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The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age 2nd Edition, Kindle Edition

by Elkhonon Goldberg (Author), Alvaro Fernandez (Author), Pascale Michelon (Author), Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 232 ratings
Modern life places extraordinary demands on our brains. Not only do we live longer than ever before, but we must constantly adapt to complex and rapidly evolving personal and professional realities. Yet, we often ignore our most precious resource to do so: our brain.

The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness cuts through the clutter of misconceptions, superficial and conflicting media coverage, and aggressive marketing claims, to help readers discover what really works, and what doesn’t, to improve brain health and performance at any age, to delay or prevent cognitive decline, and become smarter consumers of both media coverage and scientific research in the process.

With useful, pragmatic and personalized tips and suggestions that are easy to implement, the SharpBrains Guide offers a groundbreaking new approach for self-assessing current brain fitness needs and identifying the most relevant and evidence-based methods to preserve and enhance brain function throughout life. Whether your goal is to become more resilient, enhance memory, ward off Alzheimer’s disease, or simply improve mental focus to perform better at work, this how-to guide shows you exactly how to “use it or lose it.”

This new and much-expanded edition of the guide AARP named a Best Book on Brain Fitness combines a user-friendly tutorial on how the brain works with advice on how to choose and integrate lifestyle changes and research-based brain training. Featuring an independent analysis of hundreds of scientific studies published in the last 10 years, the book also includes in-depth interviews with 20 leading scientists who often challenge conventional wisdom and prevailing brain health thinking and care.

A thought-provoking, practical and captivating read, the SharpBrains Guide makes the fascinating and complex subject of brain function and neuroplasticity easy to digest with its common sense approach. It’s time to rethink, and to truly apply, “use it or lose it.”

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

"One of those books you cannot ignore. Insightful, to the point, actionable. A book for leaders, innovators, thought provokers and everyone who wants to act and live smarter and healthier, based on latest neuroscience." —Dr. Tobias Kiefer, Director Global Learning & Development, Booz & Company

"A great start for making sense new brain science and for taking active steps towards smart health, at the individual level, and Smart Health, at the societal level." —Misha Pavel, PhD, Program Director for the National Science Foundation’s Smart Health and Wellbeing Program

"This is the book you need to begin to think differently about your brain and actively embrace the exciting and promising reality that your brain’s health is the cause of the century." —Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, Founder and Chief Director, UT-Dallas' Center for BrainHealth

“An essential reference on the field of brain fitness, neuroplasticity and cognitive health” —Walter Jessen, PhD, founder and editor, Highlight Health

“Recognized by AARP as one of the best and most comprehensive source of information, this book manages to remain open minded yet adequately critical at the same–a good model for all sharp minds to follow and benefit from.” —Dr. Peter Whitehouse, Professor of Neurology at Case Western Reserve University

“A much-needed resource to help us better understand our brains and minds and how to nourish them through life.“ —Susan E. Hoffman, Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC Berkeley
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  1. ISBN-10
    9780982362990
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0982362990
  3. Edition
    2nd
  4. Publication date
    September 22, 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    3.7 MB
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

"Using charts, draw­ings, and up-to-date scien­tific stud­ies, they present the case that any brain, at any age, can change for the better...The authors sug­gest myr­iad activ­i­ties to help the process along...(This is) A stim­u­lat­ing, chal­leng­ing resource, full of solid infor­ma­tion and prac­ti­cal tips for improv­ing brain health." *– Kirkus Reviews*

Review

"Your brain is your most pre­cious asset, and it is wise to invest in it," the authors write. Using charts, draw­ings, and up-to-date sci­en­tific stud­ies, they present the case that any brain, at any age, can change for the better...The authors sug­gest myr­iad activ­i­ties to help the process along...(This is) A stim­u­lat­ing, chal­leng­ing resource, full of solid infor­ma­tion and prac­ti­cal tips for improv­ing brain health." -Kirkus Reviews

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CFQXKXG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SharpBrains, Inc; 2nd edition (September 22, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 22, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 285 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 232 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Elkhonon Goldberg

