• Brain Trust

  • 93 Top Scientists Reveal Lab-Tested Secrets to Surfing, Dating, Dieting, Gambling, Growing Man-Eating Plants, and More!
  • By: Garth Sundem
  • Narrated by: Garth Sundem
  • Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (243 ratings)

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Brain Trust  By  cover art

Brain Trust

By: Garth Sundem
Narrated by: Garth Sundem
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Publisher's summary

Blind them...with science!

How much better would your life be if you had an army of Nobel Laureates, MacArthur "geniuses", and National Medal of Science winners whispering tips in your ear about your body language, or how to resist that impulse purchase you’ll regret tomorrow, or when to sell your car - or even helping you trick your spouse into doing the dishes?

With this mighty little audio tome, you can have the next best thing - because Brain Trust is packed with bite-sized scientific wisdom on our everyday challenges, hand-delivered to you direct from the galaxy’s biggest brains. Based entirely on interviews with an incredible lineup of luminaries from the fields of neuroscience, economics, anthropology, music, mathematics, and more, Brain Trust is full of cutting-edge science that’ll help you see the real world better - and smarter.

Discover:

  • what advanced math can teach you about getting all your chores done today
  • how creating a "future self" can help you shop smarter at the grocery store
  • what prairie voles can teach us about love
  • how the science of happiness can help you trick lawyers into doing charity work
  • the components of gullibility, and how they can help you scam-proof yourself
  • the secrets to building your very own army of cyborg beetles
  • how memetic information can help you exploit altruism for good…or evil
  • why eating for eight hours can help you lose weight
  • the behavioral economics behind selling your junk for big bucks on eBay
  • how to get more pleasure for less price

…and much, much more.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2012 Garth Sundem (P)2012 Random House

What listeners say about Brain Trust

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    66
  • 4 Stars
    77
  • 3 Stars
    64
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    10
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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    60
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    57
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    9
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    64
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    11

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Where does Brain Trust rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm new to the audio book world, but this book was great!

What other book might you compare Brain Trust to and why?

See answer above

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many, it's hard to choose. I really liked the section on training your child to have perfect pitch

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The information provided was great, but I didn't cry

Any additional comments?

Great information on so many topics!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting, not practical

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Depends. Though the material was interesting, there wasn't much practical information that you can actually use. If I were rating this as a book on trivia, I would have rated it an overall four star. (I felt that some of the information was a little too complex for the average layman.)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and Enlightening

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book so much, I ordered three hard copies for my audibly challenged friends. It highlights some very interesting and startling facts in a non-political, entertaining way. And it reminded me of some of the more laughable moments of family life.Thanks to Mr. Sundem for an entertaining read!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too many "Refer to PDF" comments for an AUDIObook

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Too many references to a "PDF" file. Not really useful for an audio book.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

No real ending. Just a collection of unconnected sections.

What aspect of Garth Sundem’s performance would you have changed?

When you convert a book to "AUDIO", don't forget to remove all the "refer to PDF" and other references to non-existing references.

Was Brain Trust worth the listening time?

Yes.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Brain Loss!

What did you love best about Brain Trust?

OK, I really did like Brain Trust yet I have a problem with the fast moving recording and each section running together. This is one book that could use a narrator that is not the author. I enjoyed the humor and silliness the author has offered but he is hard to follow. I wish the whole had defined sections that were clearly beginning and then ending.

Interesting factoids and perspective. My suggestion is to get the paper version. I think this is a much more visual book.

Any additional comments?

Whew! Glad it is over. Happy reading.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A lots of neat information

Where does Brain Trust rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 20%

What did you like best about this story?

Good stuff to hack your life. Useful and fun info.

What does Garth Sundem bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Energetic read

Any additional comments?

A good use of a credit

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun, interestion, not bad

I liked it but then I like this kind of book. It's a little Malcolm Gladwell mixed with the science facts you might see on the evening news. About half of it won't apply to most of us but interesting none the less.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting for egg heads

Very good book; however quite technical and a little too much detail. A good variety subjects but some are not very interesting. Enjoyed listening to it and would recommend to friends with a technical background.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Handy bits of knowledge!

Would you consider the audio edition of Brain Trust to be better than the print version?

Yes, Sundam made the boring otherwise interesting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Brain Trust?

So many facts I'm gonna have to listen again.

Which scene was your favorite?

Him learning to surf.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Would recommend to everyone.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Quite curious and inspiring. In small drops.

If you could sum up Brain Trust in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, inspiring, byte-size.

What three words best describe Garth Sundem’s voice?

Cheerful e confident but most of all: nerdy!!! ;-p

Any additional comments?

Perfect companion for subway rides, lunch breaks. Since it is a compilation of numerous described interviews with notable intellects. Each with really nice life hacks.

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