Customer Reviews

Think Smart: A Neuroscientist's Prescription for Improving Your Brain's Performance

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had a boss who used to yell at us "If you don't think too good don't think too much". Just like a Wall Street hero, no? Anyway, he couldn't be more wrong. This fine book issues from many years of research to proclaim that we truly can become smarter at a profound yet practical level. We can dwarf the IQs so many of us were saddled with as children. There is nothing like a little good science to rinse all the cultural goop out of our hair. Moreover, Dr. Restak is a good doctor to his readers.

This is not a self-help or feel good book. It is real practical science from a careful source. I wish I had this book when I was thirteen, but I am making use of it decades later. Then I could have used his description of the adolescent and adult brains. I like his writing style and the organization he employs.

Dr. Restak starts off Part One with a little scientific context so we can more fully appreciate his developing program in Part Two: how to care for and use our brains. First we take care of the whole body as an organic system. Proper diet is a real foundation; transfats and weight in general do matter. The next realm is physical activity. Seems all so simple, but he makes his case in a direct way you do not see everyday in other health discussions. And he addresses that most un-American of activities -- sleep. We have been dang near the most sleep deprived nation on Earth for decades now. He points out that we worry more after not enough sleep.

Once you give yourself a fighting chance by addressing fundamentals, you can address mental performance. Memory in its many aspects (even sense memory), creativity, games and more all explore the different dimensions of brain capacity or performance. Mental exercises, he remarks are beneficial only when you do not dislike them.

You find yourself putting the book down every few pages to try out his recommendations (including naps). It took me way longer to read this pleasant book because I had to stop and see for myself, even when I agreed in an abstract way. The brain truly does follow the hand. Dally through part three and enjoy the working tour of your brain.

Part four discusses the use of technology, with special consideration of the adult mind. Part Five expands earlier topics around creativity. Finally Part Six discusses impediments that either we have now or will have later.

Average intelligence has quite enough to brain power to achieve excellence . Americans have a long history of proving exactly this proposition. Lately this keystone of democracy seems to have been lost in the noise.

This book is well worth reading. The stated goal of of the author, Richard Restak, is to educate readers about how to make brain more efficient, effective, engaged. To accomplish this, Restak, who is a neuroscientist, interviewed leading neurologists and reviewed the very latest research in the field. This book is not only educational, but fortunately for the reader, Restak is a good writer who manages to write the book to a lay audience. As an added bonus, he's got a decent sense of humor to boot.

Restak informs the reader that the brain is shaped by individual experiences in life; thus, environmental enrichment leads to enhancement in the human brain. The book is divided into chapters designed to discuss various aspects of brain functioning, including:

1. diet and exercise.
2. specific steps for enhancing performance
3. technology to enhance brain function
4. fashioning the creative brain
5. impediments to optimal brain function and how to compensate for them

Those who keep current on their reading may find that they know some pieces of Restak's book. For example: exercise regularly, avoid trans fats, and get your Omega 3's.

The real merit in this book is that it compiles what appears to be the latest research into a single, well-organized location. Given the spotty nature of the disclosure of scientific advancement in the news cycle, I found this book to be a great way to fill in the gaps of what I already knew. Moreover, the book offers some tangible means by which to improve cognitive function.

At first I thought I would never be motivated to do the exercises mentioned in the book. Some of them are a bit awkward or involved for me (spend 10 minutes "memorizing" a coffee cup?). Then I stumbled on a web site that has a number of brain teaser games similar to those mentioned in the book - www.gamesforthebrain.com The games on that site largely reflect the exercises mentioned in the chapter on specific steps for enhancing brain performance, and they're actually fun to play as well.

I feel better off for having read this book, and I do believe that it has given me some tools to use going forward. For that reason, I recommend it for almost any reader. I especially enjoy it now that I've found that "games for the brain" web site.

This book will give you a basic overview of how to improve your "brain power". Notice I said "how to" because that is the main focus of this book. After a VERY brief overview of brain anatomy the Good Doctor churns out brief tid bits of research and their implications in mental well being.

