This Is Your Brain on Parasites

Love this book always gift it

A very entertaining book that gives you a lot to ponder, but one thing to keep in mind is that the author is a journalist, not a scientist. That's not a negative, the book is well researched and well written but it feels like a number of the examples used are chosen for their entertainment value and their wow factor as opposed to scientific veracity. There are many experiments and theories that are highlighted in the book with caveats like "the results haven't yet been duplicated", or "the sample size was very small" etc. To clarify again, I enjoyed the book, but just keep in mind its a bit more skewed toward entertainment. That of course has the bonus of making it easier to grasp. The book starts out focusing on the animal kingdom and I think its where it really shines. Here you'll be reading about amazing parasites that take control of their hosts and force them to do very detrimental things. Things that will most often cause the host to kill itself, or get itself eaten so the parasite can continue on its life cycle. It's stuff that sounds like science fiction but is happening all around us. Following that, the book focuses more on humans and how parasites can affect us. The first major example is the parasite toxoplasma. Rats affected with toxo lose their fear of cats and become less risk averse, making them more likely to be eaten by a cat, which just so happens where the toxo want to live. The author then gives examples of similar situations in people. People with toxo apparently have a higher incidence of car accidents. Is the infection making them drive more recklessly? Some scientists believe so and their research follows that theory. Following that the book continues exploring the affect of parasites on peoples' personalities. Could parasites affect whether you're shy or outgoing? Liberal or conservative? Whether or not you like spicy food? Do societies that developed in areas where parasites are a concern differ from those that didn't? In what ways? Many people would brush those questions off with a quick no, but the book may make you think a little bit harder about it.

This book set me on the path to looking at the world in a different way: an unabashedly parasite-centric way. We are more microbe than humans! Some of our unconscious may be controlled by pathogens! Gut microbiome influences our brains, behaviors, and even personality!! Do you know how? Well... you can read it yourself. Save for anthelmintic, how parasites affect you? Are you happy to have high standards of hygiene? What do you think about the stomach churning emotion, disgust: visceral vs moral disgust? How politicians harness disgust sensitivity? How about Hillary Clinton's extended bathroom break during a Democratic primary debate? Do you wonder about whether you have the larger anterior insula relative to total brain size? Do you want to get the answers? Read it yourself. Remember the following tips: (1) eat vegetables that have been scrubbed throughly; (2) wear gloves while gardening; (3) cook meat well or, if you prefer it rare, freeze it first to kill the microbe's cysts ㅡT.gondii produces thick-walled cysts in the animal's muscle Ectoparasites and microscopic parasites may exist anywhere around you... and jeopardize you, your partner, and your offsprings.... So go get the book and read it yourself! Don't worry. I bet you will totally lose track of the time while reading. You will find yourself indulged in this a wee bit provocative topics. Well-written and very informative. I highly recommend this one to you.

I have been reading books on microbes since Life On Man, written several decades ago. This book is better than any I have read - by far. Anyone can present startling and important information, and she does that. But the writing itself, aside from the content, is highly readable and sophisticated, and you can enjoy this book for the writing alone, if you can ignore the amazing things that parasites can do and also the amazing things that people do, often unconsciously, to combat them. As a social psychologist, I have to congratulate her on the way she has incorporated psychological and anthropological principles into this book. It may be a must read for biologists, but also for psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and just anyone who has been unaware of just how important parasites are and have been since the beginning. I will be highly surprised if this book doesn't win some important awards. I read a lot of nonfiction and this just stands out.

The book is well worth a read because it has personal and social points of great import for humanity and individuals, but sadly you'll have to ignore a double dose of attention seeking arrogance who's oddly ignorant when it comes to deeply and accurately understanding genuine solutions. Main value is drawing attention to problems that do indeed need thoroughly wise solutions.

The author introduces us to this new field of study, with fascinating examples. It is very readable and thought provoking.

無事に早く届いてきました。 品物の状況も申し分ないです。

A real good book,amazingly interesting.Really gets you thinking

Assez passionnant à lire quand-même.. mais au fur et à mesure de la lecture je me suis un peu lassée et me suis mise à douter de l'intérêt du sujet (à part pour se faire peur). Mais peut-être que je préfère être dans une forme de déni ?

veramente un libro stupendo! me lo sono divorato! una panoramica veramente completa e competente di quello che è un tema molto particolare, talvolta scomodo...ma vero!

Chegou como acordado.