Author: Neil Slade
Publisher: Neil Slade Books and Music
ISBN: 9780979636356
Category : Amygdaloid body
Languages : en
Pages : 302
Book Description
ONLY FROM Neil Slade Books: Includes Bonus 1 Hour Tickle Your Amygdala Audio CD, Free upgraded PRIORITY Shipping- TICKLE YOUR AMYGDALA shows you how to turn on the best part of your brain- as simple as imagining a feather inside your head. And now, the latest brain science and brain imaging has proven that 'thought' really is the most incredible Mind Over Gray Matter! This book will show you how to turn on the most powerful Brain Radar in the entire You-Niverse. It's waiting for you right between your ears. Part One: The Illustrated Tickle Your Amygdala is a fun, simple, and quick explanation to help you get the general idea of what amygdala tickling is all about. Part Two: The Amygdala Tickling Three Course Gourmet Presentation includes "Detailed Explanations of Amygdala Tickling," "Amygdala Interviews," and "Ways to Do It," including the science behind amygdala tickling and 52 Ways to Tickle- That's a new way to turn on the best part of your brain for every week of the year. Featuring 56 conversations with world famous experts in many areas, including: TERRY JONES Monty Python's Flying Circus, Dr. LAWRENCE BLAIR World renown Anthropologist, GEORGE NOORY Radio Talk Show Host, JOSH BLUE Comedian and winner Last Comic Standing, MARIE-LOUISE OOSTHUYSEN Brain Researcher, DR. ROBERT NEUMANN M.D. Neurosurgeon, NANCY TALBOTT Scientific Crop Circle Research, and many many others. Every Neil Slade is an author, musician, film maker, and artist. His web site www.NeilSlade.com has been a staple of the Internet since 1996, and has been read by millions of people worldwide. For more information see TickleYourAmygdala.com All of Neil's books are recommended reading by Bloomsbury Review, National Book Review Magazine.
Tickle Your Amygdala
Author: Neil Slade
Publisher: Neil Slade Books and Music
ISBN: 9780979636356
Category : Amygdaloid body
Languages : en
Pages : 302
Book Description
ONLY FROM Neil Slade Books: Includes Bonus 1 Hour Tickle Your Amygdala Audio CD, Free upgraded PRIORITY Shipping- TICKLE YOUR AMYGDALA shows you how to turn on the best part of your brain- as simple as imagining a feather inside your head. And now, the latest brain science and brain imaging has proven that 'thought' really is the most incredible Mind Over Gray Matter! This book will show you how to turn on the most powerful Brain Radar in the entire You-Niverse. It's waiting for you right between your ears. Part One: The Illustrated Tickle Your Amygdala is a fun, simple, and quick explanation to help you get the general idea of what amygdala tickling is all about. Part Two: The Amygdala Tickling Three Course Gourmet Presentation includes "Detailed Explanations of Amygdala Tickling," "Amygdala Interviews," and "Ways to Do It," including the science behind amygdala tickling and 52 Ways to Tickle- That's a new way to turn on the best part of your brain for every week of the year. Featuring 56 conversations with world famous experts in many areas, including: TERRY JONES Monty Python's Flying Circus, Dr. LAWRENCE BLAIR World renown Anthropologist, GEORGE NOORY Radio Talk Show Host, JOSH BLUE Comedian and winner Last Comic Standing, MARIE-LOUISE OOSTHUYSEN Brain Researcher, DR. ROBERT NEUMANN M.D. Neurosurgeon, NANCY TALBOTT Scientific Crop Circle Research, and many many others. Every Neil Slade is an author, musician, film maker, and artist. His web site www.NeilSlade.com has been a staple of the Internet since 1996, and has been read by millions of people worldwide. For more information see TickleYourAmygdala.com All of Neil's books are recommended reading by Bloomsbury Review, National Book Review Magazine.
Publisher: Neil Slade Books and Music
ISBN: 9780979636356
Category : Amygdaloid body
Languages : en
Pages : 302
Book Description
ONLY FROM Neil Slade Books: Includes Bonus 1 Hour Tickle Your Amygdala Audio CD, Free upgraded PRIORITY Shipping- TICKLE YOUR AMYGDALA shows you how to turn on the best part of your brain- as simple as imagining a feather inside your head. And now, the latest brain science and brain imaging has proven that 'thought' really is the most incredible Mind Over Gray Matter! This book will show you how to turn on the most powerful Brain Radar in the entire You-Niverse. It's waiting for you right between your ears. Part One: The Illustrated Tickle Your Amygdala is a fun, simple, and quick explanation to help you get the general idea of what amygdala tickling is all about. Part Two: The Amygdala Tickling Three Course Gourmet Presentation includes "Detailed Explanations of Amygdala Tickling," "Amygdala Interviews," and "Ways to Do It," including the science behind amygdala tickling and 52 Ways to Tickle- That's a new way to turn on the best part of your brain for every week of the year. Featuring 56 conversations with world famous experts in many areas, including: TERRY JONES Monty Python's Flying Circus, Dr. LAWRENCE BLAIR World renown Anthropologist, GEORGE NOORY Radio Talk Show Host, JOSH BLUE Comedian and winner Last Comic Standing, MARIE-LOUISE OOSTHUYSEN Brain Researcher, DR. ROBERT NEUMANN M.D. Neurosurgeon, NANCY TALBOTT Scientific Crop Circle Research, and many many others. Every Neil Slade is an author, musician, film maker, and artist. His web site www.NeilSlade.com has been a staple of the Internet since 1996, and has been read by millions of people worldwide. For more information see TickleYourAmygdala.com All of Neil's books are recommended reading by Bloomsbury Review, National Book Review Magazine.
Mind Wide Open
Author: Steven Johnson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743258797
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, MIND WIDE OPEN IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug. In Mind Wide Open, Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I? Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from. Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid? To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743258797
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, MIND WIDE OPEN IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug. In Mind Wide Open, Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I? Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from. Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid? To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.
30-Second Brain
Author: Anil Seth
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
ISBN: 1848316488
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 271
Book Description
Are we all at the mercy of our brain chemistry? Do you think that the amygdala and the hippocampus are fantastical sea monsters? What can an MRI scan tell us? Could you explain to dinner-party guests why we don’t giggle when we tickle ourselves? 30-Second Brain is here to fill your mind with the science of exactly what’s happening inside your head. Using no more than two pages, 300 words and an illustration, this is the quickest way to understand the wiring and function of the most complex and intricate mechanism in the human body. Discover how the networks of 90 billion nerve cells work together to produce perception, action, cognition and emotion. Explore how your brain defines your personality, and what it gets up to while you are asleep. Illustrated with mind-bending graphics and supported by biographies of pioneers in the field of neuroscience, it’s the book to get your grey matter thinking about your grey matter.
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
ISBN: 1848316488
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 271
Book Description
Are we all at the mercy of our brain chemistry? Do you think that the amygdala and the hippocampus are fantastical sea monsters? What can an MRI scan tell us? Could you explain to dinner-party guests why we don’t giggle when we tickle ourselves? 30-Second Brain is here to fill your mind with the science of exactly what’s happening inside your head. Using no more than two pages, 300 words and an illustration, this is the quickest way to understand the wiring and function of the most complex and intricate mechanism in the human body. Discover how the networks of 90 billion nerve cells work together to produce perception, action, cognition and emotion. Explore how your brain defines your personality, and what it gets up to while you are asleep. Illustrated with mind-bending graphics and supported by biographies of pioneers in the field of neuroscience, it’s the book to get your grey matter thinking about your grey matter.
