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The Human Mind
It is the most complex and mysterious object in the universe. Covered by a dull grey membrane, it resembles a gigantic, convoluted fungus. Its inscrutability has captivated scientists, philosophers and artists for centuries. It is, of course, the human brain.
With the help of science we can now begin to understand the extraordinary complexity of the brain's circuits: we can see which nerve cells generate electricity as we fall in love, tell a lie or dream of a lottery win. And inside the 100 billion cells of this rubbery network is something remarkable: you.
In this entertaining and accessible book, Robert Winston takes us deep into the workings of the human mind and shows how our emotions and personality are the result of genes and environment. He explains how memories are formed and lost, how the ever-changing brain is responsible for toddler tantrums and teenage angst, plus he reveals the truth behind extra-sensory perception, déjà vu and out-of-body experiences. He also tells us how to boost our intelligence, how to tap into creative powers we never knew we had, how to break old habits and keep our brain fit and active as we enter old age.
The human mind is all we have to help us to understand it. Paradoxically, it is possible that science may never quite explain everything about this extraordinary mechanism that makes each of us unique.
With the help of science we can now begin to understand the extraordinary complexity of the brain's circuits: we can see which nerve cells generate electricity as we fall in love, tell a lie or dream of a lottery win. And inside the 100 billion cells of this rubbery network is something remarkable: you.
In this entertaining and accessible book, Robert Winston takes us deep into the workings of the human mind and shows how our emotions and personality are the result of genes and environment. He explains how memories are formed and lost, how the ever-changing brain is responsible for toddler tantrums and teenage angst, plus he reveals the truth behind extra-sensory perception, déjà vu and out-of-body experiences. He also tells us how to boost our intelligence, how to tap into creative powers we never knew we had, how to break old habits and keep our brain fit and active as we enter old age.
The human mind is all we have to help us to understand it. Paradoxically, it is possible that science may never quite explain everything about this extraordinary mechanism that makes each of us unique.
339 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
47 people are currently reading
592 people want to read
About the author
Robert Winston
131 books50 followersThe Right Honourable Professor The Lord Robert Maurice Lipson Winston
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 15, 2013
If you're not familiar with the topics of psychology and/or neurology, than read this book. Winston's summary and discussion of the field is funny, easy(ish) to read and relevant.
If you're like me and read (perhaps too) many books on the topic, how does Winston's piece stack up to other brain heavyweights?
Well he has some strengths: Winston lacks the cold depth many neuro/psychology writers develop. He adds a human touch when discussing ofttimes disturbing psychological findings, without taking away from the hard science of the information.
Where does Winston perform less well? In the intro to his books Winston often owns up to his own errors, and I found myself wishing he did just hire a darn editor. While I don't think there were that many 'errors' per se, the tangents, unusual and eccentric changes in subject or occasional poorly structured information grated more than once.
Worth a read?
Definitely
Annoying?
Yes
If you're like me and read (perhaps too) many books on the topic, how does Winston's piece stack up to other brain heavyweights?
Well he has some strengths: Winston lacks the cold depth many neuro/psychology writers develop. He adds a human touch when discussing ofttimes disturbing psychological findings, without taking away from the hard science of the information.
Where does Winston perform less well? In the intro to his books Winston often owns up to his own errors, and I found myself wishing he did just hire a darn editor. While I don't think there were that many 'errors' per se, the tangents, unusual and eccentric changes in subject or occasional poorly structured information grated more than once.
Worth a read?
Definitely
Annoying?
Yes
December 3, 2017
Robert Winston NTV’de de yayınlanan, BBC yapımı The Human Body (İnsan Vücudu) ve Human Instinct (İnsan İçgüdüsü) belgesellerinin yanısıra, Walking With Caveman, Superhuman, Child Of Our Time gibi bir çok yapıma imza atmış, 20’den fazla kitap yazmış bir bilim adamı ve doktor. Aslında Jinekoloji, üreme ve mikrocerrahi üzerine uzmanlaşmış bir profesör olan ve 1994 yılında “Sir” ünvanı alan Winston kendi ifadesine göre beyin ve nörolojiye sonradan ilgi duymaya başlamış.
Orijinal adı Human Mind olan kitabı 2004 yılında aynı adlı belgeselden bir yıl sonra yazmış Winston. Say yayınlarından Gül Tonak çevirisi ile çıkan kitap toplam 544 sayfadan oluşuyor. Kitapta insan beyninin yapısı, nörolojik sistem, hormonlar, duyularımız ve çalışma prensipleri, uyku, rüyalar, bağımlılıklar, psikolojik bozukluklar, öğrenme süreci, hafıza, duygular, aşk, cinsellik, karakter analizleri ve zeka gibi bir çok konu anlatılıyor.
Zekamızı nasıl geliştirebileceğimizi, sahip olduğumuz ancak hiç fark etmediğimiz becerilerimizi nasıl ortaya çıkarıp eski alışkanlıklarımızdan nasıl vazgeçebileceğimizi ve yaşlanırken beynimizi ne şekilde formda tutabileceğimizi keşfederken, diğer yandan da büyük bir paradoksla karşı karşıya kalıyoruz. Zira insan beynini anlamamızı mümkün kılan tek araç yine insan beyninin kendisi ve bilimin her birimizi benzersiz yapan olağanüstü mekanizmayı hiçbir zaman tam olarak açıklayamayacak olması da kuvvetle muhtemel.
Göz korkutacak kadar kalın görünmesine rağmen, sıkılmadan okunan, gayet anlaşılır bir dille yazılmış olan kitap, beyin ve nöroloji alanında bilgi sahibi olmak isteyenler için güzel bir kaynak.
http://www.metintiryaki.com/2017/12/0...
Orijinal adı Human Mind olan kitabı 2004 yılında aynı adlı belgeselden bir yıl sonra yazmış Winston. Say yayınlarından Gül Tonak çevirisi ile çıkan kitap toplam 544 sayfadan oluşuyor. Kitapta insan beyninin yapısı, nörolojik sistem, hormonlar, duyularımız ve çalışma prensipleri, uyku, rüyalar, bağımlılıklar, psikolojik bozukluklar, öğrenme süreci, hafıza, duygular, aşk, cinsellik, karakter analizleri ve zeka gibi bir çok konu anlatılıyor.
Zekamızı nasıl geliştirebileceğimizi, sahip olduğumuz ancak hiç fark etmediğimiz becerilerimizi nasıl ortaya çıkarıp eski alışkanlıklarımızdan nasıl vazgeçebileceğimizi ve yaşlanırken beynimizi ne şekilde formda tutabileceğimizi keşfederken, diğer yandan da büyük bir paradoksla karşı karşıya kalıyoruz. Zira insan beynini anlamamızı mümkün kılan tek araç yine insan beyninin kendisi ve bilimin her birimizi benzersiz yapan olağanüstü mekanizmayı hiçbir zaman tam olarak açıklayamayacak olması da kuvvetle muhtemel.
Göz korkutacak kadar kalın görünmesine rağmen, sıkılmadan okunan, gayet anlaşılır bir dille yazılmış olan kitap, beyin ve nöroloji alanında bilgi sahibi olmak isteyenler için güzel bir kaynak.
http://www.metintiryaki.com/2017/12/0...
March 2, 2012
As someone who is interested in psychology, I found this book very enjoyable. Having watched his tv series, I find Robert Winston fascinating and I respect him as a scientist. Great book - highly recommended for people wanting to learn all about how their mind works. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
June 10, 2020
A 500 page whopper on the underlying mechanisms of the brain's functioning (areas, hormones, neurotransmitters etc) and on scientific research on the human mind in the context of perceptions, learning, loving, creativity, … Packed with facts and insights, which can provide starting points for further exploration, but at the same time makes this very fragmented and superficial, and probably already outdated on many points. (And not all content is equally relevant, sometimes the author just wanted to share personal experiences or anecdotes without much added value apart from highlighting his own expertise or celebrity status.)
April 14, 2015
very neuro/able-bodied/hetero/cis normative, understandably. more interested in reading about neurology and psychology of minority groups.
oh but it was my first sciencey book and i read it all with ease and i skipped the rubbish. moremoremore!
oh but it was my first sciencey book and i read it all with ease and i skipped the rubbish. moremoremore!
November 2, 2019
This is the clearest, most interesting and most complete popular science book I have read about the way the human brain works. I had already seen Robert Winston's BBC documentaries, but the book goes much further. Highly recommended.
March 21, 2021
Absolutely fascinating. Winston writes about very complicated topics in such a clear way that even a dummy like myself can follow along and appreciate the complexities of The Human Mind.
