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Physical Intelligence: The Science of How the Body and the Mind Guide Each Other Through Life
Elegantly written and deeply grounded in personal experience—works by Oliver Sacks come to mind— Physical Intelligence gives us a clear, illuminating examination of the intricate, mutually responsive relationship between the mind and the body as they engage (or don’t engage) in all manner of physical action.
Ever wonder why you don’t walk into walls or off cliffs? How you decide if you can drive through a snowstorm? How high you are willing to climb up a ladder to change a lightbulb? Through the prisms of behavioral neurology and cognitive neuroscience, Scott Grafton brilliantly accounts for the design and workings of the action-oriented brain in synchronicity with the body in the natural world, and he shows how physical intelligence is inherent in all of us—and always in problem-solving mode. Drawing on insights gleaned from discoveries by engineers who have learned to emulate the sophisticated solutions Mother Nature has created for managing complex behavior, Grafton also demonstrates the relevance of physical intelligence with examples that each of us might face—whether the situation is mundane, exceptional, extreme, or compromised.
Ever wonder why you don’t walk into walls or off cliffs? How you decide if you can drive through a snowstorm? How high you are willing to climb up a ladder to change a lightbulb? Through the prisms of behavioral neurology and cognitive neuroscience, Scott Grafton brilliantly accounts for the design and workings of the action-oriented brain in synchronicity with the body in the natural world, and he shows how physical intelligence is inherent in all of us—and always in problem-solving mode. Drawing on insights gleaned from discoveries by engineers who have learned to emulate the sophisticated solutions Mother Nature has created for managing complex behavior, Grafton also demonstrates the relevance of physical intelligence with examples that each of us might face—whether the situation is mundane, exceptional, extreme, or compromised.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 7, 2020
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1994 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 25, 2020
Seriously? A whole chapter talking about the attention network and attention/vigilance, and uses stroke victims and monkeys as examples, while mentioning ADHD in a few sentences saying that inattentive teenage "boys" don't need ritalin, they just need to be put back into the prehistoric time where they will be appropriately vigilant.
IRRESPONSIBLE and I'm not going to finish this book on principal. This was such an excellent opportunity after all that neuroscience to explain to people how in ADHD those attention networks aren't functioning properly, yet instead, this guy equates people with "ADD" (It's been officially ADHD for many years now) with teenage boys, and claiming that unless "impulsive" (without explaining that there are 3 types and I guess saying it's inattentive type that doesn't exist?) the "boys" don't need ritalin, they just need TIME TRAVEL??
Hey GUY. ADHD is a life long, all genders condition, and time travel isn't real. We have quite enough trouble getting the medication that lets most of us function to a passable degree (IF it does), we don't need thoughtless people like this reinforcing stereotypes of doctors just medicating kids for normal kid behavior. Spend an hour in an ADHD support group and witness all the lives ruined* by parents refusing to get kids evaluated/their medicine because of that exact mindset and tell me you can still let such statements stand.
ADHD IS NOT NORMAL CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE THINGS IN COMMON WHEN COMPARED TO NEUROTYPICAL ADULTS. For god's sake. Seriously.
*unmedicated ADHDers are at unbelievable risk of dropping out of school, social issues, family issues, difficulty keeping a job, marriage problems and high divorce rates, young parenthood, car accidents, substance use problems, weight struggles, depression and suicide, and absolutely high anxiety, etc etc -- and it's harder to get a diagnosis once you're an adult, and even if you do, a lot of damage has already been done, both in your life and in your mental health.
IRRESPONSIBLE and I'm not going to finish this book on principal. This was such an excellent opportunity after all that neuroscience to explain to people how in ADHD those attention networks aren't functioning properly, yet instead, this guy equates people with "ADD" (It's been officially ADHD for many years now) with teenage boys, and claiming that unless "impulsive" (without explaining that there are 3 types and I guess saying it's inattentive type that doesn't exist?) the "boys" don't need ritalin, they just need TIME TRAVEL??
Hey GUY. ADHD is a life long, all genders condition, and time travel isn't real. We have quite enough trouble getting the medication that lets most of us function to a passable degree (IF it does), we don't need thoughtless people like this reinforcing stereotypes of doctors just medicating kids for normal kid behavior. Spend an hour in an ADHD support group and witness all the lives ruined* by parents refusing to get kids evaluated/their medicine because of that exact mindset and tell me you can still let such statements stand.
ADHD IS NOT NORMAL CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE THINGS IN COMMON WHEN COMPARED TO NEUROTYPICAL ADULTS. For god's sake. Seriously.
