Henning Beck

Marketed as an exploration of brain functioning, I expected a narrative that more consistently tied social and behavioral phenomena to the morphology of the human brain. Instead, the primary focus is on discoveries from the cognitive and social-cognitive laboratories of psychology. The efforts to link these behaviors to brain morphology are informative but less frequent than I would have preferred.

The chapter list reads like the table of contents from an introductory psychology textbook. Examples include learning, memory, forgetting, motivation, decision-making, and creativity. There is an element of “name-dropping” as Beck “names” psychological phenomena without providing an overview of the associated body of psychological work. He relies on single studies and interesting anecdotes to illustrate phenomena and support his conclusions. Readers are not given the technical details they need to form an independent conclusion.

Nevertheless, readers interested in social and social cognitive behavior will find this book to be worthwhile. Beck’s informal, lucid writing style and interesting anecdotes and metaphors make the material easy to understand. Readers will appreciate his use of multiple examples and explanations from varied points of view. They slow the pace but increases the likelihood that readers will grasp his point before moving on to the next topic. Beck’s carefully selected exemplars, metaphors, and similes illustrate aspects of everyday life in a way that will appeal to a wide audience.… (más)

This book contains a ton of interesting information about how our brains work. Fourteen chapters each cover a separate topic ranging from memory to motivation. Everything was described in an easy to understand way. That said, even though I was excited to read this and enjoyed the content, something about the writing just did not click for me. I usually read a book a week, and this one took me two months to finish with some skimming. Was the writing repetitive? Were some things over explained? I’m not sure. I don’t feel compelled to recommend the book to friends, but I wouldn’t discourage someone from reading it because they might find it’s a better fit for them.

Note: I received a free copy of this bookin exchange for an honest review.… (más)