The Idiot Brain

A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head Is Really up To

De: Dean Burnett

Narrado por: Matt Addis

Why do you lose arguments with people who know MUCH LESS than you?

Why can you recognize that woman, from that thing...but can't remember her name?

And why, after your last break-up, did you find yourself in the fetal position on the sofa for days, moving only to wipe the snot and tears haphazardly from your face? Here's why: the idiot brain.

For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganized. For example, your memory is egotistical. No, really. Conspiracy theories and superstitions are the inevitable effects of a healthy brain. And alcohol can actually improve your memory.**

In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett tours our mysterious and mischievous grey (and white) matter. Along the way he explains the human brain's imperfections in all their glory and how these influence everything we say, do and experience. Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this audiobook is for anyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to.

**Editor's note: please listen to the book before testing this conclusion.

From the hugely popular Guardian science blogger, a surprising, funny and mind-bending examination of how and why the brain sabotages our behavior.

©2016 Dean Burnett (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Compelling and wise and rational. You know you can trust him... a great read." (Jon Ronson)
"An entertaining romp through the science of our mental mental processes. Full of fascinating insight into the brain and the origins of our crazy behaviour." (Gaia Vince)

So many bad jokes

Great little summary, lots of interesting insights well communicated, but ... wow ... so many terrible jokes. In a way it does add to the charm, occasionally it connects to the point (well mostly it does, but it's like a pun of a pun, think: cats ... cats purr ... so purgatory ... so hell. It's not the best example but I think I captured the essence. Maybe more a non-sequitor which leads back to a pun).

Bottom line, I enjoyed the book even if it made me groan more often than I would have expected.

Fascinating for the most part

The idiot brain was an interesting read. I am a scientist but ill informed about the workings of the human brain. This book has made me much better informed and probably 75% of the book is a fascinating and informative read but there were a few sections where I was either less attentive or the specifics did not interest me as much and I never did get my head around the roles of the various parts of the brain which was just a bit too much detail to absorb in an audio book and maybe i neeed a diagram. The book is written in a very entertaining and quite witty prose and well narrated. Being a welshman I did enjoy the welsh lilt to the narration. Overall a very worthwhile read.