The best 94 The Brain books

You Can Fix Your Brain (2018) is a step-by-step guide to improving cognitive function and overall brain health. Through dietary choices, environmental adjustments, and other health practices, you can reduce brain fog, enhance your memory, and increase your mental clarity.

Smarter Not Harder (2023) is a guide to biohacking your metabolic, neurological, and epigenetic systems. It will show you how to maximize your well-being by making your Meat Operating System, or MeatOS, do what you want it to do by doing less – by doing things smarter, not harder.

Stop Self-Sabotage (2019) outlines a six-step guide to identifying and overcoming behaviors that counteract people’s ability to reach goals of all kinds. The clinically proven process includes exercises, practical advice, and real-life examples of how people have used the method to change their lives.

How to Be Your Own Therapist presents highly-effective techniques from evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness. Funny and humane, it outlines a simple self-therapy program to free you from unhelpful habits and tendencies, as well as daily check-in sessions that can be completed in as little as ten minutes.  

Exactly What to Say (2017) is designed to provide you with the key phrases and words to make your conversations count and bring you success. It contains magic words. Words that are heard and interpreted by the subconscious mind. Words which will help you get the results you want.

Unlock your brain's full potential with cutting-edge techniques and personalized brain health approaches detailed in this revised and updated version of the original Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (1999) by Dr. Daniel G. Amen.

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (2012) shows you how to tap into your mind's unlimited potential and transform your life from the inside out. Get ready to break free from limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns and become the master of your destiny.

Flipnosis (2010) looks at the role of persuasion in our lives, and the social and biological underpinnings that allow some people to quickly and successfully encourage and convince those around them. By examining the science and looking at real-world master persuaders – from magicians and advertisers to criminals and psychopaths – you too can tap into the art of persuasion.

Dirty Laundry (2023) is an honest and humorous glimpse into the daily chaos that is life with ADHD. Whether you’re diagnosed, undiagnosed, or just trying to better understand a loved one, these real-life stories and practical advice can help you learn from and live with the struggles of this chronic disorder.

Unwinding Anxiety (2021) breaks down the brain science behind the bad habits that keep us stuck. Have you ever tried to reason yourself out of binge eating, or procrastinating? Then you’ll know that it just doesn’t work. That’s because addiction and obsessive thought patterns are controlled by our instinctive survival brains, not our rational brains. Learning how to retrain our brains using mindfulness techniques will allow us to free ourselves from chronic worry, anxiety, and other obsessive habits. 

Your Brain on Art (2023) offers remarkable insights into how artistic endeavors and aesthetics – from music and dance to drawing and interior design – can rewire our brains and improve our lives.

The Source (2019) reveals the secret to mastering your mind. It draws on cognitive science and the author’s coaching experience to provide a four-step plan to fire up your brain and get what you want from life by becoming a new, confident you.

Million Dollar Habits (2017) is the manual to your brain and your life that you never got in school. It explains the “secrets” of success and what you need to do to unlock your full potential.

Scattered Minds (1999) takes aim at a well-established myth: that attention deficit disorder, or ADD for short, is an inherited illness. It doesn’t deny the biological foundations of the disorder – genes also play a role. But it urges us to widen our perspective and pay closer attention to psychological and social factors that may be contributing to the symptoms. ADD often develops within specific familial and societal contexts. Recognizing this isn’t just about correcting the scientific record – it offers a key to effective treatment.

Building a Second Brain by productivity expert Tiago Forte offers simple, effective, and workable solutions to one of the biggest challenges we face today: information overload. Using four key organizational principles, Forte shows how you can leverage digital tools to create a knowledge storage system as intuitive and efficient as a second brain. 

Biohack Your Brain (2020) is a guide to caring for your most essential organ – the brain. Drawing on the latest neuroscientific research, it’s packed with actionable advice on everything from optimizing your diet for brain health to stimulating your gray cells and beating stress. Along the way, it sheds light on how you can start protecting yourself against cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s.

