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Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain

Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain

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  • Create Date：2021-11-13 09:52:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lisa Feldman Barrett
  • ISBN：035864559X
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Summary

From the author of How Emotions Are Made， a myth-busting primer on the brain in the tradition of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Have you ever wondered why you have a brain？ Let renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett demystify that big gray blob between your ears。 In seven short essays （plus a bite-size story about how brains evolved）， this slim， entertaining， and accessible collection reveals mind-expanding lessons from the front lines of neuroscience research。 You’ll learn where brains came from， how they’re structured （and why it matters）， and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience。 Along the way， you’ll also learn to dismiss popular myths such as the idea of a “lizard brain” and the alleged battle between thoughts and emotions—or between nature and nurture—to determine your behavior。
 
Sure to intrigue casual readers and scientific veterans alike， Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain is full of surprises， humor， and important implications for human nature—a gift of a book that you will want to savor again and again。

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Reviews

JP ，

Some books change the entire understanding of previous books。 This book is one such。Your brain is not for thinking actually， it is for balancing your energy in order for your body to survive。 It is a new concept and it was properly supported。We are told that we have three brains: Primitive， Mammalian and Thinking brain。 But the author argues there are no such three divisions in the brains， all are connected under one。 Whatever has been said before like System 1 and System 2 in the brains are jus Some books change the entire understanding of previous books。 This book is one such。Your brain is not for thinking actually， it is for balancing your energy in order for your body to survive。 It is a new concept and it was properly supported。We are told that we have three brains: Primitive， Mammalian and Thinking brain。 But the author argues there are no such three divisions in the brains， all are connected under one。 Whatever has been said before like System 1 and System 2 in the brains are just metaphors。These two concepts thrills you as your reading progresses and others are good but not much informative。 It is a small book and it was precise， thanks to the author。Penultimate chapter， your brain has more than one kind of  mind that is good and interesting。 The book slips in between from science to Behavioral economics。 Simple and superb！ 。。。more

Hanif ，

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Nilesh Makan ，

This is one of the best-written books about the brain。 It's written uncomplicatedly， and really breaks the paradigms of how the brain was thought to work， bringing insights from more recent studies around how the brain actually works。 Highly recommended。 This is one of the best-written books about the brain。 It's written uncomplicatedly， and really breaks the paradigms of how the brain was thought to work， bringing insights from more recent studies around how the brain actually works。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Jackie ，

Compact， readable but thought-provoking book of essays by a neuroscientist who takes some big topics--what is your brain for？ How do humans create social beliefs？--and explains them in understandable terms， which will still sometimes catch you by surprise and make you go back to reread。 There's a cool associated website （you can look at it right now！ www。sevenandahalflessons。com） with additional explanations and resources。 Compact， readable but thought-provoking book of essays by a neuroscientist who takes some big topics--what is your brain for？ How do humans create social beliefs？--and explains them in understandable terms， which will still sometimes catch you by surprise and make you go back to reread。 There's a cool associated website （you can look at it right now！ www。sevenandahalflessons。com） with additional explanations and resources。 。。。more

Alice Clague ，

Excellent。 Simply explained。 Each lesson is short enough not to be too heavy yet has just the right amount of scientific explanation。 Plenty of analogies to help the reader "get it"。 Excellent。 Simply explained。 Each lesson is short enough not to be too heavy yet has just the right amount of scientific explanation。 Plenty of analogies to help the reader "get it"。 。。。more

Kasia Kobos ，

It's a breezy read with a high return in knowledge on the investment made in the little time needed to walk through it- a short piece， tailored to the layman。 But make no mistake， under the wieldy sentences lie wild concepts。 If you think they're easy to grasp， the author may be genuinely proud of herself for making them appear so。 For a deeper dive， you can explore the Appendix and the additional details available on a dedicated webpage。 Know the difference between allostasis and homeostasis？ G It's a breezy read with a high return in knowledge on the investment made in the little time needed to walk through it- a short piece， tailored to the layman。 But make no mistake， under the wieldy sentences lie wild concepts。 If you think they're easy to grasp， the author may be genuinely proud of herself for making them appear so。 For a deeper dive， you can explore the Appendix and the additional details available on a dedicated webpage。 Know the difference between allostasis and homeostasis？ Grab the book。 One spoiler。 Barrett got me intrigued by professing that a brain where all the neurons are connected with every other neuron would be less complex than the one we have - with each neuron connected to many other neurons but not all， and each of us has one with differently sculpted connections。 I'll have a look at the recent Olaf Sporns book she often refers to in the Appendix before I can grasp by what she means beyond the apparent combinatorial paradox。 。。。more

Croix Laconsay ，

I wish more practicing scientists wrote concise books like this one that summarizes the main takeaways of their field。 I don't really consider this one a popular science book。 Lisa Barrett's Seven and a Half Lessons is an excellent introduction to the brain and neuroscience for someone who knows nothing about the subject， like me！ This short book has piqued my interest in neuroscience and psychology of the brain。 AND bonus: it comes with extended notes with links to academic articles for readers I wish more practicing scientists wrote concise books like this one that summarizes the main takeaways of their field。 I don't really consider this one a popular science book。 Lisa Barrett's Seven and a Half Lessons is an excellent introduction to the brain and neuroscience for someone who knows nothing about the subject， like me！ This short book has piqued my interest in neuroscience and psychology of the brain。 AND bonus: it comes with extended notes with links to academic articles for readers who want to dig into the weeds。 （https://sevenandahalflessons。com/note。。。）。 。。。more

Robin-warren Heydenberk ，

Seven and a Half Lessons is great， fast read and a fun companion book to How Emotions are Made。

James M ，

Not the type I would usually read。 But found it very facinating， enjoyable。 A good quick read， with explanations and examples that made the subject approachable and understandable for me。

Noelle Kim ，

For all the books about the Brain， this is the most entertaining and easy-to-understand book I have read。

John ，

Fun and informativeThis book is an easy read for such a hard subject as neuroscience。 It breaks down many of the more important ideas about the brain， dispelling some common myths and explaining some recent developments in the field。 Recommended for all， regardless of education level。

Nick Pinto ，

Everything pop science reading should be。 Quick， insightful， and with big appendix of citations and deeper explanations。

Wes Martin ，

I was familiar with Lisa Feldman Barrett through various webinars and talks I’d seen her give online， which lead me to want to read “7 1/2 Lessons”。 Even though I already had admiration for her， I left this book really impressed。 I subscribe to the belief that expertise is being able to clearly and succinctly communicate a complex idea to a non-expert。 This book is a fantastic example of that concept in practice。In a very short book Feldman Barrett is able to communicate 7 1/2 revolutionary idea I was familiar with Lisa Feldman Barrett through various webinars and talks I’d seen her give online， which lead me to want to read “7 1/2 Lessons”。 Even though I already had admiration for her， I left this book really impressed。 I subscribe to the belief that expertise is being able to clearly and succinctly communicate a complex idea to a non-expert。 This book is a fantastic example of that concept in practice。In a very short book Feldman Barrett is able to communicate 7 1/2 revolutionary ideas about what it means to possess a human brain。 She mostly sticks to what we know without drawing too many inferences about what what we know means， which I an admirable and rare trait amongst neuroscientists。For anyone just diving in to neuroscience， start here。 This will give you a great framework from which to understand more complex issues。 For anyone who thinks they possess a basic understanding of the brain， pick this up next and be prepared to unlearn several popular misconceptions you’ve held as truth （this was the case for me）。 There’s still so much we don’t know about the brain， and much more， I believe， we will never know。 And yet， because of the brains influence over our lives， our relationships， our institutions， and our communities， I think we all have an obligation to know as much as we can and continue asking good questions about what we don’t know。 。。。more

Naomi ，

Good！ Interesting ideas about how our brains work and the differences between them。

Gleniz ，

A quick read。 On the surface you’d think that it just tackles facts and trivia about the brain， but this book also teaches you to be a better human being。