June 25, 2020
3 starz for the information per se which is at times obsolete or plain wrong.
5 starz however for the writing which is excellent. Mr Winston knows how to write for lay readers and I will surely be checking out his other books :)
5 starz however for the writing which is excellent. Mr Winston knows how to write for lay readers and I will surely be checking out his other books :)
September 13, 2017
Accessible, fascinating and an absolute joy to read. Second time I've read it, it was every bit as good as I remember. Great to refresh my memory with so many insightful gems
April 2, 2020
Quite good. More new info than I expected.
July 18, 2012
A really good read, and worth a look if you're at all interested in how you work.
How the brain works, as far as we know, showing its anatomy, understanding concepts such as love and creativity.
He looks at the power of belief with some amazing results.
He shows different measures of intelligence: e.g. fluid intelligence versus crystallised intelligence, the first being our ability to see, interpret and manipulate relations between things, the second being the knowledge we acquire through experience, or 'the extent to which a person has absorbed culture'. He suggests that people like Beckham, who may not be intellectually gifted in the traditional sense can calculate with stunning accuracy the path of a football, and can move with the grace of a ballerina.
Great read, and I'll probably check it out again in a few years.
More reviews here: http://unfebuckinglievable.wordpress....
How the brain works, as far as we know, showing its anatomy, understanding concepts such as love and creativity.
He looks at the power of belief with some amazing results.
He shows different measures of intelligence: e.g. fluid intelligence versus crystallised intelligence, the first being our ability to see, interpret and manipulate relations between things, the second being the knowledge we acquire through experience, or 'the extent to which a person has absorbed culture'. He suggests that people like Beckham, who may not be intellectually gifted in the traditional sense can calculate with stunning accuracy the path of a football, and can move with the grace of a ballerina.
Great read, and I'll probably check it out again in a few years.
More reviews here: http://unfebuckinglievable.wordpress....
April 3, 2013
I was expecting a little more from this book to be honest. Despite being a scientific person who has a reasonable knowledge of different parts of the brain and their function, I found this book extremely tedious at times and struggled to believe that it would be that accessible to anyone without previous knowledge human biology. There were parts of the book I enjoyed but overall I feel it didn't reach my expectations.
Read
July 23, 2011I really enjoyed Robert Winston's BBC TV series, and was lucky enough to see him lecture in Southampton. This book is fascinating, and I felt I learned so much from it. I don't think we will ever know everything there is to know about our amazing brains.
August 16, 2014
Readable but technically detailed book on the brain by non-specialist Robert Winston. Also ventures into theories of the mind/brain by neuroscientists. Excellent overview, only deficient in the lack of an index at the back, which is a serious omission in a book of this type.
February 20, 2017
The book is an excellent introduction to neuroscience. Reading the book got me thinking a lot about the role of various enzymes, organs and genes that have shaped human nature. For anyone looking at a window into the world of the brain, this book is definitely a great place to begin.
February 16, 2020
Derli toplu beyninizin içine bir yolculuk yapmak istiyorsanız BBC'nin İnsan Beyni belgeseli ile birlikte okuyun.
Neden beyin öğrenmeliyiz? Okudukça daha iyi çalışan tek organımız. Okumak beynimizin oksijenidir.
Neden beyin öğrenmeliyiz? Okudukça daha iyi çalışan tek organımız. Okumak beynimizin oksijenidir.
May 27, 2009
want to know about all the really cool new stuff we know about the human mind - read this!!!!!
January 24, 2012
Another great Robert Winston book.
I love how he captured these intersting science items with humor and with ;-)
I love how he captured these intersting science items with humor and with ;-)
January 2, 2013
This is my first and favourite professor Robert Winston book. Could not recommend it more if you are interested in how the mind works and in psychology. A fascinating and insightful read.
October 11, 2013
Great read; informative and interesting whilst being easy to digest. Particularly of interest to those with a link to psychology - particularly neuropsychology and evolutionary psychology.
April 26, 2014
Fascinating exploration of the human mind. Winston, as, always makes science so accessible and easy to understand.
September 2, 2014
full of short but useful info
March 31, 2016
Great book, great popular science.
July 10, 2008
I really enjoyed this. Robert Winston presented the information in a clear and interesting manner.
December 26, 2015
784 - 2015
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews