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The Owner's Manual for the Brain
Book

The Owner's Manual for the Brain

Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research

Pierce J. Howard
Bard Press, 2006
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Do you use your head? Do you think before you act? Do you really know how to ponder things? Pierce J. Howard does. As the director of research at a cognitive science center, he has developed a truly practical, well-organized book about the brain, complete with information on how to think more effectively. He details, in a fascinating, comprehensive fashion, the latest knowledge about mind-brain functioning. You can put his specific, helpful reporting to work to boost your mental prowess and overall health. getAbstract recommends this excellent book to readers who want to know how their thinking works, and to learn how to improve and protect their brainpower.

Summary

Mind-Brain Research

Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary study of how the brain works. Cognitive scientists’ amazing research on mind-brain functioning has resulted in practical applications that you can implement to help improve your mental functioning, acuity, brainpower and overall health.

Humans begin life with about 23 billion brain cells (neurons). How these cells attach to each other is pivotally important. Individually, they “reach out” to connect with each other in “neural networks.” Learning creates such networks, so continue to learn throughout your lifetime to optimize your brainpower.

Other valuable recommendations derived from the latest mind-brain research findings include:

  • “Breast-feeding” – Infants who are breast-fed register three to five IQ points higher, on average, than infants who bottle-feed. Further, the degree of IQ gain is directly proportional to the number of months that mothers breastfeed their infants, though babies gain no discernable improvement after nine months. Mother’s milk supplies babies with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and AA (arachidonic acid), substances that promote neural growth. Note: ...

About the Author

Pierce J. Howard, adjunct professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is the research director at the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies, a research firm that provides programs based on cognitive science. He also is an expert on organizational development.

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