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Cognitive Fitness: Pain Is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage.
Amazon Editor's Picks - October 2019, Amazon.in
New & Notable - September 2019, Amazon.in
The motivation to experience pleasure instead of pain unites us all, despite the immense diversity in our thoughts and behaviors. However, the perception of pain is easier than the fleeting feeling of happiness and paradoxically, an obsessive desire for pleasure or an inability to endure pain are conducive to pain, not pleasure.
The emotions of pain and pleasure are persuasive and mesmerizing but can also be convoluted and deceptive, and the absence of pain is not enough for happiness. Suffering because of disease, disability, or difficulty is natural, but suffering can subtly interfere with our serenity, and some helplessly abuse substances and other things for happiness.
The human brain is marvelous, but there is something suspicious about its practical utility for a flourishing life, and its imperfect intelligence can make us suffer, even when there is no internal or external reason for the pain.
Pain cannot be erased from life, but cognitive fitness can alleviate it and allow us to use it, as well as illusive intellect, to our advantage.
Cognitive fitness advances cognitive competence and resilience for success; suggests strategies to manage stress, anxiety, disorders, failures and complexity; provides a pragmatic answer to nihilism; and helps to keep the hedonic gauge on the continuum of pain and pleasure as close to pleasure as possible.
New & Notable - September 2019, Amazon.in
The motivation to experience pleasure instead of pain unites us all, despite the immense diversity in our thoughts and behaviors. However, the perception of pain is easier than the fleeting feeling of happiness and paradoxically, an obsessive desire for pleasure or an inability to endure pain are conducive to pain, not pleasure.
The emotions of pain and pleasure are persuasive and mesmerizing but can also be convoluted and deceptive, and the absence of pain is not enough for happiness. Suffering because of disease, disability, or difficulty is natural, but suffering can subtly interfere with our serenity, and some helplessly abuse substances and other things for happiness.
The human brain is marvelous, but there is something suspicious about its practical utility for a flourishing life, and its imperfect intelligence can make us suffer, even when there is no internal or external reason for the pain.
Pain cannot be erased from life, but cognitive fitness can alleviate it and allow us to use it, as well as illusive intellect, to our advantage.
Cognitive fitness advances cognitive competence and resilience for success; suggests strategies to manage stress, anxiety, disorders, failures and complexity; provides a pragmatic answer to nihilism; and helps to keep the hedonic gauge on the continuum of pain and pleasure as close to pleasure as possible.
236 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2019
22 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Anil Rajput
4 books3 followersAnil Rajput holds a bachelor of technology degree from IIT Bombay. He has worked with Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan, and Merrill Lynch. He lives in Sydney, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 25, 2019
Before I could conclude that the author may have been inspired by Srimad Bhagwad Gita for some parts of his adventure, Anil himself offered that revelation in his acknowledgement part of the book. Cognitive Fitness may be a new concept to many of the readers of this book but this is an important aspect of modern life. We live a busy schedule and lead a hectic cycle every day. Anil has tried to remind us of our own strength and limitations and knowing that is very important. He tells the readers that pain is an inevitable part of our life and this is what makes us human. He also warns the readers that pursuit of material gains can be good but not better in the long run.
"The importance of money for survival in the modern world is obvious, but money alone cannot guarantee happiness."
The chapters are well-organised and the conclusion is fantastic. The only downside of the book, as far as I could perceive, is that the book may have been simplified a little more for the readers who don't want to indulge with some standard text. Overall, it is a book that I would recommend everyone to read and learn. This will be helpful, wonderful and an exciting journey through some quality writing. All the best!
"The importance of money for survival in the modern world is obvious, but money alone cannot guarantee happiness."
The chapters are well-organised and the conclusion is fantastic. The only downside of the book, as far as I could perceive, is that the book may have been simplified a little more for the readers who don't want to indulge with some standard text. Overall, it is a book that I would recommend everyone to read and learn. This will be helpful, wonderful and an exciting journey through some quality writing. All the best!
November 2, 2019
The book provides aptly described information, undoubtedly useful, about one's inner well being. Anil has tried to provide to the readers what many other books of this genre generally ignore. The author has kept his narrative simple but effective. He focuses more on being friendly with the readers rather than unnecessarily flexing his intellectual muscles.
October 28, 2019
This is really a good book that can help anyone gain confidence and move ahead in life with satisfaction. The author is right in saying that pain is what discerns us from all other living beings and even they feel pain. Life is about understanding one's limits and moving ahead with confidence. Anil Rajput has done extensive research in writing this book and it clearly comes to your mind when you read his book on cognitive fitness. Recommended!
November 23, 2023
Some books just happen to me, this is one of those. It found me. I really liked the framing - cognitive fitness. An analogy based on physical fitness. If I had to sum it all up, I'd say this is a scientific (with a little bit of philosophy) take on mindfulness. Though I am not sure that word is even used once, in the book. In the author's words, "cognitive fitness is the leadership that holds perceptions, thoughts, emotions, actions, motivations, imagination, and illusory intelligence in such a way that suffering is minimal and happiness is possible."