Bill Kaghan ，

I am a professional sociologist who has had a long interest in the brain， neuroscience， and evolutionary biology。 I did read "The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence" by Carl Sagan （which Barrett mentions in the first half chapter of the book） back in 1977 when the book was first published。 For those who may not know， Carl Sagan was a very influential professional astronomer and a very popular science writer for non-professional readers back in the 1970s and 1980 I am a professional sociologist who has had a long interest in the brain， neuroscience， and evolutionary biology。 I did read "The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence" by Carl Sagan （which Barrett mentions in the first half chapter of the book） back in 1977 when the book was first published。 For those who may not know， Carl Sagan was a very influential professional astronomer and a very popular science writer for non-professional readers back in the 1970s and 1980s。 He is best known for his television series "Cosmos" （1980） on PBS。 However， Sagan had a strong interest in the topic of "intelligent life in the universe" and was an able popularizer on the topic of evolutionary biology/the evolution of intelligence，As Barrett discusses， Sagan did much to promote the model of the triune （lizard， mammal， human） brain and how this model was grounded in the assumption that the core function of the brain was for thinking and that humans were distinguished from other species by the capacity of humans （due to their "big brains"） to "think rationally。" She goes to great lengths in the first half chapter to show that this model is misleading and that more recent research in evolutionary biology argues that the core function of the brain is to "manage a body budget" that "maximizes" the likelihood of physical survival in "stable" environments。 Barrett also argues （and I agree） that the focus on the brain as a thinking organ is "baked into" Western culture and can get in the way of people （both non-scientist and professional scientist） appreciating the full implications of the new models of the brain and brain function。Over the years， as I became a sociologist， I maintained a healthy interest in the connections between the social sciences （sociology， economics， anthropology， psychology） and evolutionary biology。 In particular， I read several popular science books that explored neuroscience and the brain。 Thinking back， all these books were clearly influenced by the "triune brain" model popularized by Sagan。 I had also read many popular and professional social science articles/books that explicitly or implicitly relied on the "triune brain" model。 （Barrett provides several examples in the book。）In the final chapters of the book， Barrett discusses how the focus of current research in evolutionary biology suggests that what distinguishes human beings as a species is their ability to form societies and develop distinct cultures and that current evolutionary neuroscience provides an explanation of the biological structures that support this distinctive ability。 Barrett sums this up by coining the term "the social construction of reality。" The concept of the "social construction of reality" has been very influential in the fields of sociology and anthropology for almost fifty years （and much less influential in economics and behavioral psychology）。 But these social science discussions of the social construction of reality have rarely been concerned with the biological basis of the social construction of reality。 For both professional social scientists and the general public， Barrett's book provides a valuable linkage between neuroscience and sociology/anthropology。 。。。more

Angie McMann ，

Our brains are weird and fabulousThis book will help you see what your brain is actually doing and why。 It is a really good first book to read before studying any of the mental health modalities。

Varun Srinivasan ，

Lisa Feldman Barrett is a neuroscientist who tries to help us understand why we have a brain。 The book is a very easy read and you can cruise along in a few hours。 There is not a lot of scientific explanation in the book （a portion of it is in the appendix， rest on her website） but it has scientific depth。 Think of it as an executive summary for all of the work Lisa would have done。 The brain is out personal life management assistant which runs a “budget” for our body。 Here are a few of her quot Lisa Feldman Barrett is a neuroscientist who tries to help us understand why we have a brain。 The book is a very easy read and you can cruise along in a few hours。 There is not a lot of scientific explanation in the book （a portion of it is in the appendix， rest on her website） but it has scientific depth。 Think of it as an executive summary for all of the work Lisa would have done。 The brain is out personal life management assistant which runs a “budget” for our body。 Here are a few of her quotes about our brain:“A brain that’s so complex that we describe it by metaphors and mistake them for knowledge” - like comparing it to a large tree with roots， branches and leaves that are interconnected。 “A brain that’s so skilled at rewiring itself that we think we’re born with all sorts of things that we actually learn。” - the time we’re infants is so important for how we would evolve as individuals during the major part of our lives “A brain that regulates other brains so invisibly that we presume we’re independent of each other” - we need other brains （i。e。 people） for us to make meaning of our brain and to survive in this world “A brain that’s so good at believing its own inventions that we mistake social reality for the natural world” - needless to explain， everything around us is made by us， society， borders， governments， laws etc。 The appendix is pretty interesting to read as well。 。。。more

Junfei Ding ，

Very brief introduction about the principles of our brain， I want to know more detail。 All of the content is not very novel and interesting。 Anyway， it gave a brief and clear introduction。

Owlish ，

"We could have a leader who says terrible things， all captured on video， and then news outlets could agree that the words were never said。 That's what happens in a totalitarian society。 Social reality may be one of our greatest achievements but it's also a weapon we can wield against each other。 It is vulnerable to being manipulated。 Democracy itself is social reality。" p。 123 "We could have a leader who says terrible things， all captured on video， and then news outlets could agree that the words were never said。 That's what happens in a totalitarian society。 Social reality may be one of our greatest achievements but it's also a weapon we can wield against each other。 It is vulnerable to being manipulated。 Democracy itself is social reality。" p。 123 。。。more

