Smarter Tomorrow: How 15 Minutes of Neurohacking a Day Can Help You Work Better, Think Faster, and Get More Done
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- Create Date：2021-09-02 09:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elizabeth R. Ricker
- ISBN：031653515X
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Summary
What if you could upgrade your brain in 15 minutes a day？ Let Elizabeth Ricker， an MIT and Harvard-trained brain researcher turned Silicon Valley technologist， show you how。
Join Ricker on a wild and edifying romp through the cutting-edge world of neuroscience and biohacking。 You'll encounter Olympic athletes， a game show contestant， a memory marvel， a famous CEO， and scientists galore。
From Ricker’s decade-long quest， you will learn:
● The brain-based reason so many self-improvement projects fail 。 。 。 But how a little-known secret of Nobel Prize winning scientists could finally unlock success
● Which four abilities—both cognitive and emotional—can predict success in work and relationships 。 。 。 and a new system for improving all four
● Which seven research-tested tools can supercharge mental performance。 They range from low-tech （a surprising new mindset） to downright futuristic （an electrical device for at-home brain stimulation）
Best of all， you will learn to upgrade your brain with Ricker’s 20 customizable self-experiments and a sample， 12-week schedule。
Ricker distills insights from dozens of interviews and hundreds of research studies from around the world。 She tests almost everything on herself， whether it’s nicotine， video games， meditation， or a little-known beverage from the Pacific islands。 Some experiments fail hilariously—but others transform her cognition。 She is able to sharpen her memory， increase her attention span， boost her mood， and clear her brain fog。 By following Ricker’s system， you’ll uncover your own boosts to mental performance， too。
Join a growing， global movement of neurohackers revolutionizing their careers and relationships。 Let this book change 15 minutes of your day， and it may just change the rest of your life！
Join Ricker on a wild and edifying romp through the cutting-edge world of neuroscience and biohacking。 You'll encounter Olympic athletes， a game show contestant， a memory marvel， a famous CEO， and scientists galore。
From Ricker’s decade-long quest， you will learn:
● The brain-based reason so many self-improvement projects fail 。 。 。 But how a little-known secret of Nobel Prize winning scientists could finally unlock success
● Which four abilities—both cognitive and emotional—can predict success in work and relationships 。 。 。 and a new system for improving all four
● Which seven research-tested tools can supercharge mental performance。 They range from low-tech （a surprising new mindset） to downright futuristic （an electrical device for at-home brain stimulation）
Best of all， you will learn to upgrade your brain with Ricker’s 20 customizable self-experiments and a sample， 12-week schedule。
Ricker distills insights from dozens of interviews and hundreds of research studies from around the world。 She tests almost everything on herself， whether it’s nicotine， video games， meditation， or a little-known beverage from the Pacific islands。 Some experiments fail hilariously—but others transform her cognition。 She is able to sharpen her memory， increase her attention span， boost her mood， and clear her brain fog。 By following Ricker’s system， you’ll uncover your own boosts to mental performance， too。
Join a growing， global movement of neurohackers revolutionizing their careers and relationships。 Let this book change 15 minutes of your day， and it may just change the rest of your life！
Reviews
Mona
，
LOVED this addictive book！ This book is clear， accessible， well-researched， actionable， and most important of all， it is encouraging and kind to the reader。 First of all， what stands out the most is the ease with which the author writes and speaks to you。 The tone is very humble， conversational， and full of empathy。。。imagine someone is walking you through various types of neurohacking， but that person is your most cherished friend whom you could spend hours talking with！ She balances the content LOVED this addictive book！ This book is clear， accessible， well-researched， actionable， and most important of all， it is encouraging and kind to the reader。 First of all， what stands out the most is the ease with which the author writes and speaks to you。 The tone is very humble， conversational， and full of empathy。。。imagine someone is walking you through various types of neurohacking， but that person is your most cherished friend whom you could spend hours talking with！ She balances the content well between stories， facts， and guidance。 Whether you're a novice or an expert in neuroscience， this book will be accessible to you。 And what I really enjoyed about this book is that it is about application and experimentation of the neuro knowledge that she shares and breaks down for you！ As a habitual self-experimenter and a Neuroscientist， this book was satisfying in every way。。。but I think this book would be illuminating even for a self-experimenting novice （but let's be honest， which human really is？）。 I hope more and more people find this gem to start their own personal journeys towards optimizing their cognition through their own version of neurohacking， guided wonderfully by this author :） 。。。more
