How Our Brains Work

 

If you ask her husband, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett has just written the first neuroscience beach read. But Dr. Barrett considers her new book, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, more of a choose-your-own-adventure, a chance to distill her favorite dinner party stories about the mind—from how our big gray blobs evolved to the myth of the “lizard brain”—into a witty and information-packed page-turner. “At a time where science is under attack in some political circles, I wanted to show people that it can be useful and interesting. Science may not be a perfect endeavor, but it’s still the best way we have for learning about ourselves and the world.”

That’s part of why she challenged herself to turn her typical scientific writing—“extremely technical, filled with gazillions of references”—into a series of essays that reflect a more conversational approach. “I’m not telling people what kind of human they should be. I’m trying to get them to think about what kind of human they want to be, and help them to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their own brains. And that shouldn’t require a lot of background knowledge or wading through massive tomes.”

For more non-jargony insights into the way our weird, wonderful brains work, Dr. Barrett shared 10 Pocket-ready links to essays, videos, profiles–plus one delicious chicken pot pie recipe (you’ll see why).