The Hidden Brain

October 26, 2009
Washington Post
science journalist Vedantam theorizes that there's a hidden world in our heads filled with unconscious biases, often small, hidden errors in thinking that manipulate our attitudes and actions without our knowing it. Autonomy is a myth, he says, because knowledge and rational intention are not responsible for our choices. This thesis is not news— since Freud, psychologists have taken the unconscious into account—but Vedanta argues that if we are influenced sometimes, then why not all the time, whether we're launching a romance or a genocide. This is a frightening leap in logic. In anecdotal, journalistic prose, we learn that, through bias, rape victims can misidentify their attacker; people are more honest even with just a subtle indication that they are being watched; polite behavior has to do with the frontotemporal lobes rather than with how one was raised; and that we can be unconsciously racist and sexist. Though drawing on the latest psychological research, Vedantam's conclusions are either trite or unconvincing.

December 1, 2009
A disturbing but enlightening look at the power of the unconscious over human action and decision-making.

Why did virtually everyone on the 88th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center survive on 9/11, while almost all of those on the 89th floor perished? Washington Post behavior columnist Vedantam (The Ghosts of Kashmir, 2006) uses that question to demonstrate how even the strongest willed can be subject to their unconscious minds. Sometimes this agency is for the good; often, however, our unconscious biases lead us into error. Shunning Freudian interpretation for more recent, evidence-based science, Vedantam cites studies in the United States, Canada and Europe that demonstrate how people are easily misled into acting on biases they would be shocked to learn they had. An honor box in a British office's coffee room fills faster when a printed request for contributions is accompanied by a pair of watchful eyes. More harmful, people tend to rate the intelligence or competence of a total stranger downward when they are merely proximate to—not necessarily interacting with—an overweight person. Transsexuals who become men improve their lot while those who become women suffer economically and socially, all other aspects of their personalities remaining equal. School children of all races persist in applying positive attributes to white strangers and negative ones to people of color. These studies, Vedantam says, point out the tendency of humans to be ruled by the oceanic portion of our mind that keep us functioning in a complex world, while the conscious mind attends to only what it needs to—shockingly little in comparison.

A tour into dark realms of the psyche by a personable guide.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 25, 2009
In language that will be accessible to many readers, science journalist Vedantam (columnist, "Department of Human Behavior," Washington Post) writes about "unconscious biases" in language. According to him, our unconscious biases exert a good deal more control over our lives than most of us realize, in areas ranging from first impressions to how we vote. Vedantam draws on scientific research about the brain as well as anecdotes gleaned from his work as a journalist, all to present a picture of what he terms the "hidden brain." The results make for compelling reading about how our minds work without our knowledge, but some casual readers might be confused about what represents the author's opinion and what comes from the academic literature. (The book lacks end notes or bibliography.) Verdict This book will appeal to fans of Vedantam's column, as well as others interested in reading about this subject in lay readers' terms and through personal anecdotes. Serious scholars of the social sciences will probably feel that Vedantam's conclusions are somewhat oversimplified. [See "Prepub Exploded," BookSmack!, 8/6/09.]-Madeline Mundt, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2009
A Washington Post science writer, Vedantam explores the findings of social psychologists about unconscious bias. Recounting peoples stories, he grips attention immediately. Introducing a rape victim whose mistake in identifying her assailant was revealed by DNA evidence that exonerated him, Vedantam establishes his theme of how people get things wrong (in the crime-and-punishment category, he adds death-penalty cases involving possible misidentification) or behave seemingly irrationally. After each individual story, the author repairs to relevant psychological studies. To Vedantam, the studies reveal that subtle biases unconsciously coexist alongside peoples conscious convictions that they are free of prejudice. He cites examples such as Senator George Allen, whose racial remark ended his career; the electorates perception of candidate Barack Obama; and the sexual discrimination case of Lilly Ledbetter. Branching into other arenas, such as crowd behavior during crisis situations and the minds of suicide bombers, Vedantam highlights a mental battle of which, he wants his readers to learn, they are largely unaware. This work has strong appeal for the psychology audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)