*unmedicated ADHDers are at unbelievable risk of dropping out of school, social issues, family issues, difficulty keeping a job, marriage problems and high divorce rates, young parenthood, car accidents, substance use problems, weight struggles, depression and suicide, and absolutely high anxiety, etc etc -- and it's harder to get a diagnosis once you're an adult, and even if you do, a lot of damage has already been done, both in your life and in your mental health.
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April 25, 2020I had once read "Social Intelligence" "Emotional Intelligence", and "Ecological Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman, and "Physical Intelligence" continues the set in the domain of body/mind connection and how it is developed.
Dr. Grafton is knowledgeable in the field of motor function and connection between body and mind. In reading this book, I got a better sense of why certain activities that we perform, such as those in nature, and worth much more for brain and motor function maintenance than other activities.
I like that he provides story of his own physical experiences in nature and elsewhere before going into the details of how the brain processes the world through physical response and the scheme that is built in the mind. The book has an easygoing nature, in the same way that Dr. Grafton is warm-natured in his descriptions for the reader.
The book also includes connection to robots and the efforts that are being made in that domain, as the best robots work to mimic some of the features that we humans do on a daily basis. It is great to see the progression. Check out this book to understand more across these topics.
My interview with Dr. Grafton:
244: Scott Grafton | Neuroscientist And Brain Imaging Center Director On Mind/Body Connection In “Physical Intelligence
Dr. Grafton is knowledgeable in the field of motor function and connection between body and mind. In reading this book, I got a better sense of why certain activities that we perform, such as those in nature, and worth much more for brain and motor function maintenance than other activities.
I like that he provides story of his own physical experiences in nature and elsewhere before going into the details of how the brain processes the world through physical response and the scheme that is built in the mind. The book has an easygoing nature, in the same way that Dr. Grafton is warm-natured in his descriptions for the reader.
The book also includes connection to robots and the efforts that are being made in that domain, as the best robots work to mimic some of the features that we humans do on a daily basis. It is great to see the progression. Check out this book to understand more across these topics.
My interview with Dr. Grafton:
244: Scott Grafton | Neuroscientist And Brain Imaging Center Director On Mind/Body Connection In “Physical Intelligence
January 31, 2020
This was a good book for those interested in why and how we move the way we do, but who don't also want to read a textbook to find out. The author describes some studies that have brought us to our current understanding in neuroscience, and reinforces their results by relating his adventures during a solo week-long hike. What I didn't like about the book - and what made it difficult to read the first few chapters - is how he drops a lot of specialized terms all at once with minimal explanation. A glossary would have been useful... and a map of the brain as well, with regions labeled. Disclaimer: I got this book for free from the publishers.
November 16, 2025
A pretty decent book on an interesting subject, though slowed down for me by the excessive anecdotes of hiking. The author knows his stuff, however, and I was often surprised by the details he brought out (like on anorexics' physical self-awareness). I wish it had gone deeper, though I also have to give it credit for not stretching the core subject-matter further than needed (anecdotes aside). An okay read for me, possibly a great one for people who really love hiking.
May 11, 2021
I learned a lot that I didn't know about how the brain relates to physical actions and vice versa. Many things that seem simple turn out to be quite complex. When you think about it, that isn't so surprising.
I sometimes complain about science writers who interpose their personal experiences into their books to make the books more personal and accessible. It often seems fake to me and dumbs down the content, but in this case the way that the author included his personal experiences was organic to the structure and content of the book. That's not easy. Well done!
I loved the anecdote about the strange duck waddle gait that suddenly seemed to become the rage among wealthy men escorting their mistresses around nineteenth century Paris. It turned out that that this was a neural deficiency that was a symptom of advanced syphilis.
But more than anything I am grateful for the discussion of age-related decline in affordances as an explanation for why old people tend to fall more than younger people. It made perfect sense to me in explaining why I have fallen several times while running over the past couple of years despite being in the normal range in a comprehensive bank of neurological tests. And Mr. Grafton even suggests a therapy for dealing with this problem -- practicing walking over uneven surfaces, which I can easily do by hiking in the hills near my house.
I sometimes complain about science writers who interpose their personal experiences into their books to make the books more personal and accessible. It often seems fake to me and dumbs down the content, but in this case the way that the author included his personal experiences was organic to the structure and content of the book. That's not easy. Well done!
I loved the anecdote about the strange duck waddle gait that suddenly seemed to become the rage among wealthy men escorting their mistresses around nineteenth century Paris. It turned out that that this was a neural deficiency that was a symptom of advanced syphilis.
But more than anything I am grateful for the discussion of age-related decline in affordances as an explanation for why old people tend to fall more than younger people. It made perfect sense to me in explaining why I have fallen several times while running over the past couple of years despite being in the normal range in a comprehensive bank of neurological tests. And Mr. Grafton even suggests a therapy for dealing with this problem -- practicing walking over uneven surfaces, which I can easily do by hiking in the hills near my house.
