Ruby Wax's No-Brainer: It's All in the Mind

An Audible Original

By: Ruby Wax

Narrated by: Ruby Wax

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Could we be happier? Calmer? Better human beings?

In this Audible Original, Ruby Wax hunts down her heroes - brain scientists - in the UK and across America, to learn more about what makes us tick: why we get stressed, how we feel pain, what makes us addicted - and has a lot of fun along the way.

She faces death with Past Mortems author Carla Valentine, explores how video games affect our attention with gamification expert Gabe Zichermann, and discovers the benefits of vaginal smearing with Professor Tim Spector. Natural Born Learners author Alex Beard reveals what teenagers really need to know for a good education and visitors to a New York soup kitchen help Ruby confront her fear of compassion.

In No-Brainer Ruby draws on memories of her own difficult childhood and long history of depression and makes you laugh out loud with her frank observations and anarchic questions. You’ll learn a lot about your brain, and hear a ton of advice on how to use it better.

©2018 Ruby Wax (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Educational and Witty

I stumbled upon Ruby while looking for my next Audible audiobook. I’m thrilled that I found this book. I have listened to it while doing my daily 3 mile walk and learned some strategies I can use to live with my 21 year old who has a history of Depression and the latest diagnosis being Bipolar.

I especially loved how honest Ruby was. In the last chapter, for example, she was very upset with her test results regarding aging and openly told the doctor she was very disappointed with the results. It takes balls to share that way with an audience. (I think Ruby would say it that way).

Personally, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer (non-smoker) that metastasized to various other parts of my body, especially my brain. For folks with a diagnosis that is less than wonderful, I recommend Ruby’s approach to mindfulness. I have outlived my prognosis for almost a year and plan to continue what has worked so far, which includes a GIANT dose of mindfulness.

I’m looking forward to my next Ruby Wax audiobook.

Love It

Funny take on the hard topic of depression and how to deal with it.
Listening to Ruby's voice in this audiobook gave me so much more than reading it in a paper book.
Happy to recommend it to anyone who like to learn about depression, the brain and how to handle it/yourself.
Thanks Ruby! /V

worth listening twice

so much to learn! I'll definitely be listening again. Ruby's cute, too, and awesome guest speakers

great informational book with good humor mixed in.

learned a lot and had a few laughs while doing so. this book kept me entertained and listening the whole time.

Chock full of interesting stuff

This book was chock-full of interesting information that I found to be helpful as a human being. So much so that I am going to have to listen to it again and, possibly again to try to process and absorb all of it. I found Ruby to be funny. She is over the top, but definitely my kind of humor. I’m going to be looking for more of her work so I can learn more and keep on laughing.

very Ruby

I always liked Rubys style of doing an interview and you can sense her eagerness to get the information conveyed. interesting people she is bringing along with her.

loved it!

loved every minute and learned a lot! can not wait to listen to more of Ruby!

Awesome book

So much insight into how our brains work. Ruby’s humor and knowledge rewired my brain!

Ruby gets in the way

This conveys great information in an interview format but there were times I wanted to scream, “Ruby...TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!” Her self-disclosures were often helpful but a few were painful to hear (her mother placing her daughter’s hand on a hot burner to teach her not to touch a hot stove - what psychosis is this?}. Others were inappropriate; joking about smearing her babies with her own vaginal fluid because they were born by c-section and thus, did not have the antibodies that come with a vaginal birth. I could have lived without that. Other insights were good; a high point was an interview with a woman who lives with constant pain from a spinal cord injury serenely and without drugs, using mindfulness and meditation. Amazing. But Ruby got in the way too often.

Announcement: the ending in a new voice

The book is fun and just enough useful starter content is heard in each chapter. Then, "A novice hopes you' ve enjoyed this program. " is heard in a new, living person's voice. This is what I've been waiting for for so long.