Synopses & Reviews
A leading science writer examines how the brain's capacity reaches its peak in middle age For many years, scientists thought that the human brain simply decayed over time and its dying cells led to memory slips, fuzzy logic, negative thinking, and even depression. But new research from neuroscientists and psychologists suggests that, in fact, the brain reorganizes, improves in important functions, and even helps us adopt a more optimistic outlook in middle age. Growth of white matter and brain connectors allow us to recognize patterns faster, make better judgments, and find unique solutions to problems. Scientists call these traits cognitive expertise and they reach their highest levels in middle age.
In her impeccably researched book, science writer Barbara Strauch explores the latest findings that demonstrate, through the use of technology such as brain scans, that the middle-aged brain is more flexible and more capable than previously thought. For the first time, long-term studies show that our view of middle age has been misleading and incomplete. By detailing exactly the normal, healthy brain functions over time, Strauch also explains how its optimal processes can be maintained. Part scientific survey, part how-to guide, The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain is a fascinating glimpse at our surprisingly talented middle-aged minds.
Review
Praise for The Primal Teen by Barbara Strauch "Provocative...A contender for every parent's reading list."
-Newsday
"Upends the longstanding belief that the teenage brain is largely complete, concluding instead that it is undergoing dramatic changes that can help explain what appears to be a gap between intelligence and judgement."
-The Hartford Courant
"This is such a smart book...Barbara Strauch acts as a world-class guide to a mysterious place, taking us on a journey through the teenage brain and making sense of the scenery. In turns funny, curious, explanatory, vivid, she does an absolutely compelling job of helping us to understand our children-and ourselves."
-Deborah Blum, author of Love at GoonPark: Hanny Harlow and the Science of Affection
"Through interviews with parents, physicians, neuroscientists, and teens, Strauch has compiled impressive insights about the nature of being a teen or the parent of one."
-Science News
"Entertaining as well as informative."
-Teacher magazine
"An intriguing look at cutting-edge studies that now tell us the brain is not finished growing in a child's early years but continues into the teens."
-The Plain Dealer
"Can knowing more about the teenager's brain help us to understand the teenager's behavior? Can an account of the neuroscience of adolescence be lively and readable? Barbara Strauch provides convincing evidence that the answer to both questions is yes."
-Judith Rich Harris, author of The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do
"Readers will be struck by the wonderfully candid comments by those interviewed as well as Strauch's insightful narrative."
-Publishers Weekly
"Strauch's well-researched book explains studies that were impossible, without such advanced technology as the MRI in clear, compassionate, layperson's language...A parents' must-read."
-Booklist
"Strauch [has]...a light, anecdotal style and a sense of humor. This is a very useful book...[These] are conclusions parents will want to consider carefull."
-The Washington Post Book World
"Strauch tackles [loaded questions] with all the scientific instruments at her disposal...the latest findings neurological, biochemical, and psychological, with an illuminating dose of anecdote thrown in."
-The New Scientist
"An important book...Strauch writes masterfully, making scientific research understandable to lay readers."
-Library Journal (starred)
Review
"I saw how quickly the kids-and then the teachers-bought into the [MindUP] program and practices. The kids just got it right away, and seemed hungry for something that would help them manage the stresses in their life. . . . In my twenty years of measuring social-emotional learning quotients, I've never seen a program that works as well as this one."
Review
"Hawn's gentle, heartfelt approach to mothering and her mission to help children develop happier, healthier lives will be both useful and inspiring for parents."
Review
"Goldie Hawn embodies delight and joy, and 10 Mindful Minutes radiates these. Her book can help any adult – parent, grandparent, teacher – make double use of their moments with the children they love and have a terrific time while helping shape that child’s brain for a lifetime of resilience and happiness."
Review
“An excellent guide that offers simple, effective ways for stressed parents to create calmer, kinder, happier families.”
Review
“This is a remarkable book. It is full of wisdom for us all—parents and other caregivers—inviting us to taste mindfulness for ourselves.”
Synopsis
A leading science writer examines how our brains improve in middle age. Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Barbara Strauch explores the latest findings that demonstrate how the middle-aged brain is more flexible and capable than previously thought. In fact, new research from neuroscientists and psychologists suggests that the brain reorganizes, improves in important functions, and even helps us adopt a more optimistic outlook in middle age. We recognize patterns faster, make better judgments, and find unique solutions to problems. Part scientific survey, part how-to guide, The Secret Life of the Grown- up Brain is a fascinating glimpse at our surprisingly talented middle-aged minds.
Synopsis
"Goldie Hawn embodies delight and joy, and 10 Mindful Minutes radiates these. Her book can help any adult-parent, grandparent, teacher-make double use of their moments with the children they love and have a terrific time while helping shape that child's brain for a lifetime of resilience and happiness."
-Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence
Across the country, the revolutionary MindUP program, which was developed under the auspices of the Hawn Foundation, established by Goldie Hawn, is teaching children vital social and emotional skills. By understanding how their brains work, children discover where their emotions come from and become more self-aware. They learn to appreciate the sensory aspects of their lives and to value the positive effects of mindfulness, compassion, and kindness. This, in turn, empowers them to manage and reduce their own stress-and helps them be happy.
Those who have seen the remarkable effects of this program have been eager to learn how to implement it in their own homes and use its practices for themselves, too. Now, for the first time, its secrets are being shared with all parents and children in 10 Mindful Minutes.
Synopsis
In a world filled with too many choices, oppressive technology, and relentlessly overbooked schedules—how do we achieve the calm we so desperately need? Our ancestors used the fight-or-flight mechanism to protect themselves from predators. Today, we use it to fend off daily crises. The result is chronic stress and a learned inability to be calm which, in turn, makes it impossible for us to perform at our peak.
Now, Dr. Gayatri Devi shows how we can cultivate empowering, enduring calm by tapping into our body’s vagus nerve—and utilize our hardwired, natural relaxation system. If you are suffering from migraines, neck pain, gastrointestinal upsets, sleeps deprivation—or are just trying to work through life’s difficulties—Dr. Devi shows that you don’t need more drugs, you need A Calm Brain.
“For anyone who wants to take charge of the 21st century while remaining calm, focused, and productive—this is the book for you.”
—Henry S. Lodge, New York Times bestselling author of Younger Next Year
Synopsis
Teaching Our Children to Help Themselves Be Happy
Practical, timely, relevant, and inspiring, 10 Mindful Minutes is Goldie Hawn’s gift to parents who want to help their children learn better and live happier lives.
Inspired by the revolutionary MindUP program (developed under the auspices of the Hawn Foundation), the book offers easy-to-grasp insights from current behavioral, psychological, and neurological studies to show how our thoughts, emotions, and actions—including our ability to focus, manage stress, and learn—are all exquisitely interconnected.
Hawn presents simple and practial ways to develop mindfulness in children and parents alike, and shares her own heartfelt experiences with the challenges and joys of parenting.
About the Author
Goldie Hawn is the founder of the Hawn Foundation as well as an international children's advocate and enthusiastic campaigner for the mindful celebration of life. An Academy Award-winning actress, producer, and director, she is also a mother and grandmother. Her bestselling autobiography,
A Lotus Grows in the Mud, was published in 2005.
Wendy Holden is a journalist and author of more than twenty-five books, including the novel The Sense of Paper, published in 2006. She was also the cowriter of Goldie Hawn's memoir, A Lotus Grows in the Mud.