Super Brain

September 10, 2012
In their thought-provoking new work, medical/spiritual guru Chopra (The Ultimate Happiness Prescription) and Tanzi, a Harvard neurologist researching Alzheimer’s and genetics, examine the link between up-to-the-minute brain research and time-tested spiritual wisdom. “Super brain stands for a fully aware creator using the brain to maximum advantage. Your brain is endlessly adaptable”—and this adaptability, the authors say, is the solution to problems ranging from anxiety and depression to memory loss; you can use your brain to reduce the common hazards of aging and aid in self-healing. The key is making the best use of your brain’s flexibility. “Habits are mental grooves” that rely on well-established neural networks in your brain, and the authors explain how the brain’s ability to create new neural networks allow you to change how you perceive yourself and the world. The authors view depression, for instance, as a mental, or brain, habit (“It’s all my fault”) and you can retrain your brain to find new perspectives (“It was unpredictable”). The final chapters focus on achieving longevity, spiritual balance, and well-being. A fascinating treatise on the power of the brain to aid you in improving yourself and your life.