Just Finished Reading: A Mind of its Own – How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives by Cordelia Fine (FP: 2005) [211pp] 

Do you think your brain has ever lied to you? Well, the short answer is: Yes. I’m not talking about optical illusions or anything like that. I’m talking about the real-time modification of everyday reality – minute by minute, second by second. Again, I don’t mean that your reality is being modified by outsiders, by the media or big business – no, you’re being manipulated from the inside, by your own brain.  

How do we know this? Essentially from hundreds of experiments undertaken over decades of research into how our brains operate and how they manipulate reality to make you feel good, to get you to do things and to get you through the day in (mostly) one piece. The brain can edit your memories to show you in the best light after you’ve messed up or had been caught doing something you shouldn’t - even something as simple as breaking your diet. The brain can blame others for your faults and see responsibility for other’s failures while waving away your own responsibility without a second thought. It will tell you that you can indeed drive that fast safely and that you are indeed above average (along with 85% of those surveyed) in a whole host of skills and abilities. Your odds of getting ill, according to your grey matter, is much lower than average as is the speed of recovery if you do, indeed, fall prey to a nasty bug. You will, naturally, live longer than average and may indeed live long enough that science catches up and makes you immortal. There is, of course, practically nothing to worry about and whatever goes wrong just isn’t you fault and never could be.  

I could go on, but I won’t. I picked this up last year along with another of the authors books in my favourite Indie bookshop. Overall, it was a fun read if a little repetitive looking at study after study and experiment after experiment showing that our brain just can’t be trusted to tell us the hard cold truth about ourselves or the world around us. What made it more that readable for me was the authors style which was very down to earth and often very funny. I did laugh out loud more than once at her observations regarding the hoops our brains jumped through to accommodate their version of reality. I think the biggest thing I took away from this slim volume is that when your brain/mind tells you something that seems ‘obvious’ about what’s going on around you – just pause for a second and think about what potential BS your brain is feeding you. Was what just happened REALLY out of your control or is that just a cover for you not paying attention or not thinking things through before you opened your mouth or pressed that button. Is that person ahead of you REALLY a deadbeat or is that just your deep-seated prejudice talking (or your parents' prejudice echoing inside your head). It’s time to pause and reflect. 

Of course, the only problem with a lot of Psychology and Social Psychology experiments is the fact that the tests are run on university students by and large in the USA or Europe. So, we have a small, self-selecting group that is supposedly telling us things about the WHOLE of humanity. Generally, these people are going to be above average intelligence (or they probably wouldn’t have made the grade to get into Uni) and more likely to be Middle Class or at least relatively wealthy. I’m also guessing that most of the experimental volunteers are male and white – and the results of these experiments are extrapolated to cover ALL of humanity is all of its diversity. So, pinch of salt required... But, saying that, this is an interesting read that will get you wondering exactly why you do, want to do, or think/believe in the things you do. I think we all know people who blame others for everything bad that happens to them but who absolve themselves of any responsibility for their own failings – now I know exactly why such things happen. Recommended and more to come from this author. 

[Labels Added: 0, Labels Total: 66]