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The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head Is Really Up To
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science & Technology (2016)The brain may be the seat of consciousness and the engine of all human experience, but it’s also messy, fallible and disorganized. It’s undeniably impressive, but it’s far from perfect, and these imperfections influence everything that humans say, do and experience. In The Idiot Brain, Dean Burnett celebrates the downright laughable things our minds do to us, as well as exposing the fact that people are often way off in their thinking about how the brain works. For example, did you know that
your memory is egotistical? stress can actually increase your performance at a task? conspiracy theories and superstitions stem from your brain’s insistence that the world isn’t random? the brain’s limitations mean you really can miss something that’s right under your nose? the way the brain’s processing works means that time really does fly if you’re having fun? alcohol can sometimes improve your memory?Dean Burnett’s unpredictable and entertaining first book explores the unexpected side of everyday life, highlighting where conventional thinking is wrong and how our brains trip us up at every turn. This is lucid, funny and smart: in short, the best kind of popular science.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2016
3265 people are currently reading
35972 people want to read
About the author
Dean Burnett
14 books807 followersDean 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 in Pontycymer, a working-class former mining village in the South Wales valleys, which explains his strong Welsh accent. After completing his A-levels he attended Cardiff University to complete a BSc in Neuroscience. After working several jobs he returned to Cardiff University as part of the Psychology School where he completed a neuroscience PhD in the role of the hippocampus in configural learning.
Alongside his studying, Dean developed an interest in comedy, eventually taking the plunge and trying stand-up in 2004, a hobby he maintains to this day. His interest in comedy and science lead to him combining the two and attempt to write humorous takes on topical science stories. This eventually resulted in a regular blog on the Guardian website in 2012, which is still going strong today.
Dean lives in Cardiff with his wife and children.
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 in Pontycymer, a working-class former mining village in the South Wales valleys, which explains his strong Welsh accent. After completing his A-levels he attended Cardiff University to complete a BSc in Neuroscience. After working several jobs he returned to Cardiff University as part of the Psychology School where he completed a neuroscience PhD in the role of the hippocampus in configural learning.
Alongside his studying, Dean developed an interest in comedy, eventually taking the plunge and trying stand-up in 2004, a hobby he maintains to this day. His interest in comedy and science lead to him combining the two and attempt to write humorous takes on topical science stories. This eventually resulted in a regular blog on the Guardian website in 2012, which is still going strong today.
Dean lives in Cardiff with his wife and children.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,207 reviews
October 3, 2017
One of the most wonderful popular science books I have been lucky to come across. Although sometimes the examples diverge from the point, Burnett’s comedy and wit tend to make it worthwhile and very enjoyable. The book is plagued with scientific riches presented in the most elegant way possible. I not only learned loads from the book, but have used it for episodes on my YouTube channel.
Extremely accessible and very enjoyable!
Extremely accessible and very enjoyable!
February 15, 2021
^Are you excited already?
Well, my idiot brain genuinely liked this book very much, and it's always right, isn't it? (not really). Admittedly, specialists would probably find the explanations simplistic (I extrapolate), but then, why would they read this book in the first place? Neuroscientists, this book is not for you. You think you're so clever, right? (hehe) Anyway, given that my knowledge on the subject is very limited (understand : I studied language and metacognition in teaching school, had some notions about the way our vision sucks, but that's about it), Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To was a pleasurable and interesting book for me.
I tend to find non-fiction books hard to rate, because my usual categories do not work : there's no such thing as a world-building or characters, for example. However, even these beloved categories are never really objective - or, rather, the way I use them is necessarily subjective, because Hello, biases. Therefore it won't come as a surprise that I followed a fundamentally biased pattern to give my stars :
... Also, I have a better self-esteem now because I realized that being Cartesian (mostly, I'm still afraid of clowns and dolls, BECAUSE OF REASONS) after having been raised surrounded by superstitions and other beliefs is actually pretty great. Yay, me. I kid, I kid. Mostly.
I do know that technically, there are seven (eight) stars, but then, I never said that I was logical. The truth is, even though there were parts harder to get through, I was never bored. Now, perhaps this review is part of a great conspiracy to make you spend your money. Perhaps.
*Looks in the distance*
We'll never know...
star vector
For more of my reviews, please visit:
December 18, 2018
“Dedicated to every human with a brain. It’s not an easy thing to put up with, so well done.”
Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist who also dabbles in stand-up comedy and writes a popular science blog ‘Brain Flapping’ for the Guardian, has written a very accessible and entertaining book on the weird and peculiar processes in the brain that influence everything we say, do and experience.
Our sense of self and all that goes with it – memory, language, emotion, perception and so on – is supported by processes in our brain. Everything you are is a feature of your brain, and much of what your brain does is dedicated to making you look and feel as good as possible: the brain is largely egotistical.
The brain is primed to think up potential threats and makes us constantly afraid. The brain’s love of patterns and hatred of randomness leads many people to bizarre beliefs, superstition and conspiracy theories.
To the brain, bad things are typically more potent than good things, and criticism typically carries more weight than praise; praise is just telling us what we already know.
Less intelligent people usually have illogical self-confidence, and the more confident a person is, the more convincing he is and the more others tend to trust and believe the claims he makes. Apparently it’s human nature that we pay more attention to confident clowns than to insecure intellectuals, who can be perceived as a threat by our egotistical brain.
The metaphorical devil and angel on your shoulder are actually lodged in your head. The regions associated with producing motivation and responsive behaviour are present in both brain hemispheres, but do different things on each side; in the right hemisphere they produce negative, avoidance or withdrawal reactions to unpleasant things, and in the left hemisphere they produce positive, active, approach behaviour.
Anger is seen as negative and harmful, but it turns out that anger is sometimes useful, because it lowers cortisol, and thus reduces the potential harm caused by stress. Studies have shown that anger causes raised activity in the motivational system in the left hemisphere, potentially prompting someone to deal with a stress-causing threat, thus lowering cortisol further.
The right side’s influence doesn’t lead to anything being done about apparent threats, so they persist, causing anxiety and stress.
So it’s fine to be angry, just don’t get angry at me! Just buy a punching bag or something.
Carefully choose your friends and the group you want to belong to, because other people deeply impact our thought processes; the brain prefers to use other people as a go-to reference for information and for determining our actions in uncertain scenarios. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends.
Under certain conditions, a group can actually suppress our individuality ; groupthink can take precedence over logical or reasonable decisions and a lot of extreme or worrying opinions concerning controversial subjects could be explained by group polarisation. No individual who’s part of a group is immune to this; our brain’s desire for group harmony is powerful.
People derive much of their identity from the groups they belong to ; in certain conditions this can seriously alter our behaviour, and our brain can make us hostile to those who threaten our group or undermine the group uniformity.
We care what other people think of us at a neurological level, and will go to great lengths to make them like us.
All of which makes me conclude that in order to avoid being egotistical, to become carefree and confident, and to maintain your individuality, just don’t use your brain.
Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist who also dabbles in stand-up comedy and writes a popular science blog ‘Brain Flapping’ for the Guardian, has written a very accessible and entertaining book on the weird and peculiar processes in the brain that influence everything we say, do and experience.
Our sense of self and all that goes with it – memory, language, emotion, perception and so on – is supported by processes in our brain. Everything you are is a feature of your brain, and much of what your brain does is dedicated to making you look and feel as good as possible: the brain is largely egotistical.
The brain is primed to think up potential threats and makes us constantly afraid. The brain’s love of patterns and hatred of randomness leads many people to bizarre beliefs, superstition and conspiracy theories.
To the brain, bad things are typically more potent than good things, and criticism typically carries more weight than praise; praise is just telling us what we already know.
Less intelligent people usually have illogical self-confidence, and the more confident a person is, the more convincing he is and the more others tend to trust and believe the claims he makes. Apparently it’s human nature that we pay more attention to confident clowns than to insecure intellectuals, who can be perceived as a threat by our egotistical brain.
The metaphorical devil and angel on your shoulder are actually lodged in your head. The regions associated with producing motivation and responsive behaviour are present in both brain hemispheres, but do different things on each side; in the right hemisphere they produce negative, avoidance or withdrawal reactions to unpleasant things, and in the left hemisphere they produce positive, active, approach behaviour.
Anger is seen as negative and harmful, but it turns out that anger is sometimes useful, because it lowers cortisol, and thus reduces the potential harm caused by stress. Studies have shown that anger causes raised activity in the motivational system in the left hemisphere, potentially prompting someone to deal with a stress-causing threat, thus lowering cortisol further.
The right side’s influence doesn’t lead to anything being done about apparent threats, so they persist, causing anxiety and stress.
So it’s fine to be angry, just don’t get angry at me! Just buy a punching bag or something.
Carefully choose your friends and the group you want to belong to, because other people deeply impact our thought processes; the brain prefers to use other people as a go-to reference for information and for determining our actions in uncertain scenarios. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends.
Under certain conditions, a group can actually suppress our individuality ; groupthink can take precedence over logical or reasonable decisions and a lot of extreme or worrying opinions concerning controversial subjects could be explained by group polarisation. No individual who’s part of a group is immune to this; our brain’s desire for group harmony is powerful.
People derive much of their identity from the groups they belong to ; in certain conditions this can seriously alter our behaviour, and our brain can make us hostile to those who threaten our group or undermine the group uniformity.
We care what other people think of us at a neurological level, and will go to great lengths to make them like us.
All of which makes me conclude that in order to avoid being egotistical, to become carefree and confident, and to maintain your individuality, just don’t use your brain.
March 31, 2022
يقول المثل الشعبي "حين قسم الله الأرزاق لم يرض أحد برزقه، ولكن حين قسم العقول رضى كل إنسان بعقله" هكذا قد لا نجد من يتفق مع الكاتب الطبيب د. دين بِرنيت عندما يصارحنا بحقيقة نتجاهلها، وهي أن المُخ البشري مليء بالعيوب والنواقص، وأن هذه النواقص تؤثر على ما يقوله الإنسان أو يفعله أو يمر به.
لقراءة مُقابلتي وحواري مع د. دين برنيت على موقع عالم موازٍ - اضغط على هذا الرابط
لقراءة المُراجعة على موقع عالم موازٍ - اضغط على هذا الرابط
نحن لا نرضى عن أشكالنا أو أوزاننا أو الأعمال التي نعمل بها، لكن كل واحد مِنّا راضٍ عن عقله كل الرِضا، والحق أن العقل بارع جدًا في الخداع، يُضخّم فينا وهم التفوّق على الآخرين. فتترسخ داخلنا قناعة تامة بأنه نظرتنا للحياة هي النظرة الصحيحة. وهكذا يعطي الإنسان نفسه الحق في الحكم على الآخرين بمقاييسه الشخصية دون تصور لاحتمالية خطأ رأيه.
وعلى الرغم من المهارة المُدهشة التي يقوم بها المُخ بعمله الاستثنائي، فإنه يظل نقطة ضعف لدى الإنسان، ذلك لأننا لا يُمكن توقع تصرفاته المُفاجئة والتي قد تبلغ من الغرابة أن نقوم بأفعال عشنا عُمرًا نقسم على ألا نفعلها في يوم من الأيام.
المُخ تركيبة فريدة غريبة مراوغة، لا يخضع لحسابات نهائية أو قرارات حتمية. مهما بلغت درجة التوقعات يظل المخ قادرًا على كسر كل التوقعات سواء بشكل إيجابي أو سلبي.
ستجد عشرات المواقف في الكتاب تعرفها حق المعرفة، مررت بها مرة أو تساءلت عنها في عقلك. دون أن تعرف سببها أو كيف يعمل مخك كي تدركها.
أتعاني من دوار الحركة؟ الكوابيس؟ عدم تذكّر أسماء الناس؟ هل تتذكر وجوههم فقط؟ (أين رأيت هذا الشخص أنا مُتأكد أنني أعرفه؟)
أنسيت إن كُنت أغلقت باب شقتك أم لا؟
أتعاني من الرُهاب والقلق الاجتماعي؟
أتباغتك نوبات خوف أو هلع؟
كتاب المُخ الأبله للكاتب الطبيب د. دين بِرنيت، كتاب مُسلٍ للغاية وممتع بالفعل، يُقدّم فيه الكاتب مُقدّمة ممتازة لعلم الأعصاب، فيستعرض المعلومات الطبية العلمية الصعبة بأسلوب بسيط خفيف فُكاهي، ويربطها مع أفعالنا اليومية كي تتضح لنا صورة شاملة لمُختصر ما يحدث داخل عقولنا.
الكتاب يحوي عشرات المواضيع الشيّقة والمثيرة عن المُخ، مثل نظام الذاكرة وخصائصه العجيبة، الطرق المُتعددة التي يجعلك بها مُخك خائفًا طوال الوقت، سبب خسارة الأشخاص الأذكياء مُناظراتهم؟ لماذا النقد يكون أشد قسوة من المدح؟ لماذا يُحب الناس الشعور بالخوف ويسعون وراءه بأنفسهم؟
لماذا تفكّك العلاقات مُدمّر للغاية؟ كيف يتأثر المخ بالآخرين وكيف يسمح لهم بالتحكّم فينا؟ ولماذا يصعُب علينا أن نخفي ما نُفكّر به حقًا؟ وما هي الخصائص العصبية التي تجعلنا نُعامل الآخرين.
بالإضافة إلى توضيحه الخصائص المُركّبة والمُحيّرة لشخصية الإنسان، ومنها إلى التعرّض لأهم مشكلات الصحة النفسية والعقلية، مثل الاكتئاب والمفاهيم المغلوطة التي تحيط به. الانهيارات العصبية وكيفية حدوثها. مفهوم الإدمان وكيف يتسبب المخ في إدمان المخدرات. وأخيرًا الهلوسات والأوهام، وما الذي يفعله المُخ ليتسبب فيهما.
للكاتب كتاب آخر بعنوان "المُخ السعيد" يبحث فيه عن أسباب السعادة وآلية عمل المُخ مع مفهوم السعادة الغامض - رابط مُراجعة كتاب المُخ السعيد
إهداء لكل إنسان له مُخ. هذا ليس أمرًا من السهل تحمّله، لذا أُحييك على هذا.
بقي أن أوضّح أمرًا هامًا، وهو أننا لا يجب علينا أن نقرأ كل المعلومات الواردة في الكتاب على أنها حقائق نهائية، لأن رحلة العلم لا تزال مُستمرة، والمعلومات تتغير كل يوم باستمرار دون ثبات. وهذا ليس معناه أي انتقاص لما جاء به الكاتب من معلومات أو إشارة أن المعلومات مغلوطة أو مشكوك فيها. الفكرة تكمن في أن المُخ البشري مُعجزة حيّة لا تتوقف عن إثارة دهشتنا بكل ما تحويه من غموض. ولا أظن أننا سنحيط بكل أسراره في يوم من الأيام.
بالإضافة إلى أنه يتوجّب علينا أن نُفرّق بين الدماغ والمُخ والعقل. فالدماغ هو الجزء الكامل الموجود في الجمجمة الذي نطلق عليه الجهاز العصبي. والمُخ فهو جزء من الدماغ وهو المسؤول عن الوظائف الإدراكية والحسية والعقلية ووظائف اللغة. أما ��لعقل فهو الجانب الروحاني أو الفلسفي أو الغيبي فيه، ويشمل الشخصية والتفكير الجدلي والذكاء والانفعال العاطفي. هذا الجانب الروحاني هو العقل. القدرة على التمييز بين الصحيح والخطأ والقدرة على اتخاذ القرار بشكل حُرّ. صحيح أننا صرنا بفضل الأبحاث العلمية نعرف الكثير من الأسرار ونُصنّف الكثير من المعلومات العلمية مما جعلنا نستطيع التعامل مع المشكلات النفسية العويصة.
إذا كان مُخ الإنسان بسيطًا لدرجة تُمكننا فهمه، فسنكون بذلك بُسطاء لدرجة تمنعنا عن فهمه!"
المشكلة الحقيقية هي أن العقل بمُسمياته وتنويعاته المختلفة "الروح"، "النفس"، "الحالة الأنويّة"، "الأنا العُليا"، شيء مراوغ لا يمكن الإلمام به بشكل كامل، شديد التفرّد بين البشر.
لا يُمكن للإنسان أن يصل إلى الحقيقة الكاملة للعقل (الجانب الروحي). من وجهة نظري لأنها من أمر الروح. والتي أخبرنا الله تعالى بأن أمر الروح من عنده "وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (85)الإسراء"
ولهذا فأمور النفس الغامضة مثل الوعي والحقيقة والانعكاس والإرادة وغيرها، ستظل أمورًا تستفز رغبة الإنسان في المعرفة، فيحاول ابتكار أفكارًا مثيرة غريبة غير مألوفة علّه يتخلّص من حيرته (الأمر بلغ من التعقيد أن ذهب البعض عن فصل الوعي عن العقل وذلك في ثورة علم النفس الأخيرة)، إلا أنه لا يجد فيها إلا مزيدًا من الغموض. فكلما حاول الوصول إلى حقيقتها كلما تعقّد الأمر بالنسبة له، وهذا أمر طبيعي كوننا لم نؤت من العلم إلا القليل، ولأن هذا العلم تحديدًا من أمر الله. ولعلّنا نلاحظ أن حكمة الله تعالى تتجلّى في أن حد التكليف ذاته يكمن في العقل والروح.
أخيرًا... نعرف أن المجنون غير مُكلّف، وأن المريض ليس عليه حرج، لكننا نواجه مُعضلة مُعقّدة مع الأمراض النفسية. وذلك للصعوبة الشديدة لكيفية تشخيص الأمراض النفسية. ولا بد من الاعتراف أننا محظوظون كوننا نعيش في عصر زاد فيه الوعي المُجتمعي تجاه الصحة النفسية، وذلك بعد أن عانينا وعانى من سبقونا عصورًا (وإلى وقت قريب) حيث كانت الاضطرابات النفسية لا يُعترف بها. مثل الاكتئاب الحاد واضطراب ما بعد الصدمة، والهوس الاكتئابي، فيُعاقب من لديه اضطراب نفسي (أو من يُسانده) مُجتمعيًا أو قانونيًا؛ إما بالنبذ، أو بالإنكار، أو بالردع إن لزم الأمر!
الطبيعة المُنهكة للاضطرابات النفسية غالبًا ما يتم تجاهلها أو ازدراؤها من قِبَل أولئك الذين حالفهم الحظ فلم يُصابوا بها.
ازدراء هموم شخص مُصاب بالاكتئاب لأنك عانيت بعض الأيام البائسة وتجاوزتها، مثله مثل أن تزدري شخصًا بُتِرَت يده لأنك أُصبت يومًا بجرح في إصبعك بسبب ورقة.
الاكتئاب ليس مرضًا ملموسًا أو مُعديًا مثل باقي الأمراض الاعتيادية، لذلك يكون من السهل إنكار أنه يُمثل مشكلة حقيقية بدلاً من تقبّل الواقع المؤلم غير المتوقع والاعتراف بوجوده. يُطمئن الإنكار المُتفرج (غير المُصاب) بأن هذا "لن يحدث لي أبدًا"، لكن الاكتئاب لا يزال يؤثر على الملايين من الناس بغض النظر عن ذلك، وإلقاء الاتهامات بالأنانية أو الكسل على المصابين بالاكتئاب فقط لتجعل نفسك تشعر أنك أفضل، لا يمكن أن يساعد في أي شيء. وكسلوك؛ تعد هذه الاتهامات مثالًا أفضل بكثير على الأنانية.
إننا نقرأ لأننا نحاول أن نعرف ونفهم كي نساعد من حولنا، وكي ننقذ أنفسنا إن أصابتنا عِلّة. إن المعرفة هي سبيلنا لإغاثة البشر من المعاناة التي قد تصيب الكثير منهم ممن يعاني من اعتلال في الصحة النفسية.
ترجم الكتاب المُترجم المصري عيسى عبد الله، والحقيقة أنني وجدت الترجمة رائعة تستحق الإشادة. جاءت الترجمة سلسة خفيفة مُتماشية مع محتوى الكتاب، كما أن تدخلات المُترجم في الهوامش كانت مؤثرة ومفيدة للغاية.
أودّ الإشارة أيضًا إلى إعجابي بمُقدّمة المُترجِم، والتي عنونها بأجمل عنوان "بسم الله الصانع البديع". المُقدّمة جميلة صادقة وأضافت لي على الرغم من قِصرها. ولمست فيها إنسانًا راقيًا مُجتهدًا متواضعًا. كُل الشكر والتقدير إلى المُترجِم.
أخيرًا... أشكر دار عصير الكُتب على حرصها بنشر هذا الكتاب الهام، وارى أن هذا الكتاب قرار حكيم وممتاز لإثراء المكتبة العربية. كما أتقدّم بالشُكر على توفّر الكتاب بنسخة إلكترونية على متجر أمازون كندل بهذه السُرعة.
رابط الشراء
يصحبنا الكاتب د. دين بِرنيت عبر كتابه المُخ الأبله في رحلة مُبهجة لطيفة ساخرة. يلقي الضوء فيها على الكفاءة المُدهشة التي يعمل بها المُخ البشري، دون الوقوع في فخ الانبهار به إلى الحد الذي يعمينا عن عشوائيته وقصوره، حيث يسخر من ثقتنا البالغة في عقولنا.
قد يعيب البعض على الكاتب عدم التعمّق في المواضيع التي ناقشها في الكتاب، إلا أنني أرى أن تصنيف الكتاب علمي فُكاهي؛ هدفه الأساسي هو تبسيط المعلومات الخاصة بمُقدمة علم الأعصاب وتقديمها للقارئ العادي، وهذا ما أكد عليه الكاتب في مُقدّمة الكتاب. فالكتاب بكل تأكيد لا يجب مقارنته بكتاب علمي أكثر تخصّصًا عُمقًا مثل كتاب "لماذا ننام؟" للكاتب ماثيو ووكر - مُراجعة الكتاب ، لكن من العدل أن نُقارنه مثلًا بكتاب "الأمعاء كنزك في بطنك" للكاتبة د. جوليا أندرز - مُراجعة الكتاب ، ذلك لأنه يُشابه في أسلوب تقديم المعلومات العلمية بطريقة بسيطة خفيفة وبشكل ساخر وفُكاهي.
