Override: my quest to go beyond brain training and take control of my mind

by Caroline Williams

Can you really rewire an adult brain? In Override , Caroline Williams goes on a mission to find out. Volunteering herself as a guinea pig for top neuroscientists, Williams travels the world testing out brain training techniques that promise to affect real from improving on weaknesses such as her limited attention span, tendency to worry, and poor navigation skills, to more mysterious areas such as creativity and the perception of time. From high-tech brain stimulation to meditation, adding bolt-on senses, and retraining stress response, Override is an intimate, fascinating journey into discovering what neuroscience can do for us and what it can't.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Self Help, Audiobook, Health, Psychology, Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2018

Reviews

[Evalangui · Rating 2 out of 5]

Supposedly the author wrote this book because despite a lot of theoretical knowledge about the brain's malleability, we don't actually know how to apply it to change our real lives... and there are some gold nuggets here, but it's mostly a lot of "we don't really know" and "maybe I'm imagining the changes" and "it's not science with a sample of one". She meanders in circles, describes cities for no good reason and just has a lot of filler material that is completely irrelevant to her thesis. Good idea, poor to mediocre execution. Listened to audiobook.

[Gisela · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! Especially for a layperson as fascinated by brains (and how they work) as I am. It is not just fascinating in the areas it covers but is clearly and engagingly written (even humorous in parts). Caroline Williams' skills as a science journalist stand her in good stead here. The world can never have enough talented people who can explain complex concepts and processes in a way that most of us can understand!

I particularly recommend Override to anyone who believes or hopes there is something they can do to improve their "brain power", and so if you have tried (or are currently doing ) brain-training exercises in the hope of improving your mental capacity or lowering their risk of dementia down the track, you will be *very, very* interested in Caroline's findings...

Let me assure you that this is no dry, scientific synopsis of general concepts and research, but rather a very personal (though admirably frank and objective) account of one woman's attempts to see if it is possible for her to:
* become less of a "butterfly brain" and
* learn not to get lost when out in the woods without a mobile phone (or out of range)

Because of this, the book focuses on the current research into improving:
* specific areas of brain function like the ability to focus, and
* visual-spacial skills that assist in navigation and sense of direction.

I won't spoil the plot by telling you her findings, but for those who are too impatient to read the whole book, I will let slip the fact that you can find the author's findings summarised at the end of her book. And if you'd like to know if brain training is worthwhile, send me a message, and I'll give you the 25 words of less verdict.

I will also let slip that there is some good news for those of us who meditate. :-)

Comments on the audio version:
Although I like the *idea* of authors reading their own work, they don't often have the right voice for audio OR they just don't appeal to my ear. In this instance the author is a competent reader and has a delightful British accent but she has a bit of an annoyingly nasal and slightly droning quality.

Still, the excellent writing and interesting content kept me from switching off the audio and trying to locate a print or e-book version.

She may read a bit slowly for the taste of some listeners but we are talking neuroscience here. Well-explained but nevertheless, not easy material for the average reader to absorb, so the pace is Goldilocks in my books.

[Sara Kollantai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty self-indulgent, although quite interesting info about latest neuro-research. Too personal though.

[Oleksandr Golovatyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Лучшие цитаты:

-"Пластичность мозга доказана уже больше десяти лет назад: в течение всей жизни он сохраняет способность физически изменяться, когда мы узнаем или переживаем что-то новое."

-"Мозг человека состоит из 86 миллиардов нейронов и триллионов связей между ними - воистину выдающееся инженерное решение."

-"жители США тратят на "игры для ума" больше миллиарда долларов в году"

Игры для тренировки мозга, памяти и скорочтения.

-"За последние несколько лет выяснилось, что бактерии кишечника могут делать с мозгом практически все что угодно. Они регулируют рождаемость новых нейронов в гиппокампе, влияют на уровнеь определенных нейротрансмиттеров в крови, контролируют процесс миелинизации. Все это не происходит напрямую: насколько нам известно, по мозгу бактерии не плавают. Но, похоже, они запускают цепи событий, благодаря которым все перечисленное и происходит. Один из используемых для этого маршрутов проходит через блуждающий нерв, который соединяет с мозгом кишечник и многие другие органы."

