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caroline77 's review for:
Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up to
by Dean Burnett
***NO SPOILERS***
Who says books about the brain have to be boring? In Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett explained how the most complex organ in the human body is both awe-inspiring and...idiotic.
My greatest take-away from Idiot Brain is that the brain isn't evolved enough--or rather, it's very stuck in the past. This is how it's idiotic. It responds to situations in ways that don't always make sense because it's still responding to ancient situations, not the modern ones it now needs to. At the same time, these ancient responses are what have kept humans alive for millennia, so they're very sticky.
Burnett examined major topics such as fear, memory, intelligence, personality, mental illness, observation, and--one of the most interesting to me--group behavior. Each chapter is broken down more specifically; for instance, the chapter on mental illness covers suicide and addiction.
Idiot Brain covers a lot and answered countless questions I've had, such as why, when I look at an electrical outlet, I see two eyes and a mouth; how exactly addiction works and why relapse is so common; the mechanics of the eye and how closely it works with the brain; why the mind will believe in superstitions and conspiracy theories; how psychosis can cause visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions. This is but a tiny sampling.
Idiot Brain is one of many neuroscience books written for non-neuroscientists, but it stands out for being a really well-balanced blend of technical and accessible. Aspiring neuroscientists will enjoy it, but it’s basic and not terribly neuro-heavy, so therefore suitable for an everyday reader. This isn't to say it's a lightweight; after all, Burnett is a neuroscientist. He used the tongue-tying scientific names for specific parts of the brain and explained the mechanics as a scientist would. But it's clear he isn't a scientist so out-of-touch with non-scientists that he's unable to explain on a basic level.
Burnett's dabbling in stand-up comedy may be why. His humor is definitely an asset, as the book has a somewhat jaunty tone and a sprinkling of jokes. He's the fun, cool teacher with actual talent--an expert in a field who knows how to distill a complicated topic down to its most basic parts, and without a hint of arrogance. He also knew, almost instinctively, the very moment to move on from scientific explanations. His book is a good complement to (the more psychology-focused) [b:Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average|5040579|Why We Make Mistakes How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average|Joseph T. Hallinan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412952226l/5040579._SX50_.jpg|5107177] and (the more science-focused) [b:Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain|9827912|Incognito The Secret Lives of the Brain|David Eagleman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348669116l/9827912._SY75_.jpg|14423132].
Who says books about the brain have to be boring? In Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett explained how the most complex organ in the human body is both awe-inspiring and...idiotic.
My greatest take-away from Idiot Brain is that the brain isn't evolved enough--or rather, it's very stuck in the past. This is how it's idiotic. It responds to situations in ways that don't always make sense because it's still responding to ancient situations, not the modern ones it now needs to. At the same time, these ancient responses are what have kept humans alive for millennia, so they're very sticky.
Burnett examined major topics such as fear, memory, intelligence, personality, mental illness, observation, and--one of the most interesting to me--group behavior. Each chapter is broken down more specifically; for instance, the chapter on mental illness covers suicide and addiction.
Idiot Brain covers a lot and answered countless questions I've had, such as why, when I look at an electrical outlet, I see two eyes and a mouth; how exactly addiction works and why relapse is so common; the mechanics of the eye and how closely it works with the brain; why the mind will believe in superstitions and conspiracy theories; how psychosis can cause visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions. This is but a tiny sampling.
Idiot Brain is one of many neuroscience books written for non-neuroscientists, but it stands out for being a really well-balanced blend of technical and accessible. Aspiring neuroscientists will enjoy it, but it’s basic and not terribly neuro-heavy, so therefore suitable for an everyday reader. This isn't to say it's a lightweight; after all, Burnett is a neuroscientist. He used the tongue-tying scientific names for specific parts of the brain and explained the mechanics as a scientist would. But it's clear he isn't a scientist so out-of-touch with non-scientists that he's unable to explain on a basic level.
Burnett's dabbling in stand-up comedy may be why. His humor is definitely an asset, as the book has a somewhat jaunty tone and a sprinkling of jokes. He's the fun, cool teacher with actual talent--an expert in a field who knows how to distill a complicated topic down to its most basic parts, and without a hint of arrogance. He also knew, almost instinctively, the very moment to move on from scientific explanations. His book is a good complement to (the more psychology-focused) [b:Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average|5040579|Why We Make Mistakes How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average|Joseph T. Hallinan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412952226l/5040579._SX50_.jpg|5107177] and (the more science-focused) [b:Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain|9827912|Incognito The Secret Lives of the Brain|David Eagleman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348669116l/9827912._SY75_.jpg|14423132].