The Book of Wands
Author: Neil Slade
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780979636318
Category : Music teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 740
Book Description
What are Wands? Not what you think...Wands are actually an entire FAMILY of UNUSUAL TOOLS of many shapes and sizes that allow a person to TRAVEL as well as to move things from one You-niverse to another. You might have one in your pocket right now- Pens, Pencils, Batons, Chopsticks, Musical Instruments, Brooms, Brushes, Keyboards, and even Cameras. In this incredible story, Niles Abercrumby is a quirky music teacher who quickly shows disdain for the world of public school teaching and sets off on his own with The Niles Abercrumby School of Music, Arts, and Other Stuff. Shortly upon creation of his business, he hooks up with a crazy renegade scientist who runs a remote wilderness Brian laboratory, the legendary D.A.T. Stingo, who is responsible for opening the door to The World of Unusual Tools and Otherworldly Travel by Unconventional Means. And that's just for starters! For ONLINE DOWNLOAD or AUDIO versions LOTS of FREE INFO and book previews please visit www.BookOfWands.com A Masterpiece- A brilliant manuscript that takes you on an adventure from page one to the last page. I was pleasantly surprised of the content and the ease of reading. Neils story incorporates scenarios that will keep you not only turning to the next page, but wishing that the end of the book never comes. This book is not only a must read but an adventure for everyone]adult and children alike!- Jim Mullica, Screenwriter. I just finished reading The Book of Wands- Let me say a little more about how good it was: It's one of the best books I ever read. It's not just a book, but a Tool to help change your consciousness. It sets a new standard for what books are capable of doing- Manu Morris 1st Edition, 738 pages.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780979636318
Category : Music teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 740
Book Description
What are Wands? Not what you think...Wands are actually an entire FAMILY of UNUSUAL TOOLS of many shapes and sizes that allow a person to TRAVEL as well as to move things from one You-niverse to another. You might have one in your pocket right now- Pens, Pencils, Batons, Chopsticks, Musical Instruments, Brooms, Brushes, Keyboards, and even Cameras. In this incredible story, Niles Abercrumby is a quirky music teacher who quickly shows disdain for the world of public school teaching and sets off on his own with The Niles Abercrumby School of Music, Arts, and Other Stuff. Shortly upon creation of his business, he hooks up with a crazy renegade scientist who runs a remote wilderness Brian laboratory, the legendary D.A.T. Stingo, who is responsible for opening the door to The World of Unusual Tools and Otherworldly Travel by Unconventional Means. And that's just for starters! For ONLINE DOWNLOAD or AUDIO versions LOTS of FREE INFO and book previews please visit www.BookOfWands.com A Masterpiece- A brilliant manuscript that takes you on an adventure from page one to the last page. I was pleasantly surprised of the content and the ease of reading. Neils story incorporates scenarios that will keep you not only turning to the next page, but wishing that the end of the book never comes. This book is not only a must read but an adventure for everyone]adult and children alike!- Jim Mullica, Screenwriter. I just finished reading The Book of Wands- Let me say a little more about how good it was: It's one of the best books I ever read. It's not just a book, but a Tool to help change your consciousness. It sets a new standard for what books are capable of doing- Manu Morris 1st Edition, 738 pages.
The Art of Roughhousing
Author: Anthony T. DeBenedet, M.D
Publisher: Quirk Books
ISBN: 1594745145
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
Everywhere you look, physical play—what some might call “roughhousing”—is being marginalized. Gym classes are getting shorter. Recess periods are being eliminated. Some new schools don’t even have playgrounds. Is it any wonder children retreat to “virtual horseplay” via video games? But Drs. Anthony T. DeBenedet and Lawrence J. Cohen are here to shake things up—literally! With The Art of Roughhousing, they show how rough-and-tumble play can nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence, and more. Drawing inspiration from gymnastics, martial arts, ballet, traditional sports, and even animal behavior, the authors present dozens of illustrated activities for children and parents to enjoy together—everything from the “Sumo Dead Lift” to the “Rogue Dumbo.” These delightful games are fun, free, and contain many surprising health benefits for parents. So put down those electronic games and get ready to rumble!
