Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
26th out of 58 books
—
34 voters
What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite
Why do we routinely choose options that don’t meet our short-term needs and undermine our long-term goals? Why do we willingly expose ourselves to temptations that undercut our hard-fought progress to overcome addictions? Why are we prone to assigning meaning to statistically common coincidences? Why do we insist we’re right even when evidence contradicts us? This book rev...more
Paperback, 309 pages
Published
November 22nd 2011
by Prometheus Books
(first published November 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,826)
Books like this make me wish I could afford to hire a research assistant to read and summarize as a one-page document. Yes, the content is very useful, but DiSalvo spins out what would be an interesting article into a full-length book.
6 likes · like · see review
view 2 comments
A fascinating round up of research that shows how our brain can trick us into self-defeating behaviour. What I like about this book is that it isn't trying to claim it holds the key to a better life. Instead it teaches you to become aware of the mechanisms your brain may use to make decisions and drive behaviour, and when those mechanisms may act against your best interests. He argues that just being aware of those things is the beginning of overcoming them and making better decisions, while at...more
Absolutely fascinating book about the brain (and its neurons) and how it affects our personalities and our thinking. It tells us useful so many uselful things that I can't explain them all. Here are a couple.
In a political discussion, the one side will maintain adamantly their opinion is the correct one, yet the other side will maintain just as vigorously that their side is correct. The conversation can get quite heated. Why is this so? Sometimes the conversation can get so heated that neither...more
In a political discussion, the one side will maintain adamantly their opinion is the correct one, yet the other side will maintain just as vigorously that their side is correct. The conversation can get quite heated. Why is this so? Sometimes the conversation can get so heated that neither...more
Dec 26, 2011
Victoria Costello
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone curious about how the mind workds
Shelves:
nonfiction
With one eye on neuroscience and the other on cognitive psychology, DiSalvo reveals what's "behind the curtain" when it comes to common self-defeating human behaviors. For example, why, if you think you've "blown your diet" by exceeding the calorie limit you set for the day, most likely you'll blow through it all the way, thinking "oh what the hell." It turns out what the hell is a pre-wired response. As is overconfidence about your ability to restrain yourself in the first place, thus the reaso...more
Jul 16, 2012
Kathy Coenen
added it
I loved this book. I am fascinated by what makes us tick apart from acculturation. There are study summaries that are entertaining that will enlighten you and if you can retain a few of them you can in some cases be aware of when you are responding to marketing ploys and can at least be fairly armed. This awareness will make you slow down and consider why you and others do some of the things you do and possibly motivate you to make incremental changes. Alternately, appreciating how we operate ca...more
There's a lot of good information it in here. Some of it I'd seen before in other similar books regarding psychology and sociology, but many things were new to me.
What makes this different from other books in its genre is that this touches on what changes we can make to improve ourselves, based on the way our minds work. This isn't a self-help book, but it may make you question your perspective on the world and your place in it.
This is neither a weight loss (or other self-help) how-to, nor a cog...more
What makes this different from other books in its genre is that this touches on what changes we can make to improve ourselves, based on the way our minds work. This isn't a self-help book, but it may make you question your perspective on the world and your place in it.
This is neither a weight loss (or other self-help) how-to, nor a cog...more
I spent a lot of time reading about how to better understand myself and others in order to accurately reduce misunderstanding. I have found that most problems are a result of misunderstandings. These misunderstandings occur because we all operate with a different set of assumptions, accumulated through our lifes and reinforced as we are "right."
This is an excellent book because is helpful in identifying when we are not "right." Since a bike accident in January of 2011, I have struggled to lose...more
This is an excellent book because is helpful in identifying when we are not "right." Since a bike accident in January of 2011, I have struggled to lose...more
Very interesting and enlightening about how the brain functions and how it can be short-circuited. For instance, there is a reward center in the brain...yummy chocolate makes it happy....but when this reward center is abused and overwhelmed addiction follows. i.e. all things is moderation is a valid axiom.
There is much more to the book, and it is written in short bursts so you don't get overloaded with information. If addiction is anywhere in your life, I suggest buying the book, and a highlight...more
There is much more to the book, and it is written in short bursts so you don't get overloaded with information. If addiction is anywhere in your life, I suggest buying the book, and a highlight...more
An eye opening read that will have you nodding your head in agreement in every page, thinking, yes, I do that - but this book helps us to understand why we won't admit when we're wrong, or why we see patterns in random events. I enjoyed this book but when I lent it to a friend who didn't have a science background, she told me she had to look up too many words. Di Salvo does have quite an extensive vocabulary but, as someone with an interest in popular science, I found the book approachable and r...more
Cognitive science in easy doses. The author has put together loads of studies and experiments that illustrate how our brains work, often against learning new things!
I did not find this book to be as readable as, say, a Malcolm Gladwell effort. And I think that some of the experiments could have been explained in a more accessible manner. But still, it is good to have all of this put together for laypeople such as myself.
Worth reading for some good insights and new learning.
I did not find this book to be as readable as, say, a Malcolm Gladwell effort. And I think that some of the experiments could have been explained in a more accessible manner. But still, it is good to have all of this put together for laypeople such as myself.
Worth reading for some good insights and new learning.
