Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)

The Hidden Brain

By Shankar Vedantam

By Shankar Vedantam

By Shankar Vedantam

By Shankar Vedantam

By Shankar Vedantam
Read by Steve West

By Shankar Vedantam
Read by Steve West

Best Seller

Category: Psychology

Category: Psychology

Category: Psychology | Audiobooks

Paperback $18.00

Aug 31, 2010 | ISBN 9780385525220

Ebook $8.99

Jan 19, 2010 | ISBN 9781588369390

Audiobook Download $20.00

Jan 19, 2010 | 638 Minutes

All Formats
+
    The Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam
    Paperback $18.00
    Aug 31, 2010 | ISBN 9780385525220

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (2) +

    Paperback
    –

    • Paperback $18.00

      Aug 31, 2010 | ISBN 9780385525220

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook
    +

    • Ebook

      Jan 19, 2010 | ISBN 9781588369390

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Audio
    +

    Buy the Audiobook Download:

    About The Hidden Brain

    The hidden brain is the voice in our ear when we make the most important decisions in our lives—but we’re never aware of it. The hidden brain decides whom we fall in love with and whom we hate. It tells us to vote for the white candidate and convict the dark-skinned defendant, to hire the thin woman but pay her less than the man doing the same job. It can direct us to safety when disaster strikes and move us to extraordinary acts of altruism. But it can also be manipulated to turn an ordinary person into a suicide terrorist or a group of bystanders into a mob.

    In a series of compulsively readable narratives, Shankar Vedantam journeys through the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to uncover the darkest corner of our minds and its decisive impact on the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Filled with fascinating characters, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge science, this is an engrossing exploration of the secrets our brains keep from us—and how they are revealed. 

    About The Hidden Brain

    The hidden brain is the voice in our ear when we make the most important decisions in our lives—but we’re never aware of it. The hidden brain decides whom we fall in love with and whom we hate. It tells us to vote for the white candidate and convict the dark-skinned defendant, to hire the thin woman but pay her less than the man doing the same job. It can direct us to safety when disaster strikes and move us to extraordinary acts of altruism. But it can also be manipulated to turn an ordinary person into a suicide terrorist or a group of bystanders into a mob.

    In a series of compulsively readable narratives, Shankar Vedantam journeys through the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to uncover the darkest corner of our minds and its decisive impact on the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Filled with fascinating characters, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge science, this is an engrossing exploration of the secrets our brains keep from us—and how they are revealed.

    About The Hidden Brain

    Most of us would agree that there’s a clear—and even obvious—connection between the things we believe and the way we behave. But what if our actions are driven not by our conscious values and beliefs but by hidden motivations we’re not even aware of?
     
    The “hidden brain” is Shankar Vedantam’s shorthand for a host of brain functions, emotional responses, and cognitive processes that happen outside our conscious awareness but have a decisive effect on how we behave. The hidden brain has its finger on the scale when we make all our most complex and important decisions: It decides whom we fall in love with, whether we should convict someone of murder, and which way to run when someone yells “Fire!” It explains why we can become riveted by the story of a single puppy adrift on the ocean but are quickly bored by a story of genocide. The hidden brain can also be deliberately manipulated to convince people to vote against their own interests, or even become suicide terrorists. But the most disturbing thing is that it does all this without our knowing.
    Shankar Vedantam, author of The Washington Post’s popular “Department of Human Behavior” column, takes us on a tour of this phenomenon and explores its consequences. Using original reporting that combines the latest scientific research with compulsively readable narratives that take readers from the American campaign trail to terrorist indoctrination camps, from the World Trade Center on 9/11 to, yes, a puppy adrift on the Pacific Ocean, Vedantam illuminates the dark recesses of our minds while making an original argument about how we can compensate for our blind spots—and what happens when we don’t.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Listen to a sample from The Hidden Brain

    About Shankar Vedantam

    Shankar Vedantam is NPR’s social science correspondent and the host of the Hidden Brain podcast. He previously worked as a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post, and served as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

    About Shankar Vedantam

    Shankar Vedantam is NPR’s social science correspondent and the host of the Hidden Brain podcast. He previously worked as a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post, and served as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

    About Shankar Vedantam

    Shankar Vedantam is NPR’s social science correspondent and the host of the Hidden Brain podcast. He previously worked as a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post, and served as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

    Product Details

    Category: Psychology

    Paperback | $18.00
    Published by Random House
    Aug 31, 2010 | 288 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780385525220

    Category: Psychology

    Ebook | $8.99
    Published by Random House
    Jan 19, 2010 | 288 Pages | ISBN 9781588369390

    Category: Psychology | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $20.00
    Published by Random House Audio
    Jan 19, 2010 | 638 Minutes | ISBN 9780307715616
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Praise

    “In The Hidden Brain, one of America’s best science journalists describes how our unconscious minds influence everything from criminal trials to charitable giving, from suicide bombers to presidential elections. The Hidden Brain is a smart and engaging exploration of the science behind the headlines—and of the little man behind the screen. Don’t miss it.”—Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness

    “Shankar Vedantam brings his critical eye to a question that has haunted scientists and writers for centuries: Does the unconscious matter, and if so, how? With a light touch, the book takes us through the complicated landscape of research on psychology and human behavior. We come away not only understanding how we act, but Vedantam moves past mainstream economic reasoning to shed light on the relationships we create with each other. The book addresses the madness and beauty of our struggles to create a moral and just world.” —Sudhir Venkatesh,  author of  Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates about Shankar Vedantam
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking “SIGN UP”, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Raise kids who love to read

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

     An online magazine for today’s home cook

    An online magazine for today’s home cook