Do you know the expression “to die for”? What does it mean for you?…if anything?
Meaningful things deserve “to live for”. One of those things (if we could call it a thing) it’s your brain.
Step away (more and more) from glamorous magazines, social media, and fashion/ trends so that you can allow yourself fell in love with your greatest asset – your mind. Love your brain above all else because it is the one thing you can’t live without; truly and literally, you can’t live without.
The greatest possessions you have in life are love, time and energy.
Love gives meaning to your life and helps you think with your heart;
Time is limited; therefore you must spend it wisely;
Energy is putting everything in motion.
Your three greatest possessions in life have behind them the same engine – your brain.
Discover in this article the best books about the brain and mind; get inspired so that you can understand your brain better, keep it young and healthy, improve its power, and take advantage of your mind’s full potential.
Brain Science Books (Neuroscience)
Do you have many difficult questions about the brain? How the brain functions?
The brain science/ neuroscience can give you the answers you’re searching.
The human brain is, perhaps, the most fascinating thing that exists. You see? Everything in your life starts with your brain and its function. You wouldn’t have difficult or easy to answer questions about the brain without having a brain.
You think, therefore you know you exist.
For most of us, brain science/ neuroscience sounds intimidating. We sometimes feel that we could understand easier how to build a starship than understanding our own mind.
Make things easier for you by reading (one or more of) the following books on neuroscience. Discover how it is possible to learn, unlearn, relearn all the things you do (skills, concepts, give meaning to what you see, hear and feel).
Table of Contents
- Brain Science Books (Neuroscience)
- 1. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human – V. S. Ramachandran
- 2. Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind – V. S. Ramachandran, Sandra Blakeslee, Oliver Sacks
- 3. The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity – Norman Doidge
- 4. The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force – Jeffrey M. Schwartz MD, Sharon Begley
- 5. The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier – Friederike Fabritius, Hans W. Hagemann
- 6. Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain – Mark F. Bear, Barry W. Connors, Michael A. Paradiso
- 7. Human: The Science Behind What Makes Your Brain Unique – Michael S. Gazzaniga
- 8. NeuroLogic: The Brain’s Hidden Rationale Behind Our Irrational Behavior – Eliezer Sternberg
- 9. A Day in the Life of the Brain: The Neuroscience of Consciousness from Dawn Till Dusk – SUSAN GREENFIELD
- 10. The Science of Mind: The Complete Edition – Ernest Holmes
- How to Change Your Mind
- 1. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science – Norman Doidge
- 2. This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking – John Brockman
- 3. Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain – Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J Dubner
- 4. Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves – Sharon Begley
- 5. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (Revised and Expanded): The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Lack of Focus, Anger, and Memory Problems – Daniel G. Amen M.D.
- 6. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcolm Gladwell
- 7. The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life – Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process – Thomas M. Sterner
- 8. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol S. Dweck
- 9. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion – Jonathan Haidt
- 10. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future – Daniel H. Pink
- Healing Your Brain
- 1. The Brain Warrior’s Way: Ignite Your Energy and Focus, Attack Illness and Aging, Transform Pain into Purpose – Daniel G. Amen M.D., Tana Amen
- 2. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey – Jill Bolte Taylor
- 3. Why Isn’t My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain’s Health – Dr. Datis Kharrazian
- 4. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains – Nicholas Carr
- 5. The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind – Michio Kaku
- 6. The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain – John E. Sarno M.D.
- 7. The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits – Judson Brewer, Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D.
- 8. The Healthy Mind Toolkit: Simple Strategies to Get Out of Your Own Way and Enjoy Your Life – Alice Boyes PhD
- 9. A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives – Kelly Brogan M.D., Kristin Loberg
- 10. The Overweight Mind: The Undeniable Truth Behind Why You’re Not Losing Weight – Jay Nixon
- 11. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload – Daniel J. Levitin
- 12. Turning the Mind Into an Ally – Sakyong Mipham, Pema Chodron
- 13. The Mind’s Eye – Oliver Sacks
- 14. Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself – Lissa Rankin M.D.
