From Publishers Weekly
Neuroscientists La Cerra and Bingham suggest our minds are forever in flux, and succeed in challenging if not outright convincing us. In lay terms, they illustrate how we are not so different from the bee and E. coli, because these lower life-forms are also ever-adapting creatures, facing stimuli that help or hinder existence and adapting on the fly. Human minds are no different, they argue; consider how our moods change when we're hungry or sated. La Cerra and Bingham add that humans possess a "social signature" that's a collection of mutating selves depending on upbringing, workplace and other contexts. Midway through the book, the narrative segues into a quasi-self-help guide, delving into the neuroscience of subjects like beauty (it's not quite in the eye of the beholder) and personal fate (it may be determined by the always developing history of our thoughts, actions and reactions). What is disorienting about the authors' investigation, however, is its eclectic, almost flippant array of reference points... La Cerra and Bingham are more convincing when they rely on accounting metaphors, such as humans having "inner statisticians" that collate all social interactions and expectations. But whether these precepts are demonstrated through apt allusions, or curious ones, they coalesce simply because they're so sensible.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Recently, much has been published about the nature of our minds. Bingham, the author of previous books and films on the brain, teams up with award-winning researcher La Cerra to present a new theory of how our individual minds and selves develop. Although they agree that evolution has shaped our brains, they don't think it has played as large a role as evolutionary psychologists like Steven Pinker (How the Mind Works) argue. Instead, we inherit brains able to create a "database" of recorded experiences and outcomes, which enables us to make useful current decisions. Since no two people have the same experiences, each is unique and will react differently. Some behaviors like dependency and depression, the authors suggest, may be more adaptive than they seem, given a person's particular situation. Also, since we can learn from new experiences, it is possible, though difficult, to reprogram our minds. Although intended for a popular audience, with no footnotes and only a basic bibliography, this book is based on a wide range of recent neurobiological research. But far from being dry, it is full of interesting anecdotes and intriguing speculations. The book's clear, entertaining style and intriguing theories make it a highly appropriate purchase for all libraries.
Marit MacArthur Taylor, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Marit MacArthur Taylor, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
