my mind on books

out in paperback – 'The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life & Business' by C Duhigg (@cduhigg) http://t.co/G7nQQVIZJS via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) January 7, 2014

We Are Our Brains: A Neurobiography of the Brain, from the Womb to Alzheimer’s by D.F. Swaab (Spiegel & Grau, 2014)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

A vivid account of what makes us human.

Based [on] groundbreaking new research, We Are Our Brains is a sweeping biography of the human brain, from infancy to adulthood to old age. Renowned neuroscientist D. F. Swaab takes us on a guided tour of the intricate inner workings that determine our potential, our limitations, and our desires, with each chapter serving as an eye-opening window on a different stage of brain development: the gender differences that develop in the embryonic brain, what goes on in the heads of adolescents, how parenthood permanently changes the brain.

Moving beyond pure biological understanding, Swaab presents a controversial and multilayered ethical argument surrounding the brain. Far from possessing true free will, Swaab argues, we have very little control over our everyday decisions, or who we will become, because our brains predetermine everything about us, long before we are born, from our moral character to our religious leanings to whom we fall in love with. And he challenges many of our prevailing assumptions about what makes us human, decoding the intricate “moral networks” that allow us to experience emotion, revealing maternal instinct to be the result of hormonal changes in the pregnant brain, and exploring the way that religious “imprinting” shapes the brain during childhood. Rife with memorable case studies, We Are Our Brains is already a bestselling international phenomenon. It aims to demystify the chemical and genetic workings of our most mysterious organ, in the process helping us to see who we are through an entirely new lens.

Did you know?

• The father’s brain is affected in pregnancy as well as the mother’s.
• The withdrawal symptoms we experience at the end of a love affair mirror chemical addiction.
• Growing up bilingual reduces the likelihood of Alzheimer’s.
• Parental religion is imprinted on our brains during early development, much as our native language is.

Google Books preview:

See also: Book excerpt “This is Your Brain on Religion” at Salon.com

Mind Games Pro – free Android App of the Day at http://t.co/RrJrMwMy60 http://t.co/ogWDWsCpJe via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) January 6, 2014

$2.99 kindle ebook – 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman http://t.co/OjqhHkBWvK via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) January 6, 2014

How to Develop Emotional Health by Oliver James (Macmillan, 2014)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk), (UK kindle ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

Happiness is a loaded term that means different things to different people. To some, it might mean life satisfaction, to others, a fleeting moment of joy. Rather than seeking to be happy, Oliver James encourages us to cultivate our emotional health. Outlining the five elements of good emotional health – insightfulness, a strong sense of self, fluid relationships, authenticity and playfulness in our approach to life – he offers strategies for optimizing each characteristic to live more fulfilling lives. Helping us to understand the impact our emotional baggage has on our daily interactions, he reveals how to overcome unhelpful patterns and become more self-aware – revitalizing our approach to life.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website, School of Life