Vivian
，
So much thought has gone into creating this book （Smarter Tomorrow）！ The author， Elizabeth Ricker， has clearly been diligent in her research and even self-experiments with many stories and interesting facts to support the thought process of what neurohacking is and how one can best engage in it。 I really enjoyed the book which is also well structured！ The chapters provide a quick estimate of read time and a clear goal to help orient the reader and then ends with a takeaway section to help you so So much thought has gone into creating this book （Smarter Tomorrow）！ The author， Elizabeth Ricker， has clearly been diligent in her research and even self-experiments with many stories and interesting facts to support the thought process of what neurohacking is and how one can best engage in it。 I really enjoyed the book which is also well structured！ The chapters provide a quick estimate of read time and a clear goal to help orient the reader and then ends with a takeaway section to help you solidify what you just read。 Elizabeth does an amazing job in exploring concepts with the reader in a detailed yet friendly and conversational way that makes the reading easy。 Additionally， there are very tactical recommendations that are easy for the readers to follow and try out themselves - she also doesn't tell readers to blindly follow each and every experiment。 Instead， she encourages folks to be self-aware and adapt to what may work best for each person。 I highly recommend this book and plan to read it again！ 。。。more
K R N
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I received an advance copy， and the chapters I have read so far have been engaging and fun to read。 They are interesting to me as someone with cognitive science background but the writing is also accessible。I'm looking forward to finishing this book by a fellow MIT Course 9 alum。 : ） I received an advance copy， and the chapters I have read so far have been engaging and fun to read。 They are interesting to me as someone with cognitive science background but the writing is also accessible。I'm looking forward to finishing this book by a fellow MIT Course 9 alum。 : ） 。。。more
Pk
，
This book was a fun and worthwhile read。 There were so many interesting tidbits about the brain and improving mental performance， it felt like there was always another nugget to be found on the next page。 This book often reminded me of reading craft books from my youth， in that it contains so many projects that captured my imagination and got me excited about undertaking them。 The 15 minute self-experiments are laid out clearly and in a way that they seem approachable and easy to complete。 I've This book was a fun and worthwhile read。 There were so many interesting tidbits about the brain and improving mental performance， it felt like there was always another nugget to be found on the next page。 This book often reminded me of reading craft books from my youth， in that it contains so many projects that captured my imagination and got me excited about undertaking them。 The 15 minute self-experiments are laid out clearly and in a way that they seem approachable and easy to complete。 I've so far only had time to do the HIIT experiment but am looking forward to doing more。 I also found that the takeaways at the end of every chapter were very helpful for finding subjects I wanted to revisit。I didn't now what neurohacking was before reading this book， but if that sounds like something you might even be slightly interested in I would absolutely recommend picking up the book。 。。。more
Amy
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This engaging， funny， and empowering book gives you the tools and encouragement to be your best self- while still being yourself and embracing your uniqueness。 With personal anecdotes， interesting and approachable descriptions of research studies in cognitive science， and a menu of interventions to try， any reader （including a neurohacker newb like myself） will find specific sections of the book that resonate with them， and will be motivated to start self-experimenting！
Karen （Not
，
I loved this book！ It is incredibly practical and affirming。 I have long been a connoisseur of self-help books， but this is different—more。 It is not just "feel good" or "discipline yourself。" It is incredibly well researched and based in science， but also empowers the readers to find the techniques that work best for themselves， provides a map， and outlines steps to get you there。 The author's approach helps me with motivation to keep going， but also with unloading any guilt if I stop using a t I loved this book！ It is incredibly practical and affirming。 I have long been a connoisseur of self-help books， but this is different—more。 It is not just "feel good" or "discipline yourself。" It is incredibly well researched and based in science， but also empowers the readers to find the techniques that work best for themselves， provides a map， and outlines steps to get you there。 The author's approach helps me with motivation to keep going， but also with unloading any guilt if I stop using a technique。 There is no guilt in stopping if something is not working and you can prove it！ The author’s conversational style is easy to read， and not at all like what one might expect from a document with citations。 （I love the citations。 