляет симптомы легкой депрессии за несколько недель, а полученный эффект длится около полугода с особенно хорошим показателем у людей, выполняющих данное упражнение постоянно.
• Используйте сильные стороны своего характера. Вы можете определить свои сильные стороны, посетив сайт http://www.authentichappiness.org и ответив там на вопросы теста VIA Signature Strengths. (Этот сайт разработал и поддерживает Мартин Селигман, известный специалист, занимающийся позитивной психологией 8 университете Пенсильвании. Чтобы получить доступ на этот сайт, нужно зарегистрироваться, но все тесты там бесплатные.) Узнав пять своих самых сильных сторон, постарайтесь пользоваться ими каждый день в течение недели. Эти два упражнения были разработаны на основе проведенных Селигманом исследований, описанных в его книге «Аутентичное счастье».
• Не забывайте о благодарности. Каждый день записывайте пять вещей, за которые вы испытываете благодарность. У людей, выполнявших это упражнение в течение нескольких недель, было больше позитивных ощущений и меньше негативных, чем у тех, кто выполнял упражнение плацебо. Однако мы не знаем, насколько длительным был достигнутый эффект, поскольку за участниками эксперимента наблюдали только в течение месяца. (c)
Nice touch about behavioural and cognitive therapy, btw.
(с) Сэм вырос с сестрой, страдающей аутизмом. Карен поздно начала говорить, в возрасте двух-трех лет она часто била других детей и кричала без особой причины. Попытки завести с ней разговоры не имели успеха. На вопрос «Как дела?» она отвечала повтором вопроса, а когда ей подсказывали, как надо ответить («Карен, скажи, что у тебя все хорошо»), она говорила «У тебя все хорошо»... (с) Да этому ребенку Нобеля надо было сразу выдать!
• Сосредоточивайтесь на позитивных событиях. Каждый вечер в течение месяца записывайте три хороших события, которые произошли с вами за этот день, и поясняйте, что их вызвало. Это упражнение повышает уровень ощущения счастья и ослабляет симптомы легкой депрессии за несколько недель, а полученный эффект длится около полугода с особенно хорошим показателем у людей, выполняющих данное упражнение постоянно.
• Используйте сильные стороны своего характера. Вы можете определить свои сильные стороны, посетив сайт http://www.authentichappiness.org и ответив там на вопросы теста VIA Signature Strengths. (Этот сайт разработал и поддерживает Мартин Селигман, известный специалист, занимающийся позитивной психологией 8 университете Пенсильвании. Чтобы получить доступ на этот сайт, нужно зарегистрироваться, но все тесты там бесплатные.) Узнав пять своих самых сильных сторон, постарайтесь пользоваться ими каждый день в течение недели. Эти два упражнения были разработаны на основе проведенных Селигманом исследований, описанных в его книге «Аутентичное счастье».
• Не забывайте о благодарности. Каждый день записывайте пять вещей, за которые вы испытываете благодарность. У людей, выполнявших это упражнение в течение нескольких недель, было больше позитивных ощущений и меньше негативных, чем у тех, кто выполнял упражнение плацебо. Однако мы не знаем, насколько длительным был достигнутый эффект, поскольку за участниками эксперимента наблюдали только в течение месяца. (c)
Nice touch about behavioural and cognitive therapy, btw.
(с) Сэм вырос с сестрой, страдающей аутизмом. Карен поздно начала говорить, в возрасте двух-трех лет она часто била других детей и кричала без особой причины. Попытки завести с ней разговоры не имели успеха. На вопрос «Как дела?» она отвечала повтором вопроса, а когда ей подсказывали, как надо ответить («Карен, скажи, что у тебя все хорошо»), она говорила «У тебя все хорошо»... (с) Да этому ребенку Нобеля надо было сразу выдать!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2012
Story:
It’s a book about your brain. What we know about how it works, what we don’t know, and everything in between. The book helps to dispel a lot of popular myths (we do use more than just 10% of our brain) and discusses several studies on how our brain works with our senses, reasoning, intelligence, and more.
Thoughts:
This was an enjoyable book that almost anyone would find something interesting in. While it seems a bit technical at times, it makes efforts to break everything down and has humor sprinkled throughout. The myths it dispels are worth the purchase just to impress your friends the next time they bring up one of these common misnomers.
Should you read it?
Yes. You will learn enjoy learning about your brain.
It’s a book about your brain. What we know about how it works, what we don’t know, and everything in between. The book helps to dispel a lot of popular myths (we do use more than just 10% of our brain) and discusses several studies on how our brain works with our senses, reasoning, intelligence, and more.
Thoughts:
This was an enjoyable book that almost anyone would find something interesting in. While it seems a bit technical at times, it makes efforts to break everything down and has humor sprinkled throughout. The myths it dispels are worth the purchase just to impress your friends the next time they bring up one of these common misnomers.
Should you read it?
Yes. You will learn enjoy learning about your brain.
January 17, 2019
تعرف إلى نفسك
إلى الكون في داخلك
إلى حواسك ومشاعرك وذاكرتك
تعلم كيف تفكر أنت .. وكيف يفكر الناس من حولك
دماغك يخدعك كثيرًا
تعلم أن تكون أذكى .. وأن تستغل هذه الخدع لتحظى بالفائدة الأكبر
تجوّل في متاهاته .. واستمتع بما يجول في داخله
كتاب لا يُمل .. ربما احتاج جوًّا هادئا وذهنا صافيا وتركيزا دقيقا لتستوعبه جيدا .. ولكنه يستحق
من الكتب التي عندما تنتهي منه تشعر أنك قد ودعت صديقا عزيزا عليك ..
كنتُ كلما اقتربت من نهايته ابطأت حتى لا ينتهي ..
كتاب يستحق 👍🏼📖
إلى الكون في داخلك
إلى حواسك ومشاعرك وذاكرتك
تعلم كيف تفكر أنت .. وكيف يفكر الناس من حولك
دماغك يخدعك كثيرًا
تعلم أن تكون أذكى .. وأن تستغل هذه الخدع لتحظى بالفائدة الأكبر
تجوّل في متاهاته .. واستمتع بما يجول في داخله
كتاب لا يُمل .. ربما احتاج جوًّا هادئا وذهنا صافيا وتركيزا دقيقا لتستوعبه جيدا .. ولكنه يستحق
من الكتب التي عندما تنتهي منه تشعر أنك قد ودعت صديقا عزيزا عليك ..
كنتُ كلما اقتربت من نهايته ابطأت حتى لا ينتهي ..
كتاب يستحق 👍🏼📖
February 10, 2011
A decent book with good description of a variety of topics involving the brain, decision-making, diseases and neuroscience for the lay person. If you are a neuroscientist you might find it a bit simplistic, but for most people it makes the topics accessible. If you want to know more about how your brain works, this is the book for you!
August 8, 2016
You don't need to read this book in chronological order. Each chapter is self-contained and contains a number of boxed articles that are interesting and sometimes insightful. It's a good book to go back to or to pick up any chapter at random and start reading. If you're curious about the workings of the brain, you'll find this book interesting.
November 20, 2008
This is a great book if you like to challenge your mind! I really enjoy exploring how your brain really works. It also offers challenging quizzes, test, and puzzles for people who enjoy those kinds of things!
June 9, 2012
While there are some incredibly interesting parts of this book about how your brain works I feel like the book was bogged down with some of the more scientific explanations. I felt at times like I was reading a text book, which is not so enjoyable to me.
October 21, 2008
This book doesn't cover any new ground, and it's a bit on the simplistic side fr me, but it's clear and readable.
January 10, 2009
So far, I'm really enjoying this book. It debunks a lot of common brain myths and has good, seemingly accurate information written in a readable, but not condescending, way.
April 13, 2020
Read from recommendation from Ray Dalio's list from "Principles". Rudimentary at best.
June 15, 2019
The human brain is the most difficult organ in the human body to investigate. You can see a heart pumping, lungs filling, muscles moving, and stomachs churning to get some idea of how they work and what they do. However, just looking at a human brain in action doesn’t tell you about how it is functioning; no lights flash and no lobes pulsate. While CAT and MRI scans show you that things are happening, it is difficult to know what section of the brain is doing what. In fact, research has shown that often multiple locations of the brain are involved in even a single action or thought.
Because the brain is so difficult to study, over the years a lot of myths and misinformation about it have emerged. Doctors Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang have written a book to try to not only explain what we know about the brain but, perhaps equally as important, identify many of the misconceptions we have about it.
This book goes into a fair amount of scientific detail but, by dividing it up into short sections, creating interesting “asides” sections, and presenting everything with as little jargon as possible the authors have geared this book toward the general public. They have also humanized it by including vignettes from their own lives to illustrate points they wish to make.
Neurology and the study of the brain is a rapidly changing field. This book was written in 2008 and several ideas mentioned are already becoming obsolete based on new discoveries utilizing more modern technology. Despite this, Aamodt and Wang have written a book that gives a lot of information that is both current theory and provoking of thought.
Daring to go into areas that many other authors skirt, Aamodt and Wang have sections about how brain function might relate to sex-linked test performance, drug use and abuse, sexual orientation, and religion. While I disagree with some of the ideas they present and a few of the theories mentioned have already been refuted by later study, I admire that they were willing delve into dangerous waters. Putting forth their ideas and the most current information available to them prods the reader into considering their own thoughts on these matters and to read further about areas that interest them.
The amount scientists know about the brain has increased dramatically over the past decade. However, the brain is not quick to give up its secrets and direct research is severely limited because it would be immoral to just jab probes or cut into a living brain. Fortunately, researchers are developing techniques to “peer inside” without using a scalpel. Let us hope that future discoveries will allow doctors to treat conditions that are currently untreatable.
Despite being a decade old, I enjoyed reading Welcome To Your Brain. I learned quite a bit, put into perspective some things I had learned in other books, and found that I held some old myths about brain function that have been repudiated.
Because the brain is so difficult to study, over the years a lot of myths and misinformation about it have emerged. Doctors Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang have written a book to try to not only explain what we know about the brain but, perhaps equally as important, identify many of the misconceptions we have about it.
This book goes into a fair amount of scientific detail but, by dividing it up into short sections, creating interesting “asides” sections, and presenting everything with as little jargon as possible the authors have geared this book toward the general public. They have also humanized it by including vignettes from their own lives to illustrate points they wish to make.
Neurology and the study of the brain is a rapidly changing field. This book was written in 2008 and several ideas mentioned are already becoming obsolete based on new discoveries utilizing more modern technology. Despite this, Aamodt and Wang have written a book that gives a lot of information that is both current theory and provoking of thought.
Daring to go into areas that many other authors skirt, Aamodt and Wang have sections about how brain function might relate to sex-linked test performance, drug use and abuse, sexual orientation, and religion. While I disagree with some of the ideas they present and a few of the theories mentioned have already been refuted by later study, I admire that they were willing delve into dangerous waters. Putting forth their ideas and the most current information available to them prods the reader into considering their own thoughts on these matters and to read further about areas that interest them.
The amount scientists know about the brain has increased dramatically over the past decade. However, the brain is not quick to give up its secrets and direct research is severely limited because it would be immoral to just jab probes or cut into a living brain. Fortunately, researchers are developing techniques to “peer inside” without using a scalpel. Let us hope that future discoveries will allow doctors to treat conditions that are currently untreatable.
Despite being a decade old, I enjoyed reading Welcome To Your Brain. I learned quite a bit, put into perspective some things I had learned in other books, and found that I held some old myths about brain function that have been repudiated.