- 15. The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders – John E. Sarno
- 16. Style Your Mind: A Workbook and Lifestyle Guide For Women Who Want to Design Their Thoughts, Empower Themselves, and Build a Beautiful Life – Cara Alwill Leyba
- 17. The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness – John Yates, Matthew Immergut, Jeremy Graves
- 18. The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery – Sam Kean
- 19. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence – Michael Pollan
- Keep Your Brain Young
- 1. Save Your Brain: The 5 Things You Must Do to Keep Your Mind Young and Sharp – Paul David Nussbaum
- 2. The Better Brain Solution: How to Start Now–at Any Age–to Reverse and Prevent Insulin Resistance of the Brain, Sharpen Cognitive Function, and Avoid Memory Loss – Steven Masley
- 3. The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health – Emeran Mayer
- 4. Mindset (Booklet): How Positive Thinking Will Set You Free & Help You Achieve Massive Success In Life – Benjamin Smith
- 5. The Neurogenesis Diet and Lifestyle: Upgrade Your Brain, Upgrade Your Life – Brant Cortright Ph.D.
- 6. Brain Games #3: Lower Your Brain Age in Minutes a Day Spiral-bound – Editors of Publications International Ltd.
- 7. Exercises for the Brain and Memory: 70 Top Neurobic Exercises & FUN Puzzles to Increase Mental Fitness & Boost Your Brain Juice Today – Jason Scotts
- 8. Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It – Ian Leslie
- Food for the Brain
- 1. How to Feed a Brain: Nutrition for Optimal Brain Function and Repair – Cavin Balaster, Elisabeth A Wilson, Dr. Datis Kharrazian
- 2. The Healthy Mind Cookbook: Big-Flavor Recipes to Enhance Brain Function, Mood, Memory, and Mental Clarity – Rebecca Katz, Mat Edelson
- 3. Power Foods for the Brain: An Effective 3-Step Plan to Protect Your Mind and Strengthen Your Memory – Neal D Barnard
- Help Your Child Stand Up Tall (Brain Stimulation Books for Young Minds)
- 1. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind – Daniel J. Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson
- 2. The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults – Frances E Jensen, Amy Ellis Nutt
- 3. Making Children Mind without Losing Yours – Dr. Kevin Leman
- 4. Move It!: Motion, Forces and You (Primary Physical Science) – Adrienne Mason, Claudia Dávila
- 5. Motion: Push and Pull, Fast and Slow (Amazing Science) – Darlene R. Stille, Sheree Boyd
- 6. Forces Make Things Move (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) – Kimberly Bradley, Paul Meisel
- Protect Yourself from Brainwashing and Mind Control
- 1. Battle for the Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brainwashing – How Evangelists, Psychiatrists, Politicians, and Medicine Men Can Change Your Beliefs and Behavior – William Sargant, Charles Swencionis
- 2. The Rape of the Mind: The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing – Joost A. M. Meerloo
- 3. Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception – Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero, Don Tennant
- 4. The Definitive Book of Body Language – Allan Pease, Barbara Pease
- 5. Mind Programming: From Persuasion and Brainwashing, to Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics – Eldon Taylor
- 6. Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace – Margaret Thaler Singer, Robert Jay Lifton
- 7. Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs – Steven Hassan
- How Your Mind Works
- 1. Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions – Dr. Dan Ariely
- 2. Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave – Adam Alter
- 3. Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
- 4. Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche – Robert A. Johnson
- 5. How the Mind Works – Steven Pinker
- 6. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business – Charles Duhigg
- 7. Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst – Robert M. Sapolsky
- 8. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind – Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov
- 9. Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life – Sandra Aamodt, Sam Wang
- 10. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession – Daniel J. Levitin
- 11. The Human Brain Book Expanded, Illustrated, Updated Edition – Rita Carter
- 12. In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind – Eric R. Kandel
- 13. Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind – Scott Barry Kaufman, Carolyn Gregoire
- 14. Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life – Shelley Carson
- 15. A User’s Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain – John J. Ratey
- 16. The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths – Michael Shermer
- 17. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain – David Eagleman
- Train Your Brain for Success
- 1. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth – T. Harv Eker
- 2. Mind Power into the 21st Century – John Kehoe
- 3. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School – John Medina
