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Out of Your Mind

The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain

Author Jorge Cham, Dwayne Godwin
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Hardcover
$28.00 US
Knopf | Pantheon
On sale Jan 28, 2025 | 368 Pages | 9780593317358
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From the creator of WE HAVE NO IDEA, an introductory journey into your own mind—if your inner voice had a Ph.D. in brain science, cracked jokes, and drew cartoons.

Why do you love? Why do you lie? What makes you happy? Every single thought you have comes from one place: your brain. But what makes it tick? How much of it have we decoded, and how much of it remains an impenetrable mystery?

Join best-selling author and online cartoonist Jorge Cham and neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin on a deep dive into the fascinating world of the human brain, in which they will explore questions such as: What is consciousness? Where is you in the brain? And do we have free will? All while illuminating everything we know (and DON’T know) about one of the most complex objects in the known universe. Think of it as conversation-ammunition for your next cocktail party, or a quick fascinating read while you’re in the bathroom (don’t worry, the chapters aren’t that long). Centered around questions we all ask ourselves at some point but don’t usually have answers to, Out of Your Mind is an illustrated book about the brain that isn’t too brainy. Playful, accessible, and deeply insightful, it’s the one brain book that’s truly accessible and suitable for all brains.
A Mindful Introduction 3
1 Where Is the Mind? 7
2 Why Do We Love? 31
3 Why Do We Hate? 57
—Comic Interlude: A Primer on Fear— 83
4 Will an AI Take My Job? 87
5 What Are the Limits of Memory? 111
—Comic Interlude: A Primer on Alzheimer’s Disease— 143
6 What Is Addiction? 147
—Comic Interlude: The Case of the Addicted Detective— 175
7 What Is Consciousness? 179
8 What Makes Us Happy? 207
9 Do We Have Free Will? 243
—Comic Interlude: What Makes Something Funny?— 275
10 What Happens When We Die? 285
11 What Makes Us Human? 309
A Brainy Conclusion 335
Acknowledgments 341
For Further Exploration 343
© Michael Hall
Jorge Cham is the Daytime Emmy-nominated and best-selling cartoonist creator of the popular online comic strip “Piled Higher and Deeper” (known as PHD Comics - phdcomics.com). He is the co-creator, Executive Producer and Creative Director of “Elinor Wonders Why,” one of the highest-rated animated shows on PBS Kids, and the co-author of two popular science books: the best-selling and award-winning We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe and Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe, as well as the children’s book Oliver’s Great Big Universe. Jorge is also the co-host and co-creator of “Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe” a popular podcast and radio show. He obtained his Ph.D. in robotics from Stanford University and was an Instructor and Research Associate at Caltech from 2003-2005. He is originally from Panama. View titles by Jorge Cham
© Samantha Godwin
Dwayne Godwin is a neuroscientist, an educator, and an academic leader who is a professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience and served as graduate dean at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His research centers on the cellular basis of abnormal brain rhythms, including active projects on calcium channel function, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. His goal is to use emerging insights about the brain to develop treatments and potential cures for neurological diseases. His science outreach includes Mind in Pictures, cocreated with Jorge Cham for Scientific American Mind, as well as blogs for the Society for Neuroscience and the Museum of the Moving Image. View titles by Dwayne Godwin

About

From the creator of WE HAVE NO IDEA, an introductory journey into your own mind—if your inner voice had a Ph.D. in brain science, cracked jokes, and drew cartoons.

Why do you love? Why do you lie? What makes you happy? Every single thought you have comes from one place: your brain. But what makes it tick? How much of it have we decoded, and how much of it remains an impenetrable mystery?

Join best-selling author and online cartoonist Jorge Cham and neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin on a deep dive into the fascinating world of the human brain, in which they will explore questions such as: What is consciousness? Where is you in the brain? And do we have free will? All while illuminating everything we know (and DON’T know) about one of the most complex objects in the known universe. Think of it as conversation-ammunition for your next cocktail party, or a quick fascinating read while you’re in the bathroom (don’t worry, the chapters aren’t that long). Centered around questions we all ask ourselves at some point but don’t usually have answers to, Out of Your Mind is an illustrated book about the brain that isn’t too brainy. Playful, accessible, and deeply insightful, it’s the one brain book that’s truly accessible and suitable for all brains.

Table of Contents

A Mindful Introduction 3
1 Where Is the Mind? 7
2 Why Do We Love? 31
3 Why Do We Hate? 57
—Comic Interlude: A Primer on Fear— 83
4 Will an AI Take My Job? 87
5 What Are the Limits of Memory? 111
—Comic Interlude: A Primer on Alzheimer’s Disease— 143
6 What Is Addiction? 147
—Comic Interlude: The Case of the Addicted Detective— 175
7 What Is Consciousness? 179
8 What Makes Us Happy? 207
9 Do We Have Free Will? 243
—Comic Interlude: What Makes Something Funny?— 275
10 What Happens When We Die? 285
11 What Makes Us Human? 309
A Brainy Conclusion 335
Acknowledgments 341
For Further Exploration 343

Author

© Michael Hall
Jorge Cham is the Daytime Emmy-nominated and best-selling cartoonist creator of the popular online comic strip “Piled Higher and Deeper” (known as PHD Comics - phdcomics.com). He is the co-creator, Executive Producer and Creative Director of “Elinor Wonders Why,” one of the highest-rated animated shows on PBS Kids, and the co-author of two popular science books: the best-selling and award-winning We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe and Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe, as well as the children’s book Oliver’s Great Big Universe. Jorge is also the co-host and co-creator of “Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe” a popular podcast and radio show. He obtained his Ph.D. in robotics from Stanford University and was an Instructor and Research Associate at Caltech from 2003-2005. He is originally from Panama. View titles by Jorge Cham
© Samantha Godwin
Dwayne Godwin is a neuroscientist, an educator, and an academic leader who is a professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience and served as graduate dean at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His research centers on the cellular basis of abnormal brain rhythms, including active projects on calcium channel function, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. His goal is to use emerging insights about the brain to develop treatments and potential cures for neurological diseases. His science outreach includes Mind in Pictures, cocreated with Jorge Cham for Scientific American Mind, as well as blogs for the Society for Neuroscience and the Museum of the Moving Image. View titles by Dwayne Godwin

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