by David Perlmutter and Austin Perlmutter. New York, NY: Little, Brown Spark, 2020. 270 pp.
This book is a collaboration between a set of father
and son, both medical doctors. The book is divided into two major parts. The
first part presents how all the modern-day habits that have been accepted as
normal are in fact doing great harm to our brain and its ability to function
properly. The second part discusses ways to rectify this problem, and suggests a
program of activities that would “wash” the brain of its negative programming to
improve our life and achieve what the authors list in the book title.
One
of the main concepts that the authors introduce and discuss in the book is the “disconnection
syndrome,” which is the separation from wellness, health, and sustainable joy.
This syndrome is brought about due to our brain being hijacked by companies who
manipulate our psychology and biology for commercial profit. Our neurological
pathways are exploited causing us to adopt habits that bring instant
gratification at the detriment of sustainable happiness. The many harmful habits
that have become normalized in society include scrolling mindlessly through
social media, checking emails and messages the moment we wake up, our consumption
of sweet and salty food, even our consumption of the daily news. The authors in
great details provide scientific evidence for how these and other daily habits
have caused the infrastructure of the brain to change resulting in loss of
sleep, concentration, mental wellness, healthy social relationships, and the
ability for empathy. The science cited to undergird their claim is the most interesting
part of the book.
The
second part goes through the various ways that we can retake control of our
brain. These include developing regular exercise habit, eating a proper diet,
getting back to nature, and finding quiet time for meditation. Again, in this
section the authors provide the science that supports how these activities are
conducive to a healthy and fully functional brain. In the last chapters of the
book, the authors present a ten-step (10-day) “brain wash program” that is
meant to kick start the journey to recovery. The program includes going through
a digital detox, developing a sense of gratitude and empathy through reflection
and journaling, forming a relationship with nature, improving diet, sleep and
exercise habits, taking time to meditate, to improve social connections with
family and friends, and doing self-evaluation in order to devise an ongoing
plan to maintain wellbeing.
The
book is most valuable for the science behind all the claims. The lessons are
not necessarily new, but that doesn’t mean that they are not good lessons or that
they are easy to carry out. The lessons mostly reinforce what we have always
heard and known but lack the motivation and determination to follow. Hopefully,
by providing the hard science behind the modern-day bad habits, we will all be
more conscious of how our daily actions are doing a number on our brain and our
goal of achieving sustainable happiness, and might even begin to take some steps
towards self-improvement.
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