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The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours Spiral-Bound | August 2, 2022
Chantel Prat
★★★☆☆+ from 501 to 1,000 ratings
$29.38
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The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours
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A surprising new angle on brain science and learning from University of Washington Associate Professor and cognitive neuroscientist Chantel Prat, focusing not on how the average brain works but on how every brain is DIFFERENT, exactly why those variations are important, and what that means for all of us.
With a witty and offbeat style and real-world examples, tests, and quizzes, Chantel Prat explains exactly how our brains are different, how to can both identify our own strengths and weaknesses in learning and in life, and change for the better. With sections such as How We Think, How We Learn, and How We Communicate, The Neuroscience of You will help readers understand and explain how we see the world, but also how others do so differently, creating both a new, fascinating conversation and an accessible, appealing book that will appeal to both readers and reviewers. Many books have been published explaining how “the” brain works – how we all learn, process information, and see and experience the world. But as University of Washington’s Chantel Prat explains it, that’s far from the whole story. As her unique and surprising research has revealed, every brain is actually very different, both in structure and in function. There’s actually a reason that some people learn languages easily and some are drawn to math, that rewards work well for many and but less so for others, and even a reason why some people saw that internet-famous dress as white and gold while others saw it as blue and black.
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Original Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1524746606
Item Weight: 1.91 lbs
Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.15 x 9.3 inches
Customer Reviews: 3 out of 5 stars 501 to 1,000 ratings
“Move over, outer space—this book is a dazzling tour through inner space. Chantel Prat has a rare, remarkable gift for making neurons sing and dendrites dance, and she’s written the smartest, clearest, and funniest book I’ve ever read about the brain.”
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Prat wants to help readers understand their brain.... She does so in a friendly, personable voice that makes the complexities of the brain accessible.... A highly readable, entertaining, and authoritative book. Recommended for all non-specialists interested in how the brain works."
—Library Journal (starred)
"Numerous candidly written footnotes add comedic flair to the narrative, which will be appreciated by readers eager but intimidated to learn how and why their brains generate thoughts, feelings, and decision-making patterns..... [Prat] shines a positive light on how the brain operates from the inside out and from the outside in. An informal, highly accessible tour of neuroscience for general readers."
—Kirkus
"Prat... covers the nature of the human brain in her lively and informative debut...There are lots of funny footnotes as well as cutting-edge research—on nematode nervous systems, for example—and her informal tone goes a long way in making her subject both understandable and enjoyable. This work of popular science sets itself apart."
—Publishers Weekly
“In The Neuroscience of You, Chantel Prat pulls off the nearly impossible feat of writing a book that is authoritative, personal, technically astute and charming. Prat offers a profound thesis: that there is wonder and beauty in understanding the variation in how brains function. Prat teaches us that these differences should not be fuel for division, but rather, the object of fascination, appreciation, and celebration.”
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, Yale University, Ideas contributor for Wired Magazine
“Smart, funny, irreverent… reading this book is like downloading a PhD in neuroscience in one exuberant sitting. It’s a must read for any budding neuroscientists out there, and anyone else who wants to know how our brains work and why it matters.”
—Anna Lembke, author of New York Times bestseller Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
“We’re all the same: human beings. At the same time, we’re all different individuals. In her marvelous, accessible, often funny and always informative book, Chantel Prat reconciles this seeming paradox. Read this book; you’ll understand — and admire — your species and your brain as never before. And you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun getting there!”
—David P. Barash author most recently of Threats: Intimidation and its Discontents
“Neuroscientists emphasize how most brains work, but finally here’s a book that emphasizes how your brain works! Chantel Prat artfully describes why and how our brains differ – skillfully interweaving accessible facts about genetics, environment, and brain science to help explain what makes you uniquely YOU! The book is a joy, the footnotes are hilarious, and the topic is of central importance to all those interested in human uniqueness, cognitive science, and how much we share and differ from the rest of humanity.”
—Patricia K Kuhl, cognitive neuroscientist, Member of the National Academy of Sciences, and author of The Scientist in the Crib
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Prat wants to help readers understand their brain.... She does so in a friendly, personable voice that makes the complexities of the brain accessible.... A highly readable, entertaining, and authoritative book. Recommended for all non-specialists interested in how the brain works."
—Library Journal (starred)
"Numerous candidly written footnotes add comedic flair to the narrative, which will be appreciated by readers eager but intimidated to learn how and why their brains generate thoughts, feelings, and decision-making patterns..... [Prat] shines a positive light on how the brain operates from the inside out and from the outside in. An informal, highly accessible tour of neuroscience for general readers."
—Kirkus
"Prat... covers the nature of the human brain in her lively and informative debut...There are lots of funny footnotes as well as cutting-edge research—on nematode nervous systems, for example—and her informal tone goes a long way in making her subject both understandable and enjoyable. This work of popular science sets itself apart."
—Publishers Weekly
“In The Neuroscience of You, Chantel Prat pulls off the nearly impossible feat of writing a book that is authoritative, personal, technically astute and charming. Prat offers a profound thesis: that there is wonder and beauty in understanding the variation in how brains function. Prat teaches us that these differences should not be fuel for division, but rather, the object of fascination, appreciation, and celebration.”
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, Yale University, Ideas contributor for Wired Magazine
“Smart, funny, irreverent… reading this book is like downloading a PhD in neuroscience in one exuberant sitting. It’s a must read for any budding neuroscientists out there, and anyone else who wants to know how our brains work and why it matters.”
—Anna Lembke, author of New York Times bestseller Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
“We’re all the same: human beings. At the same time, we’re all different individuals. In her marvelous, accessible, often funny and always informative book, Chantel Prat reconciles this seeming paradox. Read this book; you’ll understand — and admire — your species and your brain as never before. And you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun getting there!”
—David P. Barash author most recently of Threats: Intimidation and its Discontents
“Neuroscientists emphasize how most brains work, but finally here’s a book that emphasizes how your brain works! Chantel Prat artfully describes why and how our brains differ – skillfully interweaving accessible facts about genetics, environment, and brain science to help explain what makes you uniquely YOU! The book is a joy, the footnotes are hilarious, and the topic is of central importance to all those interested in human uniqueness, cognitive science, and how much we share and differ from the rest of humanity.”
—Patricia K Kuhl, cognitive neuroscientist, Member of the National Academy of Sciences, and author of The Scientist in the Crib
Chantel Prat is Associate Professor at the University of Washington with appointments in the departments of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Linguistics, and additional affiliations at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, the Center for Neurotechnology, and the Institute for Neuroengineering.