Aamodt and Wang dispel popular myths about the brain, like "we only use ten percent of our brains," while at the same time creating a "user's guide" to the brain: practical knowledge about how the brain works and how to best take advantage of it's workings.
Sam Wang was, in fact, my Neuroscience module professor from Molecular Biology class. Many of the themes in the book were incorporated into his lectures, which made them very interesting and easy to understand. He is, needless to say, brilliant. Prof. Wang has also spoken publicly on all sorts of neuroscience-related issues, check out his videos at BigThink: http://bigthink.com/samwang.
The Literary Vesicle's transmissions from the book:
- Brain activity in response to recognizing certain sounds changes based on experience. Our experience actually changes our ability to recognize sounds.
- Perfect pitch is "more common among people who speak tonal languages in which pitch is important for distinguishing words" (eg Chinese).
- To hear better on your cell phone in a loud room, cover the mouthpiece.
- The chance of mental disorder is linked to a stress gene.
- Dopamine and serotonin is involved in the shaping of your personality.
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