لا شك أن الكاتب دين بِرنت بذل مجهودًا مُضنيًا في هذا العمل، وفي رأيي أنه نجح بامتياز بتقديم كتاب لطيف مُفيد جذّاب. كما أن الكاتب قد ألحق هذا الكتاب بكتاب آخر "المُخ السعيد" يبحث فيه عن أسباب السعادة وآلية عمل المُخ مع مفهوم السعادة الغامض - رابط مُراجعة كتاب المُخ السعيد
تقييمي النهائي
5 نجوم
لقراءة مُقابلتي وحواري مع د. دين برنيت على موقع عالم موازٍ - اضغط على هذا الرابط
أحمد فؤاد
التاسع والعشرون من أيّار مايو 2021
February 11, 2018
I have never needed well researched neuropsychology to tell me that my brain is an idiot. The years I have spent alive have proved this to me without question. What this book has allowed me to feel is relief that i'm not the only idiot and the reasons why. Thankfully it's given me an out for some of the ridiculous behaviour I have displayed in the past (and still sometimes do if i'm honest). On the other hand, it's become clear that some of it is still just me. Oh well.
Written in an engaging, humorous style and with a lovely voiced Welsh narrator in the Audible version, this book is well worth a listen. It walks that perfect line of being clever but funny, allowing you to listen and learn with a smile on your face. There are so many examples of the things that *everyone* does that you'll be constantly wanting to contact friends and family to let them know why it is they walk into rooms and stand there wondering what the hell they came for... as just one example. You'll be pleased to have finally found out the answer. Though you'll probably forget that too.
Written in an engaging, humorous style and with a lovely voiced Welsh narrator in the Audible version, this book is well worth a listen. It walks that perfect line of being clever but funny, allowing you to listen and learn with a smile on your face. There are so many examples of the things that *everyone* does that you'll be constantly wanting to contact friends and family to let them know why it is they walk into rooms and stand there wondering what the hell they came for... as just one example. You'll be pleased to have finally found out the answer. Though you'll probably forget that too.
October 8, 2025
Brilliant (4.5 ⭐️)
This book is absolutely phenomenal — flawless in both execution and delivery. Dean Burnett nailed the impossible task of explaining the most complex machine on the planet — the human brain — in a way that’s simple, engaging, and genuinely enjoyable.
He masterfully blends science with humor, making even the most intricate ideas accessible. I loved how his wit and sense of humor lightened the reading experience, giving your brain a little giggle break between all the fascinating insights.
The choice of chapter titles was also spot-on: clever, witty, and designed to spark curiosity (and a smile) before you even start reading.
My little gray brain cells are quite happy after this one — and I absolutely can’t wait to dive into the next book!
This book is absolutely phenomenal — flawless in both execution and delivery. Dean Burnett nailed the impossible task of explaining the most complex machine on the planet — the human brain — in a way that’s simple, engaging, and genuinely enjoyable.
He masterfully blends science with humor, making even the most intricate ideas accessible. I loved how his wit and sense of humor lightened the reading experience, giving your brain a little giggle break between all the fascinating insights.
The choice of chapter titles was also spot-on: clever, witty, and designed to spark curiosity (and a smile) before you even start reading.
My little gray brain cells are quite happy after this one — and I absolutely can’t wait to dive into the next book!
December 18, 2022
:کتابهایی که در مورد مسائل علمی نوشته میشن رو میشه به دو دسته تقسیم کرد
I. نویسنده میگه من میفهمم و تو هم سعی کن چیزی که میگم رو بفهمی
II. نویسنده میگه من میفهمم و سعی میکنم که تو هم بفهمی
این کتاب از دسته دومه
:یک دستهبندی دیگه اینه
I. کتاب یک موضوع رو برمیداره و ساعتها با جزئیات بهش میپردازه
II. کتاب زیر چتر یک موضوع به مسائل مختلفی میپردازه و با اینکه کامل توضیحشون نمیده، با مطرح کردنشون با ایدههای زیادی آشنات میکنه
در این دستهبندی هم این کتاب در دستهی دومه
دین برنت علاوه بر یک نوروساینتیت، یک نویسنده خلاق با حس شوخطبعی عالیه. این رو میشه از عنوانی که برای کتاب انتخاب کرده هم متوجه شد. «مغز احمق» از هشت جنبهی مختلف به این میپردازه که مغز، پیچیدهترین چیزی که در جهانِ شناخته شده وجود داره، چقدر میتونه اشتباه کنه و ما رو به دردسر بندازه
نوشتار کتاب در عین اینکه سادهسازی شده همچنان تخصصیه و گاهی واقعا باید با دقت خونده بشه. البته که وجود مثالهای واضح و روزمره درک این مسائل پیچیده رو آسانتر میکنه. تعدادی از سوالات جالبی که جواب داده میشن اینها هستند
• چطور مغز باعث حالت تهوع در حین حرکت میشه
• نحوه کنترل عجیب و غریب مغز روی تغذیه
• اتفاقات عجیب حین خواب (راه رفتن در خواب، فلجی)
• چرا ناگهان یادمون میره چیکار میخواستیم بکنیم
• چرا یادآوری اسم از صورت افراد سختتره
• چطور الکل میتونه کمک کنه که چیزها رو به یاد بیاریم
• ارتباط بین خرافات و تئوریهای توطئه
• فوبیاها و اضطراب اجتماعی
• چرا آدمها دوست دارند بترسند
• چرا انتقاد از تحسین قدرتمندتره
• چرا اندازهگیری هوش از چیزی که فکر میکنید سختتره
• چرا آدمهای باهوش کارهای احمقانه میکنند
• چرا بالا بردن قدرت ذهن خیلی سخته
• چرا آدمهای قدبلند باهوشترند
• چرا بویایی از چشایی قویتره
• چطور شنوایی و لامسه به هم مربوطند
• چرا ما فالگوشی میکنیم
• استفاده سوالبرانگیز از تستهای شخصیت
• چرا خشم جواب میده و میتونه چیز خوبی باشه
• حس شوخ��بعی و متوجه شدن شوخی چطور کار میکنه
• چرا سخته مخفی کنیم که واقعاً داریم به چی فکر میکنیم
خلاصه، این از اون کتابهاست که باید بخونید و راجع بهش حرف بزنید چون سرتون رو پر از اطلاعات جالب میکنه. علاوه بر اون، خیلی از سوالهایی که حتی نمیدونستم دارم هم در این کتاب جواب داده شد. اگر در زمان بهتری از زندگیم خونده بودمش فکر میکنم که حتی پنج ستاره میشد، اما الان اونجوری که دوست داشتم نتونستم حسابی ازش سر دربیارم
این کانال جدیدیه که بعد از بسته شدن قبلی درست کردم و کتابها و ریویوها رو اینجا میگذارم
Maede's Books
۱۴۰۱/۴/۳۱
March 11, 2016
Stonking (a technical term).
This is one of those "popular science" books. These normally fall into one of two categories. Some are well written but not very authoritative. Others are not very well written, but well researched. In other words, the usual choice is between insubstantial fluff and weighty but indigestible text book.
The Idiot Brian is that rarest of rare things. A science book that is both well researched and well written.
Highly recommended. And five stars.
It is especially recommended for anyone who believes in conspiracy theories. The answers you are looking for are in here. Promise.
This is one of those "popular science" books. These normally fall into one of two categories. Some are well written but not very authoritative. Others are not very well written, but well researched. In other words, the usual choice is between insubstantial fluff and weighty but indigestible text book.
The Idiot Brian is that rarest of rare things. A science book that is both well researched and well written.
Highly recommended. And five stars.
It is especially recommended for anyone who believes in conspiracy theories. The answers you are looking for are in here. Promise.
July 15, 2017
Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist. He writes a regular blog for The Guardian, called Brain Flapping. And his writing style is not just entertaining, it is spirited and humorous and faithful to the science as well. Oh, and did I mention that he is a stand-up comedian? He signs his name "Dean Burnett, Ph.D. (no, really)"
While most of this book is about psychology, he grounds quite a lot of his discussions in descriptions of the parts of the brain that are responsible for different actions. And, I learned a lot from this book, and actually, a lot of very useful things. Here I just scratch the surface of what I learned.
Short-term memory can hold only up to four items, and lasts less than a minute. Anything more than this is actually part of long-term memory. When trying to remember things, context is very helpful--both internal as well as external context. For example, if you are on a drug (even alcohol) when learning something, recalling it at a later time is easier if you on the same drug. The brain encodes memories slightly differently if you are slightly intoxicated.
Burnett does scatter sarcasm throughout the book, but it is in good fun. For example, at the end of the section about the ego bias of memory, he writes, "The upside of this is, even if you don't quite understand what's been written here, you'll probably remember that you did, so it all ends up the same regardless. Good work."
And here is one of my favorite quotes of all time: "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."
It is so interesting how Burnett explains why know-nothings often win arguments and are believed. He writes that empty vessels make the most noise. People who are self-confident are most believed. Politicians are great at this. The smarter a person is, the less confident in their views, and the less they are trusted. Anti-intellectualism is due to the brain's egocentric bias or "self-serving" bias and the tendency to fear things. Someone who seems more intelligent is perceived as a threat. A physically fit person is easy to understand--they just go to the gym more. But someone who is more intelligent is an unknowable quantity, and the "better safe than sorry" instinct triggers suspicion and hostility. People with low intellectual abilities lack the ability to recognize that they are bad at something, so they are unjustifiably high in self-confidence. They have only their own experiences to go from, and cannot perceive what it is to be considerably more intelligent. It works the other way, too. Intelligent are more aware that they don't know everything, so that undercuts their self confident.
The general consensus is that by the mid-20's, our brains are fully developed. Brain training games do not boost general intelligence. If you play them enough you can get better at them--but not better at anything else.
I was amazed by the description of patients with aphasia, who cannot understand language. Nevertheless, in an experiment they found humor in a president's speech. Robbed of the ability to understand language, they develop their ability to decipher nonverbal cues. They can recognize from numerous facial tics, body language, rhythm of speech, and elaborate gestures, exactly when the president is lying!
And here is another fascinating tidbit, having to do with the "Social Brain Hypothesis". We evolved big, complex brains as a result of human friendliness and complicated relationships. We want to believe that the world is fair. When we see a victim of something terrible, the brain doesn't like dissonance, so we have two options: conclude that the world is cruel and random, or that the victim did something to deserve it. While believing the victim is responsible is crueler, it allows us to keep our nice cozy assumptions about the world, and we blame victims for their misfortune. "Our brain is so concerned with preserving a sense of identity and peace of mind that it makes us willing to screw over anyone and anything that could endanger this. Charming."
Again, I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a serious book about psychology and the brain, but with more than just a dash of humor.
While most of this book is about psychology, he grounds quite a lot of his discussions in descriptions of the parts of the brain that are responsible for different actions. And, I learned a lot from this book, and actually, a lot of very useful things. Here I just scratch the surface of what I learned.
Short-term memory can hold only up to four items, and lasts less than a minute. Anything more than this is actually part of long-term memory. When trying to remember things, context is very helpful--both internal as well as external context. For example, if you are on a drug (even alcohol) when learning something, recalling it at a later time is easier if you on the same drug. The brain encodes memories slightly differently if you are slightly intoxicated.
Burnett does scatter sarcasm throughout the book, but it is in good fun. For example, at the end of the section about the ego bias of memory, he writes, "The upside of this is, even if you don't quite understand what's been written here, you'll probably remember that you did, so it all ends up the same regardless. Good work."
And here is one of my favorite quotes of all time: "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."
It is so interesting how Burnett explains why know-nothings often win arguments and are believed. He writes that empty vessels make the most noise. People who are self-confident are most believed. Politicians are great at this. The smarter a person is, the less confident in their views, and the less they are trusted. Anti-intellectualism is due to the brain's egocentric bias or "self-serving" bias and the tendency to fear things. Someone who seems more intelligent is perceived as a threat. A physically fit person is easy to understand--they just go to the gym more. But someone who is more intelligent is an unknowable quantity, and the "better safe than sorry" instinct triggers suspicion and hostility. People with low intellectual abilities lack the ability to recognize that they are bad at something, so they are unjustifiably high in self-confidence. They have only their own experiences to go from, and cannot perceive what it is to be considerably more intelligent. It works the other way, too. Intelligent are more aware that they don't know everything, so that undercuts their self confident.
The general consensus is that by the mid-20's, our brains are fully developed. Brain training games do not boost general intelligence. If you play them enough you can get better at them--but not better at anything else.
I was amazed by the description of patients with aphasia, who cannot understand language. Nevertheless, in an experiment they found humor in a president's speech. Robbed of the ability to understand language, they develop their ability to decipher nonverbal cues. They can recognize from numerous facial tics, body language, rhythm of speech, and elaborate gestures, exactly when the president is lying!
And here is another fascinating tidbit, having to do with the "Social Brain Hypothesis". We evolved big, complex brains as a result of human friendliness and complicated relationships. We want to believe that the world is fair. When we see a victim of something terrible, the brain doesn't like dissonance, so we have two options: conclude that the world is cruel and random, or that the victim did something to deserve it. While believing the victim is responsible is crueler, it allows us to keep our nice cozy assumptions about the world, and we blame victims for their misfortune. "Our brain is so concerned with preserving a sense of identity and peace of mind that it makes us willing to screw over anyone and anything that could endanger this. Charming."
Again, I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a serious book about psychology and the brain, but with more than just a dash of humor.
February 4, 2020
Um Fabuloso um pouco Idiota
Bem!... Isto de chamar idiota ao órgão que inventou a roda, o cinema, a teoria da relatividade e levou o Homem à lua, até parece um contra-senso!
Mas, enfim!... A verdade é que nada é perfeito, e até mesmo um órgão extraordinário como o nosso cérebro é capaz de alguns impropérios 😉
Convém conhecê-los e emendá-los sempre que possível, para prevenir danos maiores!
Por exemplo, o desastre de Chernobyl, foi atribuído a erros cometidos por engenheiros sobrecarregados, pois um cérebro carente de descanso, tende a efectuar automaticamente microssonos, tornando-se temporariamente inconsciente.
E nem é necessário ir tão longe — basta pensarmos nas consequências de intervenções efectuadas por médicos privados de sono no seu terceiro turno consecutivo de 12 horas em dois dias...
Enfim!... Vejamos agora um caso mais leve, para contrabalançar:
Sabiam que a nossa memória pode ser tendenciosa, só para nos proporcionar um registo prazeroso dos acontecimentos?
"A sua memória muitas vezes retoca e ajusta a informação que armazena para o fazer parecer melhor, como uma mãe galinha que comenta quão maravilhosa foi a prestação do seu pequeno Timmy na peça da escola, embora o pequeno Timmy se tivesse limitado a estar parado, de dedo enfiado no nariz e a babar-se.”
Não é pois de admirar, que a mãe barata pergunte "Alguém viu as minhas flores?", sempre que não sabe por onde andam as filhas 😜
Após esta leitura, vamos sentir-nos habilitados a retirar maior proveito das nossas funções cerebrais.
O auto-conhecimento é mesmo isso -- conhecer para melhor usufruir!
Bem!... Isto de chamar idiota ao órgão que inventou a roda, o cinema, a teoria da relatividade e levou o Homem à lua, até parece um contra-senso!
Mas, enfim!... A verdade é que nada é perfeito, e até mesmo um órgão extraordinário como o nosso cérebro é capaz de alguns impropérios 😉
Convém conhecê-los e emendá-los sempre que possível, para prevenir danos maiores!
Por exemplo, o desastre de Chernobyl, foi atribuído a erros cometidos por engenheiros sobrecarregados, pois um cérebro carente de descanso, tende a efectuar automaticamente microssonos, tornando-se temporariamente inconsciente.
E nem é necessário ir tão longe — basta pensarmos nas consequências de intervenções efectuadas por médicos privados de sono no seu terceiro turno consecutivo de 12 horas em dois dias...
Enfim!... Vejamos agora um caso mais leve, para contrabalançar:
Sabiam que a nossa memória pode ser tendenciosa, só para nos proporcionar um registo prazeroso dos acontecimentos?
"A sua memória muitas vezes retoca e ajusta a informação que armazena para o fazer parecer melhor, como uma mãe galinha que comenta quão maravilhosa foi a prestação do seu pequeno Timmy na peça da escola, embora o pequeno Timmy se tivesse limitado a estar parado, de dedo enfiado no nariz e a babar-se.”
Não é pois de admirar, que a mãe barata pergunte "Alguém viu as minhas flores?", sempre que não sabe por onde andam as filhas 😜
Após esta leitura, vamos sentir-nos habilitados a retirar maior proveito das nossas funções cerebrais.
O auto-conhecimento é mesmo isso -- conhecer para melhor usufruir!
May 27, 2020
***NO SPOILERS***
Who says books about the brain have to be boring? In Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett explained how the most complex organ in the human body is both awe-inspiring and...idiotic.
My greatest take-away from Idiot Brain is that the brain isn't evolved enough--or rather, it's very stuck in the past. This is how it's idiotic. It responds to situations in ways that don't always make sense because it's still responding to ancient situations, not the modern ones it now needs to. At the same time, these ancient responses are what have kept humans alive for millennia, so they're very sticky.
Burnett examined major topics such as fear, memory, intelligence, personality, mental illness, observation, and--one of the most interesting to me--group behavior. Each chapter is broken down more specifically; for instance, the chapter on mental illness covers suicide and addiction.
Idiot Brain covers a lot and answered countless questions I've had, such as why, when I look at an electrical outlet, I see two eyes and a mouth; how exactly addiction works and why relapse is so common; the mechanics of the eye and how closely it works with the brain; why the mind will believe in superstitions and conspiracy theories; how psychosis can cause visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions. This is but a tiny sampling.
Idiot Brain is one of many neuroscience books written for non-neuroscientists, but it stands out for being a really well-balanced blend of technical and accessible. Aspiring neuroscientists will enjoy it, but it’s basic and not terribly neuro-heavy, so therefore suitable for an everyday reader. This isn't to say it's a lightweight; after all, Burnett is a neuroscientist. He used the tongue-tying scientific names for specific parts of the brain and explained the mechanics as a scientist would. But it's clear he isn't a scientist so out-of-touch with non-scientists that he's unable to explain on a basic level.
Burnett's dabbling in stand-up comedy may be why. His humor is definitely an asset, as the book has a somewhat jaunty tone and a sprinkling of jokes. He's the fun, cool teacher with actual talent--an expert in a field who knows how to distill a complicated topic down to its most basic parts, and without a hint of arrogance. He also knew, almost instinctively, the very moment to move on from scientific explanations. His book is a good complement to (the more psychology-focused) Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average and (the more science-focused) Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain.
Who says books about the brain have to be boring? In Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett explained how the most complex organ in the human body is both awe-inspiring and...idiotic.
My greatest take-away from Idiot Brain is that the brain isn't evolved enough--or rather, it's very stuck in the past. This is how it's idiotic. It responds to situations in ways that don't always make sense because it's still responding to ancient situations, not the modern ones it now needs to. At the same time, these ancient responses are what have kept humans alive for millennia, so they're very sticky.
Burnett examined major topics such as fear, memory, intelligence, personality, mental illness, observation, and--one of the most interesting to me--group behavior. Each chapter is broken down more specifically; for instance, the chapter on mental illness covers suicide and addiction.
Idiot Brain covers a lot and answered countless questions I've had, such as why, when I look at an electrical outlet, I see two eyes and a mouth; how exactly addiction works and why relapse is so common; the mechanics of the eye and how closely it works with the brain; why the mind will believe in superstitions and conspiracy theories; how psychosis can cause visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions. This is but a tiny sampling.
Idiot Brain is one of many neuroscience books written for non-neuroscientists, but it stands out for being a really well-balanced blend of technical and accessible. Aspiring neuroscientists will enjoy it, but it’s basic and not terribly neuro-heavy, so therefore suitable for an everyday reader. This isn't to say it's a lightweight; after all, Burnett is a neuroscientist. He used the tongue-tying scientific names for specific parts of the brain and explained the mechanics as a scientist would. But it's clear he isn't a scientist so out-of-touch with non-scientists that he's unable to explain on a basic level.
Burnett's dabbling in stand-up comedy may be why. His humor is definitely an asset, as the book has a somewhat jaunty tone and a sprinkling of jokes. He's the fun, cool teacher with actual talent--an expert in a field who knows how to distill a complicated topic down to its most basic parts, and without a hint of arrogance. He also knew, almost instinctively, the very moment to move on from scientific explanations. His book is a good complement to (the more psychology-focused) Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average and (the more science-focused) Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain.
July 16, 2022
هل حقاً مخنا أبله؟!
أم أنه مذهل؟
أم الاثنين معاً؟!!
كتاب يشبه كتاب "لماذا ننام" في النوع لكنه يختلف عنه بشموله، فهو لا يتحدث عن النوم فقط، إنما يتحدث عن آلية عمل المخ من جميع جوانبه!
في هذا الكتاب ستتعرف على:
كيفية تنظيم المخ للجسد؟
الذاكرة
كيف يجعلنا المخ نخاف؟!
الذكااااء
هل لديك شخصية؟ أم أن مخك هو الذي يصنعها؟!
كيف تنشأ الأمراض النفسية كالاكتئاب والذهان؟
كيف تحدث الانهيارات العصبية؟
كيف يحدث الإدمان؟
وكيف يضيعنا المخ أحياناً؟! أوهام، هلوسات وغيرها.
كتاب أنصح به جداً للمهتمين بالعلوم والمبتدئين بها، فبالرغم من زخمه بالمعلومات إلا أنه لا يُشعرك بأنك تبذل مجهود لمعرفتها، بل كل ما في الأمر أنه يحكيها لك كحكاية ستستمتع بل ستنبهر بها!
ولنا لقاء قريب مع "المخ السعيد" ✌🏻
تم
١٥ يوليو ٢٠٢٢
أم أنه مذهل؟
أم الاثنين معاً؟!!
كتاب يشبه كتاب "لماذا ننام" في النوع لكنه يختلف عنه بشموله، فهو لا يتحدث عن النوم فقط، إنما يتحدث عن آلية عمل المخ من جميع جوانبه!
في هذا الكتاب ستتعرف على:
كيفية تنظيم المخ للجسد؟
الذاكرة
كيف يجعلنا المخ نخاف؟!
الذكااااء
هل لديك شخصية؟ أم أن مخك هو الذي يصنعها؟!
كيف تنشأ الأمراض النفسية كالاكتئاب والذهان؟
كيف تحدث الانهيارات العصبية؟
كيف يحدث الإدمان؟
وكيف يضيعنا المخ أحياناً؟! أوهام، هلوسات وغيرها.
كتاب أنصح به جداً للمهتمين بالعلوم والمبتدئين بها، فبالرغم من زخمه بالمعلومات إلا أنه لا يُشعرك بأنك تبذل مجهود لمعرفتها، بل كل ما في الأمر أنه يحكيها لك كحكاية ستستمتع بل ستنبهر بها!
ولنا لقاء قريب مع "المخ السعيد" ✌🏻
تم
١٥ يوليو ٢٠٢٢
March 31, 2016
A very humane and entertaining look at how the brain works (and works against us). It's only downside is I felt an annoying need to read out various passages to whoever would listen.
December 4, 2018
I am deeply disappointed.
An unattractive blend of information, without salt and pepper, nothing innovative.
An unattractive blend of information, without salt and pepper, nothing innovative.
July 14, 2021
بيتكلم فى بداية الكتاب ان فى خلايا عصبية موجودة فى المعدة وبيتم التحكم فيها عن طريق المخ لما بتكون شبعت مثلا الخلايا بتبعت للمخ وكمان بيتكلم عن دوار الحركة (لما بتكون دايخ) المسئول عن كده هو المخ وبيتكلم عن ان القصيرين اكتر ذكاء من طوال القامة ولا ده اى كلام . الكتاب فيه معلومات كتير عن العلاقة بين المخ والجسم والكتاب محتاج تركيز علشان تستوعب المعلومات.
July 26, 2019
Pop neuroscience at its best!
Good job, Dr. Dean Burnett! Good job indeed!
This book has been written by Dr. Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist who used to write a satirical science column for the Guardian.
I had come across this book in a book sale; the cover attracted my attention, the title and the blurb piqued my interest.
I must say that I did enjoy this light-hearted book on the human brain, and while reading this book I was constantly reminded of Oliver Sack’s seminal work – The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. While Sack’s book conveyed the complexity and vulnerability of the brain, Burnett takes irreverent jibes at the brain. But, at the same time he also says, “..It’s a still awesome with a capacity and adaptability that puts even the most modern supercomputer to shame. The inherent flexibility and weird organization is something that evolved over millions of years, so who am I to criticize?”
The author admits that the human brain is awesome, but has imperfections. He also says, “ If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” What could be a better praise!
It is a fun read and I enjoyed the author’s humour. I was a bit unwell during the days when I was reading the book and it served as a comfort read.
You might have studied a lot of the things the author has mentioned about the brain in your high school biology class. Thus, if you are expecting a profound read about the brain with new scientific information, then this is not the book for you. If you want a light read and the subject matter appeals to you, then you might want to give this book a try.
Good job, Dr. Dean Burnett! Good job indeed!
This book has been written by Dr. Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist who used to write a satirical science column for the Guardian.
I had come across this book in a book sale; the cover attracted my attention, the title and the blurb piqued my interest.
I must say that I did enjoy this light-hearted book on the human brain, and while reading this book I was constantly reminded of Oliver Sack’s seminal work – The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. While Sack’s book conveyed the complexity and vulnerability of the brain, Burnett takes irreverent jibes at the brain. But, at the same time he also says, “..It’s a still awesome with a capacity and adaptability that puts even the most modern supercomputer to shame. The inherent flexibility and weird organization is something that evolved over millions of years, so who am I to criticize?”
The author admits that the human brain is awesome, but has imperfections. He also says, “ If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” What could be a better praise!
It is a fun read and I enjoyed the author’s humour. I was a bit unwell during the days when I was reading the book and it served as a comfort read.
You might have studied a lot of the things the author has mentioned about the brain in your high school biology class. Thus, if you are expecting a profound read about the brain with new scientific information, then this is not the book for you. If you want a light read and the subject matter appeals to you, then you might want to give this book a try.
May 23, 2025
ُيُظهر الناس ميولاً لنقد أنفسهم القديمة، ومدح أنفسهم الحالية حتى وإن لم يكن هناك تغيير حقيقي فيما يتحدثون عنه
" أنا لم أتعلم القيادة عندما كنت شاباً لأني كنت كسولاً، لكني لم أتعلم الآن لأنني مشغول "
هذا النقد للذات القديمة يعمل لتأكيد كيف أن النفس الحالية قد نضجت وتطورت لدرجة تدعو إلى الفخر.
" أنا لم أتعلم القيادة عندما كنت شاباً لأني كنت كسولاً، لكني لم أتعلم الآن لأنني مشغول "
هذا النقد للذات القديمة يعمل لتأكيد كيف أن النفس الحالية قد نضجت وتطورت لدرجة تدعو إلى الفخر.
February 10, 2017
Neurology writ simple, this book provides an easy to understand description of the functioning of the brain and nervous system. Chapters are dedicated to the subjects of brain/body connections, memory, fear, intelligence, observational systems, personality, sociability, and mental health.
The audacious use of the word "idiot" in the title is a bit off-putting, but it probably communicates a similar message as those books titled, "(blank) for Dummies." It makes clear that the author and publisher have aimed this book at a "popular" reading audience.
The author is a credentialed neurological scientist (PhD, "no, really"), but seems to have found a niche for himself as author of the Guardian’s most-read science blog, Brain Flapping . His writing style is light and filled with humor, and as best I can tell the information conveyed is a respectable and correct reflection of current knowledge in the field of neurology (but I'm not particularly qualified to judge). If you check out his blog you will see that his writing does not match the style of the usual academic person.
This book is filled with an abundance of information about the various branches of neurology. While listening to the audio edition of this book I was wondering how I could summarize the variety of material for this review. Then at the beginning of the last chapter on mental health the author solved my task by providing the following summary of what the reader has learned about the human brain so far.
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 that we're brilliant when we're not; it makes up half the things 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 correctly. So what happens when the brain starts to go, for want of a better word, wrong? That's when we end up with a neurological or mental disorder.The preceding quotation sounds a bit flippant, which is reflective of the author's writing style. But within the context of the material provided in the preceding chapters it's a representative sampling.
In general I found this book to be a good overall description of what is currently known about the workings of the brain. The author reminds the reader multiple times that knowledge in this field is changing and some of the material presented may be subject to change as knowledge in the field develops.
_______
The following is not from this book. But it is about neurology.
I just happened to come across this link while getting ready to write this review. It's about the differences between people on the ability to recognize faces. That happens to be one branch of neurology.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/1...
August 5, 2022
من أمتع وأهم ما قرأت
August 15, 2021
كتاب هام جدا. بيتكلم في موضوع مهم شديد الخصوصية.
علم الأعصاب باسلوب سلس ممتع كوميدي غير مبتذل.
ولكن و اه من كلمة لكن.
الترجمة
الترجمة
الترجمة
الترجمة غير الاحترافية دمرت العمل و جعلت سياقه غير متزن و أحيانا غير مفهوم.
للمزيد من التفاصيل مراجعة مرئية للعمل
https://youtu.be/eSQMw3qAxLA
علم الأعصاب باسلوب سلس ممتع كوميدي غير مبتذل.
ولكن و اه من كلمة لكن.
الترجمة
الترجمة
الترجمة
الترجمة غير الاحترافية دمرت العمل و جعلت سياقه غير متزن و أحيانا غير مفهوم.