What Happened to You? (2021) is an in-depth exploration of trauma and how it affects the brain. Long before we can make rational sense of traumatic experiences, they become etched into our neural circuits. They influence how we respond to stress, form relationships, and make meaning. Unfortunately, trauma is often misunderstood. By understanding trauma as both a brain issue and a societal issue, we can start to support trauma survivors with the tools they need to heal. 

Being You (2021) offers a new theory of consciousness. What does it mean to be you? Why do your experiences of the world, your selfhood, and your body feel the way they do? Combining neuroscience, philosophy, and a pinch of speculation, these blinks argue that consciousness is not as mysterious as it seems – it is deeply entwined with our living, breathing bodies.

Smarter Tomorrow (2021) shows you how to upgrade your brain using a technique called neurohacking. You’ll learn how to improve your memory, creativity, emotional regulation, and what’s known as “executive functioning” through self-testing and experimentation – all backed up with insights from neuroscience.

ADHD 2.0 (2021) provides updated science and guidance on living a successful and happy life with attention deficiency hyperactivity disorder – ADHD. It offers insights into how people with ADHD can tap into their strengths and unleash their full potential.

How Emotions Are Made (2017) challenges everything you think you know about emotions. From learning how our brain registers anger, fear and joy to how we think about these emotions culturally, you’ll come away with a new understanding of the ways in which emotions are created and how their scope is determined by society at large.

Anxious (2015) is an in-depth study of anxiety disorders. It explores how anxiety is diagnosed and examines how our in-built survival mechanisms can sabotage us by making us perceive danger where none exists. Most importantly, it provides an overview of the most innovative treatment options available – from reprogramming our memories to practicing meditation.

Dopamine Nation (2021) explores the connection between pleasure and pain. Our modern world is filled with more dopamine-inducing stimuli than ever – including everything from drugs and sex to smartphones and shopping. Citing years of clinical experience and patients’ stories, this book helps to understand addiction and explains how to achieve a healthy balance in our lives. 

Livewired (2020) is an exploration into how the brain is constantly reconfiguring itself. As it learns new information about the world around it, the brain changes shape. We’re always discovering more about its astonishing adaptability.

How can stroke victims who become paralyzed start using a fork or buttoning their shirts again? Well, contrary to what was believed for so long, the brain is not hardwired. It can change, regenerate and grow. Drawing on real-life cases of scientists, doctors and patients, The Brain that Changes Itself (2007) shows us how, rather than relying on surgery and medicine, we can alter our brains through thought and behavior.

The Disordered Mind (2018) explores what disorders and diseases of the brain can tell us about the inner workings of our minds. Acclaimed neuroscientist Eric R. Kandel draws on a lifetime of research to explain what depression, schizophrenia, addiction, and more reveal about how our brains affect our thoughts, feelings, and behavior – and explains how new scientific methods could help solve the big puzzle of consciousness.

In Know Thyself (2021) cognitive neuroscientist Stephen M. Fleming lays out the basic principles of metacognition – the way we think about what we think. This revealing book shows by understanding of our metacognitive processes, we can turn them to our advantage, to make accurate, informed judgments.

How to Think More Effectively (2020) is a simple guide to improving the way you think. Drawing lessons from sources as diverse as the feeling of envy and the prose of Proust, it lays out the characteristics of effective thoughts – and shows how you can start cultivating them.

Life Lessons from a Brain Surgeon (2019) takes a look into the human brain and the science of cognitive health. Debunking common myths about the brain, these blinks will bring you up-to-date insights on cognitive functions such as sleep, memory and creativity, as well as the best ways to harness your natural abilities.

Peak Mind (2021) provides a cutting-edge overview of the science of attention – looking at the various ways your mind focuses and pays attention, as well as the factors that cause our mental vigilance to lapse and weaken over time. What’s more, it lays out a simple, easy-to-follow regimen to keep your mind in tip-top shape – even as you deal with the ups and downs of life.

The Neuroscience of You (2022) is an accessible primer to the human brain that explores how our individual quirks arise. Packed with practical tests and cutting-edge insights into why you think differently from others, it invites you to take a closer look at your brain and discover what makes it unique– and how to understand others and their quirks better. 

Rewire Your Anxious Brain (2015) is a powerful guide to overcoming anxiety. Based on the latest research in neuroscience, it explains how two separate regions of the brain are responsible for producing anxiety – and how each requires different strategies and approaches.

Frames of Mind (1983) is a landmark text that first proposed the psychological theory of multiple intelligences. Upending the long-held conception that intelligence is just one general, monolithic trait, it argues instead that there are several intelligences that everyone possesses in different quantities. By studying them, educators and policymakers can reshape the educational system to benefit a much greater number of students than the current programs do.

Remember (2021) is about our marvelous and flawed ability to create memories. It explores the different sorts of memories we create, how the brain makes them, why they often fail, and what we can do to get the best out of our astonishing and troubled capacity to remember.

Super Brain (2012) offers a fascinating look at the amazing powers your brain has to change your life and even alter your perception of the world. “Mind over matter” is a rule; with the right set of tools, you can rise above the daily grind to live a healthier, longer life free from fear and disappointment.

"Loved this book-in-blinks! I'm very interested in learning about the brain, endocrinology and the biochemical processes of the body. As a personal trainer, massage therapist and yoga teacher, I'm somewhat of a body nerd.” – Lisa, Blinkist user, USA

Brain Food (2018) highlights the role nutrition plays in your brain’s health. It explores the incredible brain-gut connection and reveals exactly what to eat and drink to maximize your cognitive power and prevent stress, dementia, and memory loss.

Emotional (2022) explores a long-misunderstood part of the human psyche: emotions. It shows how neuroscience is shedding light on the role and importance of our emotions – and gives tips on how to control our emotions to lead better lives. 

Your Brain on Porn (2014) examines the explosion of internet pornography addiction. In the age of high-speed internet, porn is more widespread than ever. And although excessive porn consumption can negatively affect mental health and sexual function, the damage can be reversed. 

Phantoms in the Brain (1998) is an enduring classic of popular science that has transformed how we think about the brain and its relationship to the human experience. Drawing on the author’s clinical practice, it presents a series of patients with rare and astonishing neurological conditions. These case studies illuminate the architecture of our brains and, in the process, cast fresh light on timeless philosophical questions regarding the nature of consciousness, identity, and reality itself.

Your Brain Is Always Listening (2021) is a self-help guide for readers looking to lead happier, healthier lives. Drawing on Dr. Daniel Amen’s extensive experience as a psychiatrist, it shares science-backed tips for slaying the fire-breathing dragons that dwell inside your brain and spark destructive behaviors. 

The Happiness Advantage looks into the origins of happiness and the positive effects that happiness has on our productivity. Based on extensive research in positive psychology, the book offers concrete tips on how to increase your own happiness and thus your chances for success.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants (2019) is an entertaining and fact-filled account of how we all work. With his trademark wit, Bill Bryson explains the astonishing ways in which our bodies are put together, and what goes on inside them.

Unbeknownst to you, a subconscious part of your brain is constantly whirring away and wielding a tremendous influence on your thoughts, feelings and behavior. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2011) is your guide to the other side of your brain, and how it shapes your life.

The No-Nonsense Meditation Book (2021) explores the science behind meditation. As the latest neuroscience research shows, you don’t have to be a monk in search of nirvana to reap the benefits of meditation. In fact, it’s a great solution to many distinctly modern problems like stress and chronic anxiety.

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.

Descartes’ Error (1995) turns conventional wisdom about the human mind on its head. Combining sophisticated neuroscience with fascinating case studies about patients with brain damage, it shows how the traditional dualisms of Western thought do not stand up to scrutiny. Reason depends on emotion, and the brain is intimately connected with the body.

