Brain Rules

12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

By: John J. Medina

Narrated by: John J. Medina

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know - such as the brain's need for physical activity to work at its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget - and so important to repeat - new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains?

In Brain Rules, molecular biologist Dr. John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule - what scientists know for sure about how our brains work - and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.

Medina's fascinating stories and sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he finds, to his surprise, that we have a "Jennifer Aniston neuron". You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes.

Visit brainrules.net/dvd to view videos mentioned in the book.

©2008 John J. Medina (P)2008 Pear Press

I'll recommend this to my patients

I enjoyed the book and thought that it was written in an accessible and entertaining manner. The points are familiar and not surprising to those working in the field. However, I'm a psychologist and many of my patients are not aware of the extreme impact that lack of exercise, stress and sleep have on the brain and your ability to think.

I believe that this book was written with the intent to make work and school environments more human places - that support learning and creativity. Many people berate themselves because they simply feel like they don't measure up when it's really an environment that is bad for brains.

Medina has made an excellent case for changing the world for the better and I hope that teachers and managers take notice.

Good material Sqeaky narrator

Medina's book about the brain is fascinating, but the narrator is wierdly squeaky. While the content is good, the voice is distracting.

Interesting book.

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

I think either would be a good choice; the audiobook was well done and Medina's quirky inflections kept me engaged.

Very Enjoyable and Informative Listen

I'm a big fan of popular neuroscience books and this would be one of my favourites. Written to inform and entertain, John Medina does a surprisingly good job of reading it himself. Brain Rules is super interesting because it tells stories that are mildly technical that are also very amusing. Medina does a great job of relating brain functionality to everyday life and explaining how you can use the medical knowledge to improve your general wellbeing. I'm willing to bet that his lectures are always full. Great book!

Fresh and interesting information. Well written.

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

This book is not the same old book on the brain. The writting is dynamic. The author makes it easy to understand complex subjects.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Everything about the reading was excellent except the tonal quality of the author's voice. It was weak and crackly. However the weak voice was a low price to pay in return for the author's precise enthusiasm and passionate inflection.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The author explains how to make a presentation to perfectly fit our naturally short attention spans.

Good read

This is an interesting book on how the brain works. The author uses real life examples and provides insight on how humans learn. As an educator, I loved the connections and implications to teaching at all grade levels.

An interesting topic

An interesting read although the narrator is a bit difficult to listen to. At first his idiosyncratic voice inflections are minimally noticalbe but after a few hours of this it becomes distracting.

12 rules + 8 hours of mildly entertaining blabber

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

The author assumes that his listeners have a 10-minute attention span. He buries one idea in every 10 minutes of jokes, trivia, and clinical psychiatry stories.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Go for a walk, jog, or cardio, and your brain will work better.

Fascinating book, great info, very entertaining

Would you listen to Brain Rules again? Why?

Yes. I need to take notes on the rules and his ideas for better performance.

What about John J. Medina’s performance did you like?

Very enthusiastic performance. His voice would get so high it would crack not so often or so bad that is was annoying...it was sort of endearing actually.

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

No. I listened to each rule at a time. It is more involved so I would read it while walking my dog or cleaning up...can't do it while working on something (that's one of the brain rules!!!)

Any additional comments?

Loved the book. Great stories help convey the dryer facts - it is amazing how much we have learned about the brain as a result of strokes and odd brain trauma!!!

I love John Medina

The book and narration are fantastic! This is a well-researched and interesting book which gives numerous insights into how the mind works, the differences between men and women, how to study and how to make presentations. While a wide variety of topics are covered, I feel that he did each topic justice.

Dr. Melina's narration was fantastic. He is enthusiastic, playful, and clear. He's able to take a subject that might otherwise appear dry and make it fun and engaging.