Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded)

12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

By: John Medina

Narrated by: John Medina

Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know - like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget - and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule - what scientists know for sure about how our brains work - and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina’s fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You’ll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You’ll peer over a surgeon’s shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You’ll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can’t tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently. Exercise improves cognition. We are designed to never stop learning and exploring. Memories are volatile. Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn. Vision trumps all of the other senses. Stress changes the way we learn. In the end, you’ll understand how your brain really works - and how to get the most out of it.

©2014 John J. Medina (P)2014 John J. Medina

Critic reviews

"Dissects the workings of the brain in plain English, explaining its role in the workplace and classroom…a writing style that makes words leap off the page."- ( USA TODAY

"Few people are better qualified to help managers sift through all the hype than John Medina."- Harvard Business Review

"Brain Rules is one of the most informative, engaging, and useful books of our time."- Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen

Brilliant. Endless food for thought.

Fascinating. It’s clear that the way education is currently approached needs to be revisited and reconsidered with all the information and suggestions John Medina shares with us about the brain. It could be the singular thing that would propel us forwards at a rate not yet seen.

love it

one of the best books i have ever listened to. he has other awesome books i plan on listening. brain for baby was awesome too.

Audio v. Paperback

I am to read this book as apart if my education and I find the topic interesting, s the four stars. I don't agree that the author is narrating the book and adds in paragraphs out of order from what is written in the book in front of me.

Insightful

loved the context and the narration! The book offered an interesting layout of many common concepts.

Dear Publishers . . .

Any additional comments?

Dear Publishers,

Please don't allow authors to read their own books. I know that it seems like reading a book would be easy for someone who actually wrote the book, but it almost never works out well. In fact, it usually works out as well as it likely would to have a narrator first author a book before reading it.

At this point, we're accustomed to professional narrators, with their skilled cadence and timing. Unless you're prepared to train an author to do that, please let them stick to what they're good at: writing.

Great Recommendation!

Great Recommendation! Very scientific but written with personality. Learn better by learning how you learn.

highly informative on a basic understanding level.

good book! it is work like this that jas inspired me to study sciences and biology since i was 6 years old

Excellent insight

I found the content interesting and helpful in understanding how our brain works and what we can do to help it function better.

Not hard to follow w/o having previous knowledge

Need to go back through every chapter for clarity but very easy to follow if have no previous knowledge of brain science. I will apply much of this to school, family, and work. Thank you Dr. Medina.

Interesting book; uneven performance

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are some practical insights, but the content is weighted more heavily toward theory than I had expected. The author displays genuine and palpable enthusiasm for the subject matter that makes the book fun to listen to.

The performance has the usual uneven characteristics that I have come to expect in titles that are read by the author rather than a professional narrator. There are a number of sudden changes in audio quality where a section was obviously re-recorded and spliced in. I got used to it after a while.