I read this for myself， but I’m a therapist with training and interest in using neuroscience to achieve mental health and healing。） There is so much information， and it is all accessible。 Also， every time I formed a question while reading， the author answered it within a few pages。 The concept of testing and tracking oneself for improvement is genius， and the author gives a great foundation for how to think about it， how to assess oneself， how to track and reflect on what works。 I’m already devising a few things I want to test beyond the author’s suggestions。 I am impressed by the tools she provides。 I know her approach to be sound， based on my own training and research as I pursued my degrees。 In short， I can’t say enough good stuff about this book。 （I'm enthusiastic， but honest: I didn't resonate to the "Sci Fi to Sci Fact" chapter as much， myself。 That is my personality--but I know some people will love it！） I’m already encouraging friends and clients to check the book out to see if it they want to use the neurohacking approach。 。。。more
Michelle
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（I received an advanced copy）I’ve only given a 4 star rating because I haven’t done some of the tests and hacks since I’m still reading！The book is easy to read and engaging。 I love all the assessments and the tips。 I think anyone interested in a scientific approach to （neuro）hacking will enjoy the book。
Christina
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The author is a gifted writer - she manages to break down a complex topic in a way that’s easy to digest and a pleasure to read。 It felt like she was personally there having a conversation with me and explaining neurohacking over tea。 I haven’t tried all the techniques yet， but look forward to reading it again and again and trying everything！ I also appreciated the way she structured and organized the book - it exemplified ways to maximize absorbing the information and getting the most out of it The author is a gifted writer - she manages to break down a complex topic in a way that’s easy to digest and a pleasure to read。 It felt like she was personally there having a conversation with me and explaining neurohacking over tea。 I haven’t tried all the techniques yet， but look forward to reading it again and again and trying everything！ I also appreciated the way she structured and organized the book - it exemplified ways to maximize absorbing the information and getting the most out of it。 Definitely a good read！ 。。。more
An_Opinion
，
Elizabeth Ricker delivers an engaging book on the concept of neuro hacking ， i。e。 testing various interventions to improve your brain。This book is the culmination of years of research， distilled into a fascinating 300+ pages read。 Broken into five sections， the book provides a distilled summary of what neurohacking is and how to apply it to yourself。 The author writes in detail about 7 interventions， which the author has tested on herself。 In true research fashion， the content of this book is ba Elizabeth Ricker delivers an engaging book on the concept of neuro hacking ， i。e。 testing various interventions to improve your brain。This book is the culmination of years of research， distilled into a fascinating 300+ pages read。 Broken into five sections， the book provides a distilled summary of what neurohacking is and how to apply it to yourself。 The author writes in detail about 7 interventions， which the author has tested on herself。 In true research fashion， the content of this book is backed up with over 450 citations。 Anyone could benefit from reading this book and will enjoy the format and style of this scientific self help book。 I personally really appreciated all of the road markings （eg there is an estimate of the reading time required at the beginning of each chapter）， exercises and succinct summary of key take aways。 Thank you to the author and Little Brown and Company for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Matt CZ
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Really thought this book was well-written to allow anyone to absorb the content and try out neurohacking on their own。 Liked that each chapter had a lead-in telling me how much time to expect to spend on it as well as key takeaways。 It allowed me to focus on the chapters that were the most valuable / interesting to me。 Elizabeth writes in a very readable， friendly style， and I liked how she used her personal experience to illustrate some of the examples。 Highly recommend for anyone looking to le Really thought this book was well-written to allow anyone to absorb the content and try out neurohacking on their own。 Liked that each chapter had a lead-in telling me how much time to expect to spend on it as well as key takeaways。 It allowed me to focus on the chapters that were the most valuable / interesting to me。 Elizabeth writes in a very readable， friendly style， and I liked how she used her personal experience to illustrate some of the examples。 Highly recommend for anyone looking to learn more about neurohacking or try it out themselves！ 。。。more
Ethel Wu
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As a stay-at-home parent， I try to keep my own brain active while helping my 4 young kids reach their full potential。 This book is a wonderful tool for us。 It clearly lays out metrics and methods for improving intellectual abilities- from sharpening memory to increasing creativity。 I've had my kids perform the exercises- I just tell them that we're playing games。 They've loved it and I've loved that they're getting smarter while having fun！ As a stay-at-home parent， I try to keep my own brain active while helping my 4 young kids reach their full potential。 This book is a wonderful tool for us。 It clearly lays out metrics and methods for improving intellectual abilities- from sharpening memory to increasing creativity。 I've had my kids perform the exercises- I just tell them that we're playing games。 They've loved it and I've loved that they're getting smarter while having fun！ 。。。more
Samantha Bureau
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Disclosures: I received an advanced e-copy to review and worked with the author on later chapters of the book。 As a neuroscientist I was excited to see Ricker provide information that was well researched and supported in a way that almost anyone could understand。 This book is based on her experiences with self-experimentation and sets up the reader to begin their own self-experimentation if they choose to do so。 I flew through this book and appreciated her anecdotes throughout。 I had no idea wha Disclosures: I received an advanced e-copy to review and worked with the author on later chapters of the book。 As a neuroscientist I was excited to see Ricker provide information that was well researched and supported in a way that almost anyone could understand。 This book is based on her experiences with self-experimentation and sets up the reader to begin their own self-experimentation if they choose to do so。 I flew through this book and appreciated her anecdotes throughout。 I had no idea what to expect going in and it was amazing to see the progression of the book as it lead up to the chapters that I was already intimately familiar with from the editing process。 Highly recommend for anyone who is curious about neuro hacking and looking for a place to start！ 。。。more
Noah
，
Smart， compassionate， funny， and clever。 Elizabeth Ricker knows what she’s talking about， and more importantly， she wants *you* to know what you’re talking about。 You can tell this book was written with the reader in mind - Ricker wants you to be your best self， not for her or anyone else， but for you。 The descriptions of how to get there are easy to understand and cool to read， which keeps you moving easily through the book。 Highly， highly recommend！！
Ritu
，
This is a witty， poignant， and beautifully crafted piece that was a super fun read！ From the personal stories of the author to the science behind it all， she does an amazing job explaining seemingly challenging concepts like "Neurohacking" and simplifies these ideas such that they can be received by the common reader！ It is a book like no other。 A meld of scientific studies as well as the author's own serve as proof。 Go and nab yourself a copy of this book; you will not regret it！ The strategies This is a witty， poignant， and beautifully crafted piece that was a super fun read！ From the personal stories of the author to the science behind it all， she does an amazing job explaining seemingly challenging concepts like "Neurohacking" and simplifies these ideas such that they can be received by the common reader！ It is a book like no other。 A meld of scientific studies as well as the author's own serve as proof。 Go and nab yourself a copy of this book; you will not regret it！ The strategies mentioned in the book are applicable to daily life and completely doable， so go out and try them！ 。。。more
K
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Love this book！ It is written in a very approachable way - smart， funny， actionable， incredibly well researched。 I appreciated that each chapter starts out by listing the goal and time investment and concludes with a summary of key takeaways。 The book is very informative， entertaining， and practical all at the same time。 The author is a true expert in neurohacking and makes her expertise accessible and engaging， whether you have a scientific background or not。 I am excited to put some of the ide Love this book！ It is written in a very approachable way - smart， funny， actionable， incredibly well researched。 I appreciated that each chapter starts out by listing the goal and time investment and concludes with a summary of key takeaways。 The book is very informative， entertaining， and practical all at the same time。 The author is a true expert in neurohacking and makes her expertise accessible and engaging， whether you have a scientific background or not。 I am excited to put some of the ideas/experiments to use in my own life！ 。。。more
Wendi Zhang
，
Super interesting book on improving cognitive capabilities that is based on great research and empirical experiments。 Easy to read but also gets into depth。
Cathy
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This book has convinced me that we can indeed improve our cognitive skills effectively。 She gives compelling research data to support this and then gives very concrete tools and guidance。 She is a believer in the scientific method， and shows the reader how to do baseline assessments， implement a change， and then measure afterwards。 This is essentially a workbook that will get opened multiple times。 Highly recommend。
Simi Dube
，
Really enjoyed this read。 The term "neurohacking" was a bit intimidating for this layperson， but within just a few paragraphs， the author's clear， accessible prose drew me straight in。 I also really liked how much evidence the author provided as the basis for her recommendations; her background as an MIT and Harvard trained neuroscientist makes her a very credible authority in the topic area。 I am officially convinced that self-experimentation and optimization is a journey I want to take！ Really enjoyed this read。 The term "neurohacking" was a bit intimidating for this layperson， but within just a few paragraphs， the author's clear， accessible prose drew me straight in。 I also really liked how much evidence the author provided as the basis for her recommendations; her background as an MIT and Harvard trained neuroscientist makes her a very credible authority in the topic area。 I am officially convinced that self-experimentation and optimization is a journey I want to take！ 。。。more
Lindsey
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I was immediately intrigued when the author listed a notebook as a useful companion tool for this book-- I am an avid note taker and the idea of finding some actionable ways to take advantage of this habit was exciting。 I liked how well the explanations for running self-experiments and analyzing the data were detailed and that the personal anecdotes embraced the fail/try again nature of scientific method and the time commitment involved。 This is a great new approach to understanding how much we I was immediately intrigued when the author listed a notebook as a useful companion tool for this book-- I am an avid note taker and the idea of finding some actionable ways to take advantage of this habit was exciting。 I liked how well the explanations for running self-experiments and analyzing the data were detailed and that the personal anecdotes embraced the fail/try again nature of scientific method and the time commitment involved。 This is a great new approach to understanding how much we can do to improve our cognitive load with an impressive background on each area that provides easy-to-understand research as support。 I'm excited to see what my observations reveal and what my results might be。 。。。more
Michelle Milnes
，
I enjoyed this book thoroughly！ For me neurohacking was a completely new subject。 I wasn’t sure what to expect， I found it fascinating。 The book flows logically， allowing readers new to this subject to understand and benefit from it。 The book presents many options for improving cognitive thinking， including the best approach for you as an individual。 I highly recommend it！
Anna Weiss
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Excellent book full of tangible ways to reach your cognitive goals， and highly readable to boot。
Shamay
，
A much-needed book that breaks down how to build a lifelong habit of experimenting。 Importantly， it gives readers a framework for how to figure out their own goals， choose a specific intervention， collect data， and reflect on the effects on their cognition。
Richard
，
We humans have always been intrigued by the possibility of upgrading our minds。 But does it really work？ I like Ricker’s ‘personalisation’ thesis that suggests that every brain is unique on some levels and thus we each need to experiment to discover an intervention that works for us。 This book is a culmination of Ricker’s ten year explorations in cognitive enhancement， in the tradition of curiosity driven science。 I recommend it to anyone curious to have a guidebook of interventions one can expe We humans have always been intrigued by the possibility of upgrading our minds。 But does it really work？ I like Ricker’s ‘personalisation’ thesis that suggests that every brain is unique on some levels and thus we each need to experiment to discover an intervention that works for us。 This book is a culmination of Ricker’s ten year explorations in cognitive enhancement， in the tradition of curiosity driven science。 I recommend it to anyone curious to have a guidebook of interventions one can experiment with。 。。。more
Priya
，
It's clear that the author brings years of expertise and a deep level of humility to the topic of neurohacking。 She writes in a way that is accessible， yet with a level of depth that doesn't oversimplify a complex topic。 I have so many curiosities I now want to follow。 The book encouraged me to approach some areas of my life with a more experimental lens， which has left me feeling hopeful。 If you are looking for ways to better understand the science behind neurohacking and actionable ways to get It's clear that the author brings years of expertise and a deep level of humility to the topic of neurohacking。 She writes in a way that is accessible， yet with a level of depth that doesn't oversimplify a complex topic。 I have so many curiosities I now want to follow。 The book encouraged me to approach some areas of my life with a more experimental lens， which has left me feeling hopeful。 If you are looking for ways to better understand the science behind neurohacking and actionable ways to get started， this book is a must read！ 。。。more
sheeva
，
A great book for people interested in neurohacking， the history of neuroscience， and even random tidbits of MIT trivia。 Highly recommend！
Jocelyn Adams
，
