Brain Rules shares how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, the author describes a Brain Rule—what scientists know for sure about how our brains work—and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.
These “brain rules” give you insight into how exercise makes our minds healthier and happier, how sleeping is important for more than just beauty, and how learning information with all our senses is the best way to absorb and retain things. All in all, the more you know, the smarter your brain will be!
Here are some key ideas from the book:
Brain Rules Key Idea #1: Regular exercise stimulates the body to renew itself and generates hormones to help the brain work.
Brain Rules Key Idea #2: You have a natural sleep cycle that is individual to you. Follow it and you’ll feel and think better.
Brain Rules Key Idea #3: Chronic stress is debilitating, making you think poorly and lose memory. Reduce stress where you can.
Brain Rules Key Idea #4: Your brain pays attention to stimuli it considers the most important. The rest is just noise.
Brain Rules Key Idea #5: Every brain is wired differently. What you experience in life helps carve your neural pathways.
Brain Rules Key Idea #6: Our brains store information if it’s meaningful and doesn’t interfere with other information.
Brain Rules Key Idea #7: Our senses have evolved to work together. Multisensory environments can help you learn better.
Brain Rules Key Idea #8: To better remember facts, combine visuals with information. Our visual sense is the strongest.
In Review: Brain Rules Book Summary
The key message in this book:
The human brain is a sophisticated information-transfer system. Optimize your mind by understanding better how it works. Exercise, get enough sleep, and avoid chronic stress. Take advantage of multisensory learning and the pictorial superiority effect. In doing so, you’ll maximize your intellectual potential.
Actionable advice:
Deliver information in a meaningful way so people remember.
If you’re giving a lecture, keep it short so people aren’t overloaded. Also, allow them to take in the information with more than one sense: don’t just talk, but add visuals or sound to your presentation.
Get your Free week of the single operated newsletter that our clients pay to read.