Brain Bugs: How the Brain’s Flaws Shape Our Lives by Dean Buonomano; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator William Hughes

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A lively, surprising tour of our mental glitches and how they arise.

With its trillions of connections, the human brain is more beautiful and complex than anything we could ever build, but it’s far from perfect: our memory is unreliable; we can’t multiply large sums in our heads; advertising manipulates our judgment; we tend to distrust people who are different from us; supernatural beliefs and superstitions are hard to shake; we prefer instant gratification to long-term gain; and what we presume to be rational decisions are often anything but. Drawing on striking examples and fascinating studies, neuroscientist Dean Buonomano illuminates the causes and consequences of these “bugs” in terms of the brain’s innermost workings and their evolutionary purposes. He then goes one step further, examining how our brains function—and malfunction—in the digital, predator-free, information-saturated, special-effects-addled world that we have built for ourselves. Along the way, Brain Bugs gives us the tools to hone our cognitive strengths while recognizing our inherent weaknesses.

“Writing a book about the hardware and software flaws of the human brain is an ingenious idea, and Buonomano has fully delivered on its promise…Brain Bugs is a remarkably accessible and engaging introduction to the neuroscience of the human condition.”—Sam Harris, New York Times bestselling author

“Intriguing take on behavioral economics, marketing, and human foibles.”—Kirkus Reviews

“In Brain Bugs, Dean Buonomano has brilliantly pulled off what few psychological scientists can do. In elegant and clear writing, he masterfully conveys the astonishing capability of the human mind, along with its flaws and limitations.”—Elizabeth Loftus, distinguished professor at the University of California–Irvine, and author of Eyewitness Testimony

“What a great book, filled with nuggets about how the brain works—and falters—and even some suggestions on how to put it to better use. Very enjoyable.”—Joseph LeDoux, NYU neuroscientist and author of The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self

Dean Buonomano is a professor in the Departments of Neurobiology and Psychology and the Brain Research Institute at UCLA. He lives in Los Angeles.