Books

Books

The Brain at Rest

The Brain at Rest

The Brain at Rest

When was the last time you let yourself do nothing – not scrolling while eating a sandwich, but nothing at all?

We are constantly told to make the most of our time. Stop procrastinating. Optimise. To be happy, creative and successful requires discipline and focus. The most important thing is to be efficient with every precious hour.

But when we let our brains rest, and our minds wander, something magical happens: the brain’s ’default network’ switches on, and suddenly we are able to think in completely new ways.

Blending science and personal stories with practical tips, Dr Joseph Jebelli reveals how neuroscience is solving the mystery of the brain at rest, with profound implications for intelligence, creativity and even life expectancy.

If we dare to break the taboo surrounding rest, we will find that long baths, walks in nature, meditation and simple daydreaming are the key to a happier, healthier – and ironically, more productive – life.

In Pursuit of Memory

In Pursuit of Memory

In Pursuit of Memory

‘When I was twelve, my grandfather began to act strangely. It started with inexplicable walks. He’d leave the dinner table and we would find him, half an hour later, aimlessly wandering around the neighbourhood. Before long, he didn’t recognise any of us.’

Alzheimer’s is the great global epidemic of our time, affecting millions worldwide – there are over 850,000 people diagnosed in the UK alone. In 2016, it overtook heart disease as the number one cause of death in England and Wales, and as out population ages, scientists are working against the clock to find a cure.

Neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli is among them. His beloved grandfather had Alzheimer’s and now he’s written the book he needed then—a very human history of this frightening disease. But In Pursuit of Memory is also a thrilling scientific detective story that takes you behind the headlines. Jebelli’s quest takes us from nineteenth-century Germany and post-war England, to the jungles of Papua New Guinea and the technological proving grounds of Japan; through America, India, China, Iceland, Sweden and Colombia. Its heroes are scientists from around the world – many of whom he’s worked with – and the brave patients and families who have changed the way that researchers think about the disease.

This compelling insider’s account shows vividly why Jebelli feels so hopeful about a cure, but also why our best defence in the meantime is to understand the disease. In Pursuit of Memory is a clever, moving, eye-opening guide to the threat one in three of us faces now.

How The Mind Changed

How The Mind Changed

How The Mind Changed

The extraordinary story of how the human brain evolved… and is still evolving.

We’ve come a long way. The earliest human had a brain as small as a child’s fist; ours are four times bigger, with spectacular abilities and potential we are only just beginning to understand.

This is How the Mind Changed, a seven-million-year journey through our own heads, packed with vivid stories, groundbreaking science, and thrilling surprises. Discover how memory has almost nothing to do with the past; meditation rewires our synapses; magic mushroom use might be responsible for our intelligence; climate accounts for linguistic diversity; and how autism teaches us hugely positive lessons about our past and future.

Dr Joseph Jebelli’s In Pursuit of Memory was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and longlisted for the Wellcome. In this, his eagerly awaited second book, he draws on deep insights from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, psychology, and philosophy to guide us through the unexpected changes that shaped our brains. From genetic accidents and environmental forces to historical and cultural advances, he explores how our brain’s evolution turned us into Homo sapiens and beyond.

A single mutation is all it takes.

‘In a stressed-out society where we think we should be constantly on the go, this excellent book is precisely what we need to stop, reset, and rest. I learned so much from it.’

– JOHANN HARI, bestselling author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention

‘Addicted to work? Stop what you’re doing and read this book. By combining cutting edge science with compelling personal anecdotes, Jebelli weaves a fascinating tale of the virtues of the resting brain. He also reminds us that scrolling on our smartphones may feel like a break but is not in fact a break for our brains. Just one more reason to get off our phones, go outside, and let ourselves wander.’

– ANNA LEMBKE, MD, bestselling author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

‘This book is magic. It won’t just refresh your mind, but also make you more productive – in both the short and long run. If you want to accomplish more, without any relaxation guilt, this book is for you. Practice what’s in this book, and your mind will feel brand new.’

– CHRIS BAILEY, bestselling author of Hyperfocus, The Productivity Project, and How to Calm Your Mind

‘The Brain at Rest is a tonic for the frazzled mind. Joseph Jebelli makes a powerful argument for the importance of the brain’s downtime in living a happy, healthy and meaningful life. By doing less, we can achieve so much more – and this inspiring book shows us how.’