    Elkhonon Goldberg

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    Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., ABPP is a cognitive neuroscientist, a practicing neuropsychologist, and an educator who lectures worldwide. He is Director of Luria Neuroscience Institute, Clinical Professor of Neurology at NYU School of Medicine, and Diplomate of The American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Neuropsychology. Goldberg authored research papers on cortical organization, hemispheric specialization, frontal lobes, memory, traumatic brain injury, dementias, schizophrenia, and other topics. Goldberg’s books The Executive Brain (2001), The Wisdom Paradox (2005), and The New Executive Brain (2009) have been published in 19 languages. His recent books are Executive Functions in Health and Disease (2017) and Creativity: The Human Brain in the Age of Innovation (2018). He coauthored The SharpBrains Guide to Cognitive Fitness (2013) and is the Chief Scientific Adviser of www.sharpbrains.com. Goldberg is a recipient of The Copernicus Prize for “contributions to interdisciplinary dialogue between neurosciences and neuropsychology,” and The Tempos Hominis medal “for international medical sciences education.” He is a foreign member of The Venetian Institute of Science, Literature and Arts. Goldberg’s practice of neuropsychology involves a broad range of clinical and forensic cases.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Alvaro Fernandez

    Alvaro Fernandez

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Alvaro Fernandez runs SharpBrains.com, a leading market research firm tracking health and well-being applications of brain science. Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, he has been quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and more. Alvaro considers himself a "learning microorganism," and loves public speaking. He received masters in education and business from Stanford University, and teaches at UC-Berkeley Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. A native of Spain, he now lives in Washington, DC with his wife and young daughter.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
232 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides a thorough understanding of how the brain works and practical strategies for improving brain health. They find it easy to read and understand, with a useful summary of key ideas at the end. The chapters on stress management, meditation, and exercise are appreciated. Readers consider the book a worthwhile investment and recommend it to anyone interested in improving their brain's health. They also mention that staying fit is good for the body and brain.

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Information qualityReadabilityStress managementValue for moneyFitness levelMaterial quality
76 customers mention "Information quality"69 positive7 negative

Customers find the book informative and helpful for improving brain health through lifestyle strategies. They appreciate the clear explanation of how the brain works and the practical guide for implementing it. The lists at the end provide useful summaries of key ideas. The content is well-researched and easy to understand, making it valuable for workshops and presentations.

"...highlights the complementary nature of both physical and mental exercise in stimulating, understanding and improving cognitive performance; and then..." Read more

"...The breakdown of what is helpful and what isn't helped me feel like at least I have some control rather than trying to keep up with the latest..." Read more

"...three primary aspects of 'brain fitness' including: promoting growth of neurons ("neurogenesis"), enhancing the connections between neurons..." Read more

"...55 Brain Fitness Facts, the chapters on Managing Stress, Cross-training your Brain, and How to be your own Brain Fitness Coach particularly useful...." Read more

41 customers mention "Readability"41 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. It provides a thorough yet accessible overview of the most current research. They appreciate the clear ideas, studies, and techniques explained in simple terms. The book offers insights, practical tips, and glimpses into brain fitness. Overall, readers find it refreshing and comprehensive.

"...Without a doubt in my mind, I find this guide to be one of the clearest and most relatable texts I have read to date on the emerging, and constantly..." Read more

"...Another book that I found very enjoyable and informative on the topic of understanding your own individual brain and maximizing its effectiveness..." Read more

"...Cognitive skills are much more detailed. This book is very user friendly so if you are looking just for your own health or someone you know with..." Read more

"...This is a wonderful book that would be useful to both professionals in the field as well as individuals with an interest in improving their own..." Read more

15 customers mention "Stress management"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for managing stress. They mention diet, sleep, exercise, meditation, and mental challenges as ways to reduce stress. The chapters on Managing Stress, Cross-training your Brain, Emotional Self-Regulation, and working memory games are mentioned. Readers also mention yoga helps boost memory and prevent dementia. Overall, the book is well organized, sympathetic, and clear.

"...Oh, the people you'll meet (Benefits of social engagement) 7. Manage stress, build resilience 8. Cross-train your brain; and finally,..." Read more

"...so this has been another incentive to pick it back up- yoga is a meditative practice and that helps to boost memory and cognition...." Read more

"...A large number of topics are discussed including exercise, sleep, stress reduction, lifelong intellectual enrichment, computerized brain training..." Read more

"...I found the Appendix with 55 Brain Fitness Facts, the chapters on Managing Stress, Cross-training your Brain, and How to be your own Brain Fitness..." Read more

7 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a worthwhile investment and recommend it for anyone interested in improving their brains. They say the results are worth the effort.

"...A most worthwhile investment. I will wholeheartedly recommend to colleagues and friends." Read more

"...If you asked me for a worthy investment of time and money - well, this is it." Read more

"...of each chapter with notables in the field is, by itself worth the price of admission. Thirdly, the book is well-referenced with a useful glossary...." Read more

"...employed most of these methods, I can attest that the results are worth the effort." Read more

5 customers mention "Fitness level"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's fitness level. They say it helps with stress management, physical exercise, and mental stimulation. They mention improving brain function, staying in shape, and having fun. What's good for the body is good for the brain.

