Books like Habits of a Happy Brain — picked by fans

I find this book answers questions many people ask: Why aren’t we always logical? What gets in the way of our making effective decisions?

I first read this book when I started my consulting practice and realized I needed to combine psychology with philosophy in teaching critical thinking in professional settings. People want to understand why we can be unreasonable in the first place. Kahneman’s book helped me improve my own thinking, making me aware of the ways my previous experiences quickly provide interpretations of new experiences.

I find the ability to “hit the pause button” regarding my response to a specific situation and to ask myself, “Is my immediate, intuitive response useful or misleading me?” is one of my most important insights from this book.

Most people hold somewhat delusional views about how and why they believe what they believe, and they are unaware of the various manipulation techniques and strategies influencers use to persuade and maneuver our opinions.

McRaney shows us how our beliefs are formed, why it can be so hard to change them, how they can be manipulated, he does so in a wonderfully insightful manner, making the science of human psychology relatable through practical stories and examples.

Moreover, the writing style is warm, not dogmatic or smug.

The author covers the many biases we all hold and how they influence our every decision as well as our interpretation of our observations.

Someone once said, "It is far easier to entertain than it is to educate." What McRaney pulls off with shocking ease in this book is that he provides a little education in an entertaining fashion. He explains the complex in a simple, understandable, and entertaining fashion.

McRaney makes a perfect cut between the simple without being base and the intellectual without being too professorial. He takes real-life situations, places you in them, gives you what you think your reaction would be to them, and explains to you why you don't really react in the manner you think you do. He explains why you're not as self-aware or as smart as you think you are.

James Lee provides a straightforward, simplified explanation of our neurochemicals—how they impact our moods, our relationships, our careers, and more.

This is a neurochemical introduction for dummies in its simplicity, and a user manual for those who are not neuroscientists. The emphasis on the dopamine connection is particularly useful in light of the revelation that expecting to fail may become addictive, since when we fail, we are rewarded by a dopamine drip for being correct with our expectation.

In my younger days, I fell in love all the time but never stayed in love. After a few months, the thrill was gone, and I just didn’t love the person anymore. My research showed that I was enthralled by dopamine, the brain chemical that makes us want stuff, but unable to transition to an oxytocin connection, the stage of true bonding.

This book explains the trap of dopamine: It drives us to desire and work to get a reward, but once we get it, dopamine drops and that reward no longer seems rewarding. It solves the puzzle of why romance fades but also why nothing—food, money, success—ever seems like enough. As well as the science, there’s plenty of useful advice for getting off that dopamine treadmill to find day-to-day appreciation of what we already have.  

If Lao Tzu had written a book on anatomy in movement, this would be it. This book took me on a journey of a thousand steps from the first step.

I found the insights into the complexity of movement simple but not simplistic. Utilizing comparative anatomy gave me a new perspective and color to my understanding. Evolutionary anatomy allows a depth of comprehension of why humans have become such efficient walkers.

The construction of this book allowed me to see the four-dimensional puzzle of gait with clarity and curiosity I did not think possible. Using this book directly for my work as a bodyworker, going for a walk becomes ever more fascinating.

As a mind-body science educator, Ann Swanson specializes in making complex scientific concepts simple and easy to understand. And in this dazzlingly-illustrated, comprehensive guide to how and why yoga works, she masterfully deconstructs more than two dozen basic yoga poses with detailed information on the physical and energetic components. A section on human anatomy explains various systems—including cardiovascular, digestive, and endocrine—and a Q & A section explores common concerns such as chronic pain, stress, and mental well-being. Full disclosure—Ann is a friend and colleague—with extraordinary energy, deep compassion, and a generous heart.  

I love the way this book so clearly explains the structure and function of the body (anatomy and physiology) functions with conceptually perspicuous illustrations. It’s remarkable how the clear and intuitive the schematic illustrations teach about the body. At first, I thought that I would not like it, since the organs are not shown in their natural appearances but instead as machines, but after reading it, I loved it.

This was a best-seller and rightly so.

It covers the broad and often astounding range of animal senses and how they perceive and understand the world they inhabit, their umwelt. Consciousness depends on it, for without senses we would have no path toward self-awareness. While not the same as consciousness, self-awareness is its most important feature.

Dogs and smell, whales and echolocation, bees and ultraviolet light, sharks and electric fields, all shape how differently animals experience their worlds. Knowing this expands our own understanding and appreciation of the one we inhabit. At the same time, it is humbling to acknowledge how the creatures we share the planet with have such different perceptions. In that is great responsibility.

It’s not really six songs, but six human needs that songs fulfill: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, love—needs that largely define “human nature.” This book combines the perspective of a neuroscientist and musician (Dan Levitin is both), describing why songs may have arisen, and how they impact emotion, memory, and the place of an individual in a society. A song combines music with lyrics—the near relative of a poem. For me (a non-musician), the book was especially useful in clarifying the ways in which song lyrics and poems are both similar and different. Songs derive their power by combining the creative potential of language and music.