The Hidden Brain

The Hidden Brain PDF Author: Shankar Vedantam
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0385525222
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
The hidden brain is the voice in our ear when we make the most important decisions in our lives—but we’re never aware of it. The hidden brain decides whom we fall in love with and whom we hate. It tells us to vote for the white candidate and convict the dark-skinned defendant, to hire the thin woman but pay her less than the man doing the same job. It can direct us to safety when disaster strikes and move us to extraordinary acts of altruism. But it can also be manipulated to turn an ordinary person into a suicide terrorist or a group of bystanders into a mob. In a series of compulsively readable narratives, Shankar Vedantam journeys through the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to uncover the darkest corner of our minds and its decisive impact on the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Filled with fascinating characters, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge science, this is an engrossing exploration of the secrets our brains keep from us—and how they are revealed.

The Hidden Brain

The Hidden Brain PDF Author: Shankar Vedantam
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0385525222
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Get Book Here

Book Description
The hidden brain is the voice in our ear when we make the most important decisions in our lives—but we’re never aware of it. The hidden brain decides whom we fall in love with and whom we hate. It tells us to vote for the white candidate and convict the dark-skinned defendant, to hire the thin woman but pay her less than the man doing the same job. It can direct us to safety when disaster strikes and move us to extraordinary acts of altruism. But it can also be manipulated to turn an ordinary person into a suicide terrorist or a group of bystanders into a mob. In a series of compulsively readable narratives, Shankar Vedantam journeys through the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to uncover the darkest corner of our minds and its decisive impact on the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Filled with fascinating characters, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge science, this is an engrossing exploration of the secrets our brains keep from us—and how they are revealed.

Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain

Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain PDF Author: Shankar Vedantam
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393652211
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2021 A Next Big Idea Club Best Nonfiction of 2021 From the New York Times best-selling author and host of Hidden Brain comes a thought-provoking look at the role of self-deception in human flourishing. Self-deception does terrible harm to us, to our communities, and to the planet. But if it is so bad for us, why is it ubiquitous? In Useful Delusions, Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler argue that, paradoxically, self-deception can also play a vital role in our success and well-being. The lies we tell ourselves sustain our daily interactions with friends, lovers, and coworkers. They can explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, why some nations hold together while others splinter. Filled with powerful personal stories and drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Useful Delusions offers a fascinating tour of what it really means to be human.

Noise

Noise PDF Author: Daniel Kahneman
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 031645138X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Thinking, Fast and Slow and the coauthor of Nudge, a revolutionary exploration of why people make bad judgments and how to make better ones—"a tour de force” (New York Times). Imagine that two doctors in the same city give different diagnoses to identical patients—or that two judges in the same courthouse give markedly different sentences to people who have committed the same crime. Suppose that different interviewers at the same firm make different decisions about indistinguishable job applicants—or that when a company is handling customer complaints, the resolution depends on who happens to answer the phone. Now imagine that the same doctor, the same judge, the same interviewer, or the same customer service agent makes different decisions depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, or Monday rather than Wednesday. These are examples of noise: variability in judgments that should be identical. In Noise, Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein show the detrimental effects of noise in many fields, including medicine, law, economic forecasting, forensic science, bail, child protection, strategy, performance reviews, and personnel selection. Wherever there is judgment, there is noise. Yet, most of the time, individuals and organizations alike are unaware of it. They neglect noise. With a few simple remedies, people can reduce both noise and bias, and so make far better decisions. Packed with original ideas, and offering the same kinds of research-based insights that made Thinking, Fast and Slow and Nudge groundbreaking New York Times bestsellers, Noise explains how and why humans are so susceptible to noise in judgment—and what we can do about it.

The Hidden Life of the Basal Ganglia

The Hidden Life of the Basal Ganglia PDF Author: Hagai Bergman
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262367297
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
The anatomy and physiology of the basal ganglia and their relation to brain and behavior, disorders and therapies, and philosophy of mind and moral values. The main task of the basal ganglia—a group of subcortical nuclei, located at the base of the brain—is to optimize and execute our automatic behavior. In this book, Hagai Bergman analyzes the anatomy and physiology of the basal ganglia, discussing their relation to brain and behavior, to disorders and therapies, and even to moral values. Drawing on his forty years of studying the basal ganglia, Bergman presents new information on physiology and computational models, Parkinson’s disease and other ganglia-related disorders, and such therapies as deep brain stimulation. Focusing on studies of nonhuman primates and human basal ganglia and relying on system physiology and in vivo extra-cellular recording techniques, Bergman first describes the major brain structures that constitute the basal ganglia, the morphology of their cellular elements, their synaptic connectivity and their physiological function in health and disease. He discusses the computational physiology of the healthy basal ganglia, describing four generations of computational models, and then traces the computational physiology of basal ganglia–related disorders and their treatments, including Parkinson’s disease and its pharmacological and surgical therapies. Finally, Bergman considers the implications of these findings for such moral concerns as free will. Explaining this leap into domains rarely explored in neuroscientific accounts, Bergman writes that the longer he studies the basal ganglia, the more he is convinced that they are truly the base of both brain and mind.

Possessed

Possessed PDF Author: Bruce Hood
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190699914
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Ownership is on most people's lips these days, or at least the lack of ownership. Everywhere people seem to be fighting over what is theirs. They want to take back their property, their lands, their liberty, their bodies, their identity, and their right to do what they want. These demands arequite remarkable when you consider that ownership is not an observable property but rather an abstract concept. And yet this abstract concept controls just about everything we do, and rarely do we stop to consider how it rules our lives. Ownership even explains the anger and political turmoil thatis currently sweeping over Western democracies: people feel they have had something taken away, something they used to own in the past and want back.Possessed is the first accessible book to consider the psychological origins and future of ownership in a rapidly changing world. It reveals how we are compelled to accumulate possessions in a relentless drive to seek status and approval by signalling our values to others by what we own. It tracesthe history of ownership but looks to the future as our drive to own will need to adapt to environmental and technological change.

Idea Mapping

Idea Mapping PDF Author: Jamie Nast
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111842929X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 163

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Book Description
Praise for Idea Mapping "Nast's work in Idea Mapping enables those with creative minds to clearly lay out their thinking process and those who are more process-minded to become creative. If your organization is looking for a pragmatic, step-by-step guide to idea mapping, this is it." --Chris Brown, Executive Vice President, DTE Energy Resources "I have used idea maps for thirty years and have taught MBA students, employees, and my children how to harness their power. I strongly recommend this book and believe you will feel it to be one of the best investments you have ever made in your own growth." --Stephen C. Lundin, coauthor, FISH! "This is a book that everyone should read. It's an interactive, thought-provoking book about the brain and learning that will expand your mind. Nast, an accomplished and well-respected instructor, has guided me into a new realm of learning experiences and possibilities. I'm sure you will feel the same upon reading her insightful work." --Simon Tai, CEO, Buzan Centre Taiwan and S&J Media Intergration Co. Ltd., Host of News Discovery on NEWS 98 Taiwan "Nast shows you a revolutionary method to capture your thinking processes. Don't underestimate the simplicity of idea mapping because therein lies its genius." --Scott Hagwood, four-time USA Memory Champion, author, Memory Power "The ability to visually capture and organize thoughts and ideas has enabled millions of people around the world to do their work with greater creativity and productivity, run their businesses more strategically, and manage complex projects more efficiently--even map out a sales process or new product roll-out. Nast's very practical, readable book will get you quickly up to speed on one of the simplest but most powerful ways to organize your ideas, your work, and yourself." --Mike Jetter, cofounder and CTO, Mindjet Corporation, coauthor, The Cancer Code "The principles Nast writes about in Idea Mapping have become a staple for me over the past fourteen years. I was turned onto the concept of idea mapping in 1992 and have been a student and practitioner ever since. This has absolutely transformed the way I learn, design learning, and prepare for public speaking. I have never been more confident in my recall, knowing the content is nicely tucked away in my brain as it was designed to be. Get ready for a life-changing experience for yourself and those you influence." --Will Flora, Senior Manager, Chick-Fil-A University, Atlanta, GA

The Master and His Emissary

The Master and His Emissary PDF Author: Iain McGilchrist
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300245920
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 615

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Book Description
A new edition of the bestselling classic – published with a special introduction to mark its 10th anniversary This pioneering account sets out to understand the structure of the human brain – the place where mind meets matter. Until recently, the left hemisphere of our brain has been seen as the ‘rational’ side, the superior partner to the right. But is this distinction true? Drawing on a vast body of experimental research, Iain McGilchrist argues while our left brain makes for a wonderful servant, it is a very poor master. As he shows, it is the right side which is the more reliable and insightful. Without it, our world would be mechanistic – stripped of depth, colour and value.