Publisher: Quirk Books
ISBN: 1594745145
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
Everywhere you look, physical play—what some might call “roughhousing”—is being marginalized. Gym classes are getting shorter. Recess periods are being eliminated. Some new schools don’t even have playgrounds. Is it any wonder children retreat to “virtual horseplay” via video games? But Drs. Anthony T. DeBenedet and Lawrence J. Cohen are here to shake things up—literally! With The Art of Roughhousing, they show how rough-and-tumble play can nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence, and more. Drawing inspiration from gymnastics, martial arts, ballet, traditional sports, and even animal behavior, the authors present dozens of illustrated activities for children and parents to enjoy together—everything from the “Sumo Dead Lift” to the “Rogue Dumbo.” These delightful games are fun, free, and contain many surprising health benefits for parents. So put down those electronic games and get ready to rumble!
This is Your Brain on Music
Author: Daniel Levitin
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241987369
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
From the author of The Changing Mind and The Organized Mind comes a New York Times bestseller that unravels the mystery of our perennial love affair with music ***** 'What do the music of Bach, Depeche Mode and John Cage fundamentally have in common?' Music is an obsession at the heart of human nature, even more fundamental to our species than language. From Mozart to the Beatles, neuroscientist, psychologist and internationally-bestselling author Daniel Levitin reveals the role of music in human evolution, shows how our musical preferences begin to form even before we are born and explains why music can offer such an emotional experience. In This Is Your Brain On Music Levitin offers nothing less than a new way to understand music, and what it can teach us about ourselves. ***** 'Music seems to have an almost wilful, evasive quality, defying simple explanation, so that the more we find out, the more there is to know . . . Daniel Levitin's book is an eloquent and poetic exploration of this paradox' Sting 'You'll never hear music in the same way again' Classic FM magazine 'Music, Levitin argues, is not a decadent modern diversion but something of fundamental importance to the history of human development' Literary Review
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241987369
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
From the author of The Changing Mind and The Organized Mind comes a New York Times bestseller that unravels the mystery of our perennial love affair with music ***** 'What do the music of Bach, Depeche Mode and John Cage fundamentally have in common?' Music is an obsession at the heart of human nature, even more fundamental to our species than language. From Mozart to the Beatles, neuroscientist, psychologist and internationally-bestselling author Daniel Levitin reveals the role of music in human evolution, shows how our musical preferences begin to form even before we are born and explains why music can offer such an emotional experience. In This Is Your Brain On Music Levitin offers nothing less than a new way to understand music, and what it can teach us about ourselves. ***** 'Music seems to have an almost wilful, evasive quality, defying simple explanation, so that the more we find out, the more there is to know . . . Daniel Levitin's book is an eloquent and poetic exploration of this paradox' Sting 'You'll never hear music in the same way again' Classic FM magazine 'Music, Levitin argues, is not a decadent modern diversion but something of fundamental importance to the history of human development' Literary Review
Welcome to Your Brain
Author: Sandra Aamodt
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1846040779
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
When I drink, am I killing my brain cells? Does cramming for an exam work? Why can't you tickle yourself? Can you improve your brain with video games? Written with a light touch, but using hard science, this book will answer all the questions you've ever had about how that amazing three pounds in your skull works.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1846040779
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
When I drink, am I killing my brain cells? Does cramming for an exam work? Why can't you tickle yourself? Can you improve your brain with video games? Written with a light touch, but using hard science, this book will answer all the questions you've ever had about how that amazing three pounds in your skull works.
Descartes' Error
Author: Antonio Damasio
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 014303622X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Since Descartes famously proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am," science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person’s true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended, until recently, to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes’ Error in 1995. Antonio Damasio—"one of the world’s leading neurologists" (The New York Times)—challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. In this wondrously engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behavior.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 014303622X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Since Descartes famously proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am," science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person’s true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended, until recently, to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes’ Error in 1995. Antonio Damasio—"one of the world’s leading neurologists" (The New York Times)—challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. In this wondrously engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behavior.
