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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
   Introductionp. 1
   The Vain Brain For a softer, kinder realityp. 3
   The Emotional Brain Sweaty fingers in all the piesp. 31
   The Immoral Brain The terrible toddler withinp. 55
   The Deluded Brain A slapdash approach to the truthp. 79
   The Pigheaded Brain Loyalty a step too farp. 105
   The Secretive Brain Exposing the guile of the mental butlerp. 129
   The Weak-willed Brain The prima donna withinp. 151
   The Bigoted Brain "Thug ... tart ... slob ... nerd ... airhead"p. 177
   Epilogue: The Vulnerable Brainp. 201
   Notesp. 211
   Indexp. 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 thinking—all designed to prevent us from seeing the truth about the world and the people around us, and about ourselves.