“Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on inside their head?” So begins Pixar’s 2015 animated masterpiece Inside Out, which tells the story of five personified emotions that live inside the mind of a girl named Riley. It’s a hilarious and deeply moving film—but as a portrait of how the brain actually works, it’s not terribly realistic.
So if you’re looking to learn about the human brain from a more scientific source, look no further than the five new books below. The stories they contain may not be fit for a Pixar adaptation, but they’re still full of surprise, drama, and even a bit of humor.
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain
By Lisa Feldman Barrett
Renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett reveals where brains came from, how they’re structured, and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience. She also dismisses popular myths such as the idea of a “lizard brain” and the alleged battle between thoughts and emotions, or even between nature and nurture, to determine your behavior. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
By Ethan Kross
In Chatter, psychologist Ethan Kross interweaves groundbreaking brain research with real-world case studies—from a pitcher who forgets how to pitch, to a Harvard undergrad negotiating her double life as a spy—to explain how our inner voice shapes our lives, work, and relationships. Chatter gives us the power to change the most important conversation we have each day: the one we have with ourselves. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness
By Mark Solms
Neuropsychologist Mark Solms proposes a revelatory new theory of consciousness that returns emotions to the center of mental life. In The Hidden Spring, he helps readers recognize the workings of their own minds for what they really are, including every stray thought, pulse of emotion, and shift of attention. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake: How Biases Distort Decision-Making—and What You Can Do to Fight Them
By Olivier Sibony
In You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake, strategy professor and management consultant Olivier Sibony shows how cognitive biases routinely lead all of us into nine common decision-making traps. He then distills the latest developments in behavioral economics and cognitive psychology into actionable tools for making smart, effective decisions in business and beyond. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep
By Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold
Two professors and sleep researchers reveal recent discoveries about the sleeping brain and the many ways in which dreams are psychologically, and neurologically, meaningful experiences. They also explore a host of dream-related disorders, and explain how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
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