The Brain: The Story of You
by David Eagleman
Related videos
22:26
Author discusses conscious versus unconscious mind + slides
194K
3K
Apr, 2013
Spoiler:
The author proposes that our conscious mind is not the one “driving the boat.” He cites a study in which men were asked to rate the attractiveness of female faces, half of which showed artificially dilated pupils. The men exclusively chose the faces with dilated pupils as most attractive, which the author attributes to the fact that dilated pupils are a sign of sexual readiness. He argues for changes in the U.S. prison system, given new knowledge about the brain.
2:12
A visual tribute to the brain from the book’s publisher
19K
65
Oct, 2015
Spoiler:
Conveying the core message that “We are not fixed. From cradle to grave, we are works in progress,” this short video uses inspiring imagery and phrases to pay tribute to the plasticity and unlimited potential of the human brain. Comparing the brain to a computer, the author notes that if we tore out half the motherboard of our laptop, we wouldn’t expect it to work anymore; however, a young brain can do just that.
57:22
Author presents on how the brain influences consumerism
2K
23
Oct, 2015
Spoiler:
The author stresses that so many of our decisions are influenced by unconscious signals that have been evolutionarily carved in our brain. (For example, he says that a person holding a warm cup of coffee will describe his relationship with his mother in better terms than when holding an iced coffee.) Regarding how the brain influences consumers, the author asserts that our brains decide whether to trust or distrust a company using the exact same circuitry that we use when deciding whether to accept or reject another human.
6:15
Seven lessons from the book explained + relevant images
681
12
Jul, 2022
Spoiler:
The narrator elaborates on some key lessons from the book, for example that we can, with effort, trick our brain out of its desire for instant gratification. If we let our brain do everything it wants, says the narrator, we will become spoiled brats, addicted to dopamine. Another interesting lesson is that our brains are hard-wired to feel empathy, or to “mirror” the emotions of others, mimicking their facial expressions and experiencing some of their feelings.
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