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Book
Author Burnett, Dean, author

Title The idiot brain : a neuroscientist explains what your head is really up to / Dean Burnett
Published London : Guardian Books ; London : Faber & Faber, 2016
London Guardian Books London Faber & Faber, 2016
©2016

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Location Call no. Vol. Availability
 W'PONDS READNK  ReadNK BUR  AVAILABLE
Description viii, 328 pages ; 22 cm
Contents Machine generated contents note: 1.Mind controls -- How the brain regulates the body, and usually makes a mess of things -- 2.The gift of memory (keep the receipt) -- The human memory system, and its strange features -- 3.Fear: nothing to be scared of -- The many ways in which the brain makes us constantly afraid -- 4.Think you're clever, do you? -- The baffling science of intelligence -- 5.Did you see this chapter coming? -- The haphazard properties of the brain's observational systems -- 6.Personality: a testing concept -- The complex and confusing properties of personality -- 7.Group hug! -- How the brain is influenced by other people -- 8.When the brain breaks down -- Mental health problems, and how they come about
Summary Why do you lose arguments with people who know much less than you? Why can you recognise that woman, from that thing...but can't remember her name? And why, after your last break-up, did you find yourself in the foetal position on the sofa for days, moving only to wipe the snot and tears haphazardly from your face? Here's why: the idiot brain. For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. For example, your memory is egotistical. No, really. Conspiracy theories and superstitions are the inevitable effects of a healthy brain. And alcohol can actually improve your memory. In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett tours our mysterious and mischievous grey (and white) matter. Along the way he explains the human brain's imperfections in all their glory and how these influence everything we say, do and experience. Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to. Editor's note: please read the book before testing this conclusion
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Brain -- Popular works.
Neurosciences -- Popular works.
Intellect -- Popular works.
Brain.
Neurosciences.
Intellect.
Genre/Form Reading nook.
ISBN 9781783350810 (paperback)
1783350814 :