للمزيد من التفاصيل مراجعة مرئية للعمل
https://youtu.be/eSQMw3qAxLA
September 10, 2023
"So that's the brain. Impressive, isn't it? But, also, a bit stupid"
الكتاب حقيقي رائع جدًا. قرأته بناءً على ترشيح أحمد سمير (ايچيكولوچي) وكان بيستعين بيه في كتير من ڤيديوهاته. الكتاب بسيط جدًا ولغته واضحة ومفهومة وسهلة وموجه لغير المتخصصين.
بيتكلم عن المخ وإزاي بيشتغل وإزاي بيعمل تريكات معينة بحيث إنه يحمينا (وفي الاخر ممكن تكون التريكات دي بتأذينا وبتأذيه 😅).
الكتاب ده برشحه وبقوة لأي حد حابب أنه يقرأ مدخل لعلم ال neuroscience.
الكتاب حقيقي رائع جدًا. قرأته بناءً على ترشيح أحمد سمير (ايچيكولوچي) وكان بيستعين بيه في كتير من ڤيديوهاته. الكتاب بسيط جدًا ولغته واضحة ومفهومة وسهلة وموجه لغير المتخصصين.
بيتكلم عن المخ وإزاي بيشتغل وإزاي بيعمل تريكات معينة بحيث إنه يحمينا (وفي الاخر ممكن تكون التريكات دي بتأذينا وبتأذيه 😅).
الكتاب ده برشحه وبقوة لأي حد حابب أنه يقرأ مدخل لعلم ال neuroscience.
August 11, 2021
جميل ولطيف وخفيف دم، وفيه معلومات ثرية مقدمة بأسلوب شيق
لكن يعيبه التطويل والمطمطة بلا داع
فيه بعض الفصول ممتازة، وبعضها دون المستوى، لكنه مفيد حتماً.
لكن يعيبه التطويل والمطمطة بلا داع
فيه بعض الفصول ممتازة، وبعضها دون المستوى، لكنه مفيد حتماً.
September 13, 2023
الكتاب جميل ومفيد جدًا وأصفر اللون.💛
"مرحبًا بك في عالم المخ المُنظم بالغ الفوضوية".
"مرحبًا بك في عالم المخ المُنظم بالغ الفوضوية".
October 18, 2021
Dean Burnett, beynin harika bir mekanizma olduğu kadar bazı durumlarda bizi yarı yolda bırakan bir organ olduğunu esprili bir dille anlatmış✌️👏
September 12, 2017
Idiot Brain is a delve into the messy ways the brain works and how it can sometimes go awry. It touches upon a variety of interesting topics, including what is intelligence, how does memory work, what determines personality, and what happens when the brain isn't working correctly.
My favorite section is Chapter 7's discussion about the brain's tendency to favor a "just and fair world", so if we see bad things happen to others, we tend to blame them, especially if the victim is someone we strongly identify with. The brain sees it as, if that someone is just like us and bad things are happening to them, then it must be due to their own fault... otherwise, the world is random and bad things may happen to us too, which is very unpleasant for the brain to contemplate.
A weakness of this book is that instead of leading the reader on a journey of understanding, everything is just told to the reader, one fact after another. This makes it hard to retain much information, as it's too dense. I would've liked to have seen more examples of the interesting psychology experiments that the author alludes to and that give rise to some of the findings, but those are quickly glossed over in a lot of places. Also, a lot of time is spent on giving proper scientific terms to everything, which I don't think is really necessary for better understanding of the content.
Another weakness is that at times the book reads like a stream of consciousness that hasn't seen an editor. This is most evident in Chapter 8, where a section comes off as the author ranting against anyone who doesn't understand that depression isn't a result of selfishness. While I agree with that, the section contains very little scientific evidence to back up that claim... it was mostly just the author going on.
In conclusion, while the topics covered in this book are interesting and it has a few illuminating moments within its pages, I think the way it's presented makes it hard to retain and take a lot out of the book. Also, the quality of the sections in the book are uneven, with some being very well-researched and insightful, and others much less so.
My favorite section is Chapter 7's discussion about the brain's tendency to favor a "just and fair world", so if we see bad things happen to others, we tend to blame them, especially if the victim is someone we strongly identify with. The brain sees it as, if that someone is just like us and bad things are happening to them, then it must be due to their own fault... otherwise, the world is random and bad things may happen to us too, which is very unpleasant for the brain to contemplate.
A weakness of this book is that instead of leading the reader on a journey of understanding, everything is just told to the reader, one fact after another. This makes it hard to retain much information, as it's too dense. I would've liked to have seen more examples of the interesting psychology experiments that the author alludes to and that give rise to some of the findings, but those are quickly glossed over in a lot of places. Also, a lot of time is spent on giving proper scientific terms to everything, which I don't think is really necessary for better understanding of the content.
Another weakness is that at times the book reads like a stream of consciousness that hasn't seen an editor. This is most evident in Chapter 8, where a section comes off as the author ranting against anyone who doesn't understand that depression isn't a result of selfishness. While I agree with that, the section contains very little scientific evidence to back up that claim... it was mostly just the author going on.
In conclusion, while the topics covered in this book are interesting and it has a few illuminating moments within its pages, I think the way it's presented makes it hard to retain and take a lot out of the book. Also, the quality of the sections in the book are uneven, with some being very well-researched and insightful, and others much less so.
Read
March 12, 2017A very readable popular science book from a neuroscientist/comedian (yeah, so many of them). Lots of good jokes and the technical bits are conveyed as lightly as possible for a lay reader. My main takeaway is to see the brain as something of a mess, a cobbled together lot of stuff rather than a brilliantly adapted organ. Explains a lot.
April 10, 2025
Not a bad book, but not quite what I was looking for. I am by no means an expert in neuroscience, but even for me that was a bit basic. The majority of the experiments mentioned are just common knowledge, like the Stanford Prison experiment, and a lot of the explanations were quite surface level. I found the writing style condescending at times, and the attempts at humour tiresome.
October 10, 2021
بقدر ما هو كتاب عن المخ و عالم الجهاز العصبي بقدر ما هو ممتع و بخس فكاهي عال
April 14, 2016
كتابٌ دون الجيّد في مستواه، وكان يمكن له أن يكون أفضل مستوىً؛ لولا تشعّب المواضيع التي طرحها الكاتب وثرثرته في كثيرٍ من الصفحات. فأدّى ذلك إلى فصولٍ مملّة ومواضيع متشعبة لم تُغّطَ بشكلٍ وافٍ وإن احتوت -بالتأكيد- على فوائد ومعلومات مهمة.
April 12, 2019
فيديو المراجعة:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/H4erFaL...
Amazing, informative and well-written in a very clever way.
He is explaining boring scientific stuff with a sense of humor and with a LOT of simplification.
For me as a pharmacist, I knew most of the scientific things he mentioned but it would be brand new information for non medical professions.
It's a great introduction into neuroscience and psychology.
There's a various topics about how we perceive our world through our brains, how we interact with it, why and what happens when it goes wrong.
I definitely recommend it and I will read it again!
Waiting to read his next book, The happy brain.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/H4erFaL...
Amazing, informative and well-written in a very clever way.
He is explaining boring scientific stuff with a sense of humor and with a LOT of simplification.
For me as a pharmacist, I knew most of the scientific things he mentioned but it would be brand new information for non medical professions.
It's a great introduction into neuroscience and psychology.
There's a various topics about how we perceive our world through our brains, how we interact with it, why and what happens when it goes wrong.
I definitely recommend it and I will read it again!
Waiting to read his next book, The happy brain.
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