Given the opportunity to watch the inner workings of his own brain, Steven Johnson jumps at the chance. He reveals the results in Mind Wide Open, an engaging and personal account of his foray into edgy brain science. In the 21st century, Johnson observes, we have become used to ideas such as "adrenaline rushes" and "serotonin levels," without really recognizing that complex neurobiology has become a commonplace thing to talk about. He sees recent laboratory revelations about the brain as crucial for understanding ourselves and our psyches in new, post-Freudian ways. Readers shy about slapping electrodes on their own temples can get a vicarious scientific thrill as Johnson tries out empathy tests, neurofeedback, and fMRI scans. The results paint a distinct picture of the author, and uncover general brain secrets at the same time. Memory, fear, love, alertness--all the multitude of states housed in our brains are shown to be the results of chemical and electrical interactions constantly fed and changed by input from our senses. Mind Wide Open both satisfies curiosity and provokes more questions, leaving readers wondering about their own gray matter. --Therese Littleton

BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, MIND WIDE OPEN IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE.

Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug.

In Mind Wide Open, Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I?

Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from.

Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid?

To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.

This book is a good attempt to connect psychology with neuroscience by explaining everyday life in terms of brain structures, neurotransmitters and psychological tendencies. I would give this book about 4 and a half stars: I would not say it was awesome, but in general I would say this book indeed served its purpose: provide interesting and valuable information and stimulate interest in neuroscience. This was book was divided into several parts, most interesting portions of which I will mention. In the chapter titled Mind Sight he slightly he discusses our ability to determine someone's mood or state of mind from facial expressions. An important point in this discussion is that in individuals affected by autism this skill is not as developed which hampers their ability to function as effectively in society. A significant component of determining ones mood and even detecting emotional fakeness lies in a person's eyes. The muscle that controls eye-smiling is called the orbicularis oculi, and its activation has proved to be a reliable indicator of internal happiness or mirth. The autistic quotient test mentioned quantifies mind reading skills and is based on detecting someone's mood or state of mind by looking only at their eyes A scientist described in this book hired actors and actresses to simulate the two hundred something emotions they have defined to artificially train this skill that normal people feel instinctively to autistic individuals. He also delved into the mechanism by which the mind develops irrational fears after a traumatic event i.e. post traumatic stress syndrome, or how the whistling sounds preceding a window flying out in a hurricane and nearly killing a loved one associates with the traumatic event and causes fear when experienced by itself. He stated in a well-sounding quote the advantages of this evolved brain strategy: "It seems unnecessary to be afraid of things that end up being harmless 99.99 percept of the time, But the 99.99 percent of unwarranted fear is merely a passing annoyance compared to the threat posed by the remaining .01 percent" and another one " I don't like being afraid of wing, but being afraid is not going to kill me; flying windows on the other hand, just might." Johnson also discusses attention or lack of involved in ADD and discusses a non-pharmacalogical method of improving attention and focus by measuring theta wave indicators of attention and giving positive reinforcement with good theta wave readings (human brain generates wave states associated with certain modes of consciousness). This is of interest to me since ADD is such I widespread problem that I feel am also affected by. The author pointed to the similarity between recreational drugs and endogenous chemicals produced by our body that make us less sensitive to pain and stress. A very interesting example of this endogenous chemical effect dealt with the 9/11 and the author's wife who was breastfeeding right before the event. Breastfeeding stimulates production of oxytocin a hormone responsible for feelings of joy and love. She did not seem to perceive this tragic event with as great of an emotional reaction as everyone else did, which was notable and remarkable to her and the author. I found it interesting how they described that they were able to induce depression in someone by electric stimulation. This realization was made when they were experimenting with a new treatment for Parkinson's disease that involved implanting an electrode in a section of the brainstem that play an important role in motor control. With one patient, the doctors accidentally stimulated an area that initiates the physical posture of great sadness. Within seconds, the patient slumped in her chair with a morose expression across her face. The trigger of a depressed state of mind was not experiencing something sad, or thinking sad thoughts, but an electrical stimulation that triggered the physical posture of sadness, and that bodily transformation was enough to fill her brain with powerfully miserable images and caused a depressed state of mind. This book is a pretty easy read even for anyone that does not have a background in neuroscience will not have a hard time understanding it, unfamiliar terms are well explained. It may not be a great idea to buy the book , but an OK one to borrow it, especially since its owner may not want it back. I say this because if you are new to neuroscience or want to know something about it to spark your interest, a more fascinating read would be - Norman Doidge - The brain that changes itself. This read on neuroplasticity would be a dramatic beginning of the journey into neuroscience for the novice.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R15XZM3GUKQY7N Just a quick committed endorsement of this book. Johnson is a master at making the complex plain and engaging. In this book as well as his seminal Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software.

This is a wonderful book. I got it because it was on the recommend list, and am glad I did. It covered how the mind works, and even talked a little about ADD, which I have. It was insightful. I can't say enough good about this book.

A highly entertaining, thought provoking, and pleasant read. It's sort of a blend of science and popular philosophy, the musings of a creative and bright guy. Mr. Johnson addresses a subject that is of great interest to me, namely neurotransmitter systems such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. He also touches upon Peter Kramer's "Listening to Prozac" and the neurotransmitter personality model of C. Robert Cloninger. Mr. Johnson points out that low serotonin may be the cause of the psychological condition of rejection sensitivity, although this may actually be caused by a high level of norepinephrine as well. My only significant criticism is that Mr. Johnson may be speculating a bit much, and making somewhat of sweeping generalizations to suit his own ideas. Nonetheless, this book is well worth reading. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health

Part of this book is focused on the author's curiosity about the workings of the brain which led him to conduct experiments on himself and monitor what happens in his brain and in what parts of his brain when he is involved in different activities. Part of this book attempts to cover discoveries from neuroscience and delves into what part of the brain processes what kind of information as well as how different hormones and neuro-chemicals influence thinking, feelings and behavior.