Review: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating look at the brain and how it works. Most of the "rules" are pretty much common sense type of things, but I loved how the author applied it to school and work situations. The pratical application is the value of this book.

Here are some of my favorite rules and what I learned from them:

Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
Not only is exercise beneficial for muscles and endurance, it also helps out with the brain. Even thirty minutes of exercise each day will get your brain going, helping you to remember things better and increasing overall brain health. If you're not exercising, start now!

Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
Even though all of us have a brain, the way your brain works is slightly different than the way my brain works. Never assume that just because you may understand something in a certain way that other people understand it in the exact same way. Everyone's brain is working with the body that it has.

Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.
This is especially useful to know if you're teaching a class or doing a presentation. The best way to do it is to break up the information and every 15 minutes or so, recap or tie the information into a story, a joke, or something else that people will remember. After 15 minutes or so of information, people stop paying attention. The brain needs some time to absorb the information and a break from continuous information coming at it.

Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
Getting a good amount of sleep is great for your brain, not because it's resting, per se, but because it allows the brain to do it's thing—taking all the information that it acquired during the day and analyzing and putting the info away so the brain can access it later. If you're cheating on your sleep, you're cheating on your brain health.

Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.
If you're stressed out, your brain will be stressed out too. The information it acquires will be gathered and used in the "stressed out" mode, either for good or bad. Living under stressful conditions will cause the brain to adapt to those conditions, but even when the stressful conditions are no longer there, the brain will continue to act as if those conditions do exist. Fascinating chapter.

Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
I read this and went "No duh!" This chapter turned out to be really interesting. All brains deal with emotions, but how the brain processes emotions depends on nature, nurture, and gender. Male and female brains respond differently to acute stress—women will remember the emotional details whereas men get the gist, the overall picture.

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