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Brainworks: The Mind-bending Science of How You See, What You Think, and Who You Are
Admit it. When you hear the word "neuroscience," you expect something abstract and remote, very complex, of little practical value. But this time...it's personal. In a highly anticipated, three-part series airing on the National Geographic Channel in Fall 2011, National Geographic's Brainworks makes YOU the test subject in an array of astonishing challenges and experiments. Your brain will be stimulated, fooled, and ultimately amazed, as scientists and other experts show you how this three-pound blob of gray matter effectively makes you, you. The television program brings together a crack team of scientists and researchers from a wide range of fields, including neurology, psychology, and opthamology. Awareness expert Dan Simons and memory expert Elizabeth Loftus are just two of the notables who lend their considerable brainpower to this unprecedented project. The program also draws on the know-how of those who traffic in brain tricks―illusionists such as David Copperfield and Apollo Robbins and artists such as color expert Beau Lotto―to bring each mind-bending illusion to life. The captivating companion book further messes with your head through the visual illusions discovered and perfected by masters of fine art as well as through deceptively simple illustrations that are finely crafted by psychologists to highlight the way we take in and process the world around us. In three sections―"Seeing," "Thinking," and "Being"―you'll see for yourself why these visual illusions and experiments hoodwink the brain. You'll find out how the structure of the eye influences what you see. And you'll think of events that may not have actually happened, in order to learn how the mind can create a false memory. Rather than simply displaying a collection of puzzlers or visual illusions, each chapter guides you through a series of perceptual and thought experiments firsthand and then walks you through your brain's reaction in clear, user-friendly language―providing every reader with a compelling personal interest in finding out why his or her mind acts the way it does. Smart, exciting, and deeply engaging, Brainworks pulls you in, manipulates your mind, and leaves you with a better understanding―as well as a richer appreciation―of the mental marvels that we take for granted.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2011
16 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 5, 2012
Informative. Lots of cool facts, though I already knew majority of the 'tricks' on the brain.
January 6, 2015
Have you ever wondered what makes you tick, what makes you you ? I recently read a nonfiction book called Brain Works: The Mind-Bending Science of How You See, What You Think, and Who You Are , by Michael S. Sweeney. It’s easy to tell by the title what that book is about. If you haven’t already figured it out, it’s brains. Yep. The book efficiently tells you everything you could ever know about the human brain if you have a mild interest in how it works and aren’t planning on learning about it for a career. It gives up-to-date facts (as of 2011) while also giving background on what people used to think about their brains. It even has an engaging forward by David Copperfield, illusionist extraordinaire.
The book starts out with an explanation of the different parts of the human brain and how each of those parts work. I am going to warn you though. It does strongly support the idea of evolution and places sole credit of the advancement of our brains in that idea. I don’t know if you support it or not, but if you are so against it that you wouldn’t even touch the book, then, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. After the introduction, it shows you how the book is set up. Basically, it has three main subjects with a lot of sub-subjects (Is that even a word? Oh well.). The main subject has an explanation before going into the sub-subjects. Each sub-subject begins with a brain test (typically an illusion of some sort). Next, it explains what happened with the test and why. Often times, there is a real-life story of a person, or multiple people, with an irregular brain pertaining to the topic. At the top of each page is a quote by a famous person or scientist, or both. There are many pictures to keep you engaged. Sometimes it feels like the book is dragging on and on with all the new facts, so it’s best to take breaks and/or read separate sections, like the stories or pictures, when you get bored of just facts. To be honest, I don’t often read nonfiction books, but I found this one enjoyable even though, at times, it was pretty confusing. Something you should know before reading is that there is a glossary in the back for words you don’t know. I wish I had known that earlier. Maybe I should’ve looked…
The three main chapters are seeing, thinking, and being. Chapter 1 (seeing) .1 is about perspective cues. 1.2 focuses on brightness and dimness, or in other words, light and color (Sort of. There are separate passages for them specifically.), for the most part. 1.3 explains afterimages. For example, if you ever stared at a picture then blinked at a white wall to see another picture appear, it is an afterimage. 1.4 delves further into color cues. 1.5 talks about fusing color and line. For example, the test showed vertical black and green lines and horizontal black and pink lines. After a certain amount of staring at them, I was told to flip the page and look at some black and white horizontal and vertical lines. Spoiler Alert!! The horizontal became green and black and the vertical became black and pink. 1.6 focused on recognizing objects, more specifically, faces. 1.7 studies light and shadow. 1.8 goes further into seeing faces in almost everything. Chapter 2 (thinking) .1 tells about flexible memory, such as how our memories can be manipulated or changed because of something that happens. 2.2 is about remembering words. 2.3 is labeled as ‘the power of seven’ and explains why certain numbers or sets of information in those certain numbers (“example: seven deadly sins”) are easier to remember. 2.4 explains how we choose. 2.5 points out the error of easy memories. 2.6 goes into the paradox of choice, like how our past or how the choices are presented to us can change what we choose. 2.7 shows how we read. Spoiler Alert!! It also proves that the one message with mixed up letters about a study at Cambridge University that says we can read as long as the first and last letter are the same is actually a hoax! The first and last letter has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the shape of the word. Chapter 3 (being) .1 explains the illusion of control. Practically all of chapter 3 focuses on the unconscious mind and the idea that we really don’t have any choice and can’t live without that part of our mind. 3.2 is called ‘the illusion of intention’. 3.3 talks about unconscious will. 3.4 interestingly talked about artificial intelligence. Robots. 3.5 explained being in pain. Surprisingly, it revealed some facts I had never thought about when I thought of pain. Spoiler Alert!! Such as how “enduring just a few more seconds of ice-cold torture – as long as it doesn’t hurt quite so badly – will create a slightly more pleasant memory of the experience than ending when things are at their worst". 3.6 talks about being happy. After all the facts about pain, I was relieved to move on to something more cheery, but, it too, had surprising facts I had never known and I know countless facts, let me tell you. After all the facts, the book had a nice closing that summed it all up.
Brain Works was not completely boring and dry, as some nonfiction books tend to do. It was eye-catching and interesting. After a while, however, I tended to get tired with all the complicated wordings, so if I were you, I would not read it for more than an hour at a time unless you are completely fanatic about it. (Examples: “These molecules, known as neurotransmitters, leave the membrane of the first neuron, move across the synaptic cleft, and dock at a second neuron.” “The brain’s visual understanding of the world begins when electromagnetic energy traveling in wavelengths between about 400 and 700 nanometers [nano- = ‘billionth’], seen as ranging from violet to red, gets absorbed by highly specialized pigment molecules embedded in the retina’s photoreceptor cells.”) (Honestly, it is not really the sentences themselves that are confusing. The pages are large and the text is small. After a while, the words all blended to ‘neuro something, blah, blah, complicated stuff that’s interesting…’) It can be challenging at times because you are adding a whole bunch of new information into you. However, Michael S. Sweeney did an excellent job. He has written other books, including a few for National Geographic. He is also a professor at Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
I recommend this book for anyone with even a remote interest in the human brain and/or illusions. I would not recommend it to people who shy away from large words or complicated ideas and facts. For me, I tend to be curious and open to learn anything, so I found this book especially interesting. The pictures especially helped as well as the fun tests. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
The book starts out with an explanation of the different parts of the human brain and how each of those parts work. I am going to warn you though. It does strongly support the idea of evolution and places sole credit of the advancement of our brains in that idea. I don’t know if you support it or not, but if you are so against it that you wouldn’t even touch the book, then, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. After the introduction, it shows you how the book is set up. Basically, it has three main subjects with a lot of sub-subjects (Is that even a word? Oh well.). The main subject has an explanation before going into the sub-subjects. Each sub-subject begins with a brain test (typically an illusion of some sort). Next, it explains what happened with the test and why. Often times, there is a real-life story of a person, or multiple people, with an irregular brain pertaining to the topic. At the top of each page is a quote by a famous person or scientist, or both. There are many pictures to keep you engaged. Sometimes it feels like the book is dragging on and on with all the new facts, so it’s best to take breaks and/or read separate sections, like the stories or pictures, when you get bored of just facts. To be honest, I don’t often read nonfiction books, but I found this one enjoyable even though, at times, it was pretty confusing. Something you should know before reading is that there is a glossary in the back for words you don’t know. I wish I had known that earlier. Maybe I should’ve looked…