– DAVID ROBSON, bestselling author of The Expectation Effect, The Intelligence Trap, and The Laws of Connection

‘Joseph Jebelli’s The Brain at Rest introduces you to the most important part of your brain you’ve never heard of: the default network, a unique – and uniquely powerful – set of links between regions of the brain that switch on when we think about the past, imagine the future, and are faced with creative challenges. Unfortunately, modern life seems determined to push the default network to one side, but The Brain at Rest explains why things as simple as walks in the woods, a good night’s sleep, and simply people-watching at a cafe, can improve our happiness, keep our brains and bodies healthy, and help have more productive days.’

– ALEX SOOJUNG-KIM PANG, Ph.D., author of Work Less, Do More and Rest

‘This book is a much-needed pause button, offering practical, science-backed solutions for reclaiming your life from distraction and overwhelm – showing you that productivity and health can coexist in harmony.’

– NIR EYAL, author of Indistractable

‘A wonderfully written and much needed exploration of the art and science of doing nothing. The Brain at Rest is an accessible and enjoyable journey into the neuroscience of mind wandering, tree-hugging, and play.’

– MONTY LYMAN, author of The Immune Mind, The Painful Truth, and Skin

‘How did humans develop such a runaway mind? Joseph Jebelli masterfully illuminates the neurobiological road by which we arrived, and where it might reach from here.’

– DAVID EAGLEMAN, bestselling author of Livewired and The Brain

‘Jebelli writes with aplomb and an eye for arresting asides… This is a slim, accessible and thought-provoking book – a springboard to further reading.’

– THE TIMES

‘An eye for thrilling details makes his approachable, sometimes provocative book an aptly mind-expanding experience for the curious reader.’

– THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘In Pursuit of Memory is a remarkable combination of fine writing, personal honesty and deep scientific insight – about a devastating and baffling disease that is becoming all too common. Jebelli weighs up all the evidence and all the theories about Alzheimer’s and even allows us a glimpse of optimism about a cure.’

– MATT RIDLEY, bestselling author of Genome and How Innovation Works

‘Joseph Jebelli’s wonderfully clear, vividly readable and comprehensive survey of the search for a cure . . . The world is closing in on Alzheimer’s. There is nowhere left for it to hide.’

– THE TIMES

‘A fascinating quest at the frontiers of neurodegeneration… and a moving, sober and forensic study of the past, present and future of Alzheimer’s from the point of view of a neuroscientist who has lived with the disease, at home and in the lab, from a very young age. The story Jebelli tells illustrates the tantalising mystery of Alzheimer’s: it’s both highly visible yet agonizingly elusive…a timely analysis [that] might give comfort.’

– ROBERT McCRUM, THE OBSERVER

‘Elegant, thorough, compelling and touchingly personal… You should read this book. Each of us ignores Alzheimer’s at our peril. No one wants to think about it. But we must.’

– WALL STREET JOURNAL

‘A personal story and smart scientific thinking reveal the history and humanity behind an epidemic that affects 44 million people worldwide.’

– NEW SCIENTIST

‘An overview of Alzheimer’s that never once sacrifices the human story for the scientific one…sensitive, humanising, and poetic… a masterful overview of the disease.’

– NPR

‘A riveting debut… the very human story of the disease that is now an epidemic.’

– BOOKSELLER, SCIENCE BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘An accessible, diligently researched and well-travelled overview of the disease that is more deadly than cancer. Jebelli poignantly weaves the current science with the tragic stories of affected families, not least his own.’

– SUNDAY TIMES

‘On the surface it’s about Alzheimer’s disease but more than that it demonstrates how challenging it is to understand the brain.’

– SUZANNE O’SULLIVAN, OBSERVER, BOOKS OF THE YEAR

‘The definitive portrait of Alzheimer’s disease – an illness that is rapidly becoming the defining plague of the 21st century.’

– BIG ISSUE

‘An elegant and precise writer, Jebelli follows every lead for a cure with the panache of a detective novelist, giving readers much to hope for despite the devastation Alzheimer’s has left in its wake. Based on his meticulous and wide-ranging research, he makes a convincing argument that Alzheimer’s will be defeated in the decades to come. Jebelli analyzes every facet of Alzheimer’s with personal empathy and scientific rigor, a combination that makes for enthralling reading.’

– KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW