Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Written by John Medina
Narrated by John Medina
4/5
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About this audiobook
Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know—like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best.
How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget—and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains?
In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule—what scientists know for sure about how our brains work—and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.
Medina’s fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You’ll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You’ll peer over a surgeon’s shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You’ll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can’t tie his own shoes.
You will discover how:
Every brain is wired differently
Exercise improves cognition
We are designed to never stop learning and exploring
Memories are volatile
Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn
Vision trumps all of the other senses
Stress changes the way we learn
In the end, you’ll understand how your brain really works—and how to get the most out of it.
John Medina
Dr John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, has had a lifelong fascination with how the mind reacts to and organises information. He is the author of the internationally bestselling works Brain Rules, Brain Rules for Baby, and Brain Rules for Ageing Well. Medina is an affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
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Reviews for Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded)
702 ratings48 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Short, but informative and engaging. I appreciate that Medina explains the biology clearly, tries not to generalize too much (even the "principles" of the title are more suggestions and ideas for future research), and emphasizes that there is so much about the brain that we still don't understand. This would be too basic for those who already know some neuroscience, but for me it was about right.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Words truly kept out of the pages!
The author demonstrated unparalleled depth of understanding on every topic he touched. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved the articulation of the 12rules. I enjoyed the chapter on brain wiring and the truths uncovered.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5it's an interesting read. I liked it. I think everyone should read it once to understand how our brain works.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Interesting views and fascinating results (presumably based on research) on the human brain. Thanks author.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book. Highly recommend if you want to learn more about your brain.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reads a bit too fast and screechy but great content
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed this book it was practical and I liked the tips it provided to assist with keeping your brain healthy and why we do certain things.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How brain can be developed and rewired. The book has given your holistic view about how our brain can be used and improved to be more impactful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5These rules will certainly help me making my life easier.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Easy to follow because it is so interesting,I learned a lot!
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Just a monolog abt how mind works. Nothing else. Author proves it with different experiments. Not to my liking.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enjoyed all the facts given in the book, very interesting
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It is one of my favorite books! I love how things are explained, the atitude of the reader, new information that the book gives!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 12 rules were great insights for me. I found the style of the author very accessible and easy going, although a little fast. I had to slow the play speed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A significant part of this book is new to me. The presentation method is clear and easy-to-understand so after listening, I can say that I have gained significant learning in that, I believe, I can apply in my day-to-day tasks and of those whom I hold dear.
Thank you, Scribd and Mr. Medina. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great updated version. Loved his reading too. Im going to download his book written for children soon
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is pure knowledge, refreshing, eye opening. 2thumbs up.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5very good book, I love it and learn a lot from all the chapters. thanks.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Maybe all my teachers should read this, it's almost a practical guide about how we perceive things and learn about them. I want to read it again now.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well narrated, serious but with some humour to lighten the text. Some things are research, others are ideas from the author's point of view.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great listen with a lot of insight on how brains react to curiosity.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5What a load of crap. An evolutionary scientist explaining everything from an evolutionary standpoint. Total and utter rubbish!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I happen to be well versed in cognitive psychology and, unfortunately, didn't learn anything from reading this book. Even more unfortunate is that there are some parts that are just wrong. Most of the book is okay but I find it hard to ignore it's flaws, though I suspect most people wouldn't notice them.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book simply opens up the ideas to improve overall productivity. Simple aspects of life which have never been looked through the psychology mirror are explained in a layman language. Examples made the book more memorable as described in one of the brain rules as well.
On the improvement side, i would have enjoyed book more if mind physiology details were skipped. Also, implications could have covered more fields like engineering. A few mind tricks or exploration activities could also be added.
Overall, this book provides an excellent knowledge dive into brain’s ocean. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book offers a good and condensed overview of the things that we can do to improve our brains. It draws from a lot of scientific findings, work by other authors and the writer’s own life to create a solid list of 12 helpful rules to apply. There’s nothing new or ground breaking here, but that’s ok.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm delighted by this book. One of the best !
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of my top 5 books ever read. Gets better after every read / listen. Need more John Medina’s around.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thoroughly enjoyable, illuminating well-read and deeply fascinating whilst also completely entertaining. Made my drive from Adelaide to Sydney feel a lot shorter!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The structure of the presentations is appealing and keeps the listener s attention , but I didn’t find the actual content presented in a way that allows me to actually retain the information, even though several examples are used.