- 4. The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others – Tali Sharot
- 5. The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive – Jim Afremow, Jim Craig
- 6. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies – Nick Bostrom
- 7. Unbeatable Mind: Forge Resiliency and Mental Toughness to Succeed at an Elite Level – Mark Divine
- 8. How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed – Ray Kurzweil
- 9. Elite Minds: How Winners Think Differently to Create a Competitive Edge and Maximize Success – Dr. Stan Beecham
- 10. Open Mind, Open Heart 20th Anniversary Edition – Thomas Keating
- 11. Mind Hacking Secrets: Control Thinking, Improve Decision Making, Reclaim Your Attention, and Unlock Your Limitless Potential – Som Bathla
- 12. Mind Hacking: How to Change Your Mind for Good in 21 Days – Sir John Hargrave
- 13. Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance – Majid Fotuhi, Christina Breda Antoniades
- 14. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain – John J. Ratey, Eric Hagerman
- 15. Train Your Brain For Success: Read Smarter, Remember More, and Break Your Own Records – Roger Seip
- 16. Brain Training: Power Brain! – Secret Techniques To: Improve Memory, Focus & Concentration – Robert Capital
- 17. Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity – Charles Duhigg
- 18. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes – Maria Konnikova
- 19. The Thinker’s Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving – Morgan D. Jones
- 20. Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do – Wallace J. Nichols, Céline Cousteau
- 21. Mind Boss: Using the Tenets of Tough Thinking to Take Charge of Your Thoughts and Transform Your Life – Mike Gillette
- Train Your Mind on How to Be Happier
- 1. Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom – Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius
- 2. Happy: Why More or Less Everything Is Fine – Derren Brown
- 3. Happy on Purpose: What Happy People Do Differently – Jennifer Sparks
- 4. Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence – Rick Hanson
- 5. Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, & Endorphin Levels – Loretta Graziano Breuning
- 6. Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being – Rudolph E. Tanzi Ph.D., Deepak Chopra M.D.
- 7. Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – Steven C. Hayes, Spencer Smith
- 8. Mind Over Mood, Second Edition: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think – Dennis Greenberger, Christine A. Padesky, Aaron T. Beck
- 9. The Road to Character – David Brooks
- 10. Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality – Dawson Church, Dr. Joe Dispenza
- The Link Between Your Brain, the Use of Your Conscious Mind and Consciousness
- 1. Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain – Antonio Damasio
- 2. Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts – Stanislas Dehaene
- 3. Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities – Richard D. Bucher
- 4. Consciousness Explained – Daniel C. Dennett
How to Change Your Mind
Would you like to change your life? That’s not possible without changing your mind. Is it?
The desire to change our life is most time, matched in size by our fear to change. It takes self-discipline, motivation, and courage.
Change is not easy for almost anyone because:
- You like who you are (if you don’t already, you should; love and accept yourself as you are so you can grow and become the best version of you)
- Consistency is one of the most critical elements of being reliable, true to your word, and dependable
- Those around you have a hard time accepting your change and progress alongside you
- Your unconscious mind resist your change because it sees it as an effort with no guaranteed yield
- You might feel comfortable dealing with the status quo (even if it’s not a pleasant one) because that’s what you know and the unknown it’s scary
Would you like to change your life? Change your mind, and everything will fall nicely into completing what you want to be.
Healing Your Brain
Most of the illnesses we suffer from are caused by our way of thinking and the environment. Thus, isn’t it only logical to start your healing process by healing your brain and mind?
There is a close correlation between what you think and how you feel. The body is reacting to your thoughts, and the way you carry your body is affecting the quality of your thoughts.
Healing your brain (or/and the way you think) it’s the first step in overcoming whatever stays in your way. Positive thinking is the shortest way to improve your well-being and happiness.
Keep Your Brain Young
Medicine has made tremendous progress for the past 50 years. We live longer than ever before. Yet, what means living longer if your brain gets old before its years?
“Do you want to be young again?” “Yes, but only if I can have the knowledge I have today.”
“Do you want to live forever?” “Probably not; it counts more if my brain is in top shape for as long as I live.”
Getting older it’s inevitable. However, what is avoidable is getting to your senior years with half of your mind.
