Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing Your Brain's Potential (Hardcover)

by Richard Restak M.D. (Author) "This is the most important factor in getting smart and staying smart..." (more)
Key Phrases: Stroop Test, David Book, William James (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"Most of us would like to be smarter," asserts Restak (The Brain, companion to PBS's series by the same name), neuropsychiatrist and clinical professor of neurology at George Washington University Medical Center. Restak claims that improving cognition is the answer. In accessible science-teacher style, Restak delineates the brain's attributes, from its weight (three pounds) to the number of nerve cells (100 billion) and its infinity of synapses, explaining what aids communication, informs memory and so forth. Knowing how the brain works is important to building its power, says Restak, and in this high-tech age, we need as much cognition as we can get. He proposes a comprehensive and handy plan to improve one's mind, literally as well as literarily. If one stops learning, one's overall mental capacity diminishes because the synaptic links shrink. Brain stimulation has been declared protection against Alzheimer's. The brain does not age; keeping it "fit" is no more difficult than keeping one's cholesterol under control. In outlining a plan including everything from exercise to learning to play a musical instrument, Restak explains how interconnections between the brain's functions keep it growing. Train your brain through logic problems, complicated games like chess, difficult jigsaw puzzles and widely varied reading. Not surprisingly, watching TV, a passive act, does exactly what your mother always said it did makes you stupid. The extraordinary range of references to literature, science, gamesmanship and even cryptograms makes it apparent that Restak practices what he preaches. This unusual, intriguing book will appeal to the health diligent and the senior contingent.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Neuropsychiatrist Restak (neurology, George Washington Univ. Medical Ctr.) has written numerous books on the human brain, including the very engaging The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own. In his latest work, he offers 28 ways to improve mental fitness, including exercises to enhance memory, concentration, creativity, and analytical ability. The proposed exercises are designed to increase neuronal linkages that will, in turn, improve overall mental functioning. Some of Restak's suggestions require a hefty time expenditure, adequate financial resources (a laptop computer), strong joints and flexibility (tai chi exercises), and a private office equipped with a couch (napping during the work day!). But his point is well taken: practicing simple mind games, listening to music, reading widely, keeping a journal, etc., can greatly enhance the brain's performance. Restak's upbeat and enlightening guide will certainly be a popular addition to public libraries. Laurie Bartolini, Illinois State Lib., Springfield
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1st edition (November 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609604457
• ISBN-13: 978-0609604458
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting concepts, tedious delivery, December 28, 2001

By A Customer

Mozart's Brain and The Fighter Pilot is an interesting book about how the brain works, which parts of the brain control different activities, and what exercises you might conduct to exercise your brain. Unfortunately, the writing straddles between the author's academic background and what might be interesting to the average reader. The end result is a book that seems like random, rambling recollections and anecdoates of a smart man, but lazily written. I was never sure if his assertions were backed by facts or if they were just speculation on his part.

Examples of this mixed style:
- Very prescriptive statements: "you should play chess if you want to keep a sharp mind"; "the only way to..."; and a proclivity for great books as being the only books worth reading
- The exercises he suggested are rarely validated by experimental proof.
- Offers specifics where none are needed - "If you are over 35 and you pull your skin back towards your face you will look 10 years younger."

As a last note, I felt the title was misleading. I was looking for more detailed anecdotes about how various types of people's brains worked. The example of Mozart, however, barely covered two pages.

Enjoyable, entertaining, but also frustrating.

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Use it or lose it., January 5, 2002

By A Customer

Dr. Restak provides 28 ideas in 28 chapters for maintaining an alert mind. Many of the ideas are simply motherhood and apple pie recommendations - reduce stress, concentrate, exercise, etc. And while there are some interesting insights on how the brain works, based on PET scans and recent research, Dr. Restak's recommendations are anecdotal and based on personal experience.

Dr. Restak combines brain facts with his own musings to give the illusion of a scientific basis for his recommendations. However, there are no references to studies that confirm any of Dr. Restak's mind enhancing techniques. On the other hand, playing chess, listening to Mozart and reading more books isn't going to hurt anyone either. A better title might be "Use It or Lose It."

While you won't use this book for reference, it still rates three stars for entertainment.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maintain Your Brainspeed, January 15, 2002

By	"aplaneguy" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

Maintain your airspeed and you'll live a lot longer is the first lesson a pilot learns. Same with your intellectual life; maintain your brainspeed by giving it new challenges everyday of your life.

If there are 30 people in a room, which is more likely; that nobody has the same birthday as somebody else in the room, or that at least two pepople share a birthday?

You have 99 pennies and I have one. You flip one of them. If it comes up heads, I give you my penny and the game is over. If it comes up, tails you give me a penny and we play again. On average, how many times will we flip coins until a game ends? Is it closer to 1 or closer to 100?

You have 12 identical coins, except one weighs slightly different than the rest. You have a balance that can detect minute differences in weight. what is the minimum number of comparisons you must perform to find the odd coin and determine if it heavier or lighter than the rest? Would you be surprised to know you can do it in 3 weighings?

The answers to such questions are within reach of most people. Devoting time each day to thinking about such 'games' can keep your brain up to speed and allow you to live richer life.

Dr. Restak offers a variety of ways to stimulate your thinking, have fun, and keep your brain healthy.