Featuring a foreword by David Brooks, This Will Make You Smarter presents brilliant—but accessible—ideas to expand every mind. What scientific concept would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit? This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to the world’s most influential thinkers. Their visionary answers flow from the frontiers of psychology, philosophy, economics, physics, sociology, and more. Surprising and enlightening, these insights will revolutionize the way you think about yourself and the world. Contributors include: Daniel Kahneman on the “focusing illusion” Jonah Lehrer on controlling attention Richard Dawkins on experimentation Aubrey De Grey on conquering our fear of the unknown Martin Seligman on the ingredients of well-being Nicholas Carr on managing “cognitive load” Steven Pinker on win-win negotiating Daniel Goleman on understanding our connection to the natural world Matt Ridley on tapping collective intelligence Lisa Randall on effective theorizing Brian Eno on “ecological vision” J. Craig Venter on the multiple possible origins of life Helen Fisher on temperament Sam Harris on the flow of thought Lawrence Krauss on living with uncertainty
This title includes contributions from Richard Dawkins, Stephen Pinker, Daniel Dennett and Brian Eno among many others. It offers ideas, strategies and arguments that will help all of us understand our world and its future.
Does your family make you smarter? James R. Flynn presents an exciting new method for estimating the effects of family on a range of cognitive abilities. Rather than using twin and adoption studies, he analyses IQ tables that have been hidden in manuals over the last 65 years, and shows that family environment can confer a significant advantage or disadvantage to your level of intelligence. Wading into the nature vs. nurture debate, Flynn banishes the pessimistic notion that by the age of seventeen, people's cognitive abilities are solely determined by their genes. He argues that intelligence is also influenced by human autonomy - genetics and family notwithstanding, we all have the capacity to choose to enhance our cognitive performance. He concludes by reconciling this new understanding of individual differences with his earlier research on intergenerational trends (the 'Flynn effect') culminating in a general theory of intelligence.
Following the huge success of his blockbuster weight-loss program, McKenna has created a groundbreaking new book-and-CD set that reveals the secrets of getting regular, deep, refreshing sleep--and banishing insomnia for good.
A revelatory and timely look at how technology boosts our cognitive abilities—making us smarter, more productive, and more creative than ever It’s undeniable—technology is changing the way we think. But is it for the better? Amid a chorus of doomsayers, Clive Thompson delivers a resounding “yes.” In Smarter Than You Think, Thompson shows that every technological innovation—from the written word to the printing press to the telegraph—has provoked the very same anxieties that plague us today. We panic that life will never be the same, that our attentions are eroding, that culture is being trivialized. But, as in the past, we adapt—learning to use the new and retaining what is good of the old. Smarter Than You Think embraces and extols this transformation, presenting an exciting vision of the present and the future.
Loaded with fun, offbeat trivia and Sandy Silverthorne's hilarious cartoons, this book will not only make you smarter but also much more fun to be around. After all, who wouldn't want to fall into a conversation with someone who knows... how long most Americans spend waiting at red lights in their lifetimes which two first-world countries still haven't signed a treaty to end World War II where the phrase "a blue moon" came from And just think how happy your friends will be when you share little-known but surprisingly helpful tips about sleeping well (a little peanut butter and/or honey on a piece of toast delivers a pleasant dose of tryptophan) or nailing that important job interview (try to schedule it at ten thirty on Tuesday morning). A collection of fun facts sure to make you smarter and your life more enjoyable!
Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, & Charles Darwin Great geniuses before us have uncovered certain key principles on their path to greatness. You can learn those principles now, without all of the sweat, tears, and costly mistakes. Imagine that you could tap into the minds of many great geniuses. Think how they could help you solve challenging problems, broaden your mental horizons, and avoid common pitfalls. They actually can, if we study the principles that they lived by, and incorporate them into our lives. Internationally bestselling author I. C. Robledo has identified the principles that the most brilliant people in history have used to make great accomplishments. Inside, you will discover: - (#13) Why you should always have questions - (#15) The importance of listening to people with different perspectives… even when you disagree with them - (#19) How to avoid restricting your genius potential - (#27) That we all have false ways of viewing the world - (#37) How to observe patterns, and the anomalies that do not fit the pattern - 40 Total principles inside! Tap into the greatest minds of all time and use their principles in your life, with The Intellectual Toolkit of Geniuses. The Intellectual Toolkit of Geniuses will help you to think and work smarter, unleash your inner genius, get smarter every day, be a creative genius, and become a polymath. It will also help you gain expertise fast, train your brain, increase your intelligence scores and IQ, apply peak performance and accelerated learning, focus longer and end distraction, achieve true mastery, and teach people to be ingenious. This book is ideal for high school and college students, gifted and talented students, standardized test takers, teachers, educators, adult learners, independent learners and self-starters, school administrators, managers and leaders, and parents. Similar authors you may have enjoyed include Sean Patrick, Daniel Coyle, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Malcolm Gladwell, Steven Pressfield, Walter Isaacson, Michael Michalko, Ed Catmull, David McRaney, Tony Buzan, Barbara Oakley, Joshua Foer, Sanjay Gupta, Harry Lorayne, Edward de Bono, Joseph Murphy, John C. Maxwell, Robert Greene, Peter Hollins, Peter C. Brown, Jim Kwik, and Josh Waitzkin. Similar genres of books you tend to read will be nonfiction, self-help, self-improvement, personal development, mind and brain improvement, philosophy, applied psychology, biographies and memoirs, education, learning, academic textbooks, health, mind & body, business and investing, religion and spirituality, and Christian books. If you liked Awakening Your Inner Genius by Sean Patrick, You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney, or Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, you won’t want to miss this book. The Intellectual Toolkit of Geniuses is also available in paperback and as an audiobook. Pick up your copy today by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking BUY NOW. Keywords: Accelerated learning, cognitive exercise, knowledge management, renaissance man, renaissance woman, boost IQ, mind training, mental training, Mensa, mental exercise, intellectual development, student guide, increase IQ, intelligence quotient, brain training, brain power, get smarter, IQ test, thinking techniques, how to be smarter Editorial Reviews "One of my favorite books of all time. The tools listed in this book are extremely valuable as they provide you the means to manifest their intellectual powers EFFECTIVELY. [It will] teach you how to use your own natural intelligence as effectively as possible." - Jonathan Rodgers, reader, Amazon.com "If you are a genius you will love it. If you apply yourself to the principles they will make you a richer thinker. If you are not a genius then all the better because these are the concepts that you need to know to run an intellectual conversation."- Gary Newton, reader, Amazon.com "A very inspiring book. 100% Recommended for anyone who wants to succeed."- Felipe Portocarrero, instructor and engineer "Like Albert Einstein's important and short equation " E = MC^2 "; Issac Robledo gives us an Intellectual Toolkit with a few tools that are really all you need (If you are a Genius)...."- Arthur von Boennighausen, Research Engineer and Real Estate Developer "The best way to treat this book is as a pocket guide for useful reminders on how to think, organize, and plan. Highly recommended!"- F. IV Wolf, reader, Amazon.com "Any free thinker who attempts to obtain unbiased fact will have a huge sense of recognition when reading this."- I. Huseyin, reader, Amazon.com
Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of practicing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct complex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By completing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the methods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard keyboard, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the simple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Figure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcomponents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accurate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chainsaws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.
“A riveting look at the birth of a new science.” —Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive When he was eight years old, Dan Hurley was labeled a “slow learner” because he still couldn’t read. Three years later, he had become a straight A student. Until the publication of a major study in 2008, psychologists believed that intelligence is fixed at birth, that IQ is like a number tattooed on the soul. The new study showed that people can increase their “fluid” intelligence through training. Hurley, who grew up to become an award-winning science journalist, first explored the topic in The New York Times Magazine. In Smarter, he digs deeper by meeting with the field’s leading researchers—and becoming a human guinea pig. After just three months of playing computer brain-training games, joining a boot-camp exercise program, learning to play the Renaissance lute, practicing mindfulness meditation and and even getting his brain zapped in the name of science, Hurley improved his fluid intelligence by sixteen percent. With humor and heart, Smarter chronicles the roiling field of intelligence research and delivers practical findings to sharpen the minds of children, young adults, seniors, and those with cognitive challenges.
Explains how self-delusion is part of a person's psychological defense system, identifying common misconceptions people have on topics such as caffeine withdrawal, hindsight, and brand loyalty.