Smarter Tomorrow consolidates， verifies and tests tools developed around the world aimed at improving our cognitive selves。 I found the read to be addictive， easy and fun。 Ricker begins by pointing out some basic information， a subset of which particularly interested me: when we are better at handling our emotions and stress， we have more space to be creative and intellectually effective and efficient。 Part of being smart， is being able to manage our emotional responses。 We are not necessarily w Smarter Tomorrow consolidates， verifies and tests tools developed around the world aimed at improving our cognitive selves。 I found the read to be addictive， easy and fun。 Ricker begins by pointing out some basic information， a subset of which particularly interested me: when we are better at handling our emotions and stress， we have more space to be creative and intellectually effective and efficient。 Part of being smart， is being able to manage our emotional responses。 We are not necessarily well equipped for modern society; technology continues to develop at lightning speed and our little brains evolve at the snails pace of evolution。 Fortunately for all of us， Ricker does a fantastic job at laying out a vast tool chest that she has combed through and organized creating a breezy path for the rest of us to work through our own neurohacking journies。 Even if you aren’t striving to be “smarter”， you may be striving to communicate with your loved ones more fluently， or to shed that anxiety dress that you have been wearing since puberty。 If， in any category of being human you are thinking， “I am ready to do better”， this book is for you。 。。。more
Kathleen
，
This is a research based book that gives the reader self-assessments to find areas that need improvement and then ideas for hacks that may help to accomplish the necessary changes。 Ricker has tried these things on herself and offers caution where needed and advice on areas where not enough research has been done。 It gave proof to some things I always believed and gave me lots more food for thought。 There are simple ideas that anyone can easily try as well as more complex ones。I received this boo This is a research based book that gives the reader self-assessments to find areas that need improvement and then ideas for hacks that may help to accomplish the necessary changes。 Ricker has tried these things on herself and offers caution where needed and advice on areas where not enough research has been done。 It gave proof to some things I always believed and gave me lots more food for thought。 There are simple ideas that anyone can easily try as well as more complex ones。I received this book in a goodreads giveaway。 。。。more
Josh Wiseman
，
This book packs a whole survey course on brain improvement into a fun， quick read。 The breadth is impressive - covering medicine， neuroscience， physiology， even science fiction - but more importantly it distills all this background into a straightforward step-by-step plan for improving your brain and your life。 You bring the problem， and Ricker offers a menu of possible solutions （aka experiments） that are simple， cheap or free， and research-backed。This book will probably be most useful to those This book packs a whole survey course on brain improvement into a fun， quick read。 The breadth is impressive - covering medicine， neuroscience， physiology， even science fiction - but more importantly it distills all this background into a straightforward step-by-step plan for improving your brain and your life。 You bring the problem， and Ricker offers a menu of possible solutions （aka experiments） that are simple， cheap or free， and research-backed。This book will probably be most useful to those with an existing motivation for improving their brain， eg。 having trouble being productive in the afternoon。 But even those with just a passing curiosity （like me at the start） will find tons of memorable stories and insights that are sure to come in handy someday。 。。。more
Pat Brown
，
Although there is a lot of information in this book， the author breaks it down into digestible chunks for the reader。 The author cautions that because everyone is unique， each person’s method to upgrade their brain will be different。 Before experimenting on oneself， you need to test your current mental ability， try different interventions， and then test again to see if they worked。 The author recommends using a special notebook to keep track of one’s progress and having an accountability buddy t Although there is a lot of information in this book， the author breaks it down into digestible chunks for the reader。 The author cautions that because everyone is unique， each person’s method to upgrade their brain will be different。 Before experimenting on oneself， you need to test your current mental ability， try different interventions， and then test again to see if they worked。 The author recommends using a special notebook to keep track of one’s progress and having an accountability buddy to make it more fun and to keep on track。 Before starting one’s journey， the author goes over lifestyle and health issues that may be addressed first in order to improve one’s mental ability including: sleep， hydration， air quality， temperature， nutrition， and safety。 The author also goes over research on such areas as the effects of placebos， exercise， blue light， neurofeedback， video games， neurostimulation， and nootropics。 Once you choose what you want to target: executive function， learning and memory， emotional regulation， or creativity， the author ends the book with fifteen minute experiments to choose from and advice on how to analyze your data。 。。。more
Amber Stewart
，