Indeed, as with the Buddha, Anil Rajput is also of the opinion that pain is inevitable. As the second part of the title states, the idea is to alleviate it, and even use it to our advantage. It is interesting that an obsessive desire for pleasure, or an inability to endure pain, are both conducive to pain, not pleasure. Also, the absence of pain is not enough for happiness.
The book has seven chapters which goes into several related areas. In the first chapter, the author points out the purpose of pain and pleasure - both pain and pleasure are feedback mechanisms, and they aren't really our end goals, though we don't always perceive it that way. In general pain motivates you to think, act, and solve a problem, while pleasure tells you that you're on the right path. This feedback can be flawed too, for instance, the instant pleasure of drug abuse actually creates long term pain! This chapter also brings up the complexity of individual, social, and natural aspects of life, as well as nihilism and its inherent contradiction.
The second chapter shifts focus to our bounded brain and its component parts, pitched against the world of infinite information it can never completely grasp. And thus, the inevitability of illusions and ignorance, including ones in perception, cognition, and emotion that emerge from the imperfect information processing of the neural circuits. We fill in details where we don't have any, and our ignorance also makes us overconfident. He points out how animals never commit suicide. Our evolution beyond survival seems to have given us this unique concept.
The third chapter is about the psychology of pain and pleasure, the deception of our own emotions, and how pain can be actually used to get clarity. This chapter has a very interesting portion on the life cycle of pleasure - desire (wanting) that might lead to happiness (if we end up liking what we desired - we need not), and how that happiness decreases over time due to habituation and might even disappear, which then leads to the next desire. The hedonistic treadmill. "Desire is wanting, not liking, and that makes all the difference."
Psychological pain is an indication that our subjective map of the world needs a revision. The good news is that the brain does have a powerful cognitive immune system, which reduces the effects of suffering - self-affirmation, self-deception, positive illusions, dissonance reduction and defence mechanisms. But it is interesting that the brain focuses more on negatives than positives -because it was essential to save us in the early days of humanity, as compared to say, the pleasure of say, a better mate. We could always have the latter later!
The important point raised in this chapter is how the ability to endure pain is a requirement to minimise it! Think of it exactly like the muscle you exercise, so as to strengthen it. Except, you wouldn't go looking for pain, but enduring it and learning from it when it appears is important. The key antidotes to pain are hope, equanimity and courage, which take us away from the fear and panic that lies behind the pain. When we think coolly, we realise that from a survival perspective, the latter is needed only in a physical fight or flight. The rest is emotional, and we can learn to manage it.
Chapter 4 is about how the brain can be its own worst enemy, and we need to be able to control it to some extent to flourish. This chapter has an interesting portion on conditioning - classic, which is a response to a stimulus (a soldier who returns from war has anxiety when hearing a helicopter even within a safe city) and operant, which is learned by punishment and reward (kid being rewarded for good behaviour). We also learn from observation, and it can be implicit or explicit.
This chapter also points out how the sub-conscious brain is built for speed and is therefore also prone to wrong judgment. Interesting that our memory can be implicit or explicit. The former is the collection of procedural memory (cognitive and motor skills) and priming (perception enhanced by stimulus). Explicit memory is divided into episodic memory (your experiences) and semantic memory (your knowledge). We make our maps of the world early - a subjective, simple and limited map of the objective, complex and infinite universe. A map critical to make sense of the world. But many times, we find it difficult to change in the face of a challenge, and facts supporting it.
The next chapter is about the psychology of physical action, the efficiency of cognitive action, and the importance of a subjective purpose and meaning, which motivates us to face the chaos and uncertainties. This also prevents our emotions being hijacked by fear and panic. In this context, it is interesting that rewards are of two kinds - consummatory (moment) and incentive (better future). It is also interesting that when mechanical skills are required, thinking about the reward betters performance, whereas when cognitive skills are required, that thinking might derail us. This is especially so because in many cases, the rewards are not completely in our hands. Only the effort is.
Chapter 6 is about the importance of focus and how meditation can help. And the final chapter is about how knowledge acquisition on a regular basis is the first step to taking some amount of control over all this.
As he rightly points out, "we live in a socioeconomic world with a biological body, among other known and unknown things, and problem in our life can be because of multiple factors in multiple domains, many of which may or may not be in our direct or indirect control." And that is why cognitive fitness is important.
I really liked the book for the material and perspectives it contains. However, I do think, it could have done with a better editor. That doesn't take away from the content though.
Indeed, as with the Buddha, Anil Rajput is also of the opinion that pain is inevitable. As the second part of the title states, the idea is to alleviate it, and even use it to our advantage. It is interesting that an obsessive desire for pleasure, or an inability to endure pain, are both conducive to pain, not pleasure. Also, the absence of pain is not enough for happiness.
The book has seven chapters which goes into several related areas. In the first chapter, the author points out the purpose of pain and pleasure - both pain and pleasure are feedback mechanisms, and they aren't really our end goals, though we don't always perceive it that way. In general pain motivates you to think, act, and solve a problem, while pleasure tells you that you're on the right path. This feedback can be flawed too, for instance, the instant pleasure of drug abuse actually creates long term pain! This chapter also brings up the complexity of individual, social, and natural aspects of life, as well as nihilism and its inherent contradiction.
The second chapter shifts focus to our bounded brain and its component parts, pitched against the world of infinite information it can never completely grasp. And thus, the inevitability of illusions and ignorance, including ones in perception, cognition, and emotion that emerge from the imperfect information processing of the neural circuits. We fill in details where we don't have any, and our ignorance also makes us overconfident. He points out how animals never commit suicide. Our evolution beyond survival seems to have given us this unique concept.
The third chapter is about the psychology of pain and pleasure, the deception of our own emotions, and how pain can be actually used to get clarity. This chapter has a very interesting portion on the life cycle of pleasure - desire (wanting) that might lead to happiness (if we end up liking what we desired - we need not), and how that happiness decreases over time due to habituation and might even disappear, which then leads to the next desire. The hedonistic treadmill. "Desire is wanting, not liking, and that makes all the difference."
Psychological pain is an indication that our subjective map of the world needs a revision. The good news is that the brain does have a powerful cognitive immune system, which reduces the effects of suffering - self-affirmation, self-deception, positive illusions, dissonance reduction and defence mechanisms. But it is interesting that the brain focuses more on negatives than positives -because it was essential to save us in the early days of humanity, as compared to say, the pleasure of say, a better mate. We could always have the latter later!
The important point raised in this chapter is how the ability to endure pain is a requirement to minimise it! Think of it exactly like the muscle you exercise, so as to strengthen it. Except, you wouldn't go looking for pain, but enduring it and learning from it when it appears is important. The key antidotes to pain are hope, equanimity and courage, which take us away from the fear and panic that lies behind the pain. When we think coolly, we realise that from a survival perspective, the latter is needed only in a physical fight or flight. The rest is emotional, and we can learn to manage it.
Chapter 4 is about how the brain can be its own worst enemy, and we need to be able to control it to some extent to flourish. This chapter has an interesting portion on conditioning - classic, which is a response to a stimulus (a soldier who returns from war has anxiety when hearing a helicopter even within a safe city) and operant, which is learned by punishment and reward (kid being rewarded for good behaviour). We also learn from observation, and it can be implicit or explicit.
This chapter also points out how the sub-conscious brain is built for speed and is therefore also prone to wrong judgment. Interesting that our memory can be implicit or explicit. The former is the collection of procedural memory (cognitive and motor skills) and priming (perception enhanced by stimulus). Explicit memory is divided into episodic memory (your experiences) and semantic memory (your knowledge). We make our maps of the world early - a subjective, simple and limited map of the objective, complex and infinite universe. A map critical to make sense of the world. But many times, we find it difficult to change in the face of a challenge, and facts supporting it.
The next chapter is about the psychology of physical action, the efficiency of cognitive action, and the importance of a subjective purpose and meaning, which motivates us to face the chaos and uncertainties. This also prevents our emotions being hijacked by fear and panic. In this context, it is interesting that rewards are of two kinds - consummatory (moment) and incentive (better future). It is also interesting that when mechanical skills are required, thinking about the reward betters performance, whereas when cognitive skills are required, that thinking might derail us. This is especially so because in many cases, the rewards are not completely in our hands. Only the effort is.
Chapter 6 is about the importance of focus and how meditation can help. And the final chapter is about how knowledge acquisition on a regular basis is the first step to taking some amount of control over all this.
As he rightly points out, "we live in a socioeconomic world with a biological body, among other known and unknown things, and problem in our life can be because of multiple factors in multiple domains, many of which may or may not be in our direct or indirect control." And that is why cognitive fitness is important.
I really liked the book for the material and perspectives it contains. However, I do think, it could have done with a better editor. That doesn't take away from the content though.
August 4, 2021
2.5 stars.
The tagline of this nonfiction book is 'Pain is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage.' This description of pain pulled me in and made me want to read this book, because as someone who encounters pain every single day in the form of rheumatism, I really wanted a way out of this bog of muddy, hazy spasms that overtake my days. The question was: Would I find a way out of it? Would I really be able to harness pain and use it to my advantage?
Sadly, the answer is no.
Anil Rajput tries to make some answers clear by using analogies. He explains what pain is, what human life as a whole is, how humans see pain, and what can happen when pain is harnessed - but that's the extent of it. There are limits that human beings need to respect but there are those that they HAVE to transcend. And the author uses a lot of philosophical phrases and sentences throughout the book, which might make sense when taken on their own. But when you're looking for tips and tricks and the only thing you find is philosophy, it's clear that the book isn't going to help you as much as you hoped for.
