Brain Rules
Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know—such as the brain's need for physical activity to work at its best.How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget—and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains?In Brain Rules, molecular biologist John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a Brain Rule—what scientists know for sure about how our brains work—and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. You will discover how:Exercise improves cognitionEvery brain is wired differentlyWe are designed never to stop learning and exploringMemories are volatile and susceptible to corruptionSleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learnVision trumps all of the other sensesStress changes the way we learnIn the end, you'll understand how your brain really works—and how to get the most out of it.
Stats for nerds
20recommend
37mentions
34people
2009–2023years
57% recommend41% neutral3% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Perhaps try working memory training software of the type that Suzanne Jaeggi used in her studies. The software is called Brain Workshop. It is free.
Note the science on this is messy. Jaeggi's paper suggested transfer to fluid intelligence, then another paper questioned that, then she wrote a better designed follow up, then another paper questioned that.
Anecdotally I think it worked for me. I personally think the difference in study outcomes may have been driven by differences in how diligently study participants stuck to the regime, or perhaps even how well they understood what they were supposed to do.
A second recommendation is to read John Medina's book 'Brain Rules for ageing well' which has lots of tips for combating cognitive decline.
- I could recommend a hundred, but I'll limit myself to four:
1. Computer Science: The Pattern on the Stone is a nearly perfect, foundational explanation of how computers work.
2. The Mind: Brain Rules (John Medina) is a fast, well-organized read on the fundamentals of how your brain works (and how to work it).
3. History: From Dawn to Decadence (Jacques Barzun) is a dense but brilliant read on the how the past 500 years made the modern world we live and think in.
4. How to Live: A New Earth (Eckhart Tolle). Don't reject it as 'new age-y'; this book may change how you see yourself. If it turns you off, substitute Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
- The book Brain Rules by John Medina is worth checking out for some suggestions on possible answers. I don't think science has definitive answers yet but if I remember correctly it's thought that the circuits involved in what the brain learned during the day are active during certain sleep stages which helps with consolidation of memory due to strengthening of connections involved. It's 10 years since I've read into this but I think the biology involved was that oligodendrocytes lay down thicker myelin on axons that are active, resulting in faster/stronger connections in the circuits involved. There's also inhibitory actions of established networks which have to be overcome by new circuits which takes sustained 'attack' over time. If the inhibition didn't happen the previously learned activities would turn noisy very quickly so there's a tradeoff between learning speed and maintenance of high fidelity signal for existing pathways in the brain. I guess the brain has evolved to accept new networks from actions that are repeated and thought about repeatedly because these generally are important whereas stuff that is thought about only once probably isn't.
- Congratulations!!
I got 21 months old and I read/skimmed through pretty much everything popular and did almost everything by books. Sometimes, I followed advices in the books and got different results, it made me feel a bit of failure. Of course, I understand that every child is different and parenting science is in infancy right now. But at some subconscious level, maybe I thought parenting is like programming and one can easily control output with their code.
So be careful putting too much faith in these book even if they are evidence-based. At same time, I am surprised to see so many people recommending against reading up on parenting. Sure you will learn a lot of things from your parents and some of things that you will read in books might be common sense, but there will many new things you will learn. And some of common sense ideas are not even correct.
These books/blogs helped me being better father & husband, and also helped me deal with a lot of stress. "Let them Eat Dirt" helped me relax about being dirty.
"Brain Rules for Babies" helped me relax about not trying to teach my son all the time.
"What to Expect First Year" had a lot of useful tips. I didn't know that one should not microwave in plastic containers. And definitely don't microwave milk.
- > I just want to do the smart thing at any given second.
I can recommend Brain Rules and if you don’t want to read the book at least watch the videos as they are so funny.
- Though many but a few recommendations:
- Hooked
- The dollar trap
- Built to sell
- Brain rules
- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)
- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)
