Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain

Author: Elaine Fox
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 046502923X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty? Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? These are easy questions for most of us to answer, because our personality types are hard-wired into our brains. As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid danger -- inclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our "fear brain" or "pleasure brain" is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well. Luckily, anyone suffering from these afflictions has reason to hope. Stunning breakthroughs in neuroscience show that our brains are more malleable than we ever imagined. In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniques -- from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy to innovative cognitive-retraining exercises -- that can actually alter our brains' circuitry, strengthening specific thought processes by exercising the neural systems that control them. The implications are enormous: lifelong pessimists can train themselves to think positively and find happiness, while pleasure-seekers inclined toward risky or destructive behavior can take control of their lives. Drawing on her own cutting-edge research, Fox shows how we can retrain our brains to brighten our lives and learn to flourish. With keen insights into how genes, life experiences and cognitive processes interleave together to make us who we are, Rainy Brain, SunnyBrain revolutionizes our basic concept of individuality. We learn that we can influence our own personalities, and that our lives are only as "sunny" or as "rainy" as we allow them to be.

The Ravenous Brain

Author: Daniel Bor
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465032966
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Book Description
Consciousness is our gateway to experience: it enables us to recognize Van Gogh's starry skies, be enraptured by Beethoven's Fifth, and stand in awe of a snowcapped mountain. Yet consciousness is subjective, personal, and famously difficult to examine: philosophers have for centuries declared this mental entity so mysterious as to be impenetrable to science.In The Ravenous Brain, neuroscientist Daniel Bor departs sharply from this historical view, and builds on the latest research to propose a new model for how consciousness works. Bor argues that this brain-based faculty evolved as an accelerated knowledge gathering tool. Consciousness is effectively an idea factory -- that choice mental space dedicated to innovation, a key component of which is the discovery of deep structures within the contents of our awareness.This model explains our brains"; ravenous appetite for information -- and in particular, its constant search for patterns. Why, for instance, after all our physical needs have been met, do we recreationally solve crossword or Sudoku puzzles? Such behavior may appear biologically wasteful, but, according to Bor, this search for structure can yield immense evolutionary benefits -- it led our ancestors to discover fire and farming, pushed modern society to forge ahead in science and technology, and guides each one of us to understand and control the world around us. But the sheer innovative power of human consciousness carries with it the heavy cost of mental fragility.Bor discusses the medical implications of his theory of consciousness, and what it means for the origins and treatment of psychiatric ailments, including attention-deficit disorder, schizophrenia, manic depression, and autism. All mental illnesses, he argues, can be reformulated as disorders of consciousness -- a perspective that opens up new avenues of treatment for alleviating mental suffering.A controversial view of consciousness, The Ravenous Brain links cognition to creativity in an ingenious solution to one of science's biggest mysteries.

The Empathic Brain

Author: Christian Keysers
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1105018075
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
The discovery of mirror neurons has caused an unparalleled wave of excitement amongst scientists. The Empathic Brain makes you share this excitement. Its vivid and personal descriptions of key experiments make it a captivating and refreshing read. Through intellectually rigorous but powerfully accessible prose, Prof. Christian Keysers makes us realize just how deeply this discovery changes our understanding of human nature. You will start looking at yourselves differently - no longer as mere individual but as a deeply interconnected, social mind.

Mastermind

Author: Maria Konnikova
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101606231
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Book Description
The New York Times bestselling guide to thinking like literature's greatest detective. "Steven Pinker meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" (Boston Globe), by the author of The Confidence Game. No fictional character is more renowned for his powers of thought and observation than Sherlock Holmes. But is his extraordinary intellect merely a gift of fiction, or can we learn to cultivate these abilities ourselves, to improve our lives at work and at home? We can, says psychologist and journalist Maria Konnikova, and in Mastermind she shows us how. Beginning with the “brain attic”—Holmes’s metaphor for how we store information and organize knowledge—Konnikova unpacks the mental strategies that lead to clearer thinking and deeper insights. Drawing on twenty-first-century neuroscience and psychology, Mastermind explores Holmes’s unique methods of ever-present mindfulness, astute observation, and logical deduction. In doing so, it shows how each of us, with some self-awareness and a little practice, can employ these same methods to sharpen our perceptions, solve difficult problems, and enhance our creative powers. For Holmes aficionados and casual readers alike, Konnikova reveals how the world’s most keen-eyed detective can serve as an unparalleled guide to upgrading the mind.

Emotion Science

Author: Elaine Fox
Publisher: Red Globe Press
ISBN: 9780230005181
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 490

Book Description
Shortlisted for the 2011 BPS Book Award Emotion Science is a state-of-the-art introduction to the study of emotion. Drawing on a wide array of research from psychology and neuroscience, the author presents an integrated picture of our current understanding of normal as well as disordered emotions such as anxiety and depression. The author draws a clear distinction between emotions, moods and feelings, and suggests how they can be understood within an integrated model. The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and related areas, and will be a useful reference for active researchers.

The Rainy Day: For tablet devices

Author: Anna Milbourne
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1409574814
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 25

Book Description
A delightful picture book about a wonderfully wet walk. Simple text and colourful illustrations introduce the science of rain to very young children. This is a highly illustrated ebook that can only be read on the Kindle Fire or other tablet.

The Right Brain and the Unconscious

Author: Rhawn Joseph
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1489959963
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 422

Book Description

A Sunny Day

Author: Spencer Brinker
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781642801347
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 16

Book Description
"What's the weather outside? It's a bright, sunny day! This title uses a repetitive sentence pattern and strong visual cues to help early readers explore the effects of a sunny day. This 16-page book features repetitive and predictable text and incorporates high-frequency and familiar sight words. Children just learning how to read will love these colorful and engaging nonfiction books."

Hey Mom, I'm Bored!

Author: Story Evans
Publisher: Three Rivers Press (CA)
ISBN: 9780609804476
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Book Description
Presents a selection of games, projects, puzzles, and other activities to challenge and amuse children, arranged by age level.

The Positive Power Of Negative Thinking

Author: Julie Norem
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786725303
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
How often are we urged to "look on the bright side"? From Norman Vincent Peale to the ubiquitous smiley face, optimism has become an essential part of American society. In this long-overdue book, psychologist Julie Norem offers convincing evidence that, for many people, positive thinking is an ineffective strategy -- and often an obstacle -- for successfully coping with the anxieties and pressures of modern life. Drawing on her own research and many vivid case histories, Norem provides evidence of the powerful benefits of "defensive pessimism," which has helped millions to manage anxiety and perform their best work.