Customer Reviews

The Owner's Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research 3rd Edition

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4 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Whether you use this book as a reference or read it cover to cover, The Owner's Manual for the Brain is a great book to have around. From describing the most basic fundamentals of how the human brain functions to analyzing the latest research in various fields of psychology, the author presents each topic in an easy to understand manner that is enjoyable to read as it is informative.

The best part of this book is that every sub-chapter includes a list of "applications" for what you have just read. This elevates the book from the simple listing of facts to an extremely usable tool. I would dare anyone to read this book and not come away with at least one application that could not vastly improve their life. Time with this book is time well spent.

There are books in my bookcase that are still utterley beautifull. Some of the books however are dog-eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use, marked and scribbled in from front to back. Howard's Owner's Manual for the Brain is one of them. There is no book available at the moment that can be compared to this classic Great Book. This is my one-and-only book that accompanies me on every flight across the world, to ev'ry meeting I have. It is on my desk as soon as I start designing a a training, or writing an article or preparing a presentation. It gives us theoretically insights to the (dys)functioning of people - young and old. More important it gives you solutions for education, life in general and managing people and problems. Easy to read, scientifically up-to-date and the book designs show that he walks his talks.

If you are beginning to study the mind and brain, this is clearly the place to start. The book covers all the major topics related to the human brain function, with a focus on breadth rather than depth. It's easy to read and full of everyday applications that you can start using the first day to improve both your personal self and your relationships.

If you are already knowledgeable on this field, the book is filled with thousands of references to other books, papers, web sites and institutes where you can find more information on the latest advances for each topic.

Even if you skip all the technical terms, the book is really worth reading and keeping it close as a reference.

I really enjoyed this book cover-to-cover. I had a hard time putting it down. Mr. Howard explains the anatomy of the brain so that someone who is not a doctor can understand. He explains how all of our everyday activities relate to how our brain works: from what we eat, how we sleep, to how much we exercise. He describes the differences between the genders, and he spends quite a few pages about the different methods of learning and IQ. I especially enjoyed his very precise descriptions of memory, how it is formed and how it can be improved. Because brain research is progressing at such a fast rate, I look forward to reading the next edition.

Even my first riff through this hefty tome, viewing the graphic variety of summaries flash by, was a pleasure reminiscent of my first youthful encounter with a Worldbook Encyclopedia. Astonishing in its breadth and clarity of coverage, direct and practical in topic selection and presentation, this book educates and entertains while it links related concepts and leads the reader into a surprising variety of organized branches of further exploration.

Though my Ph.D. is in a related field, I found new, intriguing and useful information at almost every turn of page. The descriptions are simple but not simplistic. Suggestions and advice are practicable but not prosaic or mundane. Whether your interest is right-left brain observations or the right anterior cingulate cortex, you'll find enlightening remarks and crystal-clear syntheses in these attractively laid-out pages.

How small children perceive their world? It's here. How brain activity varies from sex to sex and age to age? You'll find it. Why you feel as you do on some occasions and not others? That too. What you can do to improve this, that and you-name-it? Yes. To me this book is analogous to a trip through a huge new shopping center plus a museum complex and an international buffet. I would honestly worry about the state of mind or level of sincerity of a person who would claim not to find this book fascinating and rewarding.

Found it recently at Border's Books next to mine. Lent the old copy to a colleague after posting a review on the website neurostuff.com. Had to buy it again...enjoyed all the graphic examples even the second time around. The material is easy to read and the information is well documented in the scientific literature. Recommend "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain" for a short summary/update of similar material...all the best to Dr. Howard and colleagues!!!...Kenneth Giuffre MD, author, "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain"

Previously I have read 3 books dealing with the brain but this one contains more useful and practical information. It's great!

There are two key reasons why I like this book: 1. It's written in easy to understand language. 2. The author spends more time dealing with how we can apply the material than going into too much technical detail.

"The Owner's Manual for the Brain" is filled to the binding with interesting, informative, concise, and above all, ENTERTAINING articles that breaks our sometimes inexplicable human behavior down to its simplest forms. I didn't get it back for over two months when I brought it to work to show around; I kept finding it on other people's desks.
Each article reads like a magazine sidebar, designed so that the average person can not only learn something new, but learn to apply it as well. Move over pop-psychology and self-help authors! It covers why blue rooms lower blood pressure and stress, why men tend to like food sweeter than women, why women have a better sense of smell, and why men are able to talk about sports and work on a car at the same time, while women are able to combine right and left brain activities. The amount of information contained in "The Owner's Manual for the Brain" is as staggering as the amount of space your brain never uses in a lifetime-- but you'll never find out unless you pick it up.

Howard's work offers a complete and up to date analysis of both psychological and business applications. This is a book that serves equally for the professional and layperson. From start to finish, the text covers state of the art topics in easy to understand language. Moreover, the application and exercises provided make it not only a substantial reference work but one that can be put to work. Beyond the book itself, Howard offers the references to explore any of the topics in even further depth. If you have any interest in thinking and learning, this work deserves a place in your library.

Everytime I go in looking for something specific, I find it and I get distracted by all the other cool and useful information that's there.

It is easy to find the object of your search and easy to find attention catching items you were not looking for. Be prepared to spend additional time.