The Willpower Instinct
Author: Kelly McGonigal
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1583335080
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
Based on Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal's wildly popular course "The Science of Willpower," The Willpower Instinct is the first book to explain the science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity. Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, The Willpower Instinct explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. For example, readers will learn: • Willpower is a mind-body response, not a virtue. It is a biological function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. • Willpower is not an unlimited resource. Too much self-control can actually be bad for your health. • Temptation and stress hijack the brain's systems of self-control, but the brain can be trained for greater willpower • Guilt and shame over your setbacks lead to giving in again, but self-forgiveness and self-compassion boost self-control. • Giving up control is sometimes the only way to gain self-control. • Willpower failures are contagious—you can catch the desire to overspend or overeat from your friends—but you can also catch self-control from the right role models. In the groundbreaking tradition of Getting Things Done, The Willpower Instinct combines life-changing prescriptive advice and complementary exercises to help readers with goals ranging from losing weight to more patient parenting, less procrastination, better health, and greater productivity at work.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1583335080
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
Based on Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal's wildly popular course "The Science of Willpower," The Willpower Instinct is the first book to explain the science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity. Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, The Willpower Instinct explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. For example, readers will learn: • Willpower is a mind-body response, not a virtue. It is a biological function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. • Willpower is not an unlimited resource. Too much self-control can actually be bad for your health. • Temptation and stress hijack the brain's systems of self-control, but the brain can be trained for greater willpower • Guilt and shame over your setbacks lead to giving in again, but self-forgiveness and self-compassion boost self-control. • Giving up control is sometimes the only way to gain self-control. • Willpower failures are contagious—you can catch the desire to overspend or overeat from your friends—but you can also catch self-control from the right role models. In the groundbreaking tradition of Getting Things Done, The Willpower Instinct combines life-changing prescriptive advice and complementary exercises to help readers with goals ranging from losing weight to more patient parenting, less procrastination, better health, and greater productivity at work.
The Accidental Mind
Author: David J. Linden
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674076613
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 361
Book Description
You've probably seen it before: a human brain dramatically lit from the side, the camera circling it like a helicopter shot of Stonehenge, and a modulated baritone voice exalting the brain's elegant design in reverent tones. To which this book says: Pure nonsense. In a work at once deeply learned and wonderfully accessible, the neuroscientist David Linden counters the widespread assumption that the brain is a paragon of design--and in its place gives us a compelling explanation of how the brain's serendipitous evolution has resulted in nothing short of our humanity. A guide to the strange and often illogical world of neural function, The Accidental Mind shows how the brain is not an optimized, general-purpose problem-solving machine, but rather a weird agglomeration of ad-hoc solutions that have been piled on through millions of years of evolutionary history. Moreover, Linden tells us how the constraints of evolved brain design have ultimately led to almost every transcendent human foible: our long childhoods, our extensive memory capacity, our search for love and long-term relationships, our need to create compelling narrative, and, ultimately, the universal cultural impulse to create both religious and scientific explanations. With forays into evolutionary biology, this analysis of mental function answers some of our most common questions about how we've come to be who we are.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674076613
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 361
Book Description
You've probably seen it before: a human brain dramatically lit from the side, the camera circling it like a helicopter shot of Stonehenge, and a modulated baritone voice exalting the brain's elegant design in reverent tones. To which this book says: Pure nonsense. In a work at once deeply learned and wonderfully accessible, the neuroscientist David Linden counters the widespread assumption that the brain is a paragon of design--and in its place gives us a compelling explanation of how the brain's serendipitous evolution has resulted in nothing short of our humanity. A guide to the strange and often illogical world of neural function, The Accidental Mind shows how the brain is not an optimized, general-purpose problem-solving machine, but rather a weird agglomeration of ad-hoc solutions that have been piled on through millions of years of evolutionary history. Moreover, Linden tells us how the constraints of evolved brain design have ultimately led to almost every transcendent human foible: our long childhoods, our extensive memory capacity, our search for love and long-term relationships, our need to create compelling narrative, and, ultimately, the universal cultural impulse to create both religious and scientific explanations. With forays into evolutionary biology, this analysis of mental function answers some of our most common questions about how we've come to be who we are.