September 27, 2020
Scott Grafton’s book Physical Intelligence explains how the brain and detailed aspects of it center our movements in space. Grafton explains fascinating empirical facts as to how a top ranked tennis player or professional baseball hitter can adjust an approach to a ball in milliseconds because of human brains ability to direct the body even before the mind conscious what is happening. Deep neurological science is discussed in the book, not only from the context of human anatomy and response, but also unique learning by animals like bears, apes, or chimpanzees. This developmental understanding of the brain could prove useful to understand and support why development of the brain through motor learning opportunities for infants and toddlers and young children so important. Fascinating as well how certain traumas to the brain through injury, through neurological disease like Parkinson’s, or through post traumatic stress can affect movement response. A fascinating book deep in science that’s a short enough read to have some powerful take away lessons and ammunition for educators of the young without excessive numbers of required reading hours.
July 4, 2020
A wonderfully woven story of various threads of information and knowledge regarding how the brain and body interact at a “systems level” relationship.
The backbone of
The story is told by a neuroscientist who is also a wilderness backpacker/hiker and the challenges he faced on one of his solo trips into the wilderness.
Each challenge and event on the trip was related to his understanding of neuroscientist and what skills generated by the “physical intelligence” of a brain-body system.
Well worth the listen/read.
The backbone of
The story is told by a neuroscientist who is also a wilderness backpacker/hiker and the challenges he faced on one of his solo trips into the wilderness.
Each challenge and event on the trip was related to his understanding of neuroscientist and what skills generated by the “physical intelligence” of a brain-body system.
Well worth the listen/read.
May 1, 2020
As AI powered robots become more common, Scott Grafton has written a fascinating book detailing the extraordinary complex algorithms the brain performs to allow humans to move throughout the world. When most people think of intelligence they imagine the equations of mathematics and physics, or the abstract thinking of philosophers, however this book sets the idea that intelligence developed as a way for hominids to be more successful in moving throughout the world. This has profound implications for the future as AI threatens to take jobs, many thinkers arguing that this will allow us to perform the inventive and communicative tasks that make us human. However this may prove to be the wrong thinking, and that such ideas misunderstand what it is to be human. Rather it is the unique capability of our brain to learn and adapt through physical exploration and training that has allowed us to dominate the world so successfully. Thus the loss of physical jobs and activities may have a profound deleterious impact if we do not provide an environment that allows us to fully utilise both the physical and abstract thinking that our brain is evolved to perform.
Scott weaves a story of his hike through the high Sierra, to explain the environment under which the brain evolved to allow us to more successfully manoeuvre through the world, and how these skills do not develop when we do not test ourselves against the world.
Highly recommended.
Scott weaves a story of his hike through the high Sierra, to explain the environment under which the brain evolved to allow us to more successfully manoeuvre through the world, and how these skills do not develop when we do not test ourselves against the world.
Highly recommended.
May 24, 2022
I was intrigued to read this book based on the teaser description. The author explores the aspect of a person's "knowledge" about what s/he can or cannot do physically with their body and how persons with good/excellent physical intelligence can do this intuitively. Obviously, training and physical activity experiences are helpful, and physical intelligence can be honed and developed, but there is a natural ability that is not evenly distributed amongst individuals in this realm. Athletes, dancers, acrobats and others are born with a type of physical intelligence that gives them a "leg up" on their careers. The narrative is carried through as the author describes a wilderness camping trip through strenuous terrain filled with bears and high mountain passes. I can't say I learned a great deal of new material but it did provide some food for thought. Another book that I recently read entitled, "Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance" by Alex Hutchinson has complementary thoughts and concepts to Grafton's work.
November 28, 2023
I have read hundreds of books and this is my first review. Because this book is so bad. And because it was such a waste of even such little money. It is 100% mindless psychobabble drivel with zero practical benefit. Actually less than zero because it is a waste of time. It is mental excipient of no value. Imagine the most useless activity that you've been tasked with and this is it. The worst movie you've ever seen. This is it. The worst date you've ever had. This is it. As exciting as kissing your grandmother on the cheek. You'd receive more satisfaction throwing the money you spent on this book into the street from a high building and watch the people below fight for it. There is little else to say. It is awful from A-Z. Give the cost of the book to a homeless person. You'll receive more satisfaction.
June 7, 2021
The mind-body connection in a very real science sense is examined here, with particular emphasis is different parts of the brain allowing us to do things without even thinking. Broken down like this our bodies are amazing things, capable of complex and subtle calculations instantaneously. This book tries to break it down simply by giving us a simple movement and breaking it down into what controls it and why but I found most explanations here jumping from 2 or 3 directly to 9 or 10 and skipping the in between such that I don’t know if I understood 40% of this book (compared to The End of Everything about astrophysics which was eminently understandable).
