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Dean Burnett

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.deanburnett.com

Twitter

garwboy

Genre

Science, Psychology, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

November 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/dean_burnett

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Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist and psychiatry lecturer at the Centre for Medical Education at Cardiff University and is the author of the Guardian’s most-read science blog, Brain Flapping. He lives in Cardiff.

The following is from his website:

This is the website for Doctor Dean Burnett, neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, media pundit, science communicator, comedian and numerous other things, depending on who’s asking and what they need.

Although employed as a tutor and lecturer by the Cardiff University Centre for Medical Education in his day job, Dean is best known for his satirical science column ‘Brain Flapping‘ at the Guardian, and his internationally acclaimed debut book ‘The Idiot Brain‘.

Dean Burnett was born and raised i ...more

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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

Dean Burnett Found my missing glove.
Still looking for my missing hand.…moreFound my missing glove.
Still looking for my missing hand.(less)

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If we have to consider that all actions done by an human being is for his own survival and for his own selfish reasons,Then, Why is there are some humans who sacrifice their life for others or those who spent their whole for an ideal that benefits the society?

Dean Burnett Firstly, the premise that this question is based on, that all human action is driven by basic survival needs, is extremely reductive and a drastic ove…moreFirstly, the premise that this question is based on, that all human action is driven by basic survival needs, is extremely reductive and a drastic oversimplification of how the human brain works. While such impulses and drives are indeed still in there at fundamental levels, the human brain has evolved to such complexity that we can be motivated by far more abstract, lofty goals. And these can be things that, objectively, work against our survival. Consider that anorexia exists; the brain is capable of deciding that looking thin is more important than eating, so survival instincts aren't as dominant as implied. And even if you want to retain a cynical view of human nature, the bulk of theories I've seen argue that human intelligence occurred due to our need to be friendly and sociable with increasingly large groups and communities, so our brains evolved to be sociable and community minded, so even at the most basic level we care about others and the society we belong. If you want to take it to extremes, because we instinctively want to belong to and please the group we identify with, sacrificing for the group *is* selfish, in a strange way. (less)

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Dean Burnett’s books

Average rating: 3.93 · 11,724 ratings · 1,352 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To 3.99 avg rating — 8,804 ratings — published 2016 — 58 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Happy Brain: Where Happiness Comes From, and Why 3.73 avg rating — 1,658 ratings — published 2018 — 38 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up the Wall and What To Do About It: THE BOOK EVERY TEENAGER NEEDS TO READ 3.76 avg rating — 754 ratings — published 2019 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Psycho-Logical: Why Mental Health Goes Wrong – and How to Make Sense of It 3.91 avg rating — 486 ratings — published 2021 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emotional Ignorance: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion 3.83 avg rating — 23 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Idiot brain, my stroke, doctor you, trust me and where does it hurt 5 books collection set by Jill Bolte Taylor, Jeremy Howick, Dean Burnett (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Emotional Brain: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Idiot Brain Paperback – 29 Apr 2016 by Dean Burnett 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dean Burnett Collection 3 Books Set by Dean Burnett (Goodreads Author), Idiot Brain By Dean Burnett (Contributor), Happy Brain By Dean Burnett (Contributor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Psychologica 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Dean Burnett's Blog

The ever-increasing complexity of dog ownership

I have been thinking a lot lately about dog ownership. Specifically, how much more organised and regimented it is now, compared to when I was younger, in the 1990s. Lord knows how different it was before then. I’ve been thinking about this because, as you might have figured, I own a dog now. Since April, […]

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Dean is Currently Reading

Dean Burnett is currently reading

Metro 2034 (Metro, #2)

by Dmitry Glukhovsky (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 20, 2018 03:05PM

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Dean Burnett is now friends with Azzaz Akl
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Quotes by Dean Burnett (?)

“What have we learned so far about the human brain? It messes with memories, it jumps at shadows, it's terrified of harmless things, it screws with our diet, our sleeping, our movement, it convinces us we're brilliant when we're not, it makes up half the stuff we perceive, it gets us to do irrational things when emotional, it causes us to make friends incredibly quickly and turn on them in an instant.
A worrying list. What's even more worrying, it does all of this when it's working properly.”
― Dean Burnett, The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head Is Really Up To

tags: brain, neuroscience

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“The brain apparently thinks logic is a precious resource to be used only sparingly.”
― Dean Burnett, Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To

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“I'm also part of the great conspiracy of global scientists to promote the myths of climate change, evolution, vaccination, and a spherical earth. After all, there's nobody on earth wealthier and more powerful than scientists, and they can't risk losing this exalted position by people finding out how the world really works.”
― Dean Burnett, Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To

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