Idiot Brain

May 30, 2016
British neuroscientist Burnett, author of the Guardian blog Brain Flapping, packs an incredible amount of information into an accessible package with this breezy, charming collection of pop neuroscience musings on “how the human brain does its own thing despite everything the modern world can throw at it.” As the title suggests, Burnett highlights the dysfunctional results that occur when evolutionarily sensible systems engage with contexts that hominin ancestors would never have experienced, such as the motion sickness caused by the brain reading the mismatch between seeing a landscape move and the body feeling still, or the creation of conspiracy theories via the brain’s tendency toward pattern matching. Burnett also addresses many basics of human behavior—including anxiety, attention, memory, personality, and intelligence—with clear references to both classic and current studies in psychology and biology, while keeping a critical eye on the limits of studies and their possible misapplication. He shares a teasing love for the quirks of human behavior and adopts an appropriately serious tone when discussing actual mental disorders. Burnett’s smart, likable, self-referential, and very approachable personal voice permeates the text; readers will learn a lot from him, and will also just plain enjoy his work. Agent: Chris Wellbelove, Greene & Heaton (U.K.).

Starred review from May 15, 2016
A neuroscientist's irreverent guide to the brain. In this witty and informative debut, popular Guardian science blogger and sometime stand-up comedian Burnett (Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences/Cardiff Univ.) describes "the weird and peculiar processes" of the brain and the bizarre behaviors that often result. "You have only to look at the thing to grasp how ridiculous it is; it resembles a mutant walnut, a Lovecraftian blancmange, a decrepit boxing glove, and so on," he writes. "It's undeniably impressive, but it's far from perfect, and these imperfections influence everything humans say, do and experience." Sustaining that tone throughout, the author traces the habits, traits, and inefficiencies of the organ that defines us. In vivid, highly accessible language, he explains how the brain controls appetite, sleep, memory, hearing, touch, attention, and other processes and how it works when we fall in love, become delusional, or convince ourselves that we're brilliant when we are not. Why do we remember faces before names? Why do our egos often override accuracy? Why do emotional memories of negative events fade faster than positive ones? How is it that you can enter a room and have no idea why you decided to go there? Did you know that the thrill of fear and the gratification gained from sweets emanate from the same region (the mesolimbic pathway) of the brain? Whether describing the absurd inefficiencies of having both a primitive reptile brain (for survival) and a neocortex (governing advanced abilities) or explaining why less intelligent people are often more confident or why the Myers-Briggs personality test may not be that useful, Burnett manages to both entertain and inform in engaging ways that would benefit the performance of the most humorless pedant. In each instance, he piques readers' interest with some whacky or puzzling behavior and thoughtfully explains the underlying neuroscience. Burnett should give a TED talk. His book will appeal immensely to general readers and deserves a place on college reading lists.

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May 1, 2016

Neuroscientist Burnett (Cardiff Univ.), who writes the Guardian's "Brain Flapping" blog and moonlights as a stand-up comic (which gives a hint about his treatment of the subject), covers all the psychological ground there is to cover, addressing the processes and structures responsible for the way the brain monitors the body and governs thinking and performance. Using copious (and mostly humorous) analogies, the author focuses on how previous theories have been proven inaccurate and how the organ functions against a person's better aspirations. Burnett is sympathetic to mental illness and addiction but happily skews the rest of human behavior. This title is an entertaining introduction or update to current research and explicates some puzzling and troubling actions. The lack of illustrations of brain regions is a drawback, as are the jargon-heavy explanations, which make it fairly easy to lose track of the gist. In addition, familiarity with UK idioms is practically a requirement. VERDICT Recommended for readers who like to consume everything in the popular neuroscience genre.--Nancy H. Fontaine, Norwich P.L., VT

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