Scatterbrain
How the Mind's Mistakes Make Humans Creative, Innovative, and Successful
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“[This] book will convince you that forgetting helps you remember and distractions can make you more creative.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of TED’s WorkLife podcast
“Illuminating, and a joy to read, [Scatterbrain] offers … a refreshingly accessible and relatable take on the brain’s inner workings that should appeal to both science buffs and casual readers.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
In this mind-bending book, an esteemed neuroscientist explains why perfectionism is pointless—and argues that mistakes, missteps, and flaws are the keys to success.
Remember that time you screwed up simple math or forgot the name of your favorite song? What if someone told you that such embarrassing “brain farts” are actually secret weapons, proof of your superiority to computers and AI?
In Scatterbrain, we learn that boredom awakens the muse, distractions spark creativity, and misjudging time creates valuable memories, among other benefits of our faulty minds. Throughout, award-winning neuroscientist Henning Beck’s hilarious asides and brain-boosting advice make for delightful reading of the most cutting-edge neuroscience our brains will (maybe never) remember.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Neuroscientist Beck reveals how the brain's faults actually enhance its functionality in this delightful study. These integral flaws and errors "mask the hidden strengths of our brain," even as they create false memories, lead to math errors, and stymie decision-making. In a friendly and colloquial voice, with examples drawn from popular iconography and everyday life, Beck cites current research in neuropsychology to explain various mental phenomena for example, why humans forget names and faces, how they learn from mistakes, and why they aren't adept at rote learning but understand the way the world works. A lively discussion about creativity shows why people are rarely innovative on demand but can generate new ideas that are neither planned nor regulated. Readers will come to appreciate how the brain's disorderly operating system is an advantage, and that being imperfect is what gives rise to new ideas, as Beck sums up when he pinpoints "the unique characteristic of human thought that it is not flawless and exact." Illuminating, and a joy to read, this offers, in comparison to other recent neuroscience titles, a refreshingly accessible and relatable take on the brain's inner workings that should appeal to both science buffs and casual readers.