Move! (2021) is a step-by-step guide to setting your body – and mind – in motion. Drawing on recent exercise science research, it shares actionable tips for boosting creativity, improving mental health, and future-proofing your brain against the many effects of aging.

Stealing Fire (2017) explores the controversial and exciting pursuit of altered states of consciousness. From tech entrepreneurs to BASE jumpers, meditators to festival-goers, it takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the revolutionary nonconformists trying to change the way they experience the world.

The Biological Mind (2018) debunks the “cerebral mystique,” the commonly held belief that our brains are somehow completely independent from our bodies and our surroundings. Using the latest insights from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, this approachable primer demonstrates that what you see as yourself is much more complex than you thought.

The Sweet Spot (2021) is a refreshing antidote to all the books we read about being positive at all costs. It argues that negative experiences like pain, suffering, and discomfort are not something to be shied away from. In fact, they can add value to our lives. Instead of trying to avoid discomfort, we need to find the right discomfort. That is, the kind of challenge that makes our lives meaningful. 

The Molecule of More (2020) reveals how one brain chemical kindles our desires, fuels our creativity, and makes us fall in love. Using the latest insights from psychology, neuroscience, and social studies to investigate the role of this powerful brain chemical in our thoughts and behavior, it explains what science can teach us about drug addiction, mental illness, and political disagreements.

Habits of a Happy Brain (2012) provides a detailed introduction to the four chemicals responsible for our happiness: dopamine, serotonin, endorphin and oxytocin. The book explores the mechanics of what makes us happy and why, as well as why some bad things make us feel so good.

Learn Like a Pro: Science-based Tools to Become Better at Anything (2021) looks at the most powerful strategies for staying focused and learning effectively. Both coauthors draw on their past struggles with learning, and use insights from experts and research to find out what works and what doesn’t. 

No Bad Parts (2021) argues that we’re all made up of many distinct parts, like inner voices, that add different things to our lives. By engaging these parts directly, we can heal past traumas and transform the way we relate to ourselves and the world.

The Wandering Mind (2015) reveals exactly what is going on in our brain when our mind starts to lose focus. We explore the areas of the brain that remain active as concentration drifts and uncover the connections between our memory, creativity and the rewards of daydreaming.

The Male Brain (2010) is a neuroscientist’s account of the interplay between hormones and brain development that shapes the formation and growth of male brains and behavior. Based on decades of research, it argues that the roots of many masculine stereotypes can be seen in neurobiology, and that hormones shape the male brain and outlook for a lifetime.

The Female Brain (2006) is a classic of popular neuroscience which argues that hormone-driven neural development shapes many of women’s drives and behaviors. Just a few hormones chart a course through the cycle of changes that mark life with a female brain.

Future Tense (2022) puts to rest a huge and socially pervasive myth about anxiety: that it’s bad and should be avoided at all costs. Today, anxiety is considered an illness – something that should be treated with medicine or coped with in some other way. But that isn’t the case. Ultimately, anxiety is simply information, and it’s incredibly important for our survival. It’s up to us to make the best use of it.

Rationality (2021) explores the faculty that sets us apart from other species: reason. The ability to think rationally drives individual and social progress. It allows us to attain our goals and create a fairer world. But rationality isn’t just something we do as individuals – it also sustains our best institutions.

Wired for Love (2022) combines fascinating neuroscientific research with a captivating personal story to reveal some of the secrets behind that great human mystery: love. Love is often thought of as a topic best left to poets and musicians –⁠ but it can and should be studied as a legitimate scientific question. In a world that is constantly throwing up new challenges to romance, from online dating to global pandemics, an understanding of and respect for love is more important than ever before.

This Is Your Mind on Plants (2021) is a vivid, intricate probe into the history, chemistry, and effects of three plant-derived drugs: opium, caffeine, and mescaline. These substances – a sedative, a stimulant, and a hallucinogen – represent a large part of the human experience with drugs. It’s time to shed new light on how they’ve shaped our histories, cultures, and minds.