Whitney ，

GEEZ THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD！ I gobbled this gem up within 24 hours， and I know that it will impact the way I think about the way I think， forever。 Dr。 Barret is a professor of cognitive neuroscience， psychology， psychophisiolgy， and affective neuroscience。 In this book she wrote 7 and a half little essays explaining， in short， how your brain works and why understanding that functionality may be key to thinking "better" for ourselves and society。 She says you can read the essays out of order but， GEEZ THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD！ I gobbled this gem up within 24 hours， and I know that it will impact the way I think about the way I think， forever。 Dr。 Barret is a professor of cognitive neuroscience， psychology， psychophisiolgy， and affective neuroscience。 In this book she wrote 7 and a half little essays explaining， in short， how your brain works and why understanding that functionality may be key to thinking "better" for ourselves and society。 She says you can read the essays out of order but， having read the book in succession， I think it would be a disservice to do otherwise。 Each essay builds upon the other。 She starts at the most basic function of your brain， brings us through infancy （both in an evolutionary sense and litetally）， and finishes with the most complex adult version our brains endure。 It is within this crescendo， where the reader is confronted with the superpower unique only to the human brain and the very real affects that super power has on ourselves and our world as a whole。 The reader closes the book with power of this knowledge and the choice to move on as if nothing has changed within her， or the choice to think （and do） better。 I can only hope every reader does better。 I know I will。 Thank you so much for this book， Dr。 Barret。 ❤🧠☺ 。。。more

Glenn A Quinlan ，

Makes a whole lot of sense to meBreaking down the science of the brain so that anyone can understand and enjoy is no mean feat … yet this book does it well！

Trishwah ，

This is a nice little read。 The half lesson is that your brain is not for thinking （it's for running your energy budget and keeping you alive）。 1。 You have one brain （no lizard brain， etc） 2。 Your brain is a network。 3。 Little brains wire themselves to their world。 4。 Your brain predicts almost everything you do。 5。 Your brain secretly works with other brains。 6。 Brains make more than one kind on mind （the mind is socially constructed）。 7。 Our brains can create reality。 It's a book that reinforc This is a nice little read。 The half lesson is that your brain is not for thinking （it's for running your energy budget and keeping you alive）。 1。 You have one brain （no lizard brain， etc） 2。 Your brain is a network。 3。 Little brains wire themselves to their world。 4。 Your brain predicts almost everything you do。 5。 Your brain secretly works with other brains。 6。 Brains make more than one kind on mind （the mind is socially constructed）。 7。 Our brains can create reality。 It's a book that reinforces the idea that we can change how our mind works。 。。。more

Juan Carlos Guerra ，

Excelente libro！ Aborda nuestro conocimiento del cerebro desde un punto de vista totalmente original y revolucionario。 Se lee rápido， muy fácil de entender。Recomendado sino！

Armin ，

The kind of book that I want to--and will--read over and over again。

Julie ，

A light read as far as science goes， but i appreciated the update on some basic neuroscience concepts。

Prasad Krovvidi ，

Good readIt is a nice easy read but does not cover topics in depth。 Overall a good introductory book that can lay the foundation for deeper reading。

Erik Larsson ，

A guide to how to think about thinking。 Or more specifically， how to think about the brain。 For Barrett makes clear that the brain is not just for thinking （lesson 1/2）: it’s actually a powerful tool for organizing and executing the demand of allostasis （basically metabolic budgeting）。 Barrett proceeds to explain how this body budgeting mechanism is not in fact made of three parts- one lizard， one mammalian and one human （you got that wrong Plato）- for although brain function is localized， the s A guide to how to think about thinking。 Or more specifically， how to think about the brain。 For Barrett makes clear that the brain is not just for thinking （lesson 1/2）: it’s actually a powerful tool for organizing and executing the demand of allostasis （basically metabolic budgeting）。 Barrett proceeds to explain how this body budgeting mechanism is not in fact made of three parts- one lizard， one mammalian and one human （you got that wrong Plato）- for although brain function is localized， the same brain constituents are found even in brains of very different animals， like fish （lesson 1）。 Other notable parts were the discussion of neuroplasticity and young brain formation （“our nature is to be nurtured”） and types of variation in minds。 I also particularly enjoyed the idea of a shared constructed “social reality”， created by the network of all our minds in tandem。 It’s not physis vs。 nomos （nature or custom）， but nature that shapes custom， and vice versa。“we add to the world by collectively imposing new functions， and we live by them。 Social reality is human niche construction”-pg。 120 。。。more

tsetsen ，

Good book to readIt is a book book to read for those who is interested to learn about brain。 It is informative and educating。 I was looking for information about intuition。 The book doesn’t explain about intuition but it has a lot of clues。 And those clues were exactly the missing components。 I enjoyed a lot

Davis ，

2。5/5。 I found it a bit dull， but not so much that I didn’t finish it。 Could have done without the political and pop culture discussions/references。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0