I must confess that when I ordered this book I was hoping for a more technical and detailed presentation especially since the author was a neuroscientist. However, the book is too general and superficial to be of lasting value. Much of the information here is old hat and experimental works cited are not referenced for further follow-up should you so desire. I can honestly state that I did not find anything in the text that I was not already aware of and I am by no means a professional in psychology or neuroscience. The presentation reminded me of reading a National Geographic article without the pretty pictures.

All in all a good basic overview but with not much meat in the soup.

My previous exposure to Dr. Restak's work was `Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot,' which to my recollection I wasn't very keen on and for those of you interested in reading that review I'd advise to scroll through my profile and find it.

The current book `Think Smart' is a little different and hence carries a different weight for me. Think Smart in a good introductory work for every fan of human brain functioning, maintenance and upkeep. The complexity of Dr. Restak's vernacular is minimal and so it is expected that any high school grad will comprehend the overall message, which is: You need to put as much effort into maintaining a healthy brain as you put into feeding, clothing, and bathing yourself. I can't put it any simpler than this because I run the risk of loosing 60% of the general population.

For the overachievers I have two words with respect to this book: Skip it. Why? I have had the opportunity to read a few very enticing works on the subject of brain function and physiology and would strongly recommend these instead. I guarantee you will find a lot more in them in terms of brain areas and how specific supplements may influence them, personal victories with brain related illnesses and brain exercises than `Think Smart.'

Recommended readings:

Making a Good Brain Great by Daniel G. Amen
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge

Richard Restak, M.D., has written several interesting books exposing us to the brain's secrets and potential ("Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot," "The Modern Mind," etc.) In "Think Smart," Rastak has compiled several prescriptions for improving bran function and perormanace that have been reccomended to him by colleague's over the years. In some sense, it is like a chef's compilation of cooking reccomendations made by other chefs; reccomendations straight from those who know.

To be honest, a decent amount of the advice is things we (should) already know - of the "use it or lose it" variety. The sections on improving memory and fostering and increasing creativity both come down to Restak suggesting interesting exercises we can all do to enhance these skills. Like the world of physical exercise, the best way to bolster prowess is to exercise our faculties.

Not all of the suggsetions, though, are common sense. The first section - on "care and feeding of the brain," summarizes the current nutritional and health research on the brain. How much sleep is good? What foods are good? How much will exercise help brain function? etc.

Even the two use-it-or-lose-it sections mentioned above depart from what many see as common sense; they operate on the premise that memory, intelligence, attention-focusing, and creativity are not fixed capacities, but can be substantially improved by the right efforts. While this premise is controversial and the jury is far from unanimous (Restak doesn't offer convincing evidence to the contrary), there is certainly evidence showing that memory and reasoning skills can be improved by exercise. Restak goes a long way in giving us good suggestions of exercises we can do to strenthen our mental faculties.

As a high-school teacher, I found this book quite valuable particularly for the suggestions of brain activities that can be done. Not only is the book fascinating for the neuroscience tid-bits it contains (statistics on how long the average person can store things in short term memory, for instance) but for its practical suggestions on things I might work with my students on to improve their mental agility.

This will be an exciting book for lay readers who are (a) curious as to how our astonishingly plastic and fluid brain works; and (b) those who want practical suggestions on (physical and mental) ways that they can improve their brain function.

May your brain reach its optimum potential.

I picked this book up thinking I might find a quick and easy way to increase memory ability and overall brain function. I was wrong. The book showed me that just like any form of exercise it takes energy and time. Still it was very fun to read - and it was very informative. The good Dr. does an excellent job of writing and getting his points across to an absolute layman in this field such as myself. For the most part I completely understood what he was trying to convey and actually enjoyed his style of writing.

I don't have the time or the patience to try all of his recommendations out but I certainly plan on picking and choosing quite a few of his ideas and incorporating them into my personal practice. I must say that the appendix at the end of the book is in and of itself a reason to own this book. I don't plan on going back and reading any of the authors older books but I'll be watching for what comes next from him. His book has my interest in the brain piqued...

Restak's "Think Smart" provides useful information about brain development and function, as well as suggestions on how to preserve its powers. As we progress from infancy to childhood to adulthood, the brain's performance improves and does so with fewer neurons - the only organ (or machine) that gets better with fewer parts. An estimated 40% of synapses generated during infancy are eliminated by adulthood. Total brain volume peaks at about 11 in girls and 15 in boys, then undergoes slow decline aver the adult years (about 10% overall).