March 22, 2020
Very interesting how our bodies move based on our brain's functions and how it can be tricked. Also weird asides as to how belly-dancers' abdominal muscles are salamander-derivative and how frighteningly clever bears are for having such a small brain to size ratio. His critical message, however, is that a treadmill cannot replace outdoor activity for the necessary ongoing training our bodies require to carry us safely through the world and into old age. Or has he expresses, "we require sufficient complexity of physical intelligence." Quirky and interesting read.
March 17, 2020
It’s a decent book on the subject matter, but I really wish the author spent more time writing about physical intelligence, rather than just talk about it in an analagous sense with his hiking trip as a back drop. I would much rather rest about his research in this space. Meant more for people who don't really want to get too deep into the subject and are fine just being fascinated by what the brain does.
April 24, 2020
Maybe I expected too much from this book or maybe I am just not smart enough to understand it. I enjoy hiking and have studied Neuroscience so I thought this book would be right up my alley. However, I had a hard time connecting to the author's experiences hiking with the mind and body references. Granted he gave a number of interesting case studies, but I had a hard time getting through this rather short tome.
July 3, 2020
I enjoy pop-science books and that is exactly what it is. I thought it was really well written at an accessible level. The author clearly enjoys hiking and the outdoors but peppered in those stories in a way that added to but did not overtake the narrative. My favorite story was about how bears have become increasingly adept at getting into camper's food. However, the stories about how challenging hikes work both the mind and the body are probably more useful.
February 17, 2024
Classical anthology of life hacks and popscience. There is a fascination with simple exercises so there are quite a few of them given without context or an overall narrative. It is almost like the author recognises you won't be able to apply these so just giving you ideas. It is a bit like being a buffet that appears good at a distance, but you realise it is much less substantial or harmonious when you get to it.
May 6, 2020
The relationship and the interdependance of the body and the mind are intriguently described by this neuroscientist who relates his own experiences as a wilderness solo hiker to the fascinating function of body by the mind. Robotics as related to the human mind/body relationship is explored as well.
October 1, 2020
I picked up this book because I was so much interested in the subject matter. However, with due honesty the book is extremely boring.
The science has been extremely diluted in a very repetitive non-imaginative narrative that makes the book a torture to read.
Even the cover of the book looks boring!
The science has been extremely diluted in a very repetitive non-imaginative narrative that makes the book a torture to read.
Even the cover of the book looks boring!
February 23, 2020
This was a special book. The author made, as I expected, many allusions to the findings that the body operates in a way that allows us to navigate through the environment without waiting to consult our thoughts which are too slow to have any effect on the activities of the motor neurons that are controlling our movements through space. He, however, refers to the mind as if it was separate from the body. He can be forgiven for this lack of judgement because the book is an excellent account of the body’s ability to act autonomously when confronted with the problems we all face when negotiating the world around us. He also does this by relating the actions of the body and brain
to the challenges he faces as he hikes the High Sierra. This personal account peeked my interest and gave me an encounter with a individual I thought of as real.
to the challenges he faces as he hikes the High Sierra. This personal account peeked my interest and gave me an encounter with a individual I thought of as real.
July 15, 2020
A must-read for anyone who is looking to study Biopsychology. I liked it a lot and found it was very interesting, but I am more interested in conceptual psychology so sometimes it was a big hard to understand on terminology though.
August 13, 2020
Please read my review from my blog page.
https://polymathtobe.blogspot.com/202...
https://polymathtobe.blogspot.com/202...
January 1, 2021
Fantastic look at the neuromuscular coordination needed to move through our environment, told in a way that is interesting to both the scientist and the scientifically curious.
July 2, 2021
Not a thorough read but an interesting read. A couple cherry picked examples of how the brain and body interact set to the backdrop of the author's outdoor explorations.
November 27, 2021
At times a bit technical and daunting to follow, but otherwise an interesting look into how the mind and body interact and the relationship therein.
January 8, 2022
Interesting lens to consider cognition in movement and how it shapes our relationship to the world as well as shapes the rest of our mind
January 9, 2025
3.5 rounded down
Read this a few years ago, forgor.
Read this a few years ago, forgor.
March 1, 2025
Good relatability to natural world and psychological/physical aspect
December 30, 2022
I personally didn't care about this person's walks through nature and found his description of his travels really boring and couldn't finish it. It was nice how he would use them to illustrate certain psychological/neurological concepts, I just felt like they were overembellished. I think theses kind of topics are probably better for a slideshow presentation/talk rather than a book, since everything is so visual and physical. I feel the essence of the book is: the brain was built to interpret nature so go outside and exercise. Hike, climb a mountain, explore the wilderness, try new things.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews