Depending who you listen to at any one time we are using 30% / 50% / 70% / pick a number of our brain. It’s a nice headline, but untrue – the complexity of the brain is such its all in use all of the time, its just we may not be consciously aware of it.
The unconscious aspect is interesting – it could be mulling over a problem – “its in the back of my mind”; it could be writing our emotional landscape; it could be guiding us through things we’ve learned to do instinctively. Its the latter which is the topic of this book – the skills we acquire, maybe inherited, maybe learned, that allow us to act instinctively.
Its obviously a complex area, and its picked apart in this book by the author, a Neuroscientist, in the context of a wild hiking trip he undertook – a regular event for him – where instinctive self preservation is important. It’s thus a very practical book, based around his experiences and one thats very readable, falling into the area between text book and reflective journal. The author writes well, and it is a easy read – as easy as the topic can be.
If you are interested in the workings of the brain, then this is a book thats worth a read.
You can buy Physical Intelligence: The Science of Thinking Without Thinking on Amazon, and if you use this link, Yinspire earns a small commission
