How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend

A Neuroscientist's Guide to a Healthier, Happier Life

De: Rachel Barr

Narrado por: Rachel Barr

'Fun, but still deeply, rigorously researched.' - Professor Neil Shyminsky

'A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind.' - Jeffrey Meltzer, LMHC

'Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.' - Joshua Fletcher, anxiety therapist

Your brain is the most remarkable thing in the known universe.

Always trying to mend itself, and always trying to protect you, it’s in a constant state of flux — adapting, reconfiguring, finding new pathways . . . And it has an astonishing capacity for recovery.

Only it doesn’t always get it right.

Rachel Barr struggled through years of devastating loss, heartache, and uncertainty until neuroscience gave her the first spark of self-belief she had felt in her adult life — and proof that, because of the brain’s near-infinite potential for neuroplastic change, it’s never too late to carve out neural pathways to form new habits, new skills, and new ways of thinking.

Whether you want to nerd-out on Neuroscientific acronyms, finally understand what’s going on in your head, or take refuge in an audiobook that’s like a warm hug for your mind, How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend is a delight-filled, evidence-based guide to taking better care of your brain — so it, in turn, will take better care of you.

Rachel Barr holds a master’s degree in molecular neuroscience and wrote How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend while completing her PhD in the electrophysiology of memory and sleep. Beyond the lab, her videos as ‘Rachel the Neuroscientist’ demystify the fundamental principles of brain science, empowering her million-plus followers to make informed decisions about their mental health. Born and raised in Fife, she studied in Bristol and is now based in Quebec, where she shares her home — and keyboard — with Gnocchi the cat.

©2025 Rachel Barr (P)2025 DK Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

Whether you’re looking to understand why your brain behaves the way it does or seeking practical strategies to get your mind on your side, this is a must-read.

Somehow both a delightful and poignant piece of science communication. Rachel Barr’s writing is Bill Bryson-esque in both its accessibility and playfulness – your brain is “a well-meaning but inadvertently toxic-positive aunt”, “a multi-layered birthday cake”, and “A LIAR” – but it’s also tender and tinged with the pain of loss . . . I really enjoyed it!

Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.

A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind into language that’s easy to understand.

A serious take on how improve your mental health

The book offers you insight into how can you improve your mental health and what are the things that might help. It doesn’t present itself as an unrealistic answer, rather as a guide with strong evidence. Listening to it feels like a reflection and a conversation with the author. Loved it!

Great book

I loved this book, the way it was layed out, the concept, the information and its usefullness, and, last but not least, Rachel's narration. One very enjoyable "read".

Kind and utterly generous to frame reclaim your brain

I pre-purchased both the audiobook and the hard copy. However, Rachel's tone, pauses, breaths, tears, and smiles bring a lively perspective that the printed words alone cannot convey. I found myself returning to the same printed passages to bookmark them, confirm their meaning, and highlight the brain hacks. This made me realise, with a smile, the energy and vibrant context that Rachel's voice adds to her writing. The combo text and voice made its way to my own Delight Log that I started after the chapter on the delights.

Damn useful

The book is short, because of her condensed way of thinking. I'm not an emotive person. I could support everyone in my dad's funeral without a tear, but the ending of chapter eight went over my threshold. 🥲

Amazing

A lot of useful nformation and great explanation, narratedby the author. I loved it. highly recommend