The Extended Mind

The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain

By: Annie Murphy Paul

Narrated by: Annie Murphy Paul

A New York Times Editors' Choice
A Washington Post Best Nonfiction Book of 2021
A New York Times Notable Book

A bold new book reveals how we can tap the intelligence that exists beyond our brains—in our bodies, our surroundings, and our relationships

Use your head.

That’s what we tell ourselves when facing a tricky problem or a difficult project. But a growing body of research indicates that we’ve got it exactly backwards. What we need to do, says acclaimed science writer Annie Murphy Paul, is think outside the brain. A host of “extra-neural” resources—the feelings and movements of our bodies, the physical spaces in which we learn and work, and the minds of those around us— can help us focus more intently, comprehend more deeply, and create more imaginatively.

The Extended Mind outlines the research behind this exciting new vision of human ability, exploring the findings of neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, psychologists, and examining the practices of educators, managers, and leaders who are already reaping the benefits of thinking outside the brain. She excavates the untold history of how artists, scientists, and authors—from Jackson Pollock to Jonas Salk to Robert Caro—have used mental extensions to solve problems, make discoveries, and create new works. In the tradition of Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind or Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, The Extended Mind offers a dramatic new view of how our minds work, full of practical advice on how we can all think better.

Good info but Hard to follow

I will have to listen to this one again. There was an awful lot of good information. I just had a hard time keeping up. Had to rewind often. The reader was a little droll to me. A little flat.

Brilliant

Annie Murphy Paul links many different ideas together in a logical and inspiring framework, pushing our understanding of how the mind works.

book of the year!

I'm recommending this book to everyone. it completely flips how we've thought about learning, persuasion, decisions, mental capacity on it's head. If you work with adults or kids, you nees this book. chapters 3 and 4 blew my mind, and 11 too! I recommend taking it just a chapter at a time, it's so rich with content.

Excellent!

About time we recognize and use all human abilities. Well written and well presented. Thanks

A Look Into the Future.

This book got me thinking of ideas that were new and unique--and I have read widely in the scientific research on learning and performance. Some of the research paradigms described are fairly new, so time will tell about their rigor, generalization, and uptake in practice. But that's okay! Thank you to Annie Murphy Paul for bringing this work to light! A very important book!