Mastermind

How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

By: Maria Konnikova

Narrated by: Karen Saltus

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

No fictional character is more renowned for his powers of thought and observation than Sherlock Holmes. But is his extraordinary intellect merely a gift of fiction, or can we learn to cultivate these abilities ourselves, to improve our lives at work and at home?

We can, says psychologist and journalist Maria Konnikova, and in Mastermind she shows us how. Beginning with the "brain attic" - Holmes's metaphor for how we store information and organize knowledge - Konnikova unpacks the mental strategies that lead to clearer thinking and deeper insights.

Drawing on 21st-century neuroscience and psychology, Mastermind explores Holmes's unique methods of ever-present mindfulness, astute observation, and logical deduction. In doing so, it shows how each of us, with some self-awareness and a little practice, can employ these same methods to sharpen our perceptions, solve difficult problems, and enhance our creative powers.

For Holmes aficionados and casual listeners alike, Konnikova reveals how the world's most keen-eyed detective can serve as an unparalleled guide to upgrading the mind.

©2013 Maria Konnikova (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"A delightful tour of the science of memory, creativity, and reasoning ... engaging and insightful." (Steven Pinker, Harvard College professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of How the Mind Works and The Stuff of Thought)

Great not only for Sherlock fans.

Great introduction to everyday application of what modern psychology brought to us. Loved every chapter of it.

a mission possible life changer for the thinker, e

The narrator grips your imagination in a sentence, she finds good use of adjectives and causes you to tune in to her narration of the book.
I like how she descirbes our brains as either system Watson or system Holmes, the characters unfold in your mind as it helped me discover clearer thinking.
Big thanks for the book, "How to think like sherlock holmes."

Great Book

I'm not sure why are the other reviews are so terrible. I enjoyed the psychological insights this author brings to her work, and I loved her other books! "Mastermind" explains different ways the brain can take on problem-solving and issues of creativity. As an artist, I actually thought this was one of the better books I've read about the psychology of creative problem solving. She uses Watson and Holmes as examples of different approaches to the same problems. I also didn't mind the narration. A+ book for me!

Thought it was going to be better...

I had high hopes for this book. I had just finished some really cool books on Buddhism, and I thought this book would have been a really fun approach to "brain training." It is the only book that I did not finish in the first week of purchase, and I have already moved onto the next one.

I'll give it another chance in the future.

amazing

listened to this book 6 times now. amazing. you will learn a lot by way of psychology as well.

impressive

solid and full of useful information. very thought provoking. very useful in work and life. I also liked the mindfulness theme

Be a mind hunter!!

I rather enjoyed this read/ listened.. and probably will continue to check back in from time to time!! Would recommend to everyone

Narrator makes many mistakes - it’s a stretch

Not keen on the narrator as it seems she took one pass and nothing was corrected. Words are mispronounced, etc. story is okay but seems as if the writer stretches everything to fit her narrative.

Just what I was looking for

pulling from Sherlock Holmes Adventures and modern science to create a mental model like Sherlock Holmes' way of thought was genius

it was okay

hard to get through. I'd need to relisten to it to pick up what I missed