Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones

by Allen D. Bragdon and David Gamon

Book Overview

This revised edition of Building Mental Muscle distills the most recent findings in brain research into accessible mini-reports from the frontlines of cognitive science. With the aid of fun exercises... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802776698
• ISBN13: 9780802776693
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Recommended

Medical professionals and also anyone interested in the brain/intelligence will certainly benefit from this book. For the beginner, it is an invaluable starting point to a lifestyle, if one so chooses to undertake it, of "neuro-fitness". It is also just an interesting book to read, with medical terms that may get heavy, but are explained in full for the laymen. For the professional, it is an interesting layout of research and ideas which may apply to better yourself, your children, or maybe even your patients, if that applies to your field. I am not saying it is the best book of all time, but it is worth the money and a weekend to read and digest it.

Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises by Gamon et.

This is one of the few books on the market which aims to sharpen intellectual skills. The author gives the reader an important portal into how people learn and retain information. For instance, the authors teach us how to learn by excluding all other information from consideration while in deep concentration. Protein synthesis occurs with long term learning wherein events may be emotionally charged in order to retain them permanently. The conscious recognition of facts is different from the unconscious recognition of facts. Memory may sharpen with practice and by association with key words/phrases or attributes. For instance, associate Mr. Green's green shirt with Mr. Green. Sometimes name recollection can have associative aspects. The work even has religious sayings. For instance, Proverbs 17:22 states that " A cheerful head is good medicine. " This book won't make you smarter; however, it will assist in utilizing your intelligence in a more organized/rational manner. The author's presentation can benefit by organizing study sessions rationally so that material can be recalled by a simple collection of associations.

Enlightening and Motivational

I had one main motivation for getting your book. To recapture my learning power! My second motivation was to understand why it needed to be recaptured.Not only did I want to gain back my "Mental Muscle", but I wanted to understand why and how my learning capacity diminished in a few short years. I also wanted to understand preventative measures. And I wanted this information backed by research. So you see, your book was a perfect match.The book is more entertaining than I anticipated! That has been the biggest surprise- it's fun. The mix of puzzles, exercises, research studies and explanations is like a song with an interesting and varied melody. It never stays in one place long enough to tire of it. Also, the information on how the brain functions (how it can become more/less powerful) was exactly what I wanted to know. Things like how the Hippocampus routes and retrieves data, how stress interferes with memory and how exercise helps the retention of mental function not only enlighten, but serve as positive motivation that the brain can be made strong again. Probably my favorite parts are those that explain the underlying logic needed to work through and solve the exercises. Like in the "Familial Dilemma" exercises.As you can tell, I feel you have written a fine book and I am excited to see how my learning will be impacted. (bangonrecords.com -Music Production for film and television)

Wow!

What a great book. I really enjoyed reading "Building Mental Muscle." When I decided that I wanted to study whole brain thinking, I spent over $1,300 on books and yours was exaclty what I was looking for-among the very best. Congratulations!

Now I have a way to exercise my brain as well as my body!

I've always felt it was important to take care of my body...with good food and exercise. After having read this book I realize that I have been taking my brain for granted. Building Mental Muscle has made be aware of the necessity for improving mental performance. The exercises are fun and informative. It's worth the read.