The Awakened Brain (2021) reveals the science of spirituality. Drawing on Dr. Lisa Miller’s decades of research and her own personal journey, it locates an innate capacity for spirituality in human biology. When engaged, this spiritual awareness can protect against depression, support health, and reveal the deep interconnection between all life.

Lateral Thinking (1970) explains the important differences between vertical and lateral thinking. It offers techniques on how to strengthen your ability to think creatively – and spark important changes and innovations along the way. It also provides lessons that teachers can use to help young students develop a talent for lateral thinking.

The XX Brain (2020) is a practical guide to improving women’s brain health and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Women are suffering from an Alzheimer’s epidemic, but so far the medical industry isn’t doing much about it. The XX Brain shows you how to take your health into your own hands, demand the medical treatment you deserve, and take concrete steps to help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s. 

The Runaway Species (2017) is a gripping account of human creativity. Examining the principles that underlie our inventiveness, as well as real-world examples of creative breakthroughs, it offers a novel account of the abilities that make our species unique.

How Minds Change (2022) is a deep dive into why we believe, why we keep believing, and why, sometimes, we stop believing. More than that, it’s a guide to changing minds –⁠ not through manipulation or coercion, but through empathy and open-mindedness.

The Future of the Mind looks at our current understanding of the human brain, as well as the varied research that is currently being conducted to expand the potential of the mind to areas which sound like science fiction, but could soon be reality.

No Self, No Problem (2019) offers an array of neuroscientific evidence that supports an age-old Buddhist thesis: that there’s no such thing as a stable, continuous self. Recent research indicates that the self is an illusion, a nonexistent pattern created by the language center of the human brain. 

Subtract (2021) explores subtraction as a way to make positive change. It examines the human love affair with adding and having “more” – and it explains how our brains and environments work against subtraction. 

The Psychology of Intelligence (1947) outlines the pioneering psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of intelligence and cognitive development between birth and adolescence. Originally delivered as a series of lectures in Paris, Piaget’s text provides a key to his highly influential research agenda and, by extension, to one of the twentieth century’s most important bodies of work on children’s psychology.

The Emperor’s New Mind (1989) is a timeless argument against the computability of the human mind. Taking you on a fascinating journey through math, computer science, philosophy, and physics, famous mathematician Roger Penrose explains what makes the human mind so special – and what quantum mechanics has to do with consciousness.

Mind Hacking (2016) is a guide to reprogramming – or hacking – your mind. By following its 21-day program, you’ll find out how to improve your mental habits, eliminate negative thought loops, and take control of your own mind.

Conscious (2019) offers a contemplative and probing look at one of life's central mysteries: consciousness. Author Annaka Harris explores two fundamental questions: How do we define consciousness? And how widespread is its existence in the universe?

What’s it about?

Head Strong (2017) is a cutting-edge guide to strengthening and fine-tuning your cognitive powers. From what toxic foods to avoid to the importance of healthy lighting, it leaves no stone unturned in its advice on reaching optimal mental performance.

Fear Less (2021) highlights the countless ways that fear infiltrates our lives, negatively impacting our work, relationships, and personal satisfaction. We may not even realize that we’re afraid, but identifying our underlying anxieties and insecurities is the first step to leading a more fulfilling, fearless life.

The Expectation Effect (2022) explores the connection between our minds, our bodies, and our outcomes. It explores how our expectations can form our realities, and reveals the extent to which self-fulfilling prophecies shape our lives.

The Marshmallow Test explains why being able to delay gratification and exercise our self-control is essential for living a successful life. Using insights gained from several psychological studies, it explains how exactly our self-control skills function, and what we can do to improve them.

As a guide to optimizing female wellness, Love Yourself Well (2022) empowers women to take their health into their own hands. The book presents honest insights into the connection between the gut, brain, and vagina and promotes natural remedies for intimate problems.

