This book bridges the gap between the nearly incomprehensible and narrowly focused technical tomes, and the light fluff that parades around in the popular press. In other words, the target audience is the non-specialist who wants to know how things work, and how to make them work better.

Although any one topic might not be treated in great depth, the references are there so that the interested reader may go to original sources to dive deeper into a particular topic. After all, you can only cover so much material when you are limited to 1000 pages or so.

The 4th edition is listed separately & I also have reviewed the 4th edition. ( )

This book bridges the gap between the nearly incomprehensible and narrowly focused technical tomes, and the light fluff that parades around in the popular press. In other words, the target audience is the non-specialist who wants to know how things work, and how to make them work better.

Although any one topic might not be treated in great depth, the references are there so that the interested reader may go to original sources to dive deeper into a particular topic. After all, you can only cover so much material when you are limited to 1000 pages or so.

The Fourth Edition has 36 chapters. Some of them are very similar to the 3rd edition. Some are new, and there seem to be some that were removed. rather than list all of the chapters, - here are the section headings:
1. Forming a Foundation: The Context for Using Your Owner’s Manual
2. From the Cradle to the Grave . . . with a Turbulent Stop at Adolescence
3. Wellness: Getting the Most Out of Every Day
4. Learning: The Brain as Student
5. Creativity and Problem Solving: Making Mountains Out of Hills
6. Closing with a Prayer: A Peek at States of Consciousness

Section Five. Creativity and Problem Solving: Making Mountains Out of Hills
24 Getting to New You: The Psychobiology of Creativity
25 Chipping Off the Old Block: Removing Barriers to Creativity
26 Creating Leverage: Brain-Based Decision Making
27 Neuromarketing: Brain-Based Selling and Influencing


Section 6 is perhaps the most interesting because it sums up what we have been working toward with all that background material.
Chapters in Section 6 are::
29. Getting Smart about IQ: The Many Ways to Be Intelligent
30 The Big Five: At Last, a Universal Language for Personality Traits
31 EQ, Call Home: Getting Savvy about Your Emotional Side
32 Violence and Aggression: Running Hot and Cold in a Global Society
33 Stress and Burnout: The Unrelenting Fire Alarm
34 Happiness: The False God If I’m Not Naturally Happy, What’s in It (i.e., Life) for Me?
35 States of Consciousness: Phases of the Mind
36 Updating Your Owner’s Manual: The Continuing Search for New Mind-Body Applications

And of course, a slew of appendix matter. ( )

Well, it's a 1000 page book on how to operate your brain, so I went right to the heart of the matter, Topic 6.10: "sex and longevity". In a study of 918 men aged 45 to 59, more sex correlated with longer life. In order to hedge your bets longevity-wise, the book suggests, don't go looking for more mates or browbeat your partner into increasing frequency; " simply take things in hand".

Doctor Howard has gone through a great deal of relevant material to produce this book. He sifts through the material and finds the little tidbits that most apply to certain situations. The book is organized in such a manner that it is easy to find the information you desire.

It is split into seven parts that are further subdivided into chapters. Let's say you want to read something on the aging brain, particularly on memory and how that is affected. You would go to part 2 chapter 6 section 8, which is called Memory and Aging. Depending on the depth of the subject, it could be anywhere from a paragraph to an entire series of pages. Following the preliminary information is a series of applicable suggestions. Some of them are obviously designed for people that are building classrooms or other types of environment, and that doesn't really relate to me. However, it was quite interesting to learn about the different things that affect learning.

It is hard to think of any part of brain science that Dr. Howard has not covered in this tome. The bibliography alone is 28 pages in length, and he frequently mentions outside sources that one can refer to. This is a marvelously well-done book. ( )