This was an interesting book. I don't necessarily know if there's a lot of new information here but it was a good read anyways.

A fascinating deep dive into our heads, or more specifically, our minds. How we learn, why we do what we do, our consciousness. Terrific read!

Secret Life of the Mind made me realize how old my general psychology knowledge is... it's full of "it used to be considered this way but " and the concept would be the one I had been taught (mid 00s). So despite my ambivalence about Sigman's specific premise, the background is a good update to what you might have learned in psych101.

The first thing I did when I chose this book was obtain a copy of the author's TED Talk. It set up the book beautifully. Mariano Sigman offers insights on the brain and it's mysteries in a conversational, easy to read style. I never felt lectured, and at times I felt quite entertained. I think that what I most appreciated was the many anecdotes used to illustrate and prove the points made by the author. I could tell The Secret Life of the Mind was well researched, and in my opinion very well written. I could definitely see it as a book discussion selection, as I find myself referncing it quite frequently in conversation and recommending it to others.

blog mention:

I'm slowly reading and thinking about each section of The Secret Life of the Mind: How Your Brain Thinks, Feels, and Decides by Mariano Sigman. A cognitive neuroscientist, Sigman has already had me pondering the ways scientists, psychologists, and linguists approach what goes on in the minds of pre-verbal infants--what they understand and when. Definitely not the blank slates assumed for so long. Also intriguing are the moral choices of toddlers. Then the section on which serves us better in decision making: rational deliberation or hunches. And what are hunches really? Oh, and does our sense of smell influence our choice of mate? Why would this be inverted in pregnancy? Curiouser and curiouser!

Some of what I've read affirms what I've read in previous books, but some information is new and compelling. I especially like seeing the creative ways different ways theories are tested, especially with infants.

I have not read a brain book in a while, and I am thoroughly enjoying this one. Which cover do you prefer?

Blog review: scheduled for July 26

Our brains are remarkably complex organs that supervise and adjust and modify every aspect of our bodies and our lives. Our brains shape our behavior, record our memories, control our heart rate and our immune systems, make decisions, develop our personal philosophies. The brain really is an enigma; it is a mystery, a marvel, and a work in progress. The brain changes itself, it grows, and it re-wires itself--and these changes can be positive or negative.


The Secret Life of the Mind (I've mentioned the book in previous posts) expands on issues concerning the way infants conceive morality--the results are intriguing, but it is also fascinating to learn about the experiments devised to understand how infants understand and process information. How can we know what pre-verbal infants and toddlers think? How early do they recognize right from wrong and what influences their decisions? Researchers have created experiments that are simple, practical, and remarkably interesting.

The section on hunches vs deliberation feels intuitively correct--we recognize aspects in our own decision- making even if we have never analyzed them. When is it best to deliberate about a decision and when is an instinct or a hunch preferred--and why?

The body recognizes and acknowledges some things (often using past experience or knowledge) even before the brain can process the information. Our decisions are often made seconds before we even "think" them. Even the regret over a wrong decision is present before we are aware of it and before the decision is proven wrong by the situation.

Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary subdivision of biology that works closely with other disciplines and covers a wide variety of topics. Sigman's The Secret Life of the Mind moves easily from one topic to another, providing information that affirms some of our own opinions and challenges others. The many ways the topics are approached by different disciplines provide both answers and intriguing questions.

From a book description, The Secret Life of the Mind "combines the astonishing work of biologists, physicists, mathematicians, psychologists, anthropologists, linguists, engineers, philosophers and medical doctors – not to forget cooks, magicians, musicians, chess players, writers, and artists."

Informative and entertaining, Mariano Sigman engages readers through his own enthusiasm and curiosity. Highly Recommended.

NetGalley/Little, Brown, & Co

Nonfiction/Brain/Neuroscience. June 27, 2017. Print length: 270 pages.

“So different social experiences result in completely distinct brains. A caress, a word, an image- every life experience leaves a trace in the brain. “

Interesting to think that our social lives do leave traces on our brains, changing how we react, think, feel. It all matters, even the things our brains leave out, discard. This book is full of fascinating information about our minds, that glorious brain. From earlier studies about babies and the changing science behind new studies that greatly change what we thought was true, to the beauty of bilingual upbringings and how it alters the brain, everything within this book is of importance to every human being. The studies into what is good, bad, fair and unfair really express that some things could be innate. How do newborns recognize intentions so soon? How is morality formed?

Bias is a funny beast, and none of us are without it. As we are told in this book, just look at history. What about love? How much is scientific, it is pheromones alone? Not so fast. What about our decisions? How often are our choices based on instinct, and what exactly is instinct? Is it supernatural, is it our brain working faster, always a step ahead of our body? What about our beliefs in opposition with the reality we exist in? Why do we remain steadfast in our beliefs, be they positive or negative, regardless of evidence contrary to said belief? Is it our brain?

Why do we forgot horrible pain, ‘selective forgetting’, as mothers do after childbirth? Was Freud really Working in the Dark, just what is consciousness? And while I can tickle you, why can’t I tickle myself? How does our brain take in visual stimulus? I find this sentence very loaded. “In some sense, then, dreams and schizophrenia have similarities, since they both revolve around not recognizing the authorship of our own creations.” It’s an interesting comparison. We need to understand our brain, it’s as vast and mysterious as outer space. A study on a woman after a car crash, thought to be an in vegetative state brings forth provocative questions about the bigger choices to be made. How do we know someone isn’t still ‘in there’ and just can’t communicate in the usual way? What if readings show the brain is active? What does any of it mean? How much more do we have to learn? How will this effect those thought to be in vegetative states and the future decisions to be made on their behalf?

Why is sleep necessary? Is it possible to learn while sleeping? Is sleep’s only purpose to cleanse, and repair? Interesting to think our brain is still highly active when we sleep, and that during the day, “our brain frequently unmoors from reality and creates its own thoughts. We often spend a large part of the day talking to ourselves.” All of this much like night dreaming but we are awake! Personally, I have always wondered about lucid dreaming, often doing so myself, usually when I am about to do something wonderful and realize I am dreaming, my dream tends to fall apart from there and up, and out of sleep- I awake. Comes in handy for bad dreams though!

How do substances affect us? Are the more ‘harmless’ substances really safe for the young? Read on about the experiments into cannabis. This book is one of the most informative works I have read, and I have some questions now about this gelatinous computer I carry in my noggin. Do I have the questions? Wait, is it my BRAIN with all the questions, and can the brain respond truthfully about itself? I am talking in circles. It’s crucial to understand our bodies, and the brain appears to still be the control center so why wouldn’t you be curious?

Fascinating journey into the mind/brain… the self.

Publication Date: June 27, 2017

Little, Brown and Company

A fascinating look into the mind and the way all of our brains work. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Not the first book I read on this topic, but pretty clear and precise in its will to make the brain as clear as possible. Some things I knew some other I didn't so it was a pleasure to read it.

Non il primo libro che leggo sull'argomento, ma piuttosto chiaro e preciso nel suo desiderio di rendere i processi celebrali il piú "trasparenti" possibile. Alcune cose le sapevo, altre no, quindi é stato un piacere leggerle.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!