Food for the Brain
Your brain is a smooth running machine and this machine, like any other, needs attention, love, and care.
Nourishing your body and mind (appropriately) is one of the highest form of self-respect. Plus, what you eat is determining if your brain can function correctly or not.
You can’t stay focused and concentrate on what you’re doing by eating junk. You can’t come up with brilliant ideas by eating mainly brown food (UFOs – unidentified fried objects – lead to substandard ideas.)
Be less concerned about the way you look and think more about what can make your brain look marvelous.
Help Your Child Stand Up Tall (Brain Stimulation Books for Young Minds)
A child’s mind is like a sponge. Unfortunately, these days, you (as a parent) are not the only one pouring information into your child’s brain. Social media is more and more present in our lives (young or old). It feels you we have no escape from it.
Get inspired by the following books on how to have the most significant influence on your child’s mental development.
There are in this section three books that could seem out of place. We are talking about the brain, and these books are about physics (mechanics).
Children are adventurous and now, more than ever, we have to help them understand how most things work.
If you give a simple search on YouTube “funny fails” (or any other social media) you notice how many children get injured because they don’t know to anticipate the consequences of their movement (not enough or too much speed, for example).
Don’t stop your children from being adventurous; help them be adventurous in a safe way.
No child (of any age) should get out of the house alone without having developed some neurons for mechanics.
Protect Yourself from Brainwashing and Mind Control
Brainwashing and mind control are not things that happen only to others. We are all susceptible to be taken advantage of and manipulated.
If you look at a battered wife, you might think “That could never happen to me!”
Learn from the following books:
- How to protect yourself
- See the early signs of those who are grooming you to abuse you
- Listen to your deeper self and intuition (If your gut tells you “run”… do you listen each time?)
Your brain is a powerful machine; teach it how to work for you, not for other.
How Your Mind Works
“What the hell was I thinking?!”
That is a question we must ask ourselves way too often. Unfortunately, we ask that question when things already turned bad…
The following books provide for you an insight into your mind:
- Why you do the things you do?
- How come, sometimes, your impulse tramps over your critical thinking?
- Who was the driver of your brilliant machine (your brain) when it happens to do things seemingly out of your character?
- Why seems self-discipline so hard to maintain?
These books can give you not only why you do things as you do, but also, can teach you how to use your mind and be better at everything.
Train Your Brain for Success
Wouldn’t you be surprised to find out that most people who fear failure also fear success? And that, most people that fear success don’t even know it? They just suffer the consequences.
Discover from the following books how to train your brain for success. You see? You cannot become successful without being prepared to accept it when you get there.
Would you like to be more successful in life?
Train your mind for success!
Train Your Mind on How to Be Happier
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to be happy. Do you? Considering how much we desire happiness is somewhat surprising how little we know about it.
Happiness is a choice and lives in your mind not in your pocket.
I heard many times this idea (that happiness is a choice), but I never really understood what that means until I studied NLP. That opened my mind to many things, and one of them is the fact that we should explore more how we want to become. If you’re not sad doesn’t mean you’re happy (for example).
One general rule of life is that most times you discover what you’re searching. Your mind works like Google. If you search for happiness, you find countless articles and information about it. If you search how to overcome sadness, sadness you find and almost nothing about happiness.
Think of the brain as being like a public park. If you see it from above, you notice how people choose to cross it because there is no more grass and there are new pathways.
What you think about the most and most often, makes shortcuts in your thinking. So, after a while, your mind always walk on the usual path, almost to obsession.
Choose to have happy thoughts and happy you become.
The Link Between Your Brain, the Use of Your Conscious Mind and Consciousness
From the beginning of humankind these questions come up again and again:
“What is consciousness?”
“How we develop it?”
“How to be more conscious about being alive?”
Your brain is a wonderful machine. However, this machine has certain limitations. One of those limitations is that you can’t pay attention to more than one thing in each split second.
Are you aware of yourself all the time? Most probably not. That will take a lot of attention and energy.
We live most of the day in trance-like states. Self-hypnosis is a good skill to master because that can help you limit the time you spend in trances that you’re not aware of and you can’t predict their outcome.
Do you have questions about consciousness? Read the following books and discover the answers you’re searching for.