A Whole New Mind

Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

By: Daniel H. Pink

Narrated by: Daniel H. Pink

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Lawyers. Accountants. Software Engineers. That's what Mom and Dad encouraged us to become. They were wrong. Gone is the age of "left-brain" dominance. The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: designers, inventors, teachers, storytellers - creative and emphatic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't.

Drawing on research from around the advanced world, Daniel Pink outlines six fundamentally human abilities that are essential for professional success and personal fulfillment - and reveals how to master them.

From a laughter club in Bombay to an inner-city high school devoted to design, to a lesson on how to detect an insincere smile, A Whole New Mind takes listeners to a daring new place, and offers a provocative and urgent new way of thinking about a future that has already arrived.

©2005 Daniel H. Pink (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Thought-provoking moments abound." ( Publishers Weekly)
"This book is a miracle. Completely original and profound." (Tom Peters)
"For soon-to-be liberal arts graduates, it makes an encouraging graduation gift." ( Newsweek)
"This is one author who knows how to narrate. Pink has excellent pacing, diction, and tone." ( AudioFile)

Power to the Right Side of the Brain

I am logical. No, I am creative. No, I am logical. No, I am creative. Do you ever feel like you are pulled between these two sides of your brain? Some days, you feel a little more logical – spreadsheets and word docs make you happy, while the thought of having to draw a happy face makes you frown.

Well, Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, invites you to re-think the sides of the brain. He takes you on a journey through research and brain MRI’s that show how you respond to certain stimuli. The book is a fascinating look at the way our brain functions, responds to events, triggers memories and pulls the pieces of situations into a coherent picture that we understand.

The design industry uses the right brain to help create new art pieces, new furniture and who knows what else. The left brain is our logic side – calculations and critical thinking are found here. However, Daniel identifies and stipulates, that the best individual is one who can pull the right information from the appropriate side of the brain and put it together to fit the situation. Sometimes we need more logic and less creativity and vice versa.

He explains that when someone has a stroke on the right side of the brain it affects their left side and vice versa. Sometimes we encounter people who appear to not understand what we are saying – that might actually be because that person doesn’t have full use of that particular part of the brain. I could be jesting about something and the person may take me literally.

Daniel suggests that we need to develop “a whole new mind” to evaluate situations and events that utilize both sides of the brain in equal amounts. This book focuses on the idea that right brain thinking will be depended on heavily in the future as we grow and change the way we interact.

This book was fantastic! If you are a research junkie, you will not be disappointed. If you work in a logical business (engineering for example), I would highly suggest that you challe

A Good First Read

Daniel Pink has written a helpful book on the Right/Left Brains. He argues that in the new economy individuals will need to access both sides to assure working success. He does a great job in making his case and informing the general reader. If you have already in the area, this book may be too basic. If you are just starting out, it will attract your interest.

Readers might also look for Norman Doidge's "The Brain taht Changes Itself" for futher reading.

Interesting, not sure I agree with his conclusions

A Whole New Mind audio book by Daniel H. Pink is entertaining and thought provoking, however I disagree with some of his arguments and conclusions. He suggests those who use their right-brain more will get the better jobs in the 21st century. This maybe true but his argument that left-brain activities are becoming less valuable due to abundance, Asia(low cost overseas workers) and automation are flawed. For example, while right-brain activities may keep us one step ahead of Asia what is to stop them from also engaging in more right-brain activities? His other two arguments have similar holes. That said the book is still worth reading for the right-brain exercises and his general discussion on left vs right brain thinking. This is one audio you should read amazon.com’s reviews.

simply great

I enjoyed listening to this audio book so much. It's very organized and to the point. It's also very ingaging and informing. It contains recommendations for other great books as well. Overall it's a great book and I highly recommend it.

Makes You Think

Really good book and it was well read. Gives you a lot too think about and many resources. I would recommend this book to others.

Starts with a bang, then falls flat

I was excited when I started the book. The initial chapters have great content and the intro was immersive. Then as I progressed, it started to fall flat. I know it's an old book and all, but the outdated references became extremely annoying. Another annoying thing was that the target audience for this book was exclusively Americans. If you're not American, this book will remind you every paragraph. I got some good nuggets from it, but I won't recommend it to an non American.

An Introduction to a More Balanced Brain Future

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The book offers a concept for which way the world is heading, and provides some basic ideas on how to cope with this new reality.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Whole New Mind?

Throughout the book, the author keeps coming back to our roots as humans. We have evolved and grown into beings very capable and understanding of each other and ourselves. While much of the modern world is obsessed with technology and applications of new devices, the author argues that technology will free us to better focus on ourselves as humans.

What does Daniel H. Pink bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Listening to the author, it is clear that these are simple ideas and this is a basic overview. If you're looking for something in depth on the subject, the author provides worthwhile sources which provide more depth on these topics.

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

No - there's too much in this book to fit into a single sitting. As he introduces these concepts, the author introduces sources for further reading which are worth consulting before moving on to subsequent chapters.

Any additional comments?

As I listened to this material, I was consistently inspired to dive deeper and relate my own experiences. I'm definitely going to follow up and take advantage of diving deeper into the underlying topics.

Explains a lot

I always thought I had a problem, I got to Med school and always had good grades but ,still, I thought I was different from many others in means of thinking, reacting and understanding the whole world. I saw Oprah's review of the book and I loved the way she presented it. The book explains how to integrate the small pieces of your world into a whole big picture in an amazing way. To those with bad reviews about the book maby you aren't right brainers like me and thats why you don't get the "whole" picture of this book.

Powerful, Practical Book

The reader will be able to take some tools and some thoughts away from this book that will make a dramatic impact into their personal and business life. This is one of the best books I've listen to that covers what the next big thing is in the business world. For anyone who wants to stay competitive personally and professionally this is the book.

Hooray for right brainers!

I am a music teacher in the public schools, so I have felt the prejudice against right brains for many years. I have always stressed with my students how important it is to be able to use the WHOLE BRAIN. (Isn't that a no brainer???) Now I have more ammunition to back up what I have always known.