Brain Tricks - Softcover

Weiner, David L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879759895 ISBN 13: 9780879759896

Publisher: Prometheus, 1995

Synopsis

". . . get[s] to the bottom of why the human brain seems to propel us toward destructive behavior." - Dallas Morning NewsHow often have you heard that what distinguishes humans from other forms of advanced life is our superior brain? We can think rationally and make intelligent decisions; we are masters of ourselves and our world. But the fact is that the way we think and react can get us into trouble. We don't "use" our brain - it uses us! Understanding how our instincts, "gut reactions," emotions, and conditioning rule our lives is one powerful part of author David L. Weiner's Brain Tricks.Brain Tricks probes what Weiner calls the "dark side" of the brain - raw animal instincts rooted in our primitive past when survival, mating, and taming the environment required instant, uncritical, and wholly self-centered decision making. Though modified by early childhood conditioning, our primitive thought patterns continue to this day. Our brain ignores the rituals and rules of civilized society as we overreact to sudden situations, indulge in strong emotions and prejudice, and try to manipulate others. When we succumb to our dark side, "brain tricks" trouble is not far off. We alienate friends and lovers, quarrel with our bosses, become obsessed with possessions, commit murder, and start wars.In clear, easy to understand language, Weiner dramatizes "the genetic and conditioned programming that can lead us into chaos." Using well-developed vignettes featuring friends, lovers, business and professional associates, he provides an inviting vehicle for discussing our hard-to-resist tendencies to exert power over others, indulge in greed, succumb to jealousy and rage, and invent scapegoats to mask our own faults.

About this title

About the Author

David L. Weiner (Chicago, IL) is author of the psychology bestseller Battling the Inner Dummy: The Craziness of Apparently Normal People, Power Freaks: Dealing with Them in the Workplace or Anyplace, and Reality Check: What Your Mind Knows, but Isn't Telling You. He is also on the external board of advisers of the HealthEmotions Research Institute of the University of Wisconsin, and is the founder and CEO of Marketing Support, Inc., a $100-million marketing agency with clients including IBM, Motorola, Home Depot, Xerox, and many other Fortune 500 companies.

Reviews

Offers tricks for coaxing the old brain hard drive into processing our new brain software. It's a good read.

...says a lot about how you respond to the strong drives that influence us from our emotional, impulsive side of the brain, versus the thoughtful, analytical side.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

THE BRAIN Featuring Dr. Roy Sanders, a neuroresearcher and his brother, Ed, an insurance salesman

"Okay, Roy, shoot."

"Let's start with the fact that the brain has 100 billion nerve cells called neurons," Roy began. "Each of these has a number of branches that connect to other neurons. One reasonable estimate is that we have something like 1,000 trillion brain connections, probably more. It's tough to count in those numbers. But interestingly, one of my colleagues has estimated that if you were able to string out all your brain connections in a straight line, it would circle the earth about ten times. And even more mind boggling is the fact that in order for the brain to have its neuronal structure in place by birth, brain cells have to multiply and form connections at the average rate of 250,000 cells per minute during the nine-month gestation period in the womb. Can you imagine that?"

"I don't think so."

"Now to get into something even more mind blowing, all those connections had to be preprogrammed in the genes of a fertilized egg in the uterus, an egg that isn't even large enough to be visible to the naked eye and that also contains the programming for every other area of the body. Then, as the brain develops in the fetus, those 1,000 trillion connections begin to connect up as if some unseen hand were orchestrating it.

"Another interesting fact is that the brain works much like a computer, which is composed of hundreds of millions or even billions of single on-off circuits. Computer people call it the binary system. No matter how complicated a computer appears, it all boils down to coding that allows or disallows these billions of switches to turn either on or off. Chip designers concern themselves with designing switching mechanisms called transistors that open or close when specific electric charges are later introduced." "Now you're talking, Roy. Computers, I can comprehend."

The Point: We have learned that our brains are computer-like with incredibly complex mental software that remains primarily a mystery. In other words, we don't know anything significant about the programs that allow us to think or store memories. So how can we know anything for certain? Yet many of us continue with hardened beliefs, to the point of arrogance.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prometheus
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0879759895
• ISBN 13: 9780879759896
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 358