Hey guys, I’m challenging myself to read a book a week this year and to help me remember what I am learning, I decided to write my own reviews of what I read. Hope you enjoy this review:
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Even though it was written 17 years old, this book gave me a fascinating insight into the world of neuroscience.
It is a book that challenges traditional narratives about the brain and how it works, and I think its teachings should be implemented in everyone’s life as we navigate disease, aging, relationships, learning, and business.
Through stories of people who were blind and learned to see, unable to walk and learned to run, missing half a brain and learned to live, Dr. Norman Doidge shows us that **it is possible to overcome the impossible.**
I finished this book with the feeling that my brain is more powerful than I ever thought possible – I just need to learn how to harness that power.
In this review, I’ll summarize the main themes of this insightful, 300+ page text. Then I’ll share a handful of real-life applications you can take from Dr. Doidge’s work. I’ll finish with an honest critique of the book. Lets jump right in:
**Theme 1: Our Brain Maps are fluid**
Dr. Doidge recounts the scientific discovery of brain maps – physical sections of the brain that have specific functions such as higher thinking, sensory perception, and refined movement.
While interesting, this discovery wasn’t initially all that impactful.
For many years, scientists have assumed that these “brain maps” are fixed. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Your brain map can change; as you perform certain physical or cognitive tasks, the amount of real estate your brain assigns to that function increases.
For example, Michelle was born with half a brain.
She only had the right hemisphere of her brain. Certain functions like speech, arithmetic, and writing are located on the left brain map for most people.
Doctors thought she would never utter a single word her whole life.
Yet as she grew, she shocked the world. She could read, write, and had incredible mental capacity to calculate and remember dates.
Scans of her brain revealed that her brain map had shifted to allow the right side of her brain to perform these brained functions.
Although she had some social handicaps due to her condition, Michelle proved the impossible was possible.
This proves that we are not limited to our genetics – our brains can grow and expand. We can excel and succeed against all odds.
We just have to use our brain wisely.
**Theme #2: “Use it or lose it.”**
From the time we are born until our twenties, our brain continues to form and grow by creating new connections and new neurons.
Every thought, memory, and emotion comes from connections of these neurons, called synapses.
There are trillions and trillions of synapses in the brain, but once we reach our mid to late twenties, we began to lose upwards of 10,000 of these synapses per day as our brain “prunes back” unnecessary connections.
This loss of synapses results in long-term cognitive decline.
Here’s some good news: we can form new synapses and strengthen existing ones by challenging ourselves with new skills or just getting out of our comfort zone.
Learning new skills like dance or speaking a foreign language is one of the best ways to do this.
But failing to do so can have detrimental effects. People who stay in the same house, going to the same job, speaking the same language, and have the same hobbies are much more likely to experience cognitive decline.
Dr. Doidge recounts the story of a paralyzed stroke victim who recovered complete body function.
How?
The stroke victim’s good arm was put in a cast during therapy. He was forced to use his nearly paralyzed arm to perform basic tasks like pointing.
Little by little, those tasks became more challenging as he progressed.
He was forced to use the damaged synapses in his brain until they strengthened. If he had relied on his good arm, he would have remained paralyzed permanently.
You have to use your synapses, or you will lose them.
**Theme 3: Our brains are not a machine**
Our brains are not computers; there is no finite storage that your brain has, that must be deleted when you reach its limit.
It is true, however, that our brain maps are limited.
When you first learn a new skill, your brain map for that region grows, cutting into precious real estate for a different function.
But what is amazing is how our brain adapts.
As you practice new pathways, they become more efficient, quicker, and send clearer signals.
The brain consolidates the pathway with incredible precision and efficiency, allowing for remarkable performance while creating more space on your brain map for new tasks.
When a child learns to play the piano, he starts stiff, tensing his whole body with intense focus. As he progresses, he is able to relax both mentally and physically, all while his performance improves.
He is experiencing the consolidation of his neural pathways.
We should not view our brain as a machine.
We can grow, adapt, and achieve impressive precision and success in whatever endeavor we choose – so don’t stop learning and growing!
There is no limit to what your brain can do.
**Real Life Applications:**
**Multitasking restricts our brain:** Michael Merzenich, renowned neuroscientist and inventor of the cochlear implant, discovered that paying close attention is essential to long-term change in your brain map. When the animals he studied performed new tasks automatically, without paying attention, their brain maps only changed temporarily. “Multitasking” seems like a valuable skill; but don’t be deceived. Multitasking divides your attention, making it impossible to permanently learn new tasks. Only do one task at a time. If you’re studying, stay off your phone, email, or social media. If you are working, be present in the work you do. If you are at home with family or with friends, don’t divide your attention from them.
**Addiction can be overcome:** Because we have to “use it or lose it” when it comes to our neural pathways, repeated behaviors become emphasized in our brain and quickly become habits. And bad habits can become addictions. But our brain is plastic, meaning it is able to change, no matter how ingrained a neural pathway is. If we find ways to restrict the unwanted behavior while developing new ones in its place, we are actively using new pathways while losing unhealthy ones. Dr. Doidge wrote that porn addicts “have been able to quit cold turkey and rediscover sexual relationships once they understand how their habits reinforce neural networks.” You have the power to control and shape your habits.
**Limitations are your friend:** “Use it or lose it” teaches us that failing to use neural pathways will result in their decline and eventual disappearance. But why do we tend to not use new pathways? We too often rely on our current strengths. If a computer programmer is proficient at one language, he isn’t likely to switch to a new one, even if there are financial incentives for doing so. As we get stuck in routines and complacency, we fail to challenge many neural pathways, and will lose them, making future change harder. Elderly people who start learning a new language in their old age are much less likely to develop dementia or other cognitive diseases. So, get out of your comfort zone and learn something new. Your brain will thank you for it.
**If you can think it, you can do it:** A fascinating study reported on in the book showed that those who only imagine lifting weights increased their muscle strength by 22%, only 8% less than actually exercising. A different study found that beginners who “practiced” piano in their minds while staring at a keyboard performed just as well as those who practiced physically playing the keys. My dad always told me to imagine my success before a basketball game or performance, and really believed in positive affirmations. As a kid, a didn’t believe any of that would help. But the science disagrees. Do the mental work to think through in detail whatever you are currently learning or working towards. Its not wishful thinking to say you can do whatever you put your mind to.
**Summary**
It is vital that we understand the thing that makes us human. If we don’t understand the brain, we can never achieve our full potential.
This book has taught me more useful information about my brain than three years of biological science in university, so I’d highly recommend it to anyone seeking to learn and gain a competitive edge in business, education, and even personal relationships.
That being said, there are some slow and some dense chapters. Each chapter will have varying degrees of interest, depending on the researcher and research being discussed and what most piques your curiosity.
Some have criticized this book for condoning animal cruelty, but I found that not to be the case. Doidge merely commented on the implications of the research that was deemed to be cruel after the fact.
The book is overall an easy read, but it can get a bit technical in certain sections, so prior knowledge in biology would certainly assist your comprehension.
Overall, after finishing the book, I felt enlightened about my own body and mind, invigorated to use it to the fullest and eliminate bad habits that would inhibit my growth.
I think you’ll find it a worthwhile read as well.
Overall Rating:
Scientific education: 9
Practical application: 5
Quality of writing: 6
Overall: 6.5/10
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Hope this was insightful. I’m new to writing reviews so let me know your thoughts. Thanks
by ced320