-"решающее значение в развитии мозга имеет практика, а вовсе не врожденные преимущества"

-"Концентрация - источник развития любой способности (Брюс Ли)"

-"Герайнт Риз ... "Мысль - это состояние сознания. Широко распространено мнение, что состояние сознания (содержание наших мыслей)" коррелируют с состояниями нервной системы (просходящее в мозге), но как одно преобразовывается в другое, пока точно не известно"

-"Мысль - это состояние сознания. (Герайнт Риз)"

-"в экспериментах, в ходе которых велась запись электрическиой активности мозга людей, решавших головоломки, обнаружилось: за секунду до того, как в голове испытуемых возникало решение задачи, зрительная кора, ответственная за обработку визуальной информации, на короткое время отключалась. Это явление называется "мерцанием альфа-ритма" - визуальная кора отключает доступ поступающей информации на время, достаточное для того, чтобы в сознание пробилось решение проблемы. Примерно того же мы стараемся достичь, когда зажмуриваем глаза, чтобы что-то вспомнить, - только при отключении коры визуальная информация автоматически игнорируется на нейронном уровне, чтобы перераспеределить доступные мыслительные мощности."

-"Эксперименты показали, что людей, которые по просьбе исследователей размышляли об отдаленных местах или далеком будущем, с большой вероятностью осеняли новые идеи."

-"мой мозг адаптировался к каждому испытанию, которое я для него придумала. Для достижения одних изменений нужно было всего лишь поменять свой образ мыслей, другие требовали тренировки, третьи - принятия того, что мне и так дано, или победы над бессознательными искажениями, о которых я даже и не догадывалась. Но какйо бы путь к изменению я ни выбрала, результаты всегда говорили об одном: работай над тем, что хочешь изменить, и через несколько недель ты увидишь результат."

-"Если мы не будем давать себе скучать, мы лишим себя не только спокойствия. Нашему разуму будет некогда блуждать, а значит, мы не сможем творчески мыслить."

-"Ответ Оливера (Робинсона) разрешил многие мои вопросы об активности мозга. Нейронные цепи - это циклы, они нигде не начинаются. Активность циркулирует между обласятми, от одной к другой. Так что, если какая-то цепь развивает максимальную активность, активируються все части этой цепи."

-"Внимание, как и контроль над тем, куда его обратить, - главная характеристика мозга, который может сосредоточиться на чем угодно. Этот факт снова и снова всплывал, когда я пробовала улучшить, казалось бы, совершенно разные навыки. Контроль критически важен для поддержания внимания, осознания напряжения, оценки новых идей, проведения расчетов в оперативной памяти, манипуляций с ментальными картами окружения и управлением восприятия времени."

[Scribe Publications]

A fascinating journey into the changes that have been discovered about the brain and mind.
The Sun

If your mind has a mind of its own, this is the book that will teach you how to discipline it and stop it wandering off. Caroline Williams has written an entertaining, smart self-help book for people who hate self-help books. Her great skill is in navigating the complexity of neuroscience to produce a practical, no-nonsense guide to brain-training that is also a page-turner.
Gaia Vince, Award-Winning Author of Adventures in the Anthropocene

A delightful book. Smart, spirited, personal, and stocked with well-researched psychological and neural facts, woven together in an original tapestry.
Marc Lewis, Award-Winning Author of The Biology of Desire

A more nuanced understanding of how our brains really work that is both empowering and insightful.
Fred Sculthorpe, The Irish Times

Presented in crisp chapters, Override is a diverting investigation into how neuroscience can nudge us towards making more efficient use of our brain’s resources.
Irish Examiner

[Neil H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so this is a respite from the heavier lifting books I've been reading and boy am I glad I did. It's an easy read, filled with surprising facts and anecdotes that were actually simmering in my head too. The idea of stretching and incorporating new habits, added consciousness, uncautiousness? and mindfulness. The journey of discovery into the current sciences of how the mind works, body too #neverforgetvargus gently persuades me the complexity and perhaps futile efforts in trying to spot change all undesirable personal traits. Thank you for work Caroline. Your humor throughout the book is much welcomed too.

[Hayat · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 30% because there was nothing offered here as the title suggests. It was all theory of how, theoretically speaking, the human mind is mailable but no evidence or practicable steps on how to 'override brain responses and take control of my mind' as the title leads you to think. I skimmed through the audiobook to see if there is any evidence or anything I can take away from this to use as brain training but no luck. I'm really disappointed with this book.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was apprehensive to read this book, as I worried that through studying neuroscience at university, it might be more aimed at people with no prior knowledge. But while it was very accessible, I really enjoyed this book. Its a good overview of some current topics in neuroscience research but done in an engaging way and written as a kind of biographical 'experiment'.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A busy journalist in Oxford decided to try to take control of her sometimes disorganised brain, and try out the latest studies and methods in brain training, brain zapping, brain re-educating and more. Was her brain the sum of her DNA, or her experiences, or could it change as neuroplasticity suggests?

Hopping over to America or Netherlands every now and then over three years, she tried to do this the pennypinching way, presenting herself as study material to a succession of scientists. The first big move was to zap a connection between parts of her brain in order to make the lazy side work harder. The brain doesn't always have to make physical growth, just find new ways of using existing connections. We learn about the different structures of the brain, and how the brain uses several of them at once and some for very specialised thinking like creativity.

Asked to tap on screens or keys when she saw a smiling face instead of unhappy ones, gave the author a better understanding of pessimism and a knack of looking for smiles - in the street she started smiling more, aware of what it means to see a smile. Most of the experiments were carried out in white-walled windowless rooms, with screens and computers. But the one I liked best was the magnetic belt. This belt told the author by buzzing against her skin, which way was north. So she was able to build a mental picture of her neighbourhood or a strange city using direction.

Others came down to, doing practice at some skill - maths - makes you improve. Start with easy stuff, do a little a day, tell yourself you can handle it. Creativity testing is shown. Then there was mindfulness and meditation, which helped calm the stressed author. She also met someone who lost her sense of time passing and looked into that situation.

After her efforts she sums up the current state of knowledge, asks where we will go in the future and reminds us that the brain is locked in a dark box and makes sense of electrical impulses. We can teach it new stimuli like buzzing on the skin which helps deaf people 'hear' and we can trust the brain to file new skills or memories in ways they relate to, so nothing gets lost.

Fascinating reading, brave to get zapped so many times, and I must try those logic tests. I have read about neuroplasticity previously, and found the book well written and straightforwardly presented. Those who are coming to it fresh can skip any terms they are not sure of and just watch the outcomes.

References P 201 - 207. Many women are quoted in the text but almost all names in the references are given as initials so I could not count the number of women.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

[Isabel (kittiwake) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book about neuroscience and whether it is possible to change how your brain works.

I really identified with her problems with navigation. I definitely find my way round using routes between landmarks rather than visualising a map of my surroundings and orienting myself in it. When I worked in Sheffield I knew a few routes, from the railway station to the office and some of the shops, pubs and hotels, but when we went on nights out off my routes and I tried to head "cross-country" to the station, it was usually a disaster, and I would end up having to retrace my steps, heading back to Sheffield Town Hall and heading to the station from there.

[Cafsha · Rating 1 out of 5]

At this point I'm just skimming, because it's not been very helpful. I've read better mind self help books. One thing I want to say is, a lot of these books have to mention studies in Israel. I now wonder if authors get paid to add random bits including Israel for a bit of extra pay, to normalize an apartheid state, as deemed by international law. I'm sick of it, and will make a note to put it in reviews from now on. Stop normalizing illegal activity that uses part of the population as their experiment subjects. It's not normal.

[Thomas Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is a book about one persons journey. I found it easily relatable. There was enough information in there that enabled myself to apply for my own needs.

It explains the importance's of "the zone" exercise, meditating & dieting. Even the crippling effects of bias' and why it is possible to override your brain and create a new one, more or less.

fantastic read, I was engaged the way through, even leaves sites where you can do some test yourself.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the journey of this book. The author has a nice way of setting out and explaining the events.

I was a bit disappointed that it turns out that the mind is less malleable that it seems at the start of the book. But the conclusion on meditation was a good endorsement for a practice I’d already started.

Overall it has motivated me to improve my mind, which I put down to the author’s interest and ability to convey her topic.

[JustEvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for us science nerds who are interested in brain science. It was a quick and enjoyable read with lots of links for further reading and work. Managed to finish it in two sittings and got tremendous amount out of it. I will certainly be trying some of the techniques mentioned and not paying for brain training apps. :)

[Göran Svensson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kul läsning! Lite rörig men roligt skriven.

[P Olatunde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and easy to read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, very informative, readable, helpful since I have the same difficulties in life.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

[audiobook]

[Albana Cela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this book a 3 because I was expecting more active suggestions from the author on how to work on training the brain but there wasn’t much to it unfortunately. I did however find the investigations she underwent to dig deeper and gain more insight into how her brain works really interesting. Overall, it was an ok read but not something I would pick up again or recommend for self help really just because the book for me did not fulfil that expectation I originally had going into it.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on borrow box from our local library. Caroline Williams the author of this book backed up by scientists says we can't really override your brain but what we can do is strengthen our brains by taking regular breaks to help with our concentration.