Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain is written by renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, bestselling author of How Emotions Are Made. Presented as a slim, entertaining and accessible neuroscience book, it is organised into seven short chapters plus a brief history of how brains evolved.

Key details

• Author: Lisa Feldman Barrett
• Includes seven short chapters
• Also includes a brief history of how brains evolved
• Draws on lessons from neuroscience research

Synopsis

Across seven short chapters and an additional section on brain evolution, this book sets out to explain why humans have brains and what they do. It explores where brains came from, how they are structured and why that structure matters.

It also looks at how brains work in tandem with other brains to create experience, while challenging popular myths, including the idea of a “lizard brain” and the supposed battle between thoughts and emotions, or between nature and nurture, in shaping behaviour. Written to engage both casual readers and scientific veterans, it is described as full of surprises, humour and implications for human nature.