Brain Bugs by Dean Buonomano
A lively, surprising tour of our mental glitches and how they arise With its trillions of connections, the human brain is more beautiful and complex than anything we could ever build, but it's far from perfect: our memory is unreliable; we can't multiply large sums in our heads; advertising manipulates our judgment; we tend to distrust people who are different from us; supernatural beliefs and superstitions are hard to shake; we prefer instant gratification to long-term gain; and what we presume to be rational decisions are often anything but. Drawing on striking examples and fascinating studies, neuroscientist Dean Buonomano illuminates the causes and consequences of these bugs in terms of the brain's innermost workings and their evolutionary purposes. He then goes one step further, examining how our brains function--and malfunction--in the digital, predator-free, information-saturated, special-effects-addled world that we have built for ourselves. Along the way, Brain Bugs gives us the tools to hone our cognitive strengths while recognizing our inherent weaknesses.
"[An] intriguing take on behavioral economics, marketing and human foibles" -- Kirkus Reviews
"An ingenious idea, and Buonomano has fully delivered on its promise. . . . A remarkably accessible and engaging introduction to the neuroscience of the human condition." -- Sam Harris, author of The Moral Landscape
"A great book, filled with nuggets about how the brain works—and falters—and even some suggestions on how to put it to better use." -- Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain
"An ingenious idea, and Buonomano has fully delivered on its promise. . . . A remarkably accessible and engaging introduction to the neuroscience of the human condition." -- Sam Harris, author of The Moral Landscape
"A great book, filled with nuggets about how the brain works—and falters—and even some suggestions on how to put it to better use." -- Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain
Dean Buonomano is a professor of neurobiology and psychology at UCLA and a leading theorist on the neuroscience of time. His previous book, Brain Bugs: How the Brain’s Flaws Shape Our Lives, was a Wall Street Journal bestseller.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780393342222 |
| ISBN 10 | 0393342220 |
| Title | Brain Bugs |
| Author | Dean Buonomano |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | WW Norton & Co |
| Year published | 2012-09-28 |
| Number of pages | 322 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |