Another great book from Dean Burnett.

Dean takes you on an entertaining, and at times funny, look at brain function and the key to human happiest. As with all things human nothing is that simple.

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Brain pleasing duo

The combination of Dean's humorous writing and Matt's delivery makes this an instant classic. Thanks guys!

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4 people found this helpful

good book to understand brain better

I liked humor and science being so close and at ease with each other. I think the only thing missing is to provide a bit more of advise on what to try to improve all things which make you happy. But then, author is not a life coach, he is scientist!

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Felt heavier than The Idiot Brain

I bought this book because I’d previously read The Idiot Brain and could barely put it down, but while I also found the subjects covered in this book fascinating, I found the book itself much heavier going both in print and as an audio book.

Now this looks more like a review of me than the book, but there you are. Top marks for the content of the book, not so many for the readability and delivery.

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Disappointing

I was very disappointed with this book (the audio version). Having a book devoted to 'the science of where happiness comes from' I would have hoped that at the end I would have a definition of happiness and know how it affects the brain, what causes it and so on. Unfortunately, I do not.
The book comes across to me as long-winded waffle. There is some useful nuggets of information, but they are embedded and almost hidden in a lengthy ramble. The book is more of a story about the author's journey exploring the subject rather than concentrating on the subject itself.
The author provides most of his insights from interviews he undertook with various people. To derive conclusions from the commentary of a few individuals seems to me to be quite unscientific. However, the circumstances of each interview are described in excruciating detail. How the author travelled to the interview, where they met, what they ate, etc. etc. In the chapter covering the importance of home to happiness, the author describes at length how he travelled to his childhood home and his feelings on finding it abandoned.
The narration is excellent, but I found the subject matter so dry and drawn out that at times I found myself switching off and not really listening. At other times I wanted to shout out 'Get on with it'. I think that the information provided could have been condensed into a book a tenth of the size.
In the early part of the book the author describes why you cannot see happiness in the brain with an MRI scanner for various reasons, but partly because all of the brain is active all of the time to a greater or lesser degree and emotions such as happiness affect so many parts of the brain. Therefore, it is not possible to point to certain parts of the brain and say they are responsible for happiness. Yet for the rest of the book that is exactly what he did. He kept listing parts of the brain that responded to certain stimuli, but no normal person could have possibly remembered the parts of the brain he was naming so I really did not see the point of doing that apart from trying to add weight to his ramblings.
In the end, I learned that happiness means different things to different people and that all sorts of things can contribute to happiness and some things that can contribute to happiness can have the opposite effect when experienced in excess. Not exactly ground breaking stuff.

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76 people found this helpful

Better than Idiot Brain!

Very injiyable and informative. Excellently narrated too. I will certainly listen to it again. I thought it better than his first.

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8 people found this helpful

Liked the conclusion

Lots of interesting details in the story and a good conclusion. Nothing sensational but very sensible.

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A neuro adventure, facts, honesty and fun

The Happy Brain tickled my dopamine neurons and made my brain happy. The book is superbly written by Dean Burnett with his mix of high quality science writing, making complex ideas easier to understand, punctuated with sharp yet good natured humour. Matt Addis deserves great credit for his narration too, his perfect pace, rhythm and tone bring the words to life. Most impressive is how both Dean & Matt move between the science and the humour so effortlessly, there is a cheeky grin behind both the writing and delivery I'm sure. Writing and narration in perfect harmony.

The book is a real adventure into the multiple complex causes of happiness and just how different we all are. The book journeys through the whole range of life experiences from childhood, to home, work & fame, money, sex, drugs, social connection, the darker sides of happiness, health and ultimately mortality. The overriding message is that we have find out what makes us happy, there is as far as science knows, no one single answer.

The book added to my understanding of the current neuroscience and there are a number of studies referenced that were new to me. What Dean adds is his ability to make all that science so human with real world stories, his own sometimes painful emotional experiences which he then breaks up with some unexpected humorous twist, some skill that.

For me, The Happy Brain accords with the better science-based books on positive psychology that suggest many ways people have found meaning and happiness in their lives. Just like the best of those books the conclusion is that you have to try the ideas for yourself and see what works for you. Even then the happiness may be fleeting and will almost certainly change over time. The one theme that remains constant across all the work I've seen to date is our need for social connection and to be part of something.

A fact filled, honest, truthful and balanced book that can help us understand that most human search for happiness and just how individual a journey it is for each of us to find it.

More simply, I flippin loved it, thanks lads.

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14 people found this helpful

Fabulous!

It’s incredibly interesting and exciting book.. with fantastic narrative.. 👌I would recommend to everyone to better understand yourself

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What a wonderful read

Dean took me through an exploration of myself whilst also giving me insight into everybody else.

Fantastic book and a great follow up to the Idiot Brain which I also found to be superb.

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