Our Brains, Our Selves
- WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
- Written By: Masud Husain
- Narrated By: Nicholas Khan
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Categories: Health & Wellness, Psychology & Mental Health
- Publisher: Canongate Books
- Format: Unabridged Audiobook
- Release Date: 13-02-2025
- Language: English
Publisher's Summary
WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZEA FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES AND GUARDIAN BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF 2025What makes us who we are? Is it our background that creates our identities? Or our families, where we lived, how we were brought up and educated, the jobs we’ve held? Yes, all of the above, but more fundamental than any of these is our brain.This is never more evident than if we lose even a single one of our cognitive abilities. People who develop a brain disorder can find that their identity, their sense of self, can undergo dramatic changes. Through the stories of seven of his patients, acclaimed Oxford University neurologist Masud Husain shows us how our brains create our identity, how that identity can be changed, and sometimes even be restored. Among the people we encounter is a man who ran out of words, a woman who stopped caring what others thought of her and another who, losing her memory, started to believe she was having an affair with the man who was really her husband.These compelling human dramas reveal how our identities are created by different functions within the brain. They show how modern neuroscience can help to explain the changes in behaviour that occur when our perception, attention, memory, motivation or empathy are altered. By understanding how our brains normally function, neurologists are bringing hope to patients with brain disorders and illuminating the human experience. The resulting journey will ignite new ideas about who we really are and why we act in the ways we do.
Kindle Customer –
Masud Husain’s Our Brains, Our Selves is a brilliant exploration of how brain function shapes identity and behaviour. With clarity and empathy, he weaves together clinical cases and neuroscience, making complex ideas accessible. The sections on belonging (and identity) were my personal favourites – thought-provoking, validating many personal experiences and reducing an existential loneliness for me, and profoundly human. A must-read for anyone fascinated by the brain, identity, or belonging!