Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain: Separating Fact from FictionSergio Della Sala Does listening to Mozart make us more intelligent? Is there such a thing as a gay gene? Does the size of the brain matter? Does the moon influence our behaviour? Can we communicate with the dead? Can graphology tell us anything about a person's character? Is the human brain clonable? What role do dreams have in cognition? Can mind conquer matter and diseases? Are out-of-body experiences possible? Can we trust our intuitions? To some, the answer to all these questions might well be a resounding 'no', but to many people these represent serious beliefs about the mind and brain - beliefs that drive their everyday behaviour, beliefs that cost them huge amounts of money. Whole industries have developed founded on these dubious claims about the mind and brain. Even major corporations have dabbled with assessment methods such as those advocated by graphology, accepting and rejecting candidates on the basic of their handwriting. Expectant parents buy books and tapes by the dozen showing them how to improve the intelligence of their child by playing them classical music. People subscribe to expensive therapies founded on beliefs rather than science, or risk their health buying books that tell them how they can conquer illness through positive thinking, perhaps at the expense of more scientifically proven treatments. Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain presents a sweeping survey of common myths about the mind and brain. In a lighthearted and accessible style, it exposes the truth behind these beliefs, how they are perpetuated, why people believe them, and why they might even exist in the first place. |
Other editions - View all
Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain: Separating fact from fiction Sergio Della Sala Limited preview - 2007 |
Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain: Separating Fact from Fiction Sergio Della Sala No preview available - 2007 |
Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain: Separating Fact from Fiction Sergio Della Sala No preview available - 2007 |
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ability activity aplasic phantoms asked associated behaviour bell curve Beyerstein bilingual blind body cancer cent chunks claim cognitive consciousness correlation cortex creative differences dreams effect emotional evidence example experience experimental eyewitness fact factors feel frontal lobes full moon function genes genetic graphologists hallucinations hand handwriting handwriting analysis hemisphere heritability homosexuality human identification imagery individual intelligence interviews intuitive investigative Journal language limb lineup lunar lunar effect lunar phase magic male memory mental images mind monozygotic twins movements Mozart effect myth neuroimaging neuroscience OBEs one’s out-of-body experience paranormal belief pareidolia participants patients perception performance person phantom limbs phenomena problem processing produce psychic Psychology questions REM sleep reported right brain scientific scientists sensations sensory sexual orientation Skeptical Inquirer sleep paralysis social spatial specific speech subjects suggested task temporo-parietal junction theory thinking traits variability visual witness