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we’re so trapped inside our reality that it is inordinately difficult to realize we’re trapped inside anything.
Neurally speaking, who you are depends on where you’ve been.
your identity is a moving target; it never reaches an endpoint.
You become who you are not because of what grows in your brain, but because of what is removed.
We are sculpted by the world we happen to drop into.
Without an environment with emotional care and cognitive stimulation, the human brain cannot develop normally.
Your memory of who you were at fifteen is different to who you actually were at fifteen; moreover, you’ll have different memories that relate back to the same events.
The enemy of memory isn’t time; it’s other memories.
You feel, or at least assume, that the full picture is there.
You can’t help but have your present color your past. So a single event may be perceived somewhat differently by you at different stages in your life.
the brain mechanisms that underlie memory: their purpose is not simply to record what has gone before but to allow us to project forward into the future.
You don’t perceive objects as they are. You perceive them as you are.
Your brain serves up a narrative – and each of us believes whatever narrative it tells.
We are complex creatures because we are composed of many drives, all of which want to be in control.
Emotions do more than add richness to our lives – they’re also the secret behind how we navigate what to do next at every moment.
Fundamentally, the brain is tuned to detect unexpected outcomes – and this sensitivity is at the heart of animals’ ability to adapt and learn.
The power of now explains why people make decisions that feel good in the moment but have lousy consequences in the future:
To make better decisions, it’s important not only to know yourself but all of your selves.
willpower isn’t something that we just exercise – it’s something we deplete.
The temptation in the now overrides any consideration of the future.
Our neurons require other people’s neurons to thrive and survive.