Collective Illusions (2022) explores the idea of conformity bias: how it shapes our decisions for better or worse, and how we can overcome this behavior and even use it for good.

Deep Creativity (2019) encourages you to celebrate your inner creative impulses as a means of self-expression. The three authors tell personal stories about their creative practice and offer sage advice for how to live a creatively satisfying life.

What’s it about?

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary (2019) explores the surprising benefits of being an average Joe. From money to intelligence to relationships, it reveals the pleasures of being perfectly ordinary.

Imaginable (2022) lays out a simple but powerful premise: you have more control over the future than you may think. Through psychology-backed games, it explores how to train your imagination in order to transform your outlook on life and, ultimately, change the world. Its big-picture thinking and actionable exercises will help you prepare for – and get excited about – what’s to come.

The Extended Mind (2021) is an exploration of the power of thinking outside the confines of your brain. It shows that the path to greater intelligence is not locked within your skull. Rather, it's a path through your body, your environment and your relationships with others. 

The Quick Fix (2021) is a skeptical study of recent trends in behavioral psychology. Academic studies and TED talks may appear to make a convincing case for the power of positive thinking or the impact of implicit bias, but sometimes the evidence just isn’t there. In a complex world, the explanations for human behavior are often more nuanced than some modern psychologists would have you believe.

These blinks provide an overview of the human brain’s capacity for thinking and for comparing new experiences to old memories. They also explain why today’s machines still aren’t able to emulate this capability, but why we may soon be able to build ones that can.

The Loudest Guest (2020) is a six-step guide to controlling your fear and taking back control of your life. It offers practical advice on how to recognize your fear, evaluate how it affects you, and choose when and how you listen to it. Fear may be at the party, but he doesn’t have to be your loudest guest.

Black and White Thinking (2020) examines the human brain’s irresistible impulse to sort things into binary categories: black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. The instinct to categorize is strong –⁠ and we have evolution to thank for it. But while categorization helped us survive in ancient times – when every trip into the forest was life or death – it’s become an obstacle in the modern world. Today, life’s rarely black-and-white, but often shades of gray.

If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal (2022) takes a playful yet profoundly meaningful look at what makes humans so different from the other animals on the planet. In doing so, it makes a strong case for why the human mind may be dangerously unsuccessful from an evolutionary standpoint.

Wanting (2021) provides a riveting, philosophical answer to the question Why do we want the things we want? Drawing on theories originally developed by the celebrated polymath René Girard, it reveals an uncomfortable truth: that our desires are all ultimately a product of other people’s desires. The point isn’t to eliminate them,⁠ but rather to choose, carefully and consciously, which ones we should actually strive for. 

The Human Instinct (2018) is a celebration of humanity’s development of reason, consciousness, and free will through the process of evolution. It shows that our remarkable capacities are all the more unique for having arising from natural origins.

Adventures in Human Being (2015) is a sort of anatomical travel guide. A series of philosophical reflections on each of the body’s major organs, the book combines a clinical perspective on the body with select stories from our cultural history. The result is a series of striking ruminations on the human condition from the unusual angle of human anatomy.

Framers (2021) takes a bird’s eye view of the issues facing our world today, from pandemics to political polarization, and presents a visionary solution. That solution lies with framing –⁠ the conscious or unconscious act of viewing the world through a particular lens. By recognizing and rethinking the frames we use, we can optimize our attitudes toward the world and give ourselves a leg up in the face of major social, economic, and scientific challenges.

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2015) explores the mechanisms that form our fundamental sense of self, and shows what happens when things go awry. By examining the surprising effects of disorders like schizophrenia, depersonalization and autism, the book shows just how flimsy the human sense of self can be.

Who’s in Charge (2011) explains science’s latest discoveries in how the human brain works and what such insight means for civil society at large. These blinks examine the concept of “free will” and how advances in neuroscience are also changing how we approach law and order.