This is a fine book but DiSalvo presents material that other books have covered, so I did not learn anything new. The best, by far, of books in this vein is "Thinking, Fast and Slow", 2011, by Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman's book is beautifully written and covers his and his Amos Tversky's experiments and studies over decades that culminated in the award and then his book for the lay person. (Amos Tversky died before the awarding of the Nobel Prize, which doe...more
Cool words and phrases I got from this book
problematic memes
the pleasure of certainty
framing bias
confirmation bias
amygdalae
the need for cognitive closure
embodied cognition
the zeigarnik effort
I just need to go through my bookmarks and dog ears to remind myself what they mean.
A nice book that basically says in our human desire for certainty we will bend, change, morph our thinking to avoid being uncomfortable or acknowledge ambiguity or uncertainty.
problematic memes
the pleasure of certainty
framing bias
confirmation bias
amygdalae
the need for cognitive closure
embodied cognition
the zeigarnik effort
I just need to go through my bookmarks and dog ears to remind myself what they mean.
A nice book that basically says in our human desire for certainty we will bend, change, morph our thinking to avoid being uncomfortable or acknowledge ambiguity or uncertainty.
I had high hopes for this book because the author framed it as "science-help" as opposed to self help. So I was hoping for some specific techniques to help me avoid the cognitive biases he describes. Most of the books is a quite standard description of cognitive biases, and not so bad if you haven't been introduced to them yet.
Chapter 15 was as close as he got to fulfilling his promise. It consists of 50 suggestions or aphorisms, each paired with a paragraph of discussion. But they are almost al...more
Chapter 15 was as close as he got to fulfilling his promise. It consists of 50 suggestions or aphorisms, each paired with a paragraph of discussion. But they are almost al...more
This is an excellent survey of current research on cognitive psychology and brain science. Although DiSalvo doesn't go into great depth, he whets your appetite and covers a lot of ground. He also gives a quick review of many of the biases with which our brains are hard-wired.
I originally got this book from the library but liked it so much I bought it!
I originally got this book from the library but liked it so much I bought it!
Possibly a good introduction to cognitive biases for the uninitiated. A little more self-helpy than I was expecting, but self-awaredly so; and now that I write that, I think this might actually be a good introductory book for a teen or promising-but-not-yet-fossilized young adult. It seems like the kind of nudge that could lead to better self-knowledge.
Mar 14, 2012
Manuel Palacio
is currently reading it
So far i love this book. the author,started out with the story of the Killer whale attacking the great white shark. then goes on to explain how the brain develop, so, it can meet its needs. and how we choose the wrong choices when analyzing the circumstances. so far so good. it reads well, Di Salvo, is a good story teller, his metaphors, keep me engaged.
Another good nonfiction psychology/brain research read, this book goes through so much of what keeps us from thinking and acting in a rational manner, backing up each concept with reviews of experiments and examples from life that make the narrative fun to read and engaging every step of the way. Painless science and self understanding!
Too unfocused, at the end he lists the 50 principles he's talked about. Not as entertaining as most of these science books written by writers rather than researchers. Adds nothing to this burgeoning genre. Also, not about happiness, the title is just to sell books, his idea of a "happy" brain is just one in default mode.
Filled with interesting facts about the behavior that your brain defaults to and how you can circumvent its lazy, energy-conserving processes. Although I found it a bit disjointed at times, it was quite thought-provoking.
If I learned anything from this book, it was to not use a cellphone while driving.
If I learned anything from this book, it was to not use a cellphone while driving.
Skimmed through the last parts of this book because it was due back at the library, but this book deserves a second read. Excellent insights into ways we think and act that often undermine our best interests. Reduces much of the latest research in neuroscience to manageable reading.
Jan 22, 2013
Constance Lucier
is currently reading it
So far...enjoying this book!
I read "self help" type books differently today>> new research offers insight into the most mysterious organ in our body, the brain. And in that endeavor, it's fascinating! The reader can explore answers that were not previously considered!
I read "self help" type books differently today>> new research offers insight into the most mysterious organ in our body, the brain. And in that endeavor, it's fascinating! The reader can explore answers that were not previously considered!
1 like · like · see review
This seemed like it would be good at the start, but it ended up being a sequence of theory / list of studies, theory/list of studies which I didn't feel was done in a satisfying way. I much preferred "The Power of Habit" which didn't come across so much as a collection of study summaries with some text by the author to link them together.
very good information on how our brains trick us and how to be aware of it. this guy believes in science-based advice, not self-help so it's stuff you can actually use. the reading list and blogs at the end were excellent.
Highly recommended! Best not-self-help book ever! (read introduction to understand comment)Written by a science journalist it covers how to put the most cutting-edge research on neuroscience to use and is open to point out loose ends, providing a practical and solid survey.
This is the best book I've read about cognitive processes in the seven years since I graduated from college. Easy to understand, quick read, filled with excellent analogies and covering a huge range of topics.
Quite a bit of this really made sense to me. We do tend to gravitate towards the easy when sometimes we should really just get down and dirty with the hard stuff.
An easy read, not nearly as detailed as thinking fast and slow. Main points-slow down, form useful habits and don't take things on face value alone.
This book is up there with "Think Fast, Think Slow". The Happy Bird is much like the fast brain, where it is helpful sometimes but gets you into trouble in other times.
Maybe had raised expectations due to glowing reviews on Amazon, but I felt it lacked detail and I've enjoyed similar books more.
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" lite; some good suggestions, but a bit superficial and cut-and-dried.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrink Rap (Psych...: New book recommendation | 5 | 41 | Jan 06, 2012 10:05am |
