Maximum Brainpower

Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom

Shlomo Breznitz and Collins Hemingway (View Bio)
Hardcover: Ballantine Books, 2012.

We all understand the importance of daily exercise in keeping physically fit. But mental exercise is just as essential to our health and well-being—especially when it comes to defending against forgetfulness, memory loss, and even dementia. These and other age-associated afflictions were once regarded as all but inevitable, but in fact, as this eye-opening, inspiring book shows, there is much we can do to protect ourselves as we grow older. With the right tools, we can all maximize our brainpower and keep our minds sharp, healthy, and cognitively fit throughout life.

Written by internationally renowned cognitive psychologist Shlomo Breznitz and technologist Collins Hemingway, Maximum Brainpower provides both an in-depth look at how the brain works and proven methods to increase its capabilities. Armed with the results of cutting-edge research, Breznitz and Hemingway champion in compelling detail the challenge and stimulus of continual change over the deadening effects of comfortable routine. They show how to separate good mental stress from bad, and demonstrate how hope and socialization can help delay or even fight off the worst symptoms of dementia.

Did you know that experts are often less mentally agile than jacks-of-all-trades? That mental exercises such as crossword puzzles and sudoku are of minimal help in building brainpower? That multitasking poses unique dangers to the brain by presenting us with an environment in which we never evolved enough to thrive? Breznitz knows—and what’s more, he knows what to do about it.

Filled with colorful real-life stories and fascinating psychological experiments, many published here for the first time, this revelatory work will help adults of any age build and retain their mental acuity.

"An internationally recognized authority on the relationship between stress and mental functioning explores how the same mechanisms that lay the basis for human creativity and expertise can also set us up for cognitive stagnation. Cognitive psychologist Breznitz suggests that ‘our unique ability to find solutions buried in our experience is a hallmark of human creativity,’ yet to be matched by any computer. It is the basis of an expert’s rapid intuitive grasp of a situation. But it has a downside as well. With the assistance of Hemingway, Breznitz explains how our major cognitive strength is also a potential weakness, leading us to overlook danger signals or new possibilities and trapping the brain in the ‘tomb of experience.’ Breznitz cites research that demonstrates the proclivity of the brain to take shortcuts—e.g., automatically accepting a solution to a problem based on past experience. In a rapidly changing world, to adapt by unlearning old ways can be critical to survival. Mental rigidity, writes the author, can create a vulnerability for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia later in life. However, this need not be the case. ‘Taxing mental challenges’ are necessary at every stage of our lives. By embracing them, we create cognitive reserves that can slow down mental deterioration even as our brains age. Despite the known problems caused by chronic stress—anxiety, depression, immune disorders, etc.—and despite the fact that any change can be stressful, it is necessary if we are to avoid mental stagnation. Among Breznitz’s recommended activities, reading ranks high. A refreshing look at a well-worked topic." — Kirkus Reviews

"Dr. Breznitz has teamed up with a Hemingway to write a book of depth and clarity about challenging the brain for health and wisdom. I loved this book on many levels, not the least of which is that it is a counterbalance to over-exuberance about automaticity, plasticity, and other components of nouveau cognitive toolkits used in anti-Alzheimer campaigns…. Pick it up and enjoy its discoveries." — PressVision

"Since our minds are at the center of our existence, many of us are petrified of Alzheimer's disease, strokes, and other maladies that impair the functioning of the brain. Breznitz and Hemingway can deliver no ‘magic bullet’ to prevent dementia. But their book does get you thinking about what you can do to develop and maintain your gray matter, build on the plasticity of the brain, and increase the likelihood that you'll live not just a longer but a fuller life." — Glen C. Altschuler, Huffington Post

"We all understand the importance of daily exercise in keeping physically fit. But mental exercise is just as essential to our health and well-being—especially when it comes to defending against forgetfulness, memory loss, and even dementia. These and other age-associated afflictions were once regarded as all but inevitable, but in fact, as this eye-opening, inspiring book shows, there is much we can do to protect ourselves as we grow older. With the right tools, we can all maximize our brainpower and keep our minds sharp, healthy, and cognitively fit throughout life. Written by internationally renowned cognitive psychologist Shlomo Breznitz and technologist Collins Hemingway, MAXIMUM BRAINPOWER provides both an in-depth look at how the brain works and proven methods to increase its capabilities. Armed with the results of cutting-edge research, Breznitz and Hemingway champion in compelling detail the challenge and stimulus of continual change over the deadening effects of comfortable routine. They show how to separate good mental stress from bad, and demonstrate how hope and socialization can help delay or even fight off the worst symptoms of dementia. Did you know that experts are often less mentally agile than jacks-of-all-trades? That mental exercises such as crossword puzzles and sudoku are of minimal help in building brainpower? That multitasking poses unique dangers to the brain by presenting us with an environment in which we never evolved enough to thrive? Breznitz knows—and what’s more, he knows what to do about it. Filled with colorful real-life stories and fascinating psychological experiments, many published here for the first time, this revelatory work will help adults of any age build and retain their mental acuity." — Goodreads.com

"Dr. Shlomo Breznitz is, by virtue of his lifelong ingenuity, a rare combination of scientific creativity and sobriety and decades of research on two of the most important areas of brain research—how to protect the brain from stress and how to develop it through mental exercises—one of the most suitable people on the planet to write this interesting, realistic, practical, clear book on what most people need to do to preserve and maximize their brain capacity. Written with technologist Collins Hemingway, MAXIMUM BRAINPOWER is a wonderfully helpful book, for young and old, on how to keep the brain invigorated and developing into old age. After reading it, you will understand what you must do for your brain, and why you must do it." — Norman Doidge, M.D., author of THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF

"MAXIMUM BRAINPOWER is well written and each page stimulates the reader to read the next. Moreover, the topic itself—the brain and its secret powers—is profound, rich, and enriching. In other words: Because of its forceful suggestions, its analyses, and its wide knowledge, this book is well worth reading. And re-reading." — Elie Wiesel

"Everyone knows the importance of physical fitness; less appreciated is the necessity of cognitive fitness. How do you maintain an exercised, stimulated, flexible brain? Start by reading this book." — David Eagleman, author of INCOGNITO

"Most books about healthy brain maintenance just give you the ‘how’; this one tells you why. And it helps you do it." — Rita Carter, author of MAPPING THE MIND