Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Brain

Evolutionary psychology provides researchers with a framework for understanding the neurochemical applications of the human mind. The basic assumption of this theory is that evolution has endowed us with a suite of psychological mechanisms that have allowed us to solve the adaptive problems of our evolutionary past. The new science of evolutionary psychology will elucidate the nature of these mechanisms, why they evolved, and their implications for human behavior.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Learn About Your Brain and Change Your Life

I recently read Mind Wide Open by Steven Johnson. The book catalogs the author's journey to understand the human brain. Johnson learns everything from how we read the minds of others to the neurochemical applications involved in our perceptions of love. He participates in neurofeedback tests and fMRI scans. In his sojourn through the intricacies of his own mind, he gains a better understanding of mechanisms that underlie his own behavior. In a recent article posted on Slate.com, several prominent scientists describe how learning about the human mind has changed their lives. The more we learn about the human brain, the more incite we gain into our own thoughts and actions. Take a look at how brain science has changed the lives of Steven Pinker, Marc Hauser, Oliver Sacks, and others.
http://www.slate.com/id/2165043/