Customer Reviews

The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Thank you Judith Horstman for doing the impossible. You took these mysterious creatures called humans and explained what is really going on behind the scenes in the brain hour by hour, seemingly random emotion by random emotion. You showed in scientific terms that there is a reason behind the daily rhyme. My afternoon mocha cravings are based on my hormonal cycles. My tendency to forget what I needed at the grocery store is because of changes in my neurotransmitters after age 40. Best of all, you gave me the practical tools for making the most of my potential brain functioning by scheduling appropriately, relieving stress and focusing on the possible. This well-researched book moves beyond pop-science to applied research.

this book strikes a marvelous balance between medical research and popular curiosity, satisfying both the lay person and the professional. it can surely be equally at home on the bookshelf of a physician or a housewife. it's comprehensive, but VERY digestible. the organization is quite clever, and it's written in an extremely readable style - it just whizzes along, and I gleaned a great deal along the way: about brain chemistry, up-to-date research in neuro-transmission, the inner workings of brain functions in the most ordinary of activities. it offers a great way to UNDERSTAND! I highly recommend this.

This book gives is a thorough description of the workings of the brain, written for us, lay people! Judith Horstman's lively, readable prose, presents much useful information: meditation increases attention while delaying aging; brain exercise and a strong social network decrease the odds of developing dementia; diet can quell morning crabbiness, increase afternoon focus, and promote sleep. This book gives complete descriptions and is perfect for anyone interested in mind/body interaction, mental health, or aging.

...I have the Kindle edition, and it needs some finessing. A few paragraghs appear incorrectly on the Kindle screen, and one page is extremely tiny type that will not enlarge with the Kindle; I mean so tiny there is no way I could read it, even with a magnifying glass! Now I'm wishing I'd ordered the actual book.

As for the book itself, it's interesting, engaging, informative, and a relaxing read. The subject matter is fascinating, and this book simplifies for the layperson. That's just what I was looking for: a book about the workings of the brain that I could understand and enjoy without first attending medical school.

I recommend this book, but I'd say get the book itself and buy something else for your Kindle.

Ask any reader of health journalism what their most common complaint would be and they would undoubtedly say: "The issue is too complex and the writer didn't make it any easier for me."

This book is marvelous because it successfully walks that tightrope between scientific reporting and crystal clarity. Horstman takes on a complicated subject and explains it both thoroughly and clearly.

If you've ever been confused by the difference between your hippocampus and amydgala (aren't we all?) this book answers those questions with intelligence, wit and panache. It spans the complicated physical and chemical makeup of our brains as well as the human emotions and actions they spur.

This is a wide-ranging book that both neuroscientists and regular folks can enjoy. As a fellow health reporter I stand in steadfast admiration at this achievement.

I conduct a three-day program on Emotional Intelligence for the Asian Region. I have been accredited by Hay Group to conduct the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) Program. In the program when you talk about Knowing your Self, it has alot to do with the Brain and Neuroscience. This book gives very clear information and facts on the functions, hormones and how it affects our thinking, decision making and many more. Business Leaders need to read this book, so that they know when to do what and why things happen.
It is such a easy book to understand and it has helped me to understand better about behaviour. You can use this book to even improve your Relationship Management. I was the Head of the a reputable Leadership Centre and wished I had this book earlier. I must congratulate Ms Judith Horstman in getting this book published and strongly recommend it be used as a reference text for Leadership Development (if you really know what Leadership is about). It is books like this that make people like us lead a better life and become better leaders and followers. Thank you.

Judith Horstman's book Day in the Life of Your Brain is front and center in my collection of books on the "isness" of things - Why is things as they is? The author, an award winning journalist, understands the tentative nature of science, which is very important to us science folk. In addition, she writes with a charm that commonly brought a smile to my lips which is also important.
The very first chapter answered a question I had been pondering for almost 50 years. While in college, I was living with my gravely ill grandmother. I was both amazed and puzzled that I would perceive her distress while in a sound sleep, become instantly awake and functioning to assist her. It turns out our brain "has an app for that". It is called the RAS and is part of the more primitive area of our brain and originally evolved to detect the sound of a leopard's claws on the trunk of the tree where our ancestors fled for night safety. Mothers of newborns are familiar with this capability. I highly recommend this book to all who are even remotely interested in how their brain works. I also found it an easy yet substantive read. (A neat trick.)

As a therapist I have attended many, many lectures by world-class neuroscientists. Never has the operation of the brain been so clear.

Judith Horstman has written a totally readable and memorable book about what your brain is up to on a 24-hour basis. It is a real page turner as the reader learns all the crazy stuff that goes on in your brain at different hours of the day, much of it completely out of our awareness. As a therapist, this is an invaluable learning and teaching tool.

Robin MacDonald

This is a wonderful book. It is full of fascinating information for the lay person as well as medical professional. It is written with a sense of humor that makes you want to keep reading on! It has captured me because I feel as though I have a new grasp of what my own brain is doing. We the readers are fortunate to have such a book with the incredible research that went into this work, written by an author who is such an accomplished and experienced medical writer. I highly recommend this book.

Francie Riggs

Judith Horstmann has written a wonderfully readable summary of the past decade's highlights in brain research. Now I know that the minutes I've spent doing crossword puzzles to sharpen my mind would better be spent meditating. And I've learned so much else, too, through this superb compilation. I read Horstmann's book on arthritis and think she is one of the best medical writers I've encountered. Her style is direct, with a touch of appropriate humor, and she doesn't trade thoroughness for accessibility. I give her work my highest recommendation. This is a book the whole family will enjoy and it will be a purchase you'll consult over and over again.