The field of neuroscience is at the forefront of scientific study, encapsulating the brain, AI, robotics, psychology, psychiatry and any area which deals with the structure or function of the nervous system and the brain.
With 100 billion nerve cells, the complexity is mind-boggling. The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, and perhaps the most remarkable organism in the universe. Our brains form a million new connections for every second of our lives. It is in these changing connections that memories are stored, habits learned and personalities shaped, by reinforcing certain patterns of brain activity, and losing others.
To help you understand the complexity of your brain and why you do what you do, we have compiled the 4 best and most acclaimed books on the brain, to upgrade your understanding and to astound you.
4 Books About The Astonishing Power Of The Human Brain
1. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science – Norman Doidge
Scientists used to believe that the brain was relatively fixed and unchanging — some of them still believe that — but recent research shows that the brain is much more mutable than biologists, psychologists, physicians (and any other scientists who studied the human brain) had ever thought.
2. The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind – Michio Kaku
Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist with a knack for explaining difficult concepts with simple analogies and clear descriptions. The bulk of the remainder of The Future of the Mind is focused on how the increase in brain-technology will affect the world, including discussions of telepathy, telekinesis, memory implants, memory recording, potential mental illness cures, brain enhancement, and mind reading.
3. Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
A WhytoRead.com favourite, the basis of Thinking Fast and Slow is that in judging the world around us, we use two mental systems: Fast and Slow. The Fast system (System 1) is mostly unconscious and makes snap judgments based on our past experiences and emotions. When we use this system we are as likely to be wrong as right. The Slow system (System 2) is rational, conscious and slow. They work together to provide us a view of the world around us.
4. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey – Jill Bolte Taylor
This book is a first-person description of stroke by a scientifically sophisticated person. The author describes a range of experiences that make sense given our knowledge of localization of function. As well as describing her stroke and her recovery, she takes us on a tour of the ‘mystical’ right side of her brain which little is known about and whose capabilities in today’s world seem to be dismissed.
If you haven’t seen the authors top 5 most popular TED talks, check it out here.
