WeAreOurBrainsANeurobiographyoftheBrain

Avividaccountofwhatmakesushuman.Basedgroundbreakingnewresearch，WeAreOurBrainsisasweepingbiographyofthehumanbrain，frominfancytoadulthoodtooldage.RenownedneuroscientistD.F.Swaabtakesusonaguidedtouroftheintricateinnerworkingsthatdetermineourpotential，ourlimitations，andourdesires，witheachchapterservingasaneye-openingwindowonadifferentstageofbraindevelopment：thegenderdifferencesthatdevelopintheembryonicbrain，whatgoesonintheheadsofadolescents，howparenthoodpermanentlychangesthebrain.Movingbeyondpurebiologicalunderstanding，Swaabpresentsacontroversialandmultilayeredethicalargumentsurroundingthebrain.Farfrompossessingtruefreewill，Swaabargues，wehaveverylittlecontroloveroureverydaydecisions，orwhowewillbecome，becauseourbrainspredetermineeverythingaboutus，longbeforeweareborn，fromourmoralcharactertoourreligiousleaningstowhomwefallinlovewith.Andhechallengesmanyofourprevailingassumptionsaboutwhatmakesushuman，decodingtheintricate“moralnetworks”thatallowustoexperienceemotion，revealingmaternalinstincttobetheresultofhormonalchangesinthepregnantbrain，andexploringthewaythatreligious“imprinting”shapesthebrainduringchildhood.Rifewithmemorablecasestudies，WeAreOurBrainsisalreadyabestsellinginternationalphenomenon.Itaimstodemystifythechemicalandgeneticworkingsofourmostmysteriousorgan，intheprocesshelpingustoseewhowearethroughanentirelynewlens.Didyouknow?•Thefather’sbrainisaffectedinpregnancyaswellasthemother’s.•Thewithdrawalsymptomsweexperienceattheendofaloveaffairmirrorchemicaladdiction.•GrowingupbilingualreducesthelikelihoodofAlzheimer’s.•Parentalreligionisimprintedonourbrainsduringearlydevelopment，muchasournativelanguageis.PraiseforWeAreOurBrains“Swaab’s‘neurobiography’iswitty，opinionated，passionate，and，aboveall，cerebral.”—Booklist(starredreview)“Afascinatingsurvey...Swaabemploysbothpersonalandscientificobservationinnear-equalmeasure.”—PublishersWeekly(starredreview)“Acogent，provocativeaccountofhowtwenty-first-century‘neuroculture’hasthepotentialtoeffectprofoundmedicalandsocialchange.”—KirkusReviews