"...The book also ties brain fitness to good physical and nutritional fitness, which means you're probably already doing some of the brain fitness..." Read more

"...The book talks about the wide range of brain fitness, diet, sleep, exercise, reducing stress through meditation and mental challenges being..." Read more

"...I am improving my brain function, staying in fitness shape, and having fun. Who wouldn't want that?..." Read more

"...to keep my brain fit, integrating the five key aspects: Food, physical exercise, mental exercise, social relationships and stress management...." Read more

5 customers mention "Material quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides serious and well-presented material on longevity management. They appreciate the informative interviews and consider it as a valuable resource for brain health at any age.

"...guidelines for keeping your own brain well-nourished and robust at any age...." Read more

"...topics, or use it as a very sophisticated self-help book that's solid and accurate, with no fluff or filler...." Read more

"...Longevity management, much like wealth management of any other kind, requires forethought and foresight, an action plan and an understanding of how..." Read more

"...The material is well presented and the interviews are informative...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Mel van Deventer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering, interesting & refreshing - a no nonsense approach to brain health.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    With the growing occurrence of degenerative brain conditions in modern society, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, comes an increased awareness and interest from people of all ages, in the preventative tools available to help slow the ageing process and improve general brain health and cognitive function. This book takes a no nonsense approach to the topic, offering a truly refreshing outlook on brain health and empowering readers with both the skills and knowledge needed to assess and improve their own brain performance.

    I have to admit I laughed when I first read the statement, "Brain fitness...much more than crossword puzzles and blueberries", but in actual fact it isn't a laughing matter. It is this very statement, I believe, that best highlights the feeling so many of us have about the meaning of brain health and fitness - confusion.

    All too often this confusion is caused by media entities trying to benefit from a selling headline, but this text casts out the would be profiteers and looks in-depth at the scientific research and studies - studies that have uncovered many interesting aspects about how the brain functions and the importance that neuroplasticity has throughout life. It also highlights the complementary nature of both physical and mental exercise in stimulating, understanding and improving cognitive performance; and then presents this information in an easy-to-understand manner for audiences of all ages and levels to enjoy, learn and adapt from themselves.

    The topics covered are divided into nine easy-to-follow chapters (listed below), with the content of each growing on knowledge obtained in the previous.
    1. Start with the brain in mind
    2. Be a coach, not a patient
    3. Mens sana in corpore sano (A healthy mind in a healthy body)
    4. You are what you eat and drink (to a point)
    5. Oh, the places you'll go (Structural benefits of mental change)
    6. Oh, the people you'll meet (Benefits of social engagement)
    7. Manage stress, build resilience
    8. Cross-train your brain; and finally,
    9. How to be your own brain fitness coach

    Personally, coming from a family that recently discovered the effects of Alzheimer's first hand, I jumped at the chance to read The SharpBrains Guide. Like so many other individuals and families in similar situations, I was hungry for knowledge, and I wanted more than the surface 'facts' the ongoing media coverage was providing me - I wanted facts and research studies that I could understand and put to use in my everyday life. One of the simplest learnings I have taken away from reading this text is the definition of neuroplasticity - which the guide defines as "rewiring the brain through experience". I have a lot of experience, both positive and negative with this subject, but I plan to draw upon my own experiences, focusing on improving and better understanding my own neuroplasticity, so that I may help others around me to also improve their cognitive understanding and brain fitness.

    Without a doubt in my mind, I find this guide to be one of the clearest and most relatable texts I have read to date on the emerging, and constantly evolving subject of neuroplasticity; and taking a 'use it or lose it' approach, it drives home the ultimate message to all readers, even if you only choose to read snippets - that "brain fitness matters for life, and throughout life". I would recommend this book to my family, friends and colleagues 100%.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Jennifer H. Yarrington
    4.0 out of 5 stars Brain Fitness Turned on its....Head
    Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    My mother died from complications of dementia. So did my best friend's dad. I have a dear friend with a (mild) TBI and I thought this was something we had to accept as part of life as we age or if you have head trauma- unlucky you. The book helped me understand that it doesn't have to be that way. There are things we can do every day to improve out memories and keep dementia at bay, and improve brain function even after an injury. I was happy to discover I was already doing some of the "right things": Moderate alcohol consumption, (yay! Red Wine!) a, a regular aerobic exercise at least a few days a week, a consistant sleep schedule.

