LEONARD MLODINOW’s previous books include the best sellers Subliminal (winner of the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award), The Drunkard’s Walk (a New York Times Notable Book), War of the Worldviews (with Deepak Chopra), and The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking), as well as The Upright Thinkers, Feynman’s Rainbow, and Euclid’s Window. He also wrote for the television series MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change
Hardcover
$28.95
- ISBN-13: 9781101870921
- Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Publication date: 03/20/2018
- Pages: 272
- Sales rank: 432,083
- Product dimensions: 6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.75(d)
Eligible for FREE SHIPPING details
.
28.95
Out Of Stock
From the best-selling author of Subliminal and The Drunkard's Walk, a groundbreaking new look at the neuroscience of change, and at how tapping into elastic thinking will help us thrive in the modern world.
Drawing on cutting-edge research, Leonard Mlodinow takes us on an illuminating journey through the mechanics of our minds as we navigate the rapidly changing landscapes around us. Out of the exploratory instincts that allowed our ancestors to prosper hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans developed a cognitive style that Mlodinow terms elastic thinking, a unique set of talents that include neophilia (an affinity for novelty), schizotypy (a tendency toward unusual perception), imagination and idea generation, and divergent and integrative thinking. These are the qualities that enabled innovators from Mary Shelley to Miles Davis, from the inventor of jumbo-sized popcorn to the creators of Pokémon Go, to effect paradigm shifts in our culture and society. In our age of unprecedented technological innovation and social change, it is more important than ever to encourage these abilities and traits.
How can we train our brains to be more comfortable when confronting change and more adept at innovation? How do our brains generate new ideas, and how can we nurture that process? Why can diversity and even discord be beneficial to our thought process? With his keen acumen and quick wit, Leonard Mlodinow gives us the essential tools to harness the power of elastic thinking in an endlessly dynamic world.
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
-
- Euclid's Window: The Story…
- by Leonard Mlodinow
-
- The Elegant Universe:…
- by Brian Greene
-
- How to Create a Mind: The…
- by Ray Kurzweil
-
- To Explain the World: The…
- by Steven Weinberg
-
- Inventions, Researches, and…
- by Thomas Commerford Martin
-
- Consciousness and the Brain:…
- by Stanislas Dehaene
-
- Mental Biology: The New…
- by W.R. Klemm
-
- Wonderful Life with the…
- by Bunpei Yorifuji
-
- Why We Make Mistakes: How We…
- by Joseph T. Hallinan
-
- The Knowledge: How to Rebuild…
- by Lewis Dartnell
-
- Surfaces and Essences: Analogy…
- by Douglas HofstadterEmmanuel Sander
-
- Stuff Matters: Exploring the…
- by Mark MiodownikAimee Clark
Recently Viewed
From the Publisher
Leonard Mlodinow will make you smarter.”—Seth MacFarlane
“Ingenious . . . top-quality popular neuroscience.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Timely and engrossing. Elastic is a fascinating exploration of one of the most important topics: how the human mind deals with change. If you liked Subliminal, you’ll love Elastic.”
—Charles Duhigg, author of the best sellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
“It’s easy to describe the dizzying changes in our midst—from the gushers of information that wash over us to a world grown ever more interconnected. Far harder is to offer guidance on how we should respond. In this wise and persuasive book, Leonard Mlodinow calls for a change in the very way we think. Using a deft mix of science and storytelling, he shows the limits of linear thinking and the promise of ‘bottom up’ thinking that embraces ambiguity, asks the shrewd questions, and pursues novel answers to complex problems. Elastic is a book that will help you survive the whirlwind.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of WHEN and A WHOLE NEW MIND
"A fascinating, useful look into how the brain works. Perfect for neophiliacs and everyone else who's dealing with a changing world.”
—Seth Godin, author of Footprints on the Moon
“In a world in which advancing technologies, omnipresent social media, and fiery political landscapes can make us feel helpless and paralyzed, Mlodinow shows us how our most human traits, such as novelty seeking and free-range imagination, have uniquely prepared us to thrive in an increasingly complex and ever-changing world. Most important, in the groundbreaking book he shows us how to make the best use of our most basic human talents to find true happiness and success.”
—Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology, Harvard University, and author of the New York Times best seller Super Brain
“A book of sparkling intelligence, written with humor and grace. If you read only one book of accessible science this year, let this be the one.”
—Mark Williams, author of Mindfulness, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford
Kirkus Review
2017-12-24With the world changing so rapidly, our thinking must change as well. This ingenious account by bestselling science writer Mlodinow (Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior, 2012, etc.) describes how we think and how we might do it better.Business writers often argue that humans hate change. What they actually hate, the author insists, are the painful consequences often associated with change—e.g., getting fired. In their absence, we love change and actively seek it. According to one expert in evolutionary anthropology, "we [humans] jump borders. We push into new territory even when we have resources where we are. Other animals don't do this." This "neophilia" confronts us with new problems, but humans are superb problem-solvers. Mostly, we solve them through analytical thinking, a top-down, step-by-step approach based on facts or reason. This works fine in most cases, and it is also how higher animals and computers work, but true creativity requires what Mlodinow calls elastic thinking. Nonlinear, operating largely in the unconscious, and more emotion driven, it's a bottom-up process that considers unusual and even bizarre ideas, resulting in genuine creativity essential in art and business and, increasingly, in our personal lives. Mixing a century of psychology and brain research with descriptions of fascinating cutting-edge technology and anecdotes from his own life, the author delivers the latest findings on how the brain takes in, processes, filters, and—if we apply a few techniques—improves on the perceptions that pour in. As he writes, "the world today is a moving target," and we must be better prepared as a result.Readers looking for advice on business success or personal growth will find pearls of wisdom, but this is not Mlodinow's focus. He sticks firmly to a few ideas already showing their age (that computers will never be truly intelligent), but mostly this is top-quality popular neuroscience.
Library Journal
★ 02/01/2018Incorporating the most recent developments in psychology and neuroscience, award-winning science writer Mlodinow (Subliminal; The Drunkard's Walk) elucidates how the human mind evolved a cognitive style he names "elastic thinking." This assembly of characteristics and skills includes an affinity for novelty and imagination, a tendency toward unusual perception, and divergent and integrative thinking. Using examples of innovators from Frankenstein author Mary Shelley to the inventor of jumbo-sized popcorn, Mlodinow explains how elastic thinking can create paradigm shifts and how analytical thinking can serve to resist such shifts. He argues that as the pace of change in society increases, the qualities of elastic thinking will be required for success in business and life. In addition to the varied examples of elastic thinking, Mlodinow offers quizzes and techniques to get the reader started. VERDICT With elements of self-help and business writing and including entertaining anecdotes and turns of phrase, this fantastically accessible science writing about the brain can be enjoyed by anyone. Of particular interest to those wishing to understand how to cope with the pace of change in the modern world.—Nancy H. Fontaine, Norwich P.L., VT