I wrote this popular science book about the brain with my neuroscientist friend Jenny.
'An entertaining and illuminating romp through the brain's past, present and future in search of an answer to whether we really need all of our brain - Which parts matter most? Could we afford to lose any? Is our brain at its evolutionary peak or do we have an even more brilliant future to look forward to?'
'An entertaining and illuminating romp through the brain's past, present and future in search of an answer to whether we really need all of our brain - Which parts matter most? Could we afford to lose any? Is our brain at its evolutionary peak or do we have an even more brilliant future to look forward to?'
How Much Brain Do We Really Need?
Your brain is shrinking. Does it matter?
How Much Brain Do We Really Need? challenges us to think differently about the brain. Rather than just concentrating on the many wonderful things it can do, this entertaining insight into the complexities and contradictions of the human brain asks whether in fact we can live satisfactorily without some of it.
The bad news is that our brains start to shrink from our mid-thirties. But the good news is that we still seem to generally muddle along and our brain is able to adapt in extraordinary ways when things going wrong.
Alexis Willett and Jennifer Barnett shed light on what the human brain can do - in both optimal and suboptimal conditions - and consider what it can manage without. Through fascinating facts and figures, case studies and hypothetical scenarios, expert interviews and scientific principles, they take us on a journey from the ancient mists of time to the far reaches of the future, via different species and lands.
Is brain training the key to healthy ageing? Do women really experience 'baby brain'? Is our brain at its evolutionary peak or do we have an even more brilliant future to look forward to? We discover the answers to these questions and more.
Published by Robinson (Little, Brown) 7th December 2017
Published in Italian (Newton Compton) 3rd May 2018
Published in Russian (Colibri) 22nd May 2019
Published in Chinese (Phoenix Media & Publishing Group) 1st June 2020
Published in Romanian (Humanitas) 13th May 2021
Published in Arabic (Aser Al-Kotob) 1st January 2022
Available to purchase at all good bookshops (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo & Waterstones)
How Much Brain Do We Really Need? challenges us to think differently about the brain. Rather than just concentrating on the many wonderful things it can do, this entertaining insight into the complexities and contradictions of the human brain asks whether in fact we can live satisfactorily without some of it.
The bad news is that our brains start to shrink from our mid-thirties. But the good news is that we still seem to generally muddle along and our brain is able to adapt in extraordinary ways when things going wrong.
Alexis Willett and Jennifer Barnett shed light on what the human brain can do - in both optimal and suboptimal conditions - and consider what it can manage without. Through fascinating facts and figures, case studies and hypothetical scenarios, expert interviews and scientific principles, they take us on a journey from the ancient mists of time to the far reaches of the future, via different species and lands.
Is brain training the key to healthy ageing? Do women really experience 'baby brain'? Is our brain at its evolutionary peak or do we have an even more brilliant future to look forward to? We discover the answers to these questions and more.
Published by Robinson (Little, Brown) 7th December 2017
Published in Italian (Newton Compton) 3rd May 2018
Published in Russian (Colibri) 22nd May 2019
Published in Chinese (Phoenix Media & Publishing Group) 1st June 2020
Published in Romanian (Humanitas) 13th May 2021
Published in Arabic (Aser Al-Kotob) 1st January 2022
Available to purchase at all good bookshops (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo & Waterstones)
Reader reviews:
Reader reviews:
- "Facinating, illuminating and remarkably comprehensive."
- "A much needed contribution to popular science literature."
- "Really easy to read."
- "Instantly accessible."
- "A must read."
- "Fascinating and provoked lots of conversations at the dinner table."
- "Crammed full of interesting facts and theories."
- "Definitive 'go-to' book."
Featured in: Observer Magazine, Guardian Online, The Mid Point with Gabby Logan podcast, Mirror Online, ShortList, Get It Online Bloemfontein