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iriidescent's review against another edition
4.0
"We extend beyond our limits, not by revving our brains like a machine or bulking them up like a muscle—but by strewing our world with rich materials, and by weaving them into our thoughts."
The information presented here isn't new (to me, at least), but it's a nice compilation and reminder that we can use our body, environment and objects to improve our thinking/creative flow.
The information presented here isn't new (to me, at least), but it's a nice compilation and reminder that we can use our body, environment and objects to improve our thinking/creative flow.
sksrenninger's review against another edition
4.0
Loved thinking about ways to think better—and feel more satisfied—but came in expecting a scientist and got more like self-help with liberal citations.
amlibera's review against another edition
5.0
Just terrific, useful and thought provoking and likely to change the way that I work and teach. Paul does a brilliant job of bringing together a variety of research around the ways that human beings think and create using tools outside of the brain proper. Among other things it's a great argument for the kind of embodied learning that we use in improvisation.
Sidenote, I got this book right after it came out (I had been following Murphy through her newsletter) and then my husband booked her for his podcast and borrowed it so I just got around to finishing it.
Sidenote, I got this book right after it came out (I had been following Murphy through her newsletter) and then my husband booked her for his podcast and borrowed it so I just got around to finishing it.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
I love books on cognitive psychology, thinking, decision making, and all that. Up until recently, I hadn’t heard of Annie Paul’s books, but I set my expectations low and figured this book would just be a bunch of repeat information from the other books I read on these topics, and I was extremely wrong to make that assumption. There was a lot of hype around this book’s launch, and it was well deserved. I literally bought it on launch day and finished it by the following day. Annie offered such a unique, fresh discussion around how we can improve our thinking through a variety of evidence-based methods.
I don’t want to leave too much of a detailed review because I’m really hoping as many people as possible read this book. Each day, we’re flooded with decisions at home, at work, and everywhere else in life, which is why we need to be better thinkers. Annie touched on a ton of different studies that show how various forms of movement, our surroundings, and who we interact with can improve our thinking. Every time I found myself asking, “But what about this?!” or “Did you think about that?!”, Annie answered it within the next few paragraphs or had a whole chapter dedicated to it. You can tell that she thoroughly did her research for this book, and it provides a ton of value for anyone who decides to give it a read. I highly recommend this book, and it’s definitely one that I’ll be revisiting the next time I’m having writer’s block or am stuck on a problem at work.
I don’t want to leave too much of a detailed review because I’m really hoping as many people as possible read this book. Each day, we’re flooded with decisions at home, at work, and everywhere else in life, which is why we need to be better thinkers. Annie touched on a ton of different studies that show how various forms of movement, our surroundings, and who we interact with can improve our thinking. Every time I found myself asking, “But what about this?!” or “Did you think about that?!”, Annie answered it within the next few paragraphs or had a whole chapter dedicated to it. You can tell that she thoroughly did her research for this book, and it provides a ton of value for anyone who decides to give it a read. I highly recommend this book, and it’s definitely one that I’ll be revisiting the next time I’m having writer’s block or am stuck on a problem at work.
bellacocoa's review
2.75
I skimmed it. Super dense and a bit repetitive. Nothing totally new for me.
andrea_author's review
5.0
This book will change the way you think about thinking. The brain is just one part of the nervous system, and our entire bodies contribute to how we think. I've long known that I think better when I'm moving (in fact, when I'm lost in thought, I naturally start walking—at least outside of a work environment). This book compiles a large body of evidence on how we can perform better by incorporating parts of the body outside the conscious mind in our thinking process.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.