12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work - and School

How to keep it working optimally. I was aware of some of the techniques he discusses for enhancing brain function but was blown away by many of the insights and techniques he discusses that I didn't know about. One important change I have made in my lifestyle from reading this book is to exercise more to keep the brain happy and fit.

Absolutely NO reservations about recommending this book to anyone (at any level of knowledge about the brain) interested in learning about your most complex organ.

There has been so much research on brain function over the past decade that it has been difficult to keep up. This volume provides the average reader with a world of valuable information. It is clearly and concisely written and easily comprehended. A very important read for those interested in how our thinker works, and sometimes doesn't work.

Gives some good insights into how the human brain works, but doesn't really live up to the claims of helping you survive and thrive at work, home and school. More informational than instructive, I think.

Insightful book, and certainly worth the price. Unexpectedly scientific (for such a mass-market title), it helped me realize that how physical the thought process is. It touches sensitive subjects like gender vs sex, differences between male and female brain, but maintains objectivity and helps us realize and embrace our nature, making sure no one is offended.

The author generally does a good job following his own rules and making sure that reader isn't bored, however, there are some chapters (in the middle) that I had problems reading and had to chew through. Still, my overall impression of the book is very good and I wish the theses from it would become common knowledge.

What starts off as an interesting book quickly degenerates into a work of speculation and anecdotes. Ultimately, Brain Rules seems incomplete. I think the book is presented as if it is full of usable information one can apply to their work, home, and school life; but the book falls flat in that regard. There are great sections about exercise and presentations that give sound advice and pointers on how to be successful in those regards. But much of the book is little more than Medina enthusiastically requesting that educators, neuroscientists, and employers sit down together and test some of his hypotheses for him. Other than that, Medina calls for sweeping changes in American schools and workplaces; areas whose cultures the average reader can hardly manipulate.

Brain Rules calls for a radical overhaul in how society works and learns, but offers little to no instruction for the individuals who may be interested in instituting these changes. This would be interesting to read after a "second edition", where Medina can revisit his ideas with data that supports it.

Solid science on a topic I am interested in. Medina puts the 12 rules in clear language and adequately backs it up. It's an easy read and very insightful. If you are interested in learning a bit about the what makes your brain tick and how you can use it to your advantage this book is fantastic. Worth the money.

As a non-psychologist striving to learn more about the way the brain works, I found this book very insightful. Recommended. 12 observations, rules, for how the brain works... Along with some practical takeaways that I can leverage to help people learn.

You think you know about the brain; about attention, memory formation, how stress affects you, but this book will revolutionize your knowledge. Though highly scientific, the writing is engaging and fun, making you want to learn more about yourself, students, or people in general. I highly suggest this book to anyone who is interested in learning about real-world applications of neuroscience and cognitive science.

This book is brilliant. I made several notations and highlights throughout the book that I intend to reference. Such as the part about being healthy, not only for the body but more importantly the brain. Or the section on keeping the brain exercised by remembering that there is so much to the world we don't know that's it's worth taking the time to ask why. This is not a quick one time read, but one to pick up, read a section, and think about the points being made. Then come back to it...I highly recommend it.

Dr. Medina knows his stuff. And cleverly takes 12 attributes of the brain and breaks it down into individual chapters. I own two copies. One audible and one electronic. Which is normal when I find a book worth quoting over and over. If you are in the business of convincing people or teaching people, you will want to memorize these foundations. The writing has the simplicity that would appeal to a middle school reader and the depth that is attractive to a business professional.

The topics highlights are explained in nearly all modern psychology textbook. However, he puts all of the information in the context of everyday life rather than a school context. If you really absorb the knowledge, you will be on your way to a better life!

This book gives practical, actionable information for anyone who is interested in helping people think and learn. As an educator, I found this book provides important considerations for unit and lesson planning. Our high school department has used the ideas in this book and accompanying DVD for professional development sessions and discussion of how to teach "by the Rules." We've also shared the ideas with our students so that they, too, may benefit by putting these ideas to work. Novice and experienced educators, as well as their students will benefit from reading this information. It would be a must read for anyone teaching a study skills class, as it gives insight into how our brains (do and don't) perceive, retain, and retrieve information, and presents why.

This book is a fantastic journey of discovery in which the intricacies of the brain and the process of obtaining knowledge are examined in detail. I am a high school science teacher and I found a wealth of information that I can use to improve my delivery of instruction as well as make me a more effective communicator. I highly recommend "Brain Rules" to anyone who is interested in the way people learn and how they process their interactions with the world around them.

Lots of insightful information here on how the brain works. I disagree with the author's repeated contention that humans descended from monkeys in Africa, but other than that, I find his "rules" fascinating and thought provoking.

Clear, precise, and interesting. In the state of our knowledge is that we know very little about how the brain works and virtually nothing about consciousness, but what we do know can fill a book, and this book is all factual and relevant with no fluff.

Just finished reading Brain Rules. Excellent book I'll never feel bad about wanting to sleep on it again. Your brain needs to sleep to learn and process information. Dr John Medina's book is entertaining and easy to assimilate (using his brain rules of course) and is packed full of useful rules for helping yourself and how you can help other people learn. A must read for parents, educators and managers..

Brain rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work was written by John Medina. He translated theories and clinical neurology into practical rules that could be used in the workplace. He is an authority on the subject because of his experience as an molecular biologist and a research consultant. All his rules are based upon how our brain works and how it evolved throughout the years. However, he simplified everything and did not focus on how to optimize our life or to improve our habits relative to the rules presented. To all ye readers out there,brain rules must not be broken. Buy now.

In Brain Rules, Medina considers how exercise, survival, memory, sleep, stress, vision, sensory integration, gender, attention, wiring, and exploration are related to our brains. He really gets it about how people learn. The DVD and website that accompany the book and were developed to be used in conjunction with Brain Rules offer many opportunities for learning reinforcement and they are entertaining.

This book is brain "science" but is very enjoyable and entertaining reading, as well as illuminating. So much so that I plan to read it again, as well as check out the web site. This may be a good example on advantage of reading the hard copy (vs a kindle ) as the potential for access to illustrations would be helpful.

Reading through this was like taking a walk through the history of mankind. The way he explains everything and makes it practical for real-world applications is great. I recommend it to patients and friends to understand WHY they need to MOVE. (And why sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games only works a very small part of the brain).

Dr. Medina has taken a thorough approach to making his explanations, analogies and metaphors straight-forward and almost common-sense once you read them.

Buy this book. But more importantly, READ it and USE it!

Dr. Russ Schroder

The rule/principles contained in this book are for the most part rather intuitive. I recently have been thrust into a high intensity work assignment where I need to utilize my brain at a level the likes of which I have previously never needed to function at. Reading this book reminded me of the major tenets of brain health that I had learned during my childhood and adolescence. One major oversight that I believe should have been in this book but was not was that of diet. Eating a balanced, high in vegetables diet is also crucial to ones mental health, and while diet may not be as easy to quantify as say sleep or exercise, it has nonetheless been proven that a proper diet greatly affects the way one's brain works, significant studies have been done on this especially regarding kids in school! 'We don't pay attention to boring things' seems rather circular to me, and a lot of this book is rather obvious, or already taught elsewhere. I think most people bought this due in part to the fact that it was/is being sold for $2.99 in at least the Kindle Store. Anyways, a general break down of the Rules are as follows, in order as they were presented in the book!

Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.
Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.
Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.

Most important rules in my opinion, for those of you just wanting to pick three or so, and these come from personal experience, would be as follows:

1. Exercise - Particularly exercise in the morning. Nothing wakes me up, body and mind, like cardio in the morning before I head off to the office!
2. Diet - While this was an oversight of the book, I cannot begin to tell you the impact this has had in the past couple months! Eat lots of veggies and absolutely do not, do not over eat!
3. Sleep - Good diet and exercise = good sleep.

For me these are the holy trifecta for brain health. If you exercise, you reduce stress. If you eat right, your body functions better during exercise. If you exercise and eat right you will sleep better as well, and when all these come together, pretty much every aspect of your life is improved upon by these rules, not just mental!

This very easy read debunks brain myths (such as multi-tasking is good, the brain rests when we sleep, etc.) and reveals fascinating brain facts in an accessible and fun way (how the human brain evolved, the different types of memory we have, etc.) The author ties all these findings together and offers practical advice to keep a high-functioning brain. The book targets adults but also kids which is a plus. A great companion to this book would be The Sharp Brains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews, to Keep Your Brain Sharp, in which interviews with scientists and practical advice are combined with the review of 21 brain fitness products to help keep the brain sharp

Highly engaging read on how our brains work, and how to maintain focus, clarity, and articulation as we get older. We need to continue to feed our brains with knowledge, and John Medina tells us why. He also addresses the implications on how we learn, and how schools and businesses need to recognize differences with individuals on how we obtain, retain, and apply information.

I love books that presents information that is applicable. This book gives the science behind every claim, gives vivid and detailed scenarios relating to the event, and actions you can take to enhance your cognition. Great book and quick read. Enjoyed it immensely.

I present professional development for schools in Florida and I have taken a great deal from this book to support how to help kids. It will change the way you interact with the world when you realize many of our frustrations with others and our assumptions are something hard wired. Reads well for a research book as well! Well worth it!

John Medina does a remarkable job walking the reader through complex neuroscience concepts in a simple and enjoyable way. I particularly liked the way he relates these concepts to personal behaviors, relationship management, parenting and business.

Funny stories, nice anedoctes, and a great writing style.
The author keeps scientific concepts simple so that any reader can understand.
I appreciate the fact that all sources mentioned are peer reviewed and when experiments are not very solid the author is sincere about it.

I'm a simple person with average intelligence but an above average
curiosity to learn almost anything. This book was written for folks
like me - simple language yet informative to such a great extent,
that it's almost difficult to put down. And yes, after reading the
book, I can confidently say - we humans cannot afford to boast too
much about being the intelligent species.
If you want to know why someone is behaving or doing something in a
particular way, you'll probably get your answer in this book.

I've read many books about the brain, how memories are formed and learning in general. This is easily in the top three. The only other book I can remember finding as useful and insightful was "On Intelligence." This is a much faster read and just full of useful and interesting bits of information. I highly recommend to both a professional and casual reader.

I knew our brain is beyond comprehension but I didn't realize some of the marvelousness could be explained in a way I could understand and yet be in complete awe. I am thankful these researchers, scientists, authers were able to put it together in a way it will draw me to wanting to learn more and not be put off thinking it is impossible to learn.

Easy to read even though the author is a neuroscientist. As an educator, I found a huge amount of usable information, clearly presented, that I am using to help my students learn more efficiently and happily.

Excellent book. Really well organized and easy to read. Very interesting. Gives a perspective from both physiology and inner workings of the brain relating to how we process and deal with sensory input. How the brain works.

Wonderfully thorough and accessible! Medina presents complicated data and concepts in an engaging manner and supports his ideas with examples and stories designed to maximize recall. I loved reading this book and anticipate that I'll be referencing it often!

It's just one of those books that everybody should read! The author includes good evidence for his arguments, and many examples to help the reader understand better his ideas.
Really easy-fun to read, once you start reading it, you would be surprised of the things you learn.
Highly recommended for everyone from 10-99 yrs old! xD