A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives

by Cordelia Fine

Overview

"Provocative enough to make you start questioning your each and every action."—Entertainment Weekly

The brain's power is confirmed and touted every day in new studies and research. And yet we tend to take our brains for granted, without suspecting that those masses of hard-working neurons might not always be working for us. Cordelia Fine introduces us to a brain we might not want to meet, a brain with a mind of its own. She illustrates the brain's tendency toward self-delusion as she explores how the mind defends and glorifies the ego by twisting and warping our perceptions. Our brains employ a slew of inborn mind-bugs and prejudices, from hindsight bias to unrealistic optimism, from moral excuse-making to wishful thinking—all designed to prevent us from seeing the truth about the world and the people around us, and about ourselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393331639
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	06/17/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Cordelia Fine, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, is author of the much-acclaimed Delusions of Gender and A Mind of Its Own.

Table of Contents

Introduction     1
The Vain Brain For a softer, kinder reality     3
The Emotional Brain Sweaty fingers in all the pies     31
The Immoral Brain The terrible toddler within     55
The Deluded Brain A slapdash approach to the truth     79
The Pigheaded Brain Loyalty a step too far     105
The Secretive Brain Exposing the guile of the mental butler     129
The Weak-willed Brain The prima donna within     151
The Bigoted Brain "Thug ... tart ... slob ... nerd ... airhead"     177
Epilogue: The Vulnerable Brain     201
Notes     211
Index     233