Brain Bugs: How the Brain's Flaws Shape Our Lives

by Dean Buonomano Narrated by William Hughes

Overview

A lively, surprising tour of our mental glitches and how they arise

With its trillions of connections, the human brain is more beautiful and complex than anything we could ever build, but it's far from perfect: our memory is unreliable; we can't multiply large sums in our heads; advertising manipulates our judgment; we tend to distrust people who are different from us; supernatural beliefs and superstitions are hard to shake; we prefer instant gratification to long-term gain; and what we presume to be rational decisions are often anything but. Drawing on striking examples and fascinating studies, neuroscientist Dean Buonomano illuminates the causes and consequences of these “bugs” in terms of the brain's innermost workings and their evolutionary purposes. He then goes one step further, examining how our brains function-and malfunction-in the digital, predator-free, information-saturated, special-effects-addled world that we have built for ourselves. Along the way, Brain Bugs gives us the tools to hone our cognitive strengths while recognizing our inherent weaknesses.

Editorial Reviews

Christopher Chabris

[Buonomano] takes readers on a lively tour of systematic biases and errors in human thinking, citing examples that are staples of psychology courses and other popular books. What is new, however, is Buonomano's focus on the mechanisms of memory, especially its "associative architecture," as the main causes of the brain's bugs.
—The New York Times Book Review

Sam Harris

"An ingenious idea, and Buonomano has fully delivered on its promise. . . . A remarkably accessible and engaging introduction to the neuroscience of the human condition."

Joseph LeDoux

"A great book, filled with nuggets about how the brain works—and falters—and even some suggestions on how to put it to better use."

MARCH 2012 - AudioFile

The human brain is endlessly complex—it’s no wonder that it doesn’t work perfectly. This book explores the bugs that plague the human brain, answering questions like why we can’t do advanced math in our heads and why we’re susceptible to superstition and advertising. It touches on the evolutionary reasons for these “flaws” and how they help (or hinder) us in functioning in our fast-paced, high-tech modern world. Narrator William Hughes has a pleasant, slightly rough voice that puts the listener in mind of a professor. His friendly tones draw listeners in and focus their attention. Although some of the quizzes the book offers might work better in print, this is a worthwhile audio experience. G.D. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

Putting the analogy of the computer to good use, Buonomano (Neurobiology and Psychology/UCLA) makes the case that "our lives are governed by brain bugs" of which we are unaware, although unfortunately there are no "patches, updates or upgrades" to easily remedy the situation.

While digital computers surpass the human brain when it comes to processing information and performing numerical calculations, our brains operate by pattern recognition, which simultaneously accounts for their strengths and their weaknesses. A trivial example is the use of CAPTCHA authentication software, which bars web robots from spamming websites. The author compares the "approximately 90 billion neurons linked by 100 trillion synapses in the human brain" to the "approximately 20 billion Web pages connected by a trillion links." The key, however, is not the brain's numerical advantage but our ability to extract meaning from the context in which words appear—e.g., the difference between the household pet and the computer mouse. Human learning occurs by association as new synapses are weakened, strengthened or newly formed between neurons that fire simultaneously. This leave us vulnerable to marketers, as was the case when ads showcased celebrities smoking cigarettes. Similarly, the way a question is framed can bias the response, and a lie repeated often enough is fixed in our memory. Buonomano suggests that while we associate cause and effect for things that occur within seconds, over longer periods are judgment becomes weaker. For example, we often fail to save enough for retirement, and the lure of instant gratification makes us vulnerable to manipulation in our purchases and our political choices.

Intriguing take on behavioral economics, marketing and human foibles.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169602258
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	07/11/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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