Idiot brain : what your head is really up to
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-320) and index.

Kirkus Reviews,,May 15, 2016

Library Journal Prepub Alert,,February 01, 2016

Library Journal,,May 01, 2016

Publishers Weekly,,May 30, 2016

It's happened to all of us at some point. You walk into the kitchen, or flip open your laptop, or stride confidently up to a lectern, filled with purposeand suddenly haven't the foggiest idea what youre doing. Welcome to your idiot brain. Yes, it is an absolute marvel in some respectsthe seat of our consciousness, the pinnacle (so far) of evolutionary progress, and the engine of all human experiencebut your brain is also messy, fallible, and about 50,000 years out-of-date. We cling to superstitions, remember faces but not names, miss things sitting right in front of us, and lie awake at night while our brains replay our greatest fears on an endless loop. Yet all of this, believe it or not, is the sign of a well-meaning brain doing its best to keep you alive and healthy. In Idiot Brain , neuroscientist Dean Burnett celebrates blind spots, blackouts, insomnia, and all the other downright laughable things our minds do to us, while also exposing the many mistakes we've made in our quest to understand how our brains actually work. Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this book is for everyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to.