The Private Life of the Brain: Emotions, Consciousness, and the Secret of the Self - Softcover

An internationally acclaimed neuroscientist and author presents a bold new theory about how our minds are made Celebrated neuroscientist and critically acclaimed science author, Susan A. Greenfield reveals why emotions are the very foundation upon which brains build unique minds out of individuals' life experiences. Dr. Greenfield affords readers a brain-scientist's-eye-view of the intricate dance of emotions and cognitive abilities that gives rise to consciousness and creates the unique sense of self that we all feel. Along the way, she also provides fascinating answers to such riddles as "How do brains think?" "How do anatomically identical brains give rise to unique selves?", and "Why do some drugs make us ecstatic while other make us miserable?" Susan A. Greenfield, PhD (London, UK), is Director of the Royal Institution, which was established by the British Crown to promote the public communication of science. She is also a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford University, where she runs conducts research into synaptic pharmacology, and into the causes of Alzheimer's disease. She was the first woman to be invited to give the prestigious Royal Institution Christmas Lecture that is broadcast live every year on the BBC.

SUSAN GREENFIELD, M.A., D.Phil., D.Sc., C.B.E., is the first female director of Britain's Royal Institution, which was established in 1799 to "diffuse science for common purposes of life." She is also a Fellow of Lincoln College and Professor of Pharmacology at Oxford University, where she conducts research into the causes of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Her previous books include Journey to the Centers of the Mind: Toward a Science of Consciousness, The Human Mind Explained, and The Human Brain: A Guided Tour, which has been translated into fourteen languages.