Product Description

In Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot, eminent neuropsychiatrist and bestselling author Richard Restak, M.D., combines the latest research in neurology and psychology to show us how to get our brain up to speed for managing every aspect of our busy lives.

Everything we think and everything we choose to do alters our brain and fundamentally changes who we are, a process that continues until the end of our lives. Few people think of the brain as being susceptible to change in its actual structure, but in fact we can preselect the kind of brain we will have by continually exposing ourselves to rich and varied life experiences. Unlike other organs that eventually wear out with repeated and sustained use, the brain actually improves the more we challenge it.

Most of us incorporate some kind of physical exercise into our daily lives. We do this to improve our bodies and health and generally make us feel better. Why not do the same for the brain? The more we exercise it, the better it performs and the better we feel. Think of Restak as a personal trainer for your brain—he will help you assess your mental strengths and weaknesses, and his entertaining book will set you to thinking about the world and the people around you in a new light, providing you with improved and varied skills and capabilities. From interacting with colleagues to recognizing your own psychological makeup, from understanding the way you see something to why you’re looking at it in the first place, from explaining the cause of panic attacks to warding off performance anxiety, this book will tell you the whys and hows of the brain’s workings.

Packed with practical advice and fascinating examples drawn from history, literature, and science, Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot provides twenty-eight informative and realistic steps that we can all take to improve our brainpower.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #173965 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-22
• Released on: 2002-10-22
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .1 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"Most of us would like to be smarter," asserts Restak (The Brain, companion to PBS's series by the same name), neuropsychiatrist and clinical professor of neurology at George Washington University Medical Center. Restak claims that improving cognition is the answer. In accessible science-teacher style, Restak delineates the brain's attributes, from its weight (three pounds) to the number of nerve cells (100 billion) and its infinity of synapses, explaining what aids communication, informs memory and so forth. Knowing how the brain works is important to building its power, says Restak, and in this high-tech age, we need as much cognition as we can get. He proposes a comprehensive and handy plan to improve one's mind, literally as well as literarily. If one stops learning, one's overall mental capacity diminishes because the synaptic links shrink. Brain stimulation has been declared protection against Alzheimer's. The brain does not age; keeping it "fit" is no more difficult than keeping one's cholesterol under control. In outlining a plan including everything from exercise to learning to play a musical instrument, Restak explains how interconnections between the brain's functions keep it growing. Train your brain through logic problems, complicated games like chess, difficult jigsaw puzzles and widely varied reading. Not surprisingly, watching TV, a passive act, does exactly what your mother always said it did makes you stupid. The extraordinary range of references to literature, science, gamesmanship and even cryptograms makes it apparent that Restak practices what he preaches. This unusual, intriguing book will appeal to the health diligent and the senior contingent.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Neuropsychiatrist Restak (neurology, George Washington Univ. Medical Ctr.) has written numerous books on the human brain, including the very engaging The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own. In his latest work, he offers 28 ways to improve mental fitness, including exercises to enhance memory, concentration, creativity, and analytical ability. The proposed exercises are designed to increase neuronal linkages that will, in turn, improve overall mental functioning. Some of Restak's suggestions require a hefty time expenditure, adequate financial resources (a laptop computer), strong joints and flexibility (tai chi exercises), and a private office equipped with a couch (napping during the work day!). But his point is well taken: practicing simple mind games, listening to music, reading widely, keeping a journal, etc., can greatly enhance the brain's performance. Restak's upbeat and enlightening guide will certainly be a popular addition to public libraries. Laurie Bartolini, Illinois State Lib., Springfield
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Restak is a practicing neurologist who wants to "enhance your brain's natural biological predispositions in order to enhance your ability to concentrate." In light of recent evidence that vigorous brain exercise retards the effects of the dementias, listeners are exposed to a wide variety of cerebral exercises to constantly form new synapses and maintain established ones. We move from verbal descriptions of Tai Chi for the cerebellum, to examples of brain-twisting memory exercises for the cortex, and are taught the method of calculating the optimum time for brain rest (short power naps) during stressful work. The doctor combines neuroanatomy lessons with lots of advice. His delivery is professional and persuasive. J.A.H. 2003 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine