Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Although most of us have no idea of what's going on in our heads, brain scientists have figured out a lot about how the brain works. John Medina explains what scientists know for sure about our brains and how exercise, memory, sleep, and stress might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. The book includes the Brain Rules Bonus DVD.

Publishers Weekly

Multitasking is the great buzz word in business today, but as developmental molecular biologist Medina tells readers in a chapter on attention, the brain can really only focus on one thing at a time. This alone is the best argument for not talking on your cellphone while driving. Medina (The Genetic Inferno) presents readers with a basket containing an even dozen good principles on how the brain works and how we can use them to our benefit at home and work. The author says our visual sense trumps all other senses, so pump up those PowerPoint presentations with graphics. The author says that we don't sleep to give our brain a rest-studies show our neurons firing furiously away while the rest of the body is catching a few z's. While our brain indeed loses cells as we age, it compensates so that we continue to be able to learn well into our golden years. Many of these findings and minutiae will be familiar to science buffs, but the author employs an appealing style, with suggestions on how to apply his principles, which should engage all readers. DVD not seen by PW.(Mar.)

JOHN J. MEDINA is a developmental molecular biologist. He is an affiliate professor in the department of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University.