Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD)

The author uses a lot of narratives and has them spaced to keep my attention. A few actually seem gratuitous because I didn't exactly see their point - yet, even though I recognized this fact, I was struck that the narratives still have the intended effect of giving my brain regular mode shifts that help retain my interest.

As a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who does a lot of teaching in different venues I read this book with great interest. It is written in a very entertaining style that is itself an example of several of the "rules" articulated in the book.

For those looking to delve deeply into the subjects presented, the book will not provide what you are seeking. Fortunately the author, John Medina, provides a link to his own blog where additional depth can be found.

For those who want to see the current state of the frontier between the disciplines of neuroscience, cognitive sciences, linguistics, behavioral psychology, human development, education, and even sociology intersect, this volume provides an excellent start.

The best sections include Rule #7 in which the importance of sleep to learning is convincingly demonstrated. This is a particularly vexing issue for me, as in my early training I had been taught not to give sleeping aids to insomniac patients. Now I see much more clearly how the reworking of the day's residue is the essential function of sleep, and without it learning is nearly impossible.

Rule #11, Male and Female brains are different, is explained exceptionally well. The differences between the "gist dominated" male brain and the "detail dominated" female brain was initially counterintuitive, but Medina explains it elegantly.

The tension arc between Rule #8, Stressed brains don't learn the same way, and Rule #9, Stimulate more of the senses, was not elucidated sufficiently. This is a topic and an apparent self-contradiction that Dr. Medina might address more clearly in his blog.

Everyone knows that exercise is generally good for one's health, but Rule #1 ties it to the brain in a powerful way.

The war between smell and sight was especially well reviewed in Rule #10 and presents this evolutionary battle in a way that had never occurred to me previously. No doubt this has been aided considerably by our upright posture which takes our nose further away from the source of aromas and places our eyes above obstructions that interfere with vision for similar sized creatures who navigate on all fours.

The final chapter, Rule #12, about the innate drive to be curious and to explore was very sweet and very moving at the same time.

Some of the themes in this book are addressed in a different style in Steven Mithen's book, A Prehistory of the Mind, [...]. Interested readers may wish to refer to my review of that earlier book.

Bottom line: this is a splendid introduction to brain science and its real world applications, written in an especially entertaining and effective style.

This is the rare non-fiction book that is able to really keep your attention. I found the chapters on learning particularly fascinating, but the entire book is worth a detailed read. The sections on health & exercise are also really interesting.

Fascinating research. Great insights to put into use right away. May seem a little "out of the box" for most corporate types, but most great ideas are...

It describes very well and in simple language how the brain works, and how it integrates with psychology. It gave me a good insight how our lives and thoughts may affect our brain.