A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives
by Cordelia Fine
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cordelia FineEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-23
ISBN: 0393331636
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Book Reviews of A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives
Book Review: A disturbing book
Summary: 4 Stars
The earlier reader reviews (of the paperback and hardcover editions) are quite accurate about the content and tone of this book. It is very lively and easy to read. Fine presents a thorough survey of the various devices that that the subconscious uses to keep us on an even keel in an unsettling world. But those devices are devious and deceptive, and reading about them is deeply unsettling for the picture it gives of how completely at the mercy of this deviousness we are. We end up feeling that nothing is at it seems, that nothing is quite what we believed it to be, not our thoughts, not our idea of ourselves. I have read many books, both fiction and nonfiction, over the years, but I cannot remember one that so materially changed my outlook on myself and on other people. Read it at the risk of your own peace of mind!
Summary of A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives
"Provocative enough to make you start questioning your each and every action."-Entertainment WeeklyThe brain's power is confirmed and touted every day in new studies and research. And yet we tend to take our brains for granted, without suspecting that those masses of hard-working neurons might not always be working for us. Cordelia Fine introduces us to a brain we might not want to meet, a brain with a mind of its own. She illustrates the brain's tendency toward self-delusion as she explores how the mind defends and glorifies the ego by twisting and warping our perceptions. Our brains employ a slew of inborn mind-bugs and prejudices, from hindsight bias to unrealistic optimism, from moral excuse-making to wishful thinking-all designed to prevent us from seeing the truth about the world and the people around us, and about ourselves.
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