The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head is Really Up To

Carrying out some 'research' (good old Google Wandering) I stumbled across 'Brain Flapping', Dean Burnett's blog at The Guardian. I found myself laughing at the words of a somewhat a-typical neuroscientist, and understanding them, too. No, really. And thus I picked up Burnett's first book: The Idiot Brain. I expected to dip in and out, be amused for ten minutes, and need a lie down for the next, but not so. I read it in two days. This is a book about how the brain works, with its heavy emphasis on it not being as clever as we've been brought up to think. OK, our brain is clever, very clever to cope with the 21st century demands on it, but it's also full of clutter, the detritus of evolutionary development from a pre-stone age brain. Sometimes, often, it hiccups. Burnett describes the brain's workings in a simple, logical and yet imaginative way – not easy to do I'm sure. It's also a very comforting read. Now that it's been explained, I feel vindicated for remembering everything about someone except their name. It's also OK to get angry sometimes. In fact, it's really rather good, particularly if your reputation and social standing are at risk. Self-doubt? It's a social skill. Even Einstein thought that his intelligence was fake and that one day he would be found out. And beware if you pride yourself on your debating skills. There's a whole section on why it's often less intelligent people, or the uninformed, who win the arguments. Just saying. Memory has always fascinated me – why one person can have a cabinet of quiz trophies but not remember their partner's birthday, or vice versa – so I was particularly interested in the long sections on this. Were you aware, for instance, that our short term memory is, at most, one minute long? For up to sixty seconds we can, at best, remember four measly items. Four! If our brain decides we need the items for longer, then it might consider moving them into our long-term memory but not without significant effort. There are ways we can boost the volume of short term memory, constructing random words into a sentence or mnemonic, for example, because one sentence, as opposed to one word, can count as one of your four remembered items. But even then, the short term memory is pretty limited. Another comfort. It explains why we can wander into a room and forget what possessed us to go there in the first place. En route, something much more important to survival swooped into the tally of remembered items and out ranked the empty cup you'd clocked when you passed with your arms full of washing. But no need to panic. If the reason you ran into the room was to escape a wild boar, you would remember to close the door behind you and wouldn’t wander off instead to make the beds. It's a restricted brain, an Idiot Brain, but it's very good at survival. I loved this book. I felt like I was effortlessly learning a little about a fascinating field of which I'm pretty ignorant. The anecdotal style of writing kept me amused - I heard that Dean Burnett does a bit of stand-up and that doesn't surprise me. And I'm relieved to learn that my brain's idiotic catastrophic misses, are simply the product of the 21st century's messy brain. If you'd like to understand a little more about what it is to be human but don't have the time or inclination to return to study, this one's for you.

Well written, easy to understand and at times very funny. Full of fascinating information in a digestible form that doesn't require a degree in neuroscience! Overall a very good book and well worth buying. The only slightly off-putting thing is Dean Burnett is his far left view. Which for some will be a bonus and reason for buying! Thankfully the books editors have taken out his more extreme views* seen on the social media - so apart from a few negative remarks about white men his super right on attitude is not seen too much in the book. * Note "extreme views" is a rather personal opinion - what I see as extreme you might see as not extreme enough! For example Dean suggests the psychology profession is too white and too male. And yet the British Psychological Society 2016 stats show in the UK the percentage of female to male registered psychologists is around 80% female to 20% male. And he considers that too male??! Is that an extreme view? I think so but you may disagree. Another example is when he discusses the fascinating topic of "groupthink" and how this reduces individual rational thought and pushes groups of people to irrational extremes. His examples - as throughout the book - are of this negative phenomena leading to extreme right wing views. Personally I believe groupthink can lead to extreme views of left and right. I guess Dean's not read 1984 - the perfect example of left wing group think. Anyway political bias is a bug bear of mine but regardless of political view point this book is a good read and I've not reduced the star rating. Hopefully his explanation of the brain is not distorted by his political views - I know so little about the neuroscience so can't comment on this.

As a therapist, I've gifted The Idiot Brain at least 20 or 30 times to clients in paperback and audible. Dean Burnett does a brilliant job breaking down complex neuroscience in a way that's both humorous and easy to understand. This book gives readers a fresh perspective on why our brains work the way they do, covering everything from anxiety to decision-making. It’s insightful, relatable, and has become a go-to resource in my practice. I highly recommend it for anyone curious about how their mind really works.

This is a fascinating book - Don't be put off by the as title because it says so much more. I already had a copy of this so I ordered one for a friend. It's a dip in/dip out book, as there is so much information in it. I've also ordered The Happy Brain, given the exemplary quality of the writing. Enjoy!

Absolutely enjoying reading this novel, back when I purchased in 2018 or thereabout, I used to think brain is the only organ which was infallible, how wrong I was! It was fascinating and equal parts educational to learn about how brain functions.

Dean Burnett mudou bastante minha visão sobre o mundo (ou seria sobre mim mesmo?). Tudo que eu acreditava saber sobre mim mesmo foi por água abaixo...

An interesting, deep, and educational book, but at times also amusing. Not too heavy a read, nor too superficial. Very nice.

Dr. Burnett is that rare bird: a scientist who is not afraid to make his ideas accessible to all by using everyday language and recognizable examples. His style is not only lively, it is entertaining: he could have a second career as a comedy writer. The science is up to date and covers a lot of ground. I smiled all the way through this book.

It's perfect for people who want to know about the fundamentals of neuroscience. Very educational and funny at the same time!