Frontal lobes, those farthest to the front of the brain, are responsible for forseeing the likely consequences of one's actions; many prisoners, especially those doing time for violent crimes, suffer from deficiencies in front lobe functions that inhibit their controlling their emotions or behaviors. (Similar to how adolescents act.) Another problem with an 'adolescent' brain is it doesn't handle stress well --> anxiety, depression, and memory loss.

The bulk of "Think Smart" is taken up with what can be done to preserve and enhance the brain's powers. In general, Restak and others tell us that whatever is good for the heart is also good for the brain. Caloric restriction slows the onset of degenerative diseases associated with loss of brain function; it also increases life span. Mice diets high in saturated fats create underperformance on memory tests and learning. Obesity is more often associated with cognitive impairment than with age, gender, education, or IQ. Setting and keeping to goals, controlling impulses, and monitoring one's own behavior are similarly negatively associated with obesity.

People in Japan and Taiwan, where oily fish are part of the regular diet, were 60X less likely to develop depression than those in the U.S., Germany, etc. where fish is much less of a favorite. (Two servings/week are enough, per Restak, to gain its mental benefits.) Other good contributors include red wine (resveratrol), memory exercises, meeting and talking with friends, and exercise. Multi-tasking performance becomes worse with age.

Absent that option, you might want to consider following the doctor's suggestions, which although given ostensibly in response to queries on how to keep the aging brain in healthy shape, are equally applicable to anyone who just want to stay healthy in body, mind, and spirit regardless of their age: keep active (don't watch television that much, exercise, play video games or Wii occasionally) but get enough rest and sleep, eat well (e.g., vegetables, fruits, walnuts, fish etc), be social, find something you can be passionate about outside of work, always be willing to reevaluate your priorities (high-paying job stressing you out too much? do something about it!), and be aware of who you are (so maybe an older person's reaction time may be slower than a younger person's, but there are many other things in life that depend more on "crystallized" rather than "fluid" intelligence, something that can only be acquired through experience). I agree with other reviewers that none of the doctor's suggestions is new so I'm giving the book a neutral rating, but make no mistake, the doctor offers hope and encouragement: even though brain cells start to die as soon as one is born, the brain retains the ability to make new intercell connections; so don't assume that everything is downhill once you're old, you've got to give yourself -- and your brain -- a fighting chance!! [By the way, the title of my review is a funny quote from the book. Hopefully, it grabbed some readers' attention :-) ]

I found this book really usefull because it both explains things (causes, actions, consequences) and gives practical advice on what you should do (specific diet, specific exercises and so on)
Now, I just need to be smart and follow those advices :D
But really, the book turned out surprisingly good and I must point out that I am a regular person with no medical background. Everything is presented in a logical way and in sufficient depth to keep it interesting
5 stars

There are countless books, recordings, videos, etc. on the market aimed at helping people 'improve' mental performance, but my opinion on self-improvement is generally that anyone who's seriously interested in learning how to function more effectively is best-served with good old hard work- honest personal analysis, discipline, positive thinking, and that sort of thing. I picked this up mostly because it looked interesting, and not so much because I feel a need to improve brain performance or anything like that. Honestly, how is such a thing to be gauged anyhow?

That said, Dr. Restak does offer some thoughtful insight into how the brain works, along with some useful guidance into improving it, but most of the stuff here is pretty common-sense derived. For instance, though probably most of us could stand to think about things like nutrition more, especially as regards mental acumen (I can attest to the connection between a good diet and mental alertness, as I'm sure many others can), I can't help but come away from this kind of consideration (as well as Restak's thoughts on exercise and sleep, for instance) with the conclusion that he's largely pulling information together, albeit information culled from current research and study in neurology and physiology, that buttresses what most of us know tacitly, just from living our lives. Maybe I'd have been more affected by the read if I weren't sort of a `mind-over-matter' guy- though the issues here are important, ambition and determination are the most effective tools for thinking well. In any case, it's an interesting read, somewhat entertaining, and if nothing else, it will have you thinking about habits and routines in your life you may need to work on anyhow.