Clinical psychologist Dr. Zindel Segal and neuroscientist Dr. Norman Farb explain the science of habitual thought and sensory exploration. If you’ve heard the terms “default mode network” and “salience network” but aren’t sure what they mean, these authors do a decent job of explaining how those parts of the brain function.
This is more popular science than self help. Some of the text is fairly technical for the average reader, although I think most people could understand and benefit from the suggestions of how to toggle back and forth between perception and conceptual cognition to break out of routine and explore new options. I enjoyed the discussion of various scientific studies. The authors are refreshingly honest about how often study results didn’t match their expectations and their process of discovering what the evidence actually showed. It’s a great example of science in action.
The back matter includes acknowledgments, notes, and resources to discover more.
I would recommend this primarily for those interested in learning more about how the brain works.
I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.