The human brain evolved, too.• The brain appears to be designed to (1) solve problems(2) related to surviving (3) in an unstable outdoorenvironment, and (4) to do so in nearly constant motion.• We started with a “lizard brain” to keep us breathing,then added a brain like a cat’s, and then topped thosewith the thin layer known as the cortex—the third,and powerful, “human” brain.• We adapted to change itself, after we were forced fromthe trees to the savannah when climate swings disruptedour food supply.• Going from four legs to two to walk on the savannahfreed up energy to develop a complex brain.• Symbolic reasoning is a uniquely human talent. it mayhave arisen from our need to understand one another’sintentions and motivations. This allowed us to coordinatewithin a group, which is how we took over the Earth.EBSCOhost - printed on 8/9/2023 2:35 PM via MISSION COLLEGE. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

They give us real insight into how humans acquireknowledge. We improvise off a database, thinking symbolically aboutour world.

When we try to predict another person’s mental state, we havephysically very little to go on

We try to see our entireworld in terms of motivations, ascribing motivations to our pets andeven to inanimate objects.

Our minds start working to infer the mentalstate of the wife: The husband died, and then the wife died of grief.

This changes the rules of the game. We learned to cooperate,which means creating a shared goal that takes into account our allies’interests as well as our own.

This created the concept not only oflearner but, for adults, of teacher.

A lot of mothers and babiesdied on the way to reaching an anatomical compromise.

Scientists found that as our brains evolved, our heads did, too:They were getting bigger all the time.

and the key to remembering.

The amygdalais responsible for both the creation of emotions and the memoriesthey generate.

Most of its func-tions involve what some researchers call the “four Fs”: fighting,feeding, fleeing, and ... reproductive behavior.

body’s housekeeping chores: breathing, heart rate, sleeping,waking.

controls many of the behaviors that separate us from other animals

His friends said he was no longer Gage.

Miraculously, Gage survived

One of the random genetic mutations that gave us an adaptiveadvantage involved walking upright on two legs.

One allows us to know when we’vemade mistakes. The other allows us to learn from them.

we became smarte

You might suspect that the odds against our survival were great.You would be right.

The locals had co-opted the food sources, and most ofthem were stronger and faster than we were

The rulesfor survival were changing, and a new class of creatures would startto fill the vacuum created as more and more of their roommatesdied out.

steamy, humid, and in dire need of air-conditioning.

Our ancestors suddenly took up painting and sculpture, creating fineart and jewelry. This change was both abrupt and profound.

That’s not necessarilythe most accurate indicator, but it’s the best we’ve got.

The all-important human trait of symbolic reasoning helped ourspecies not only survive but thrive.

we combine symbols toderive layers of meaning

That’s what my sonwas doing when he brandished his stick sword.

the ability touse symbolic reasoning.

You can become stronger or you can become smarter.

here’s no bigger rule in biology than evolu-tion

Other animals have powerful cognitive abilities,too, and yet there is something qualitatively different about the wayhumans think

This book is meant to get you into the loop.

We try to talk on our cell phones and drive at the sametime, even though it is literally impossible for our brains to multi-task when it comes to paying attention

To survive in the great outdoors, weneeded to learn from our mistakes

We are powerful and natural explorers

ch subject in this book—exercise, sleep, stress, wiring, atten-tion, memory, sensory integration, vision, music, gender, andexploration—relates to this performance envelop

own little research

There’s a great deal we don’t know about the brain.

I am a nice guy, but I am a grumpy scientist

We’ll find out why the terrible twos only look like active rebel-lion but actually are a child’s powerful urge to explore.

repeat to remember(Brain Rule #7)

We’ll meet a man who can remember everything he readsafter seeing the words just once

Sleep well, think well(Brain Rule #3).

In one study, a 26-minute nap improved NASApilots’ performance by 34 percent

Also, the brain needs a break.

people don’t pay attention to boringthings (Brain Rule #6).

exercise boosts brain power

We are not used to sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. Froman evolutionary perspective, our brains developed while we walkedor ran as many as 12 miles a day.

I call these Brain Rules. For each rule, I present the sci-ence, introduce you to the researchers behind it, and then offer ideasfor how the rule might apply to our daily lives, especially at work andschool.

Most of us have no idea how our brain works.

Indeed, you have justdone it.

The brain is an amazing thing.

Yet none of these children have an IQ greater than 70

There is a girl who can cor-rectly determine the exact dimensions of an object 20 feet away.

There is a boy who can tell you the precise timeof day at any moment, even in his sleep.

There is a young man who candouble that number 24 times in the space of a few seconds.