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Book Review: 7 1/2 Lessons About The Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
“A typical neuron makes about ten thousand connections to neighboring neurons. Given the billions of neurons, this means there are as many connections in a single cubic centimeter of brain tissue as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy.” David Eagleman
This short, accessible, and frequently amusing book opens with “The Half Lesson: Your Brain Is Not for Thinking.” It’s not? Already my mind boggled. Then what’s it for? Wipe your mind of whatever you were thinking (ha) and prepare for a shock.
You Can’t Think Your Way into a New Idea
Ideas are everywhere, with two caveats. First, you have to notice them. Second, they’re not all good. By that I mean, worth developing.
What is a good idea?
Not a Review. Rather, a Dispatch from the Front. "The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World" by Ian McGilchrist, MD
On average I read eight to ten books a month, fiction and non-fiction, for a couple hours at the end of my day in bed. Since July, after landing the book deal with W.W. Norton, I’ve also been reading one book—The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Ian McGilchrist, MD, a British psychiatrist and philosopher—for a couple hours most mornings at the desk after a few cups of coffee.
How many pages do I read in two hours? About ten. The material is so dense, I have to take notes to stay focused. (More on that in a few paragraphs.) I haven’t worked this hard since medical school!
Writers and Creators, Stop Worrying About Procrastinating and Learn to Love the Deadline
From newbies to seasoned professionals, we’ve all submitted at 11:59 to meet a midnight deadline. Worse, no matter what we promise ourselves, that seems to be the norm not the exception. Who hasn’t thought: Why do I do this to myself? What is wrong with me?
The good news: nothing is wrong with you. Procrastinating is not the problem.
Book Review: 7 ½ Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
The opening “Half Lesson” is titled: Your Brain Is Not for Thinking. It’s not? No. Your brain’s most important job is predicting your body’s energy needs before they arise so you can efficiently make worthwhile movements and survive to pass your genes to the next generation.
This short, accessible, frequently amusing and deeply subversive book exploded pretty much everything I’ve understood about the brain and how it works. That’s quite a statement given I’m a psychiatrist—my medical specialty is the brain.
For example, memories are not filed like paperwork—that’s a metaphor. They are actually recreated on demand. What! Yes.