The Idiot Brain

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Why do you lose arguments with people who know MUCH LESS than you? Why can you recognise that woman, from that thing... but can't remember her name?And why, after your last break-up, did you find yourself in the foetal position on the sofa for days, moving only to wipe the snot and tears *haphazardly* from your face?Here's why: the idiot brain. For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. For example, did you know that your memory is egotistical? That conspiracy theories and superstitions are the inevitable effects of a healthy brain? Or that alcohol can actually improve your memory?** In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett tours our mysterious and mischievous grey (and white) matter. Along the way he explains the human brain's imperfections in all their glory and how these influence everything we say, do and experience. Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to.**Editor's note: please read the book before testing this conclusion.**Review“Entertaining . . . offers illuminating discussions of the way the memory works, of fear and panic attacks, of our susceptibility to being conned or depressed, and of the marvels of the human senses.” (Wall Street Journal) “We love a good brain book, and Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett might just be our new favorite.” (Bookish) “Packs an incredible amount of information into an accessible package with this breezy, charming collection of pop neuroscience musings on ‘how the human brain does its own thing despite everything the modern world can throw at it.’” (Publishers Weekly) “Witty and informative . . . [Burnett] piques readers’ interest with some whacky or puzzling behavior and thoughtfully explains the underlying neuroscience.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review)) “Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to.” (Guardian) “This is a wonderful introduction to neuroscience, and deserves to be widely read.” (Independent (UK)) “Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist, is also a massively popular science blogger for The Guardian newspaper. In this funny and fascinating book he takes up-to-date research in neuroscience and adds a good dash of humour to examine how and why our brains sabotage our behaviour.” (Cosmos Magazine) “Compelling and wise and rational. You know you can trust him . . . a great read.” (Jon Ronson, author of The Psycopath Test and So You've Been Publicly Shamed) “If you’ve ever wanted to sit down with a neuroscientist, have a few drinks, ask a zillion questions, and laugh until you snorted, read this book.” (David McRaney, bestselling author of You Are Not So Smart) “An entertaining romp through the science of our mental processes. Full of fascinating insight into the brain and the origins of our crazy behaviour.” (Gaia Vince, author of Adventures in the Anthropocene) From the Back Cover

















The brain may be the seat of consciousness and the engine of all human experience, but it’s also messy, fallible and disorganized. It’s undeniably impressive, but it’s far from perfect, and these imperfections influence everything that humans say, do and experience. In The Idiot Brain, Dean Burnett celebrates the downright laughable things our minds do to us, and exposes the fact that people are often way off in their thinking about how the brain works.