A must-read to learn the scientific basis for self-actualizing your intellect and putting pragmatic practices into action. ( )

I enjoyed this book to some degree. I found some of the anecdotes and personal stories fascinating, but overall the book was just too dry. Perhaps it’s my fault for reading right before bed, but I couldn’t get further than a couple of pages each time before getting too tired to continue. I also felt the book lost momentum as it got closer to the end. It started out strong, but then I think the author lost steam - or interest (much like I did). I was also hoping for some new or unique takes on what we all already know, and I didn’t get that. I mean, seriously - exercise improves brain function? Ummm… yeah. Male and female brains are different? Duh. Repetition improves memory? No doubt. I was looking for some interesting tips I could apply practically to my own life, and in that aspect I found the book lacking. ( )

The Chapter on Music is excellent, as is the rest of the book ( )

It gives alot of information about brain principal and their processing method.

Finished Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and the directory of the Brain Center for Applied Learning research at Seattle Pacific. He wrote this book to communicate to the rest of us some of the results of recent research on the brain. In my opinion, Medina succeeded.

I like the structure of the book. Each chapter is built around a particular "brain rule", a rule of thumb for effectively using your brain. Most of the chapter discusses research and tells stories to convey what the rule means and the scientific basis for believing that rule. Each chapter contains a discussion of ways these rules could be applied at home, work, and school and suggests ways to objectively test the translation of these rules into real world recommendations. At the end of the chapter is a summary of that brain rule.

This structure makes the book easy to read, and makes it easy to navigate when you want to refresh your memory. The book also has a pretty spiffy website which discusses the 12 rules in more detail than my summary (although, obviously, not as much as the book).

The short version of the 12 brain rules (straight from the back of the book) are:

Exercise: Exercise boots brain power.
Survival: The human brain evolved too.
Wiring: Every brain in wired differently.
Attention: We don't pay attention to boring things.
Short-term memory: Repeat to remember.
Long-term memory: Remember to repeat.
Sleep: Sleep well, think well.
Stress: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.
Sensory integration: Stimulate more of the senses.
Vision: Vision trumps all other senses.
Gender: Male and female brains are different.
Exploration: We are powerful and natural explorers.

You'll have to read the book or the website to figure out what each of these means. =) ( )