The three main chapters are seeing, thinking, and being. Chapter 1 (seeing) .1 is about perspective cues. 1.2 focuses on brightness and dimness, or in other words, light and color (Sort of. There are separate passages for them specifically.), for the most part. 1.3 explains afterimages. For example, if you ever stared at a picture then blinked at a white wall to see another picture appear, it is an afterimage. 1.4 delves further into color cues. 1.5 talks about fusing color and line. For example, the test showed vertical black and green lines and horizontal black and pink lines. After a certain amount of staring at them, I was told to flip the page and look at some black and white horizontal and vertical lines. Spoiler Alert!! The horizontal became green and black and the vertical became black and pink. 1.6 focused on recognizing objects, more specifically, faces. 1.7 studies light and shadow. 1.8 goes further into seeing faces in almost everything. Chapter 2 (thinking) .1 tells about flexible memory, such as how our memories can be manipulated or changed because of something that happens. 2.2 is about remembering words. 2.3 is labeled as ‘the power of seven’ and explains why certain numbers or sets of information in those certain numbers (“example: seven deadly sins”) are easier to remember. 2.4 explains how we choose. 2.5 points out the error of easy memories. 2.6 goes into the paradox of choice, like how our past or how the choices are presented to us can change what we choose. 2.7 shows how we read. Spoiler Alert!! It also proves that the one message with mixed up letters about a study at Cambridge University that says we can read as long as the first and last letter are the same is actually a hoax! The first and last letter has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the shape of the word. Chapter 3 (being) .1 explains the illusion of control. Practically all of chapter 3 focuses on the unconscious mind and the idea that we really don’t have any choice and can’t live without that part of our mind. 3.2 is called ‘the illusion of intention’. 3.3 talks about unconscious will. 3.4 interestingly talked about artificial intelligence. Robots. 3.5 explained being in pain. Surprisingly, it revealed some facts I had never thought about when I thought of pain. Spoiler Alert!! Such as how “enduring just a few more seconds of ice-cold torture – as long as it doesn’t hurt quite so badly – will create a slightly more pleasant memory of the experience than ending when things are at their worst". 3.6 talks about being happy. After all the facts about pain, I was relieved to move on to something more cheery, but, it too, had surprising facts I had never known and I know countless facts, let me tell you. After all the facts, the book had a nice closing that summed it all up.
Brain Works was not completely boring and dry, as some nonfiction books tend to do. It was eye-catching and interesting. After a while, however, I tended to get tired with all the complicated wordings, so if I were you, I would not read it for more than an hour at a time unless you are completely fanatic about it. (Examples: “These molecules, known as neurotransmitters, leave the membrane of the first neuron, move across the synaptic cleft, and dock at a second neuron.” “The brain’s visual understanding of the world begins when electromagnetic energy traveling in wavelengths between about 400 and 700 nanometers [nano- = ‘billionth’], seen as ranging from violet to red, gets absorbed by highly specialized pigment molecules embedded in the retina’s photoreceptor cells.”) (Honestly, it is not really the sentences themselves that are confusing. The pages are large and the text is small. After a while, the words all blended to ‘neuro something, blah, blah, complicated stuff that’s interesting…’) It can be challenging at times because you are adding a whole bunch of new information into you. However, Michael S. Sweeney did an excellent job. He has written other books, including a few for National Geographic. He is also a professor at Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
I recommend this book for anyone with even a remote interest in the human brain and/or illusions. I would not recommend it to people who shy away from large words or complicated ideas and facts. For me, I tend to be curious and open to learn anything, so I found this book especially interesting. The pictures especially helped as well as the fun tests. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
August 30, 2017
it was a great book, very interesting!
March 8, 2020
A good read.
June 7, 2025
Terbagi menjadi tiga bagian: Melihat, Berpikir, dan Mengada.
Dan bahasan tiap bagiannya selalu berhasil bikin saya w.o.w
Dan bahasan tiap bagiannya selalu berhasil bikin saya w.o.w
March 3, 2017
interesting generic book of how our brain perceives and misperceives the physical world.
September 15, 2013
I teach Psychology and this book has LOTS of material I can use in class. It also explains the concepts in a novel way - I think that will also be useful for students
The book is full of great illusions that explain how our brain and senses works - especially great are the links in the footer and the explanations why and how did it happen that way. The book is really great insight into the humans brain and how we interpret what we experience.
The book is full of great illusions that explain how our brain and senses works - especially great are the links in the footer and the explanations why and how did it happen that way. The book is really great insight into the humans brain and how we interpret what we experience.
June 7, 2017
This was a fascinating book. I like to learn how the mind works. I have always loved illusions and the exercises were fun to perform. I liked the pictures and the quotes. When I saw it, it looked fun. Great learning material. Accessible. Educational. Interesting. Engaging. I just wish it could be longer.
February 15, 2016
I thought this would be interesting, and it was, to a point. But it wasn't written enough for the layman, I got bogged down in scientific terms and things like that. I did enjoy the optical illusions.
Want to read
July 11, 2012Kinokuniya: 282000
Currently reading
August 23, 2012Interesting.
June 23, 2013
It is a wonderful book. I enjoyed it very much. It is a fun book to learn about how the brain works. I especially liked the experiments they are very informative.
March 11, 2014
A great book for learning about yourself, brains, optical illutions and other cool things. Though reads without a large appriciation for science might find it boring.
January 20, 2016
Fun and interactive light reading about the brain.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews