This was mind-blowing. Its thesis is that there is a lot of computing going on inside each neuron of our brain, due to structures known as microtubule...moreThis was mind-blowing. Its thesis is that there is a lot of computing going on inside each neuron of our brain, due to structures known as microtubules that sort of act out "Conway's game of Life". If true, then our impression of what computing power it would take to reproduce a brain is off by several orders of magnitude.(less)
I read from it, on and off. It's a textbook, not the kind of thing I would sit down and read cover-to-cover. Baby-step examples really helped focus my...moreI read from it, on and off. It's a textbook, not the kind of thing I would sit down and read cover-to-cover. Baby-step examples really helped focus my understanding of the more sophisticated treatments in the journal articles I've been reading. I hope to meet the author (again) this spring, and I'll make sure to tell him how much I appreciate it.(less)
Read about this in Wired. There's some real substance here and I'm rather excited. I took two passes through it, and now I'm trying to implement his i...moreRead about this in Wired. There's some real substance here and I'm rather excited. I took two passes through it, and now I'm trying to implement his ideas in my own life.(less)
Can I give it zero stars? The edition I read back then was so bloated with socialist question-begging, I gagged on it. I had to read it for an actuari...moreCan I give it zero stars? The edition I read back then was so bloated with socialist question-begging, I gagged on it. I had to read it for an actuarial exam, and the crap in it was soooo distracting....(less)
This book really helped my career. Just at the right level for me. I knew a lot of other languages, but not C++, and needed to learn enough to get my...moreThis book really helped my career. Just at the right level for me. I knew a lot of other languages, but not C++, and needed to learn enough to get my own code off the ground in a hurry.(less)
This should have been a self-help book. Basic premise: There's a lot going on in your brain that influences what you consider to be your mind - decisi...moreThis should have been a self-help book. Basic premise: There's a lot going on in your brain that influences what you consider to be your mind - decisions, perceptions, etc. Your mental processes are a whole lot more flawed, distorted, and biased than you had imagined, or maybe even can imagine.
So what to do about it? The book is not organized to give you systematic answers to that; it is more of a "Gee Whiz" tour. But it has snippets of helpful suggestions sprinkled about.
THE VAIN BRAIN -------------- One of the most important functions of our brain is to maintain our self-image. As a result, we have unrealistic expectations about what we can accomplish; we are reluctant to admit our failings and weaknesses.
Fortunately, "When we're faced with a choice to make, we actually view ourselves and life unusually realistically as we quietly contemplate our future."
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT? Take advantage of that contemplative state; cultivate it. Learn to laugh at your ego. Ask yourself, which is more important -- success, or protecting the ego?
Arousal is a physiological state; emotion is the brain's interpretation of the arousal. When the source of arousal is not obvious, the brain searches for an explanation. (Experimenters have caused symptoms close to psychosis!)
Moods influence judgment (marketing experiment - small gift/no gift followed by opinion survey), especially judgments about other people. "Our decisions, opinions, perceptions, and memory can all be set adrift by our emotional undercurrents, often without our even noticing that our anchor has slipped."
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Suspect the source of your emotions. Enjoy them, but don't let them rule you. You can't be sure - immediately anyway - what you're reacting to.
THE IMMORAL BRAIN ----------------- As a corollary to ego-protection, the brain also interprets events in such a way as to secure a feeling that life is fair. The victim is seen to deserve what he got, for example.
It also assists in maintaining that feeling of superiority: you, the amateur psychologist, interpret other people's personalities with an acute sensitivity for their failings. Of course, you keep a healthy double standard when it comes to interpreting yourself and your loved ones.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Knowledge is power, I suppose. Maybe you'll remember these stories when you get into a situation like that.
THE DELUDED BRAIN ----------------- "In one recent survey, mentally healthy participants were asked about odd experiences they might have had, and the forty experiences that they were offered to pick from were based on actual clinical delusions.... The average participant admitted to having had over 60% of these delusional experiences."
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Be humble in dealing with the crazy people around you. You are one, too.
THE PIGHEADED BRAIN ------------------- "[O]ur stubbornness is so pernicious that even the most groundless and fledgling belief enjoys secure residence in our brains. As a consequence, we are at the mercy of our initial opinions and impressions."
Our inability to let go of beliefs may have something to do with ego protection (see The Vain Brain) because our beliefs are part of our identity.
Conversely, "if your brain is too busy with other things [distracted or under pressure] to put in the necessary legwork to reject a doozy, they you're stuck with that belief." Car salesmen take note.
"The brain pretends to know what it did not know, or would not have known...."
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Suggestions such as "consider alternatives" are not very helpful. We think we already are doing that. Again, ask your ego what its stake is.
You can try to become more aware of manipulation, such as distraction, task overload, and flattery, however. When you need to address a belief in an important context, try to give yourself some breathing space by distancing yourself from the manipulation.
THE SECRETIVE BRAIN ------------------- The subconscious (more generally, unconscious processes) are responsible for an enormous part of what is going on in your mind. Think of it as the "mental butler" that performs tasks on behalf of your conscious mind. Everday activities like walking, driving, etc. are automated and performed while you are unaware or barely aware of it. That is the butler at work. But the butler is involved in more "mental" processes as well, influencing what you think, believe, and pay attention to.
One mechanism (or structural component of the butler) that is involved is the "schema." Think of a schema as a collection of functionally related neurons in the brain, or think of it as a cluster of concepts. There are lots of schemas, and they lie dormant most of the time, but when one is activated, it affects your mental state. (NB, this isn't the scientology bulls**t, this is experimentally validated.)
In particular, dormant *goals* can be activated by triggers in the environment. Fine cites the "make your mother proud" experiment. Attitudes/stereotypes can be triggered, too. "[S]eemingly trivial things in our environment may be influencing our behavior. Dormant goals are triggered without our even realizing. It's not that we're necessarily unaware of the stimulus itself. However, we are oblivious to the effect that it is having on us.... For example, if someone asks you about a good friend and then asks you for a favor, you will be more willing to help...."
Our preferences can be influenced by trivia. "When we reflect on major issues in our lives - why we prefer this car or that house, why we are in this particular career, or with that particular person - the answers we come up with are just best guesses. They may have little to do with the truth."
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT "Be more aware" of influences is weak advice, but could be helpful. More powerful is to take hold of the schema mechanism and use it to your advantage. Want to be a better singer, programmer, parent? Prime yourself with guided imagery or whatever. It really works. Using it on other people, however - that gets into ethical areas beyond the scope of this review.
THE WEAK-WILLED BRAIN --------------------- You might think willpower is one of the higher functions of the self. Maybe, but it is also one of the weakest. And it competes with other functions for mental resources. Experiments in having people perform in mock interviews showed that the mentally drained participants could not muster the will to present themselves in a good light.
"[T]he will can also be put off its stride by rejection." The blow to the ego from social adversity takes a heavy toll on the will. Surprisingly, the bad effects of rejection can be reversed by simply looking in the mirror.
The will, like a muscle, does get stronger with exercise.
A surprisingly effective technique is the "implementation intention". Instead of just making a resolution ("I will produce a new song before my birthday"), form an "implementation intention" ("I will sit down at my workstation and work for an hour, every evening after dinner, until it's done.") By including details of *how* you will accomplish your goal as part of your self-directed command, you are much more likely to follow through.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Don't overload your list of New year's resolutions! More importantly, make use of implementation intentions. And if social rejection has you down, look in the mirror.
THE BIGOTED BRAIN ----------------- This chapter is perhaps the capstone of the book. It is a real eye-opener for people like me who do not think of themselves as bigots - but probably are, to some extent. Not willful, self-aware bigots, but unwitting, unconscious bigots.
Sexist and racist stereotypes permeate the culture, and if you think you are unaffected by them, you are fooling yourself. Recall the chapter on the secretive brain and the discussion of schema. Stereotypes are (a subtype of) schema. There is a difference between (conscious) racists and non-racists; if the schema are primed by neutral terms, racists respond with negative consequences but non-racists do not. However, if the schema are primed by negative terms, both respond negatively.
Negative effects of stereotyping are magnified by a social dynamic. Person A views person B negatively due to a stereotype, and so behaves differently than otherwise.
"As if all this weren't bad enough, stereotypes don't even need other people to do their dirty work for them.... A woman in a math class, or a black student in an exam, must perform under the threatening shadow of the stereotype of inferiority." It doesn't take much fear and doubt in one's mind to interfere with performance.
We *are* capable of controlling our use of stereotypes, as well as their effects on us. However, once you read this book, you will now know how the lazy, vain, emotional, deluded, immoral, pig-headed, secretive, weak-willed, and yes, bigoted, brain operates - and how daunting a task it is to get it to operate in such a way that we can be proud of it.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT The "mental butler" can help here. By force of repetition, fair and unbiased behavior *in specific situations* can become a habit. The first step, like any 12-step program, is to acknowledge you have a problem. Implementation intentions can help, too. And just by having your consciousness raised, you are more likely to recognize bigotry when you see it, hear it, or do it, and perhaps do something about it. (less)
Stuffed with tips on surviving awful situations - floods, fire, caught on a mountain, car crash, etc. etc. Bears rereading every few years. In fact, I...moreStuffed with tips on surviving awful situations - floods, fire, caught on a mountain, car crash, etc. etc. Bears rereading every few years. In fact, I think I should go back to it again soon...(less)
While waiting for Robustness, I picked this up at the local college library. Not so relevant it appears. Only at a very high level of abstraction will...moreWhile waiting for Robustness, I picked this up at the local college library. Not so relevant it appears. Only at a very high level of abstraction will there be any ideas I can use. It's all about state space and linear systems; there isn't even a mention of the Bellman equation. However, it's cool stuff. If I had gone into engineering instead of pure math, this is probably what I would have grooved on.(less)
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