Displaying 6 books

Why We Sleep

2017

by Matthew Walker

Why We Sleep is a groundbreaking exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker charts the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs and, with his decades of research and clinical practice, provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep.

Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels; regulate hormones; prevent cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes; slow the effects of aging; and increase longevity. He also delves into the importance of dreaming, how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep, and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime.

The book is a revolutionary exploration of the vital importance of sleep, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.

The Mind-Gut Connection

2016

by Emeran Mayer

Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with the latest discoveries on the human microbiome, The Mind-Gut Connection offers a practical guide that conclusively demonstrates the inextricable, biological link between mind and body. Dr. Emeran Mayer, professor of medicine and executive director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, provides a revolutionary and provocative look at this developing science, teaching us how to harness the power of the mind-gut connection to take charge of our health and listen to the innate wisdom of our bodies.

The Mind-Gut Connection describes the importance of a predominantly plant-based diet for gut and brain health, the role of early childhood in gut-brain development, and the impact of excessive stress and anxiety in gastrointestinal ailments and cognitive disorders. It also details how to "listen to your gut" and pay attention to the signals your body is sending you, providing insights on diet, the microbiome, and much more.

Superintelligence

2015

by Nick Bostrom

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom is a comprehensive analysis of the concept of artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence and the potential consequences of such a development. Bostrom explores the capabilities unique to the human brain that have allowed our species to hold a dominant position on Earth. This dominance could be challenged if machine intelligence exceeds our own, presenting a superintelligence that could become extremely powerful, possibly beyond our control.

The book delves into whether it is possible to construct an initial seed AI in such a way that an intelligence explosion could be survivable. Bostrom presents a controlled approach to this explosive potential, addressing topics such as oracles, genies, singletons, boxing methods, tripwires, mind crime, humanity's cosmic endowment, differential technological development, indirect normativity, instrumental convergence, whole brain emulation, technology couplings, Malthusian economics, dystopian evolution, artificial intelligence, biological cognitive enhancement, and collective intelligence.

With lucid writing, Bostrom guides the reader through this complex landscape, making it accessible and engaging. Superintelligence does not merely lay out the challenges ahead; it offers a reconceptualization of our essential tasks in the face of the future of intelligent life and the fate of humanity itself.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

2011

by Daniel Kahneman

Thinking, Fast and Slow presents a groundbreaking tour of the mind, as Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman explains the two systems that drive our thinking. System 1 operates quickly, intuitively, and emotionally; in contrast, System 2 is slower, more deliberate, and more logical.

Kahneman unveils the remarkable capabilities—and the biases and faults—of quick thinking, along with the profound influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behaviors. He delves into the impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulty of predicting our future happiness, and how biases affect everything from stock market trading to vacation planning.

Engaging readers in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman demonstrates where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can benefit from slow thinking. He provides practical insights into how decisions are made in our personal and business lives and offers strategies to guard against the mental glitches that often lead us astray. Thinking, Fast and Slow is a transformative book that will change the way you think about thinking.

The Whole-Brain Child: Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

Your toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of a store. Your preschooler refuses to get dressed. Your fifth-grader sulks on the bench instead of playing on the field. Do children conspire to make their parents’ lives endlessly challenging? No—it’s just their developing brain calling the shots!



In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson demystify the meltdowns and aggravation, explaining the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids can seem—and feel—so out of control. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth.



Raise calmer, happier children using twelve key strategies, including:

Name It to Tame It: Corral raging right-brain behavior through left-brain storytelling, appealing to the left brain’s affinity for words and reasoning to calm emotional storms and bodily tension.
Engage, Don’t Enrage: Keep your child thinking and listening, instead of purely reacting.
Move It or Lose It: Use physical activities to shift your child’s emotional state.
Let the Clouds of Emotion Roll By: Guide your children when they are stuck on a negative emotion, and help them understand that feelings come and go.
SIFT: Help children pay attention to the Sensations, Images, Feelings, and Thoughts within them so that they can make better decisions and be more flexible.
Connect Through Conflict: Use discord to encourage empathy and greater social success.



Complete with clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles, and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.

Just One Thing

2011

by Rick Hanson

You've heard the expression, “It’s the little things that count.” It's more than a simple platitude. Research has shown that integrating little daily practices into your life can actually change the way your brain works.

This guide offers simple things you can do routinely, mainly inside your mind, that will support and increase your sense of security and worth, resilience, effectiveness, well-being, insight, and inner peace. For example, they include: taking in the good, protecting your brain, feeling safer, relaxing anxiety about imperfection, not knowing, enjoying your hands, taking refuge, and filling the hole in your heart. At first glance, you may be tempted to underestimate the power of these seemingly simple practices. But they will gradually change your brain through what’s called experience-dependent neuroplasticity.

Moment to moment, whatever you're aware of—sounds, sensations, thoughts, or your most heartfelt longings—is based on underlying neural activities. This book offers simple brain training practices you can do every day to protect against stress, lift your mood, and find greater emotional resilience.

Just one practice each day can help you to:

  • Be good to yourself
  • Enjoy life as it is
  • Build on your strengths
  • Be more effective at home and work
  • Make peace with your emotions

With over fifty daily practices you can use anytime, anywhere, Just One Thing is a groundbreaking combination of mindfulness meditation and neuroscience that can help you deepen your sense of well-being and unconditional happiness.

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