The language used is unnecessarily complicated, to the point where even the valid points that the author is trying to make get lost in the whole mire of excessive floweriness of language. This probably would have been okay if there had been structure to the book. But structure isn't there, and combined with the repetitiveness of the points and the number of times that the author says, "as we will see" and "as we have seen" without you having any idea of what you have seen or what you will see, it makes for a tiresome read that isn't all that helpful.
I agree when the author says 'pain is inevitable'. But I was expecting to read about how to alleviate and harness it, and the book didn't give me any tips on how exactly to go about doing it. :/
The tagline of this nonfiction book is 'Pain is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage.' This description of pain pulled me in and made me want to read this book, because as someone who encounters pain every single day in the form of rheumatism, I really wanted a way out of this bog of muddy, hazy spasms that overtake my days. The question was: Would I find a way out of it? Would I really be able to harness pain and use it to my advantage?
Sadly, the answer is no.
Anil Rajput tries to make some answers clear by using analogies. He explains what pain is, what human life as a whole is, how humans see pain, and what can happen when pain is harnessed - but that's the extent of it. There are limits that human beings need to respect but there are those that they HAVE to transcend. And the author uses a lot of philosophical phrases and sentences throughout the book, which might make sense when taken on their own. But when you're looking for tips and tricks and the only thing you find is philosophy, it's clear that the book isn't going to help you as much as you hoped for.
The language used is unnecessarily complicated, to the point where even the valid points that the author is trying to make get lost in the whole mire of excessive floweriness of language. This probably would have been okay if there had been structure to the book. But structure isn't there, and combined with the repetitiveness of the points and the number of times that the author says, "as we will see" and "as we have seen" without you having any idea of what you have seen or what you will see, it makes for a tiresome read that isn't all that helpful.
I agree when the author says 'pain is inevitable'. But I was expecting to read about how to alleviate and harness it, and the book didn't give me any tips on how exactly to go about doing it. :/
October 31, 2019
The book sends out a clear and subtle message to the readers - what do you want in life? And also, why does one want to skip from the courses of pain? Life is myriad and pain is there to come - this way or that way. Anil has tried to explain that one can use pain to one's potential benefit and one has to do so. The book is based on scientific content as well as philosophical and psychological perspectives that we often ignore. I am sure the book will be helpful to readers in various ways.
June 26, 2021
This book is demand for today's generation. Since now we have started giving importance to mantel health, depression, anxiety, stress are the problems we are totally aware of.
Almost all of us suffer daily whether from emotional pain, stress or physical pain. We keep looking for medications when we know that our every part depends on our nervous system. It's mostly us who let pain control our bodies and hijack our life.
Cognitive fitness is a state of optimized ability to reason, remember, learn, plan, and adapt. We can enhance it by exercising, meditation, bringing normal changes in our lifestyle, and focusing on positivity.
This book is based on properly explained scientific and psychological facts and experiments. It's written in easy yet rich vocabulary. The tone was professional and approachable. I read it slowly grabbing each and every concept. Well explained index is given to read topic wise.
It was enlightening read and I think everyone must read this book.
Almost all of us suffer daily whether from emotional pain, stress or physical pain. We keep looking for medications when we know that our every part depends on our nervous system. It's mostly us who let pain control our bodies and hijack our life.
Cognitive fitness is a state of optimized ability to reason, remember, learn, plan, and adapt. We can enhance it by exercising, meditation, bringing normal changes in our lifestyle, and focusing on positivity.
This book is based on properly explained scientific and psychological facts and experiments. It's written in easy yet rich vocabulary. The tone was professional and approachable. I read it slowly grabbing each and every concept. Well explained index is given to read topic wise.
It was enlightening read and I think everyone must read this book.
June 29, 2021
This book has everything you need to know about your psychology of pain, pleasure and purpose in life. As the title suggests, this book delves deep into the complexities of our thought process. The hedonic process is very simply explained in this book, followed by the illusion of pleasure and temporary success. The book has about 220 pages. It took me approximately three hours to complete the book. Since it is a nonfiction book and requires understanding, it may take some more time to read compared to other books. The book contains a few illustrations for better explanation of the examples. If you are feeling depressed or disappointed and want to get a headstart, then this one is recommended to you. There are no apparent trigger warnings. Recommended to 15 years and above.
May 20, 2021
This book felt like I am attending a boring college lecture. A lecture in which I mostly disagree with the professor's personal opinions and explanation of concepts, but agree with certain aspects of his theories. So, I am not sure whether I liked the book or disliked it...what I know is I am still looking for a better book on this concept.
December 18, 2020
This book has cleared the confusion of many by simple words.
Every one who is dilemma about his life can go through this book to find his/her correct path.
No gimicks and blah-blah just straight things.
Every one who is dilemma about his life can go through this book to find his/her correct path.
No gimicks and blah-blah just straight things.
September 30, 2021
'Cognitive Fitness : Pain is inevitable - How to Alleviate it and use it to your advantage' by Anil Rajput is a self help book that works towards encouraging and motivating people.
In this book, one can learn how to use pain to one's advantage with the help of their brain power.
This book contains a lot of data that can be useful to everyone for managing stress, anxiety or failures.
In simple terms, this book will make you understand the psychology of pain, pleasure and purpose.
Whether a person is suffering from disorders or any complexity, this book could help them overcome it. Reading it could be a great help to anyone looking for an answer through human psychology & neuroscience.
I found this book really useful & fascinating. Yes, initially I was doubtful about Cognitive Fitness, but after reading the book, I learned so much from it ! I'm impressed with the amount of information author have given and how he have explored the topic.
But, even though there was a lot of research done and information provided accordingly, there were many scenarios that just didn't worked.
Narration could have been better & simpler words could have made this book more reachable to the new readers.
Overall, it was a good experience reading this book & can teach you a thing or two.
In this book, one can learn how to use pain to one's advantage with the help of their brain power.
This book contains a lot of data that can be useful to everyone for managing stress, anxiety or failures.
In simple terms, this book will make you understand the psychology of pain, pleasure and purpose.
Whether a person is suffering from disorders or any complexity, this book could help them overcome it. Reading it could be a great help to anyone looking for an answer through human psychology & neuroscience.
I found this book really useful & fascinating. Yes, initially I was doubtful about Cognitive Fitness, but after reading the book, I learned so much from it ! I'm impressed with the amount of information author have given and how he have explored the topic.
But, even though there was a lot of research done and information provided accordingly, there were many scenarios that just didn't worked.
Narration could have been better & simpler words could have made this book more reachable to the new readers.
Overall, it was a good experience reading this book & can teach you a thing or two.
November 13, 2019
Book Title: Cognitive Fitness: Pain Is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage
Author: Anil Rajput
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book is 'Cognitive Fitness: Pain Is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage' is positive and pragmatic.
Book Cover:
The cover of the book is the simple text of the book title but looks very assertive.
Inside the book:
The human mind is fascinating and amazing, where it imagines, roam in serenely, takes the pain, suffers from depressive thoughts. The pain which it takes impacts the lifestyle of a person and pushes him/her into an unexplainable painful journey.
Life is not fair all the times and all one can do is train the mind to tackle any kind of issues and work on them efficiently. The stress and anxiety in our lives change the way we think about each and every situation in a negative way. The positive and healthy approach towards a tough situation stabilizes the mind and also the circumstances.
The book is all about the positivity that one can observe in life and how to handle the obstacles. The topics like success, self-confidence, positivity, and others will boost up the confidence and leaves the reader with a good experience.
The book mainly deals with the mind and how it works and how to reorient the things in our life with minimum stress.
What I like:
1. The simple writing style conveyed the message in a very effective way and leaves the reader with a great experience.
2. The points which we usually ignore and careless are focused in this book and the author has explained each and every topic in a nice way.
3. This book will help every individual to gather confidence, to cross the hurdles and taste success in life.
What I didn’t like:
Books like this act as a guide to enhance one's thoughts, mind, lifestyle, and confidence. I found the same with this book and hence there is nothing to dislike.
Narration:
The narration in the book is very novel and different. With anecdotes and real-time incidents, the author has found an interesting way of grabbing the reader's interest.
Language & Grammar:
A clear language, uncomplicated grammar, and good vocabulary are used in the book
My Final Verdict:
An excellent book that takes us through the experiences we faced and how to cross the hurdles and unburden the brain and how to train it to stay positive and healthy. The book is apt for all age groups and all genre readers.
Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover:4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
Author: Anil Rajput
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book is 'Cognitive Fitness: Pain Is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage' is positive and pragmatic.
Book Cover:
The cover of the book is the simple text of the book title but looks very assertive.
Inside the book:
The human mind is fascinating and amazing, where it imagines, roam in serenely, takes the pain, suffers from depressive thoughts. The pain which it takes impacts the lifestyle of a person and pushes him/her into an unexplainable painful journey.
Life is not fair all the times and all one can do is train the mind to tackle any kind of issues and work on them efficiently. The stress and anxiety in our lives change the way we think about each and every situation in a negative way. The positive and healthy approach towards a tough situation stabilizes the mind and also the circumstances.
The book is all about the positivity that one can observe in life and how to handle the obstacles. The topics like success, self-confidence, positivity, and others will boost up the confidence and leaves the reader with a good experience.
The book mainly deals with the mind and how it works and how to reorient the things in our life with minimum stress.
What I like:
1. The simple writing style conveyed the message in a very effective way and leaves the reader with a great experience.
2. The points which we usually ignore and careless are focused in this book and the author has explained each and every topic in a nice way.
3. This book will help every individual to gather confidence, to cross the hurdles and taste success in life.
What I didn’t like:
Books like this act as a guide to enhance one's thoughts, mind, lifestyle, and confidence. I found the same with this book and hence there is nothing to dislike.
Narration:
The narration in the book is very novel and different. With anecdotes and real-time incidents, the author has found an interesting way of grabbing the reader's interest.
Language & Grammar:
A clear language, uncomplicated grammar, and good vocabulary are used in the book
My Final Verdict:
An excellent book that takes us through the experiences we faced and how to cross the hurdles and unburden the brain and how to train it to stay positive and healthy. The book is apt for all age groups and all genre readers.
Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover:4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 3/5
October 16, 2022
When there are infinite number of things to do in infinite number of ways in this universe, choosing a purpose for your life will give you a path to tread on.
Also, like the title says, pain is invetible, might as well use it to your advantage.
Have you watched the movie 'Fight Club'? Yeah, "We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off." - This book is enlightening this fact, and giving ways to deal with it.
Also, like the title says, pain is invetible, might as well use it to your advantage.
Have you watched the movie 'Fight Club'? Yeah, "We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off." - This book is enlightening this fact, and giving ways to deal with it.
October 28, 2019
I really liked the book. I read it in two sittings because the subject is serious and it demands a reader's attention. Anil Rajput has mixed what he has collected from various sources and he has been kind enough to give his sources the due credit. Moreover, he has extensively been successful in conveying his ideas conveniently to his readers. How much you implement what you read anywhere is another thing but, at least, reading is something that gives you instant solace and the book does it wonderfully. And being honest, this book has scientific back-ups to all the claims that it makes. This is unique in books of this genre.
October 31, 2019
The best part of this book is that Anil has neither sided with pain nor with pleasure in his writing. He has been objective and instrumental in his analysis and tried to offer his unbiased opinions to the readers. He is right when he says that successful people always tell incomplete stories. The amalgam of spiritual elements and scientific methods has been amazing.
July 28, 2021
Health is not just what we eat. It is also about what we think, say and do. In recent times, we've started giving mental health the importance it deserves. Good mental health is an important part of our overall well-being.
While disappointments and failures are inevitable, the way to overcome them is by shifting our focus from illness to wellness.
When we consider such points, there arises many questions like why is pain more prevalent than pleasure, why is happiness usually fleeting and why can getting rid of pathological pain be extremely complicated and difficult?
Anil Rajput's Cognitive Fitness tries to answer these puzzling questions. This book includes
some fundamental psychological and neurological facts. The book not only tries to deal with the sheer complexity of the human brain but also outlines the most critical knowledge and strategies to manage stress, anxiety, disorders, failures and complexity in seven chapters.
The book begins with the reasons for pain, pleasure and purpose; and the complexity of the individual, social and natural aspects of life.
It also discusses why focus or aim matters the most. I loved reading the chapter which explored why the human brain can be its own worst enemy and why it must be controlled by itself to flourish.
This was kind of a slow book for me as it had many new aspects which I needed time to grasp. At few points the writing and narrative felt a little confusing but it gets better as you move ahead with the book. I would like to appreciate the author for doing such in-depth research before writing this brilliant book. In each chapter of this book, there is a revelation so remarkable as to make one gasp.
This was a great read for me but it's not recommended to everyone as the book is not a regular self help and has many scientific approaches. But if you are someone who is interested in neuroscience and psychology then you will definitely love this engaging, detailed and thought-provoking read!
While disappointments and failures are inevitable, the way to overcome them is by shifting our focus from illness to wellness.
When we consider such points, there arises many questions like why is pain more prevalent than pleasure, why is happiness usually fleeting and why can getting rid of pathological pain be extremely complicated and difficult?
Anil Rajput's Cognitive Fitness tries to answer these puzzling questions. This book includes
some fundamental psychological and neurological facts. The book not only tries to deal with the sheer complexity of the human brain but also outlines the most critical knowledge and strategies to manage stress, anxiety, disorders, failures and complexity in seven chapters.
The book begins with the reasons for pain, pleasure and purpose; and the complexity of the individual, social and natural aspects of life.
It also discusses why focus or aim matters the most. I loved reading the chapter which explored why the human brain can be its own worst enemy and why it must be controlled by itself to flourish.
This was kind of a slow book for me as it had many new aspects which I needed time to grasp. At few points the writing and narrative felt a little confusing but it gets better as you move ahead with the book. I would like to appreciate the author for doing such in-depth research before writing this brilliant book. In each chapter of this book, there is a revelation so remarkable as to make one gasp.
This was a great read for me but it's not recommended to everyone as the book is not a regular self help and has many scientific approaches. But if you are someone who is interested in neuroscience and psychology then you will definitely love this engaging, detailed and thought-provoking read!
August 9, 2021
Sometimes, we are not well aware of how our nervous system functions and the necessary inputs to be given for the best results. Few people learn it from reading while others learn through long-term experience. This book will serve as a guide for understanding cognitive functions. Most of us do not have enough insight to overcome the pain, we often end up drepressed in such situations. This book will teach you, how you can change your pain to your advantage. It entails brilliant illustrations which offer a precise image of the ideology conveyed by the author. This book contributes a practical and logical solution to most of the complications or problems we confront in day-to-day life. The author suggests various ideas which you can actually execute to know the result.
The author has written a better explanation of principles and scientific explanations are easy to understand. Apart from the scientific view, this book also motivates you. The language is radiant and tricky, it would be a good book to grasp if you are a science student otherwise you ahve to look into the glossary when new vocabulary pops up. The writing style is captivating to me. Every science book needs a lot of research, and it should be scientifically proven by wet-lab or dry-lab research, I must appreciate the author for the effort and research he made for accentuating cognitive fitness. The cover is relatively impressive and the title is well apt to the content. The only thing is, I find many stuff are repetitive and some are vaguely presented. The author missed to keep me impressed with his content. I would recommend this book to people who anticipate a change in their lives through mental health. I would not recommend this book to beginners unless you are a biology student.
The author has written a better explanation of principles and scientific explanations are easy to understand. Apart from the scientific view, this book also motivates you. The language is radiant and tricky, it would be a good book to grasp if you are a science student otherwise you ahve to look into the glossary when new vocabulary pops up. The writing style is captivating to me. Every science book needs a lot of research, and it should be scientifically proven by wet-lab or dry-lab research, I must appreciate the author for the effort and research he made for accentuating cognitive fitness. The cover is relatively impressive and the title is well apt to the content. The only thing is, I find many stuff are repetitive and some are vaguely presented. The author missed to keep me impressed with his content. I would recommend this book to people who anticipate a change in their lives through mental health. I would not recommend this book to beginners unless you are a biology student.
July 8, 2021
Cognitive Fitness: Pain Is Inevitable. How to Alleviate It and Use It to Your Advantage.
Written by Anil Rajput
This book is divided into ten topics and each chapter wings a different purpose. This book speaks about the progress in cognitive competence and resilience for success. It also conveys certain strategies and vital techniques to manage stress, anxiety, disorders, failures, and complexity.
We keep looking for medications and we are not aware that it all depends on our nervous system. It contains a few illustrations which give a clear vision of the ideology shared by the author and it also gives a better explanation of principles. This book not only knocks on the scientific door but also notches us motivational. It contributes a sensible and practical solution to most of the difficulties we encounter. This book is definitely worth a try. It gives fresh ideas which you can actually implement and practice in your real life. This is a balanced book on how to stay mentally fit in the rushing the world. The language is not simple, due to the new vocabulary, which for the same reason I wouldn't recommend this for beginners. The writing style is engaging and well written. I must appreciate the author for this wonderful book packed with high cognitive content, which needs a lot of research. The cover is quite attractive to me and the title is well inclined with the content of the book. It is a must-read for the readers who are looking to realize what should be the actual strategy in achieving in your life. I would recommend this book to people who look for change through personal growth and development.
July 14, 2021
Pain and pleasure are part and parcel of life; how you deal with both is on you. 'Cognitive Fitness' by Anil Rajput is a motivational, self-help book that explores the idea that pain is inevitable to humans, but we have the power to alleviate ourselves from the emotion by understanding its intricacies. On the other hand, we can use the technique to use pain to our advantage.
The book is extremely well-researched and thoughtful. The author has taken great care to understand the objective of the concept of 'Cognitive Fitness' before putting it in the book. One aspect I really liked about the book is that it didn't put science as the ultimate end - it explored the idea that science itself is on its building stage and that it too has a lot of limitations. Through his book, he explored that the human mind feels pain intensely because of our inner working, and by understanding the same, we can use that same pain for our advantage. It is an extremely theoretical book.
This is a slow read, so readers need to take their time while exploring its concepts. The writing is very intricate but confusing at times as well. I had to get accustomed to it, but it turned out to be a great read once I did.
I would recommend this to only those who like to read scientific non-fiction because this is not your usual kind of self-help. It's much more theory-based than practical application, and hence might be boring for those who are not used to this narrative.
For more such detailed reviews, check out my bookstagram: www.instagram.com/mystic_tales_tintin
The book is extremely well-researched and thoughtful. The author has taken great care to understand the objective of the concept of 'Cognitive Fitness' before putting it in the book. One aspect I really liked about the book is that it didn't put science as the ultimate end - it explored the idea that science itself is on its building stage and that it too has a lot of limitations. Through his book, he explored that the human mind feels pain intensely because of our inner working, and by understanding the same, we can use that same pain for our advantage. It is an extremely theoretical book.
This is a slow read, so readers need to take their time while exploring its concepts. The writing is very intricate but confusing at times as well. I had to get accustomed to it, but it turned out to be a great read once I did.
I would recommend this to only those who like to read scientific non-fiction because this is not your usual kind of self-help. It's much more theory-based than practical application, and hence might be boring for those who are not used to this narrative.
For more such detailed reviews, check out my bookstagram: www.instagram.com/mystic_tales_tintin
August 8, 2021
Mental health has been a very important topic since few years and people are coming up and opening about these issues nowadays. Not just adults but children's nowadays are depressed too. Stress, anxiety etc. are some of the problems which were not being talked about but recently it has catched attention.
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This book is really needed for today's generation to analyse, accept and work on these issues and others which they face in daily basis. The importance of meditation and exercising has been broadly discussed in the book. The author has beautifully explained about " pain " and what exactly it holds in our life.
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I absolutely liked the book. The fact that the book has covered topics related to today's lifestyle makes this book more important to be read by each and everyone out there.
Definitely recommending this book.
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This book is really needed for today's generation to analyse, accept and work on these issues and others which they face in daily basis. The importance of meditation and exercising has been broadly discussed in the book. The author has beautifully explained about " pain " and what exactly it holds in our life.
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I absolutely liked the book. The fact that the book has covered topics related to today's lifestyle makes this book more important to be read by each and everyone out there.
Definitely recommending this book.
September 5, 2022
a beautiful book on most underrated topic that is mental strength how to improve it.
why you read this book?
1.talk about brief illusions happen in your brain how your brain tricks you.
2.scientifically explained process.
3.cover each and every quality like fear courage in personality
4.give you simple technique like meditation and tells you method how to conquer your fear.
why you choose other one?
1.lots of scientific facts that is irrelevant if you are from another background like arts and commerce.
2.less implementation tips
3. hard language of english it takes long time to understand it thoroughly
4. less chapters dealing with actual problem.
its better to go for think fast and slow book rather than this
thankyou.
why you read this book?
1.talk about brief illusions happen in your brain how your brain tricks you.
2.scientifically explained process.
3.cover each and every quality like fear courage in personality
4.give you simple technique like meditation and tells you method how to conquer your fear.
why you choose other one?
1.lots of scientific facts that is irrelevant if you are from another background like arts and commerce.
2.less implementation tips
3. hard language of english it takes long time to understand it thoroughly
4. less chapters dealing with actual problem.
its better to go for think fast and slow book rather than this
thankyou.
December 3, 2019
This is a book that is more than a simple self-help book. Well-organised in terms of content and well-written in terms of the elaboration that the author has added to convey his ideas to the readers. Anil has been successful in instilling in the minds of the readers cognitive fitness is very important in this era when we are constantly thinking about happiness and material gains only. You will like the book and I am sure about it after reading it carefully.
December 4, 2019
Anil Rajput has explained his concerns very well in this book. He has talked about an obsession with pleasure, happiness and all things good with a bad eye for discomfort and pains. This is, the author believes, wrong and should not be the ideal case. However, not only this but Anil has written many other wonderful things in the book that explain his central premise. This is not simple self-help or motivational book - this concerns our mental well-being.
November 17, 2019
Anil emphasises on cognitive fitness, something new to me, in this book. However, though he tries his best to convince the readers, I could not be convinced too much by the arguments he makes. Still, the book is a very refreshing read by many means. Anil has come up with something that is unique in nature and comfortable enough in tone to let the readers connect with the narrative immediately!
October 29, 2020
The book highlights some very important points on how the brain can play games on itself. Pain is inevitable and to know how to manage pain is the only solution. The book provides valuable insight into creating solutions.
The only drawback of the book is it's language. It had been written in a not so easy to follow manner, and needs high concentration to follow.
The only drawback of the book is it's language. It had been written in a not so easy to follow manner, and needs high concentration to follow.
August 5, 2020
Good stuff with extramly complicated writing style.
January 24, 2021
Thought provoking but not a lot of direction of achieving cognitive fitness. I am not sure about Anil's qualifications to give recommendations on this topic.
July 1, 2021
Highly recommend book to read about self control and detachment and neuroscience chunks.
July 1, 2022
There are a ton of books on psychology but this book is so practical and it also involves hard sciences along with soft science. It is good to see an IITian writing a book on Psychology. Life makes much sense now as the noise settles in my head.
October 28, 2019
What could have been said about cognitive fitness? The author has tried to bring newness to the narrative that some of the readers aware of this domain may have already listened to. Anil's serious issues, that he has raised in the book, point out an aspect of life that we all embrace at some point - then or now. We all want pleasure but not pain while we must know that pain is inevitable. Self-control and detachment, Act for a purpose and not rewards and Cognitive Yoga that comes after the acknowledgment segment are chapters that brought many new things to me and I liked them. Moreover, the author has to make sure that he might make it a little unscientific for the readers who are not very much into science and just want to know the facts that Anil wants to share.
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