The Brain That Changes Itself
An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, M.D., traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed—people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed. Using these marvelous stories to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and education, Dr. Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.
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22recommend
45mentions
29people
2009–2025years
73% recommend24% neutral2% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- 42 here, I feel it. Don't know if it's age, added responsibilities, or the culmination of all the distraction and task switching I've experienced for years. But, I've just recently started 'brain training' using brainhq.com, kind of for fun and just to see if it makes a difference.
TBH I thought all those ads for brain training were a load of BS, but I recently finished reading The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, it's an older-ish book at this point but there was a lot of info in there about how the brain works that I didn't know. Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Merzenich work pioneering brain plasticity with cochlear implants and expanding that research into autism is highlighted at the beginning of the book and it's pretty damn interesting.
BrainHQ was started by Merzenich, and it's cheap. Figured why not give it a shot?
- I would recommend (the now outdated) The Brain that Changes Itself. All about nueroplasticiy. The brain will literally prune what you don’t use, and certain skills, such as the fine motor skills required by developing penmanship, can plausibly have wide reaching impact one way or the other.
- A really important element of this I think is neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to rewire itself) and I feel that the placebo effect along with other psychosomatic effects is an important part of that. If you read "The Brain that Changes itself" for example, there's a lot of info into studies of visualisation as a treatment for chronic pain. The short summary is that there is a lot of research into people for whom normal pain treatments have been exhausted getting some relief from using visualisations to essentially reinforce other neural pathways so the pain circuits in the brain are not triggered as much. Some of this research is referenced in the book.
- Making a solid attempt to quit this year. I think I've finally managed to close almost all the remaining loopholes I've found. I've been using Detoxify and Purity, in combination with Block (to block Chrome/YT 24/7 and the Play Store at night). I also physically restrict access to certain devices at certain times of day with the use of smart plugs and shutdown scripts.
What I learned is that the compulsion is ridiculously strong. I also learned I don't really miss it. Like... I'm ok without it. Addictions never feel that way, that's what makes it so hard to quit, but in reality it's been really nice to feel OK without it. It's also been much better for my marriage. Honestly even usage once a month is problematic I have found.
Years ago I read chapter 4 of "The Brain That Changes Itself" as that chapter is all about porn. It really opened my eyes. Glad I'm finally getting it sorted. I found it seriously worth kicking it out of my life.
- The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.
nearing the end of their life professors tend give one last lecture reflecting their life lessons. most people don't know it's their literal last lecture, but Randy was diagnosed with terminal cancer at 40s and he is an interesting guy I wish I could've met.
another one stretches slightly over 100 is The Brain That Changes Itself.
- Read this book: The Brain That Changes Itself. You'll thank me later.