The Elephant in the Brain

The Elephant in the Brain PDF Author: Kevin Simler
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190495995
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather, but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus we don't like to talk or even think about the extent of our selfishness. This is "the elephant in the brain." Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behavior. The aim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly - to track down the darker, unexamined corners of our psyches and blast them with floodlights. Then, once everything is clearly visible, we can work to better understand ourselves: Why do we laugh? Why are artists sexy? Why do we brag about travel? Why do we prefer to speak rather than listen? Our unconscious motives drive more than just our private behavior; they also infect our venerated social institutions such as Art, School, Charity, Medicine, Politics, and Religion. In fact, these institutions are in many ways designed to accommodate our hidden motives, to serve covert agendas alongside their "official" ones. The existence of big hidden motives can upend the usual political debates, leading one to question the legitimacy of these social institutions, and of standard policies designed to favor or discourage them. You won't see yourself - or the world - the same after confronting the elephant in the brain.

Your Brain Is Always Listening

Your Brain Is Always Listening PDF Author: Daniel G. Amen, MD
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 149643823X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen equips you with powerful weapons to battle the inner dragons that are breathing fire on your brain, driving unhealthy behaviors, and robbing you of joy and contentment. Your brain is always listening and responding to these hidden influences and unless you recognize and deal with them, they can steal your happiness, spoil your relationships, and sabotage your health. This book will teach you to tame the: Dragons from the Past that ignite your most painful emotions; Negative Thought Dragons that attack you, fueling anxiety and depression; They and Them Dragons, people in your life whose own dragons do battle with yours; Bad Habit Dragons that increase the chances you’ll be overweight, overwhelmed, and an underachiever; Addicted Dragons that make you lose control of your health, wealth, and relationships; and Scheming Dragons, advertisers and social media sites that steal your attention. Dr. Daniel Amen shows you how to recognize harmful dragons and gives you the weapons to vanquish them. With these practical tools, you can stop feeling sad, mad, nervous, or out of control and start being happier, calmer, and more in control of your own destiny.

The Brain Warrior's Way

The Brain Warrior's Way PDF Author: Daniel G. Amen, M.D.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101988495
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
New York Times bestselling authors Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen are ready to lead you to victory...The Brain Warrior’s Way is your arsenal to win the fight to live a better life. The Amens will guide you through the process, and give you the tools to take control. So if you’re serious about your health, either out of desire or necessity, it’s time to arm yourself and head into battle. When trying to live a healthy lifestyle, every day can feel like a battle. Forces are destroying our bodies and our minds. The standard American diet we consume is making us sick; we are constantly bombarded by a fear-mongering news media; and we’re hypnotized by technical gadgets that keep us from our loved ones. Even our own genes can seem like they’re out to get us. But you can win the war. You can live your life to the fullest, be your best, and feel your greatest, and the key to victory rests between your ears. Your brain runs your life. When it works right, your body works right, and your decisions tend to be thoughtful and goal directed. Bad choices, however, can lead to a myriad of problems in your body. Studies have shown that your habits turn on or off certain genes that make illness and early death more or less likely. But you can master your brain and body for the rest of your life with a scientifically-designed program: the Brain Warrior’s Way. Master your brain and body for the rest of your life. This is not a program to lose 10 pounds, even though you will do that—and lose much more if needed. You can also prevent Alzheimer’s, reverse aging, and improve your: -Overall health -Focus -Memory -Energy -Work -Mood Stability -Flexibility -Inner Peace -Relationships The Amens have helped tens of thousands of clients over thirty years, and now they can help you. It is time to live a better life—right now!