The Body Has a Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better Audiobook

" This book is chock full of fascinating snippets- for instance, did you know that your tongue can be taught to see? Or that anorexia can be treated by donning a neoprene catsuit? See, this is why I adore reading books about neuroscience; that's where all the truly bizarre stuff is happening. It really is a good read. "

" This takes all those basic things you read about in an Intro to Psychology textbook and takes it to the next level. It discusses many new research discoveries and presents possible future ideas in the study of how our brains interact with our bodies. A nice chatty pop science book. "

" This is one of those books you have to read twice in order to soak up all the new information. Wonderful book, recommended by Elizabeth Chapman who taught course on neuroscience at OLLI. "

" This is an unusual book. It's largely boring but with many gold nuggets tucked inside. Cognition, value and body are tied together. "Meaning," the authors say, is rooted in agency (acting and choosing) and agency "depends on embodiment." Feedback from bodily movements provide meaning that become "maps" within. We talk about muscle memory but memory is lodged in the brain as motor maps. Perception is active. It is predictive and we fill in the gaps with what we have learned before. People do have auras in the sense of a space that is an extension of themselves. When we point our finger, our self extends itself to the object. About 5% of the population are affected by a condition (synesthesia) whereby separate senses are joined. Numbers have colors; red smells; voices have flavors. That striking statistic helps to explain the paranormal, and makes the weird not abnormal. It's further evidence of our biologically based variability. Above our biological differnces, culture promotes fundamental variations as well. The Chinese can't understand the part without understanding the whole. Those in the West focus on straight lines and salient objects on those lines. As opposed to the fixed, behavioral structures favored by the evolutionary biologists, the authors note that mirror neurons allow us to experience others as extensions of ourselves, but this capacity produces negative as well as positive social interactions. The authors suggest that homophobia may be deeply ingrained because straight men can't help but to experience "in the mind's body" two gay men in a sexual act. They also say that sadists are able to experience pleasure in the pain of others because of these neurons. The authors go on to say that Von Economo neurons are fundamental to social intuitions. We make quick judgments involving "approach or retreat". Regarding William James' theory of emotions, our body reacts (and acts?) and we become aware of our body's reaction (and action?) as feeling. Here the body's mind is primary and our mind's awareness follows. The mind is infused with the body's energy and there is no such thing as "pure reason." They also say that the right frontal insula is active when one feels literal physical pain and when one experiences psychic pain such as social rejection. All in all, the mental maps we form are integrally tied to action, and action begins with our hands. The authors casually remark that permanent two-legged walking coincided with the appearance of the very first stone tools. Our hands become free, and free hands enabled us to extend our body's domain through what the authors say became an innate drive to augment our bodies with artifacts. That augmentation was "bred into us" and this, perhaps, enhanced our power and, with power, our freedom. "

" Very interesting book. Provides a nice perspective of the whole body, the interactions between mind and body, and some useful information about the organization of the human brain. "

" So far a fascinating book on how "body maps" - or the way we understand ourselves and our world spatially - make us smart. Not done with it yet though. "

" This is the most AWESOME book. If you are a Feldenkrais teacher/student this book is a must. if you are interested in how your brain works you will love this book. Easy to read. "

" While often interesting, also very dry reading! "

" The chapter on dueling body maps (body image vs body schema) alone makes it worth reading, at least for Alexander teachers. "

" I learned something about energy, biology, and our concept of self, but I think this book would have made a better long article. Not enough for a book, in my mind. "

" Firstly, a sad chain of examples of human ignorance in the form of unnecessary animal testing. Secondly, an interesting insight into brain's workings. Thirdly, useful background info for meditative, out-of-body, loss-of-body, locked-body, etc experiences. "

" Extremely fascinating. Would recommend to anyone interested in the connection between the mind and the body. "

" Interesting, but I find it odd that there are no footnotes or bibliography. "

" Interesting stuff about the latest in brain research. "

" This is a non-fiction book about body maps in your brain and how they work. It was a little dense, and didn't live up to it's claim in the title, but I learned some fascinating things. "

" Fascinatning explanation of the neurology of how the brain and body are intermapped, and how space in general is mapped onto the body. The brain is an amazing thing!! "

" Full of lots of new, thought-provoking ideas about how the body and brain work together to enable us to do the things we do! Highly accessible and enjoyable to read. "

" One of the best introductions to "mirror neurons" that I've read! Important paradigm changing information. "

" I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a readable introduction to the most recent research into relationship between mind and body. "

" this is a fascinating book on neuroscience that shows how critical body maps kept in the brain are to the human experience. it cites some illuminating studies, such as how certain conditions like anorexia can actually be explained as a problem with a physical body map, not a pure mental disorder. "

" Interesting stuff about the latest in brain research. "

" This takes all those basic things you read about in an Intro to Psychology textbook and takes it to the next level. It discusses many new research discoveries and presents possible future ideas in the study of how our brains interact with our bodies. A nice chatty pop science book. "

" This is a non-fiction book about body maps in your brain and how they work. It was a little dense, and didn't live up to it's claim in the title, but I learned some fascinating things. "

" I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a readable introduction to the most recent research into relationship between mind and body. "

" Fascinatning explanation of the neurology of how the brain and body are intermapped, and how space in general is mapped onto the body. The brain is an amazing thing!! "

" I knew many of the individual bits from this book, but it really is valuable to have it all pulled together into a unified concept of how the brain keeps track of the body and environment, and how fluid those categories are. <br/> <br/>Brains: squishier than you think! "

" One of the best introductions to &quot;mirror neurons&quot; that I've read! Important paradigm changing information. "