A mind of its own :how your brain distorts and deceives /Cordelia Fine.

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A mind of its own :how your brain distorts and deceives /Cordelia Fine.


Author:	Fine, Cordelia.
Publisher:	New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2006.
ISBN:	9780393331639 (pbk)
Format:	Books
Physical Description:	viii, 243 p. :ill. ;22 cm.
Subjects:	Self-deception

Table of Contents Annotation

Table of Contents

	Introduction	p. 1
	The Vain Brain For a softer, kinder reality	p. 3
	The Emotional Brain Sweaty fingers in all the pies	p. 31
	The Immoral Brain The terrible toddler within	p. 55
	The Deluded Brain A slapdash approach to the truth	p. 79
	The Pigheaded Brain Loyalty a step too far	p. 105
	The Secretive Brain Exposing the guile of the mental butler	p. 129
	The Weak-willed Brain The prima donna within	p. 151
	The Bigoted Brain "Thug ... tart ... slob ... nerd ... airhead"	p. 177
	Epilogue: The Vulnerable Brain	p. 201
	Notes	p. 211
	Index	p. 233

Summary

The brain's power is confirmed and touted every day in new studies and research. And yet we tend to take our brains for granted, without suspecting that those masses of hard-working neurons might not always be working for us. Cordelia Fine introduces us to a brain we might not want to meet, a brain with a mind of its own. She illustrates the brain's tendency toward self-delusion as she explores how the mind defends and glorifies the ego by twisting and warping our perceptions. Our brains employ a slew of inborn mind-bugs and prejudices, from hindsight bias to unrealistic optimism, from moral excuse-making to wishful thinkingâall designed to prevent us from seeing the truth about the world and the people around us, and about ourselves.