    The book was laid out in such a way that you could skip around if there was a particular topic that you want to focus on or readable cover to cover. I confess, I skimmed over some of the interviews.

    Phew- no need to waste my money on supplements that have no benefit. I love yoga and my practice has fallen away in the last few years, so this has been another incentive to pick it back up- yoga is a meditative practice and that helps to boost memory and cognition. Other sggestions from the authors: I work at home so I could use more face- to face social interaction. My work requires analysis and is challenging and full of variety so that is another advantage. The breakdown of what is helpful and what isn't helped me feel like at least I have some control rather than trying to keep up with the latest headline touting this or that latest finding or "cure". I may still have issues with dementia later in life, just hoping that if I do as many of the right things as possible I can postpone/minimize the effects for as long as possible.

    Overall I enjoyed and recommend it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • GirlScoutDad
    5.0 out of 5 stars Your Brain Will Thank You for Reading this Book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a readable and thought-provoking introduction to the field of "brain training" or more broadly "brain fitness." The authors clear away a number of misconceptions about brain fitness, and provide thoughtful guidelines for keeping your own brain well-nourished and robust at any age.

    They identify three primary aspects of 'brain fitness' including: promoting growth of neurons ("neurogenesis"), enhancing the connections between neurons ("neuroplasticity"), and keeping the brain active to stave off the harmful effects of aging or disease (building "cognitive reserve"). They also identify other factors in brain health including nutrition, oxidative damage and how to minimize it, and maintaining vascular health. The main body of the book consists of short chapters on activities or lifestyle changes that the reader can adopt to promote all these areas of brain fitness. A large number of topics are discussed including exercise, sleep, stress reduction, lifelong intellectual enrichment, computerized brain training programs, endeavors that involve novelty, variety, and challenge, the Mediterranean diet, supplements, social engagement, and meditation. Overall, an excellent - detailed yet readable - overview of how to optimize your brain health.

    I also enjoyed the authors' debunking of a number of common misconceptions about brain fitness, including the idea that taking Gingko Biloba and doing a daily crossword puzzle will stave off Alzheimer's disease. Turns out that to develop the "cognitive reserve" that preserves brain function, you need novelty and a variety of challenges because that's what prompts the brain to create new synaptic connections ("neuroplasticity"); there is little gain in terms of increased brain fitness to doing your one millionth crossword puzzle, for example.

    Finally, the authors do a great service to readers by emphasizing throughout that different people have differing needs and priorities according to age and life circumstances, so everyone's brain fitness program should be somewhat individualized. Consider: an elderly person wanting to preserve "working memory" and processing speed; an adolescent diagnosed with ADHD; an adult in mid-life coping with an overload of stressful demands. All these individuals have different priorities and the authors suggest individualized strategies for brain fitness.

    A major plus of this book is that the authors are careful not to make claims unwarranted by the current state of research. They are not trying to sell you a dietary supplement or computer program and therefore they come off as unbiased in their recommendations. They also include interviews with brain experts at the end of each chapter; these interviews help to reveal the extraordinary breadth and scope of current brain fitness research. Another book that I found very enjoyable and informative on the topic of understanding your own individual brain and maximizing its effectiveness is David Rock's "Your Brain at Work."
    11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • KKD
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
    Reviewed in France on May 24, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Well rounded source of information on brain fitness
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  • Antonio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro interessante per chi vuole migliorare la propria mente
    Reviewed in Italy on April 30, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Testo interessante per chi ama il miglioramento della propria mente.
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  • Brian Gibb
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Those With an Interest in Brain Fitness
    Reviewed in Canada on May 22, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Having bought several other books on the subject, I find that the Sharp Brains Guide gives an excellent overview of the subject. After each chapter, there are transcripts of interviews with subject matter experts that are very informative. For anyone not familiar with the subject, this easy to read book is the place to start.
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  • Ramon Bartomeus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Información básica para entender la vida
    Reviewed in Spain on April 8, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    El libro proporciona de forma ordenada y fácil de comprender los últimos avances científicos sobre el cerebro, de forma que cualquier persona interesada puede mejorar significativamente sus hábitos para obtener una vida más plena.
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  • Molly Maisie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I downloaded this book onto my kindle because it gives me the opportunity to highlight key issues. This has proved excellent since there are so many interesting and relevant points to explore by reading again and again.

    An invaluable read which focuses on the mind and the body which is explained in a fairly straightforward way.
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