Brain Rules Book Summary - Brain Rules Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

Brain Rules summary

John Medina

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

4.3 (162 ratings)
19 mins

Brief summary

Brain Rules by John Medina is a scientific guide to how our brains work, including how we learn, remember, and stay focused. It incorporates practical advice on how to optimize brain function through exercise, sleep, and stress management.

Topics
Table of Contents

    Brain Rules
    Summary of 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    Regular exercise stimulates the body to renew itself and generates hormones to help the brain work.

    Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Homo sapiens looked like? How our ancestors spent their time directly affected how our own brains have developed.

    Consider that the average Homo sapiens may have walked or ran from 10 to 20 kilometers per day. This means that our brains didn’t develop while we were lazing about, but as we exercised.

    Exercise allows your body to get more energy out of the food you eat. When you exercise, you increase blood flow to all your body’s tissues. And as your blood flow increases, your body also starts to produce new blood vessels, making it even easier for your blood to do its job, such as move vitamins and minerals around and get rid of waste.

    So when you move your body, not only do you feel better but you think more effectively, too!

    To better understand what’s happening in this process, think about a system of roads. In the early 1800s, an English engineer noticed that traders had a tough time moving supplies over uneven dirt roads. He developed a method to coat roads with layers of rock and gravel to make them more even and thus more reliable.

    The engineer’s idea quickly spread as people realized better roads meant better access to goods in general. You make the same improvements to your body when you exercise, as your blood vessels are essentially your body's roads.

    Exercise also makes your body’s tissues healthier by stimulating the production of certain hormones such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

    One of the brain's most powerful growth hormones, BDNF keeps your neurons refreshed and healthy and increases the connections between neurons. It also stimulates the creation of new cells.

    So the more you exercise, the healthier and more robust your brain and body will be!

    Want to see all full key ideas from Brain Rules?

    Key ideas in Brain Rules

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is Brain Rules about?

    Brain Rules (2008) gives you insight into how our brains function and explains how you can take advantage of such knowledge to push your brain to work better. From gaining more productivity at work to absorbing more at school, mastering the “brain rules” will help make learning with all your senses become second nature.

    Best quote from Brain Rules

    The most common communication mistakes? Relating too much information, with not enough time devoted to connecting the dots.

    —John Medina
    example alt text

    Who should read Brain Rules?

    • Psychologists and neuroscientists researching how the brain works
    • Students looking for ways to learn more effectively
    • People wanting to improve their memory

    About the Author

    John Medina is a professor, research consultant and expert in molecular biology. He founded the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research and the Talaris Research Institute.

    Categories with Brain Rules

    Book summaries like Brain Rules

    People ❤️ Blinkist 
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked these summaries

    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    29 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    10+ years
    Experience igniting personal growth
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial