Subtitled ‘A neuroscientist’s guide to a healthier, happier life’, this book is just that. An extraordinary piece of work that, read well and applied to everyday life could be a life-changer for you. It already is for me.

In just 8 chapters, this book demystifies both the workings of our most complex organ and our personal relationship with it. I’ll list the chapters to give you an idea of the range and scale of the text: 1: Know Thyself: Reclaiming Identity in the Age of Optimism. 2: When Life Feels Impossible, Turn on Delight. 3: The Neuroscience of Why We Need Each Other. 4: I Sleep, Therefore I Am. 5: Art & Soul: The Heartbeat of Human Creativity. 6: The Mind in Motion: Finding Freedom Through Movement. 7: Me, Myself & Wi-Fi: Keeping It Together Online. 8: The Meaning of Life.

In language that is accessible to those of us outside the research field concerned with this vital and much-misunderstood organ, the author guides us through its processes, how it delivers control, mood, connections (both life-affirming and bio-electrical), and information. But it does so much more than this. The advice is delivered in easily understood and well-described passages of wisdom. There is a personal element to the book that makes it more like a discussion with a well-informed and wise friend.

As the author states on the back of the book, ‘I want to give you a first-principles understanding of the neurobiology, so you can make informed decisions that respect the natural rhythms and unique identity of your brain.’ And this is exactly what she does. She delivers a system of actions that we can all take to ensure we make the best possible use of our peculiar relationship with the brain. She also explains how we, as humans, reached the stage of evolution we now inhabit, why certain actions, apparent instincts, beliefs, and confusions are present in our lives and what we can do to control and improve these.

I feel myself, rather late in life, stepping out on a journey that would have been more appropriate for me sixty years ago. But a journey nevertheless well worth taking. I already feel I am developing more empathy, more ability to question critically, more understanding of moods and how to control them with greater ease.

If you have wondered why human beings, in our hugely complex variety, are the way we are, this book will deliver you a picture that will answer many of your questions. Please, read it and become a person who can find that essential element of human existence, purpose.

[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]