Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain

(Paperback)

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'"I thought it might be fun for people to be able to a read a neuroscience book on the beach," Barrett explains. But be warned: you may find your world turned upside down before it is time for cocktails.' - Guardian 'Each lesson will enlighten and unsettle you. It's like lifting up the hood of a car to see an engine, except that the car is you and you find an engine that doesn't work at all like you thought it did.' - GQ In seven short chapters (plus a brief history of how brains evolved), this slim, entertaining, and accessible collection reveals mind-expanding lessons from the front lines of neuroscience research. You'll learn where brains came from, how they're structured (and why it matters), and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience. Along the way, you'll also learn to dismiss popular myths such as the idea of a 'lizard brain' and the alleged battle between thoughts and emotions, or even between nature and nurture, to determine your behaviour. Sure to intrigue casual readers and scientific veterans alike, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain is full of surprises, humour, and important implications for human - a gift of a book about our mot complex and crucial organ that you will want to savour again and again.

Reviews

Beautiful writing and sublime insights that will blow your mind like a string of firecrackers. If you want a rundown of the brain and its magic, start here. -- David Eagleman, New York Times bestselling author of Incognito
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain reads like a novel and its main character is all of us. In fresh and lively prose, Barrett provides deep insight into what brains are for, how they operate and are programmed, how they create the 'reality' we experience, and how they ultimately produce our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Read this book! It will make you smarter about yourself, and your species. -- Leonard Mlodinow, New York Times bestselling author of The Drunkard's Walk
A smart and delightfully breezy look at the things most of us think we know about the brain, but don't. -- Daniel Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness

Author Bio

Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD is among the top one per cent most-cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is a University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University with appointments at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr Barrett was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in neuroscience in 2019, and she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada. She lives in Boston. More at LisaFeldmanBarrett.com. Twitter: @LFeldmanBarrett.