April 23, 2022
My graduate class required a brain-based learning book assignment. I selected this book based on the title- "Why do I lose my car keys but never forget how to drive?" Welcome to Your Brain is written by Sandra Aamodt and Dr. Sam Wang. This book is parceled out into six parts with chapters containing different topics dealing with the brain and its interactions. Interactions include the basics, the senses, the life cycle, the emotions, the reasoning skills, and the altered states. The chapters can be read in non-sequential order. For those that are busy working full time or taking an overload of classes, the non-sequential order is beneficial. The authors begin by providing a quiz to test the reader's knowledge. This tactic increases the reader's interest in each of topics discussed in the chapters. Dr. Aamodt and Dr. Wang provide "layman's" terms to discuss the biology basics of the brain. Fun facts were included in most chapters to keep the interest peaked. In the "Sense" section, the authors provided facts on why a person sneezes in a bright light. In the "life cycle" section, it was noted the brain does not shrink, only neurons. (p.89) Curable phobias are discussed in the "emotions section". In the "rational section", the authors discuss the recovered memory. Sleep science is explained in the "altered state." I did find that some topics/chapters did relate to each other. For example: In chapter 30, the authors discuss alcohol's affect on the brain. In chapter 31, the medicine and therapies on the brain are discussed. In the later chapter, the authors provide the benefits of alcohol (not excessive) to those who suffer from tremors or stroke. After reading this book, the pre-quiz can easily be answered. The resources the authors provide is also beneficial for future research. I would recommend this book to other graduate students needing to complete an assignment on brain-based learning.
April 4, 2023
Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life, written by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang, is a fascinating exploration of the inner workings of the human brain. The authors take readers on a journey through the different regions of the brain, explaining how they work together to create our experiences and shape our behavior.
One of the book's strengths is its accessibility. The authors use clear and straightforward language, avoiding jargon and complex scientific concepts. This makes the book easy to understand and engaging for readers of all backgrounds. The authors also use real-life examples and anecdotes to illustrate their points, bringing the science to life and making it relatable.
Another strength of the book is its breadth. The authors cover a wide range of topics, from memory and perception to decision-making and emotions. They also explore how the brain develops and changes over the lifespan, from infancy to old age. This comprehensive approach gives readers a holistic understanding of the brain and its functions.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its focus on the puzzles of everyday life. The authors use common experiences, such as forgetting someone's name or getting lost in a new city, to illustrate how the brain works and why it sometimes fails us. This approach makes the book both informative and entertaining, as readers can relate to the examples and see themselves in the stories.
Overall, Welcome to Your Brain is an excellent introduction to the complex and fascinating world of neuroscience. The authors' clear writing, real-life examples, and comprehensive approach make it an engaging and informative read for anyone interested in the brain and how it shapes lives. The book is enjoyable. I would recommend it.
One of the book's strengths is its accessibility. The authors use clear and straightforward language, avoiding jargon and complex scientific concepts. This makes the book easy to understand and engaging for readers of all backgrounds. The authors also use real-life examples and anecdotes to illustrate their points, bringing the science to life and making it relatable.
Another strength of the book is its breadth. The authors cover a wide range of topics, from memory and perception to decision-making and emotions. They also explore how the brain develops and changes over the lifespan, from infancy to old age. This comprehensive approach gives readers a holistic understanding of the brain and its functions.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its focus on the puzzles of everyday life. The authors use common experiences, such as forgetting someone's name or getting lost in a new city, to illustrate how the brain works and why it sometimes fails us. This approach makes the book both informative and entertaining, as readers can relate to the examples and see themselves in the stories.
Overall, Welcome to Your Brain is an excellent introduction to the complex and fascinating world of neuroscience. The authors' clear writing, real-life examples, and comprehensive approach make it an engaging and informative read for anyone interested in the brain and how it shapes lives. The book is enjoyable. I would recommend it.
April 19, 2023
Welcome to Your Brain is just like the description says, a great book to leave on the coffee table to spark conversation. I am not someone who usually enjoys reading, but this book has been quite an easy an interesting read. This book has taught me so much about my own brain and how it functions and makes my body work. However, it has done so in such a way that an average person like me can understand it. I am an elementary teacher, so I do not enjoy reading lengthy books with verbose words, but this book was quite an easy read for me. There are parts in the book that get very scientific, for those that are interested in scientific terminology, but that is necessary is a book made to teach you about your brain. Welcome to Your Brain is also filled with fun facts and myth busters. These are definitely the types of things that you want to remember to tell your friends at the next party to impress them. It is very eye opening to see how your brain works and why it does the things it does. It explains so many things that I would not normally associate with the brain, such as sneezing, tickling, jet lag and so much more. Not only does it discuss how those things are associated or controlled by the brain, but this book gives tips on how to better control those things or prevent damage from being caused. The book is divided into several sections, and the sections and chapters do not have to be read consecutively. If there a topic you are specifically interested in, you can skip straight to that topic, and you would be just fine. I highly recommend this book to someone who is curious about the brain!
December 22, 2025
楊玉齡譯。
本書方方面面都具有設計感，竭力營造一種最輕鬆活潑的「適讀」氛圍，無論書名、章節名、插畫等，在在顯示匠心獨運，是很特別的一本書。前次閱讀只給三顆星的評價，是我太輕率了。雖然我對這種「讀者服務」比較無感，但也不能否定作者們的用心，以及它可能帶給讀者的好處，如議題很「接地氣」或標題可能較容易記憶等等。雖然，這些設計在我的閱讀經驗裡無效(對前次閱讀可說毫無記憶)，但說不定適合其他人呢？譯者楊玉齡值得特別提一嘴。我在科普書上經常看到他的名字，感謝譯者。據介紹，作者們都是本領域的專家，因此，除了隨身的懷疑精神外，其內容應具可信度。目錄具層次設計，各層標題如網文，用的是「吸眼球」，並能以一句話就直擊內容重點的筆法，內容應該是民眾比較頻繁見到的議題(髮廊、計程車上、電梯裡)。但因作者面對的是美國，對其他地區的讀者可能有「關切度」上的差異。目錄後接著的是一份測驗：「你對自己的腦袋了有多深？」20題，偏應用。像我，大腦的理論雖然也看了一些，但要應用到實際面，測試結果是備受打擊，即使是第二次閱讀。可見我完全沒能吸取前次閱讀的「教訓」，這些應用題進不到我的腦子。問題自然是因為，我看書的主要目的不在應用，而在擴大深化自己對事物的「認知」。但這結果依然令我不爽。就像我在其他書上做過的應用心理學測驗一樣。不，應該說我從國中起，就敗給了這些測驗！插圖是某種風格的漫畫，對此，我給予無上的敬意，這定是一顆不凡的腦子，以及神一般的手。
回顧了第一章，在作者簡潔明快，內容豐富的敘述下，一個個值得再思的聯想紛至沓來，若要形成心得，怕難以駕馭。於是不得不掐斷念想，尋思從比較小的範圍著手。這就讓我定焦在每章都有的色塊專欄部分。專欄每章都有，一到四個，分為「你知道嗎」、「沒這回事」、「實用訣竅」三種類型。例如第一章就討論了「沒這回事：我們只用了10%的腦力」這個議題。科學家自然說這是個迷思。作者如此說：「大腦實際上是一個效率十足的器官，而且其中每個部分都是不可或缺的」、「能夠用來顯現腦部活動狀態的各種功能造影術，也同樣能證明：即使是很單純的任務，也足以讓整個腦袋活動起來」。但爭議未必到此為止。設問，甲和乙同樣都用了100%的腦力，為什麼甲考了90分，乙卻考了30分？你說乙不夠用功。都已經用了100%腦力了，「用功」這東西在哪裡？甲比較聰明，那麼「聰明」又在哪裡？是乙的大腦皮質部分萎縮？還是甲的神經元傳導效率佳？若差異是器質上的，不可挽救。可某乙在未來還可能是個大企業家呢！希望科學家能不滿足於蜻蜓點水式的解答問題。
「沒這回事：盲人的聽力比較優」。這個迷思似乎較難破除，因為這裡邊真偽夾雜。作者告訢我們的事實有二，一、「盲人在偵測細微聲音方面，並沒有強過明眼人多少」；二、盲人對於鎖定聲音的方向，表現較優。研究者判斷，這可能是因為盲人無法靠視覺弄清楚物體方位，只好不斷訓練聽力來取代。這就產生一個問題，似乎聽力的敏銳度無法靠經驗而提升，而聽力的辨位能力(空間)卻可以。為啥？我試從「生存適應」來思考。盲人行動不便，那麼辨位能力肯定比大小聲重要，於是腦神經就把它分配給辨位能力，而不給敏銳度。由此也可以解釋盲人記憶力提升的問題。在原始狩獵時代，一個行動不便的盲人，記得牢顯然比聽得好要有用的多。如盲人在原始時代(或現代未開化部落)，可能擔任祭司，負責記誦祭文、祭歌或傳遞前代流傳的神話傳說。我在一本書上看到，古代中國(周朝？)類似「樂府」的機構，有一系列專門由盲人(或多數是盲人)擔任的職位，他們被稱為：諷誦詩世奠系。工作是曲、箴、賦、誦、諫(細節我沒多看，只是覺得很特別，隨手把它記下來)。這些職工，看來應是巫祭傳統的遺留。據書上說，研究者已證實，盲人的「主視覺皮質」已分配給了「字彙記憶」能力。
本書方方面面都具有設計感，竭力營造一種最輕鬆活潑的「適讀」氛圍，無論書名、章節名、插畫等，在在顯示匠心獨運，是很特別的一本書。前次閱讀只給三顆星的評價，是我太輕率了。雖然我對這種「讀者服務」比較無感，但也不能否定作者們的用心，以及它可能帶給讀者的好處，如議題很「接地氣」或標題可能較容易記憶等等。雖然，這些設計在我的閱讀經驗裡無效(對前次閱讀可說毫無記憶)，但說不定適合其他人呢？譯者楊玉齡值得特別提一嘴。我在科普書上經常看到他的名字，感謝譯者。據介紹，作者們都是本領域的專家，因此，除了隨身的懷疑精神外，其內容應具可信度。目錄具層次設計，各層標題如網文，用的是「吸眼球」，並能以一句話就直擊內容重點的筆法，內容應該是民眾比較頻繁見到的議題(髮廊、計程車上、電梯裡)。但因作者面對的是美國，對其他地區的讀者可能有「關切度」上的差異。目錄後接著的是一份測驗：「你對自己的腦袋了有多深？」20題，偏應用。像我，大腦的理論雖然也看了一些，但要應用到實際面，測試結果是備受打擊，即使是第二次閱讀。可見我完全沒能吸取前次閱讀的「教訓」，這些應用題進不到我的腦子。問題自然是因為，我看書的主要目的不在應用，而在擴大深化自己對事物的「認知」。但這結果依然令我不爽。就像我在其他書上做過的應用心理學測驗一樣。不，應該說我從國中起，就敗給了這些測驗！插圖是某種風格的漫畫，對此，我給予無上的敬意，這定是一顆不凡的腦子，以及神一般的手。
回顧了第一章，在作者簡潔明快，內容豐富的敘述下，一個個值得再思的聯想紛至沓來，若要形成心得，怕難以駕馭。於是不得不掐斷念想，尋思從比較小的範圍著手。這就讓我定焦在每章都有的色塊專欄部分。專欄每章都有，一到四個，分為「你知道嗎」、「沒這回事」、「實用訣竅」三種類型。例如第一章就討論了「沒這回事：我們只用了10%的腦力」這個議題。科學家自然說這是個迷思。作者如此說：「大腦實際上是一個效率十足的器官，而且其中每個部分都是不可或缺的」、「能夠用來顯現腦部活動狀態的各種功能造影術，也同樣能證明：即使是很單純的任務，也足以讓整個腦袋活動起來」。但爭議未必到此為止。設問，甲和乙同樣都用了100%的腦力，為什麼甲考了90分，乙卻考了30分？你說乙不夠用功。都已經用了100%腦力了，「用功」這東西在哪裡？甲比較聰明，那麼「聰明」又在哪裡？是乙的大腦皮質部分萎縮？還是甲的神經元傳導效率佳？若差異是器質上的，不可挽救。可某乙在未來還可能是個大企業家呢！希望科學家能不滿足於蜻蜓點水式的解答問題。
「沒這回事：盲人的聽力比較優」。這個迷思似乎較難破除，因為這裡邊真偽夾雜。作者告訢我們的事實有二，一、「盲人在偵測細微聲音方面，並沒有強過明眼人多少」；二、盲人對於鎖定聲音的方向，表現較優。研究者判斷，這可能是因為盲人無法靠視覺弄清楚物體方位，只好不斷訓練聽力來取代。這就產生一個問題，似乎聽力的敏銳度無法靠經驗而提升，而聽力的辨位能力(空間)卻可以。為啥？我試從「生存適應」來思考。盲人行動不便，那麼辨位能力肯定比大小聲重要，於是腦神經就把它分配給辨位能力，而不給敏銳度。由此也可以解釋盲人記憶力提升的問題。在原始狩獵時代，一個行動不便的盲人，記得牢顯然比聽得好要有用的多。如盲人在原始時代(或現代未開化部落)，可能擔任祭司，負責記誦祭文、祭歌或傳遞前代流傳的神話傳說。我在一本書上看到，古代中國(周朝？)類似「樂府」的機構，有一系列專門由盲人(或多數是盲人)擔任的職位，他們被稱為：諷誦詩世奠系。工作是曲、箴、賦、誦、諫(細節我沒多看，只是覺得很特別，隨手把它記下來)。這些職工，看來應是巫祭傳統的遺留。據書上說，研究者已證實，盲人的「主視覺皮質」已分配給了「字彙記憶」能力。
December 3, 2020
Written by two neuroscientists, this is a book unique in its ability in addressing both the sophisticate and the layman (like myself) for a better understanding of our gray matter that weighs only about two pounds yet consumes more energy per weight than any other organ in the human body and is made up of about one hundred billion (100,000,000,000) cells.
Not afflicted by the highbrow style of the aloof scientist, the book reads like a coffee-table chat, yet is unapologetically unforgiving of the so many myths and misconceptions that have misled us regarding the structure, function, ability, and shortcomings of the brain and the correlation between these and the intellect.
The authors warn the readers of the risks of being lured by claims (mostly marketing sell) for medical treatment, advising that we first "check if the treatment is described in the peer-reviewed scientific literature', second "ignore testimonials", third "follow the money", and fourth "get a second opinion".
The book subtly sprinkled throughout with humor places the greatest emphasis for brain development on regular physical exercise, ending with advice that we (I for one) might better take to heart: "If you have $400 (to spend on computerized brain exercises), the best advice is to buy yourself a gym membership... or turn off the computer and go for a brisk walk. Your brain will thank you."
Not afflicted by the highbrow style of the aloof scientist, the book reads like a coffee-table chat, yet is unapologetically unforgiving of the so many myths and misconceptions that have misled us regarding the structure, function, ability, and shortcomings of the brain and the correlation between these and the intellect.
The authors warn the readers of the risks of being lured by claims (mostly marketing sell) for medical treatment, advising that we first "check if the treatment is described in the peer-reviewed scientific literature', second "ignore testimonials", third "follow the money", and fourth "get a second opinion".
The book subtly sprinkled throughout with humor places the greatest emphasis for brain development on regular physical exercise, ending with advice that we (I for one) might better take to heart: "If you have $400 (to spend on computerized brain exercises), the best advice is to buy yourself a gym membership... or turn off the computer and go for a brisk walk. Your brain will thank you."
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