Available at Amazon, Thalia, and Bol.de
The Cure for Stupidity*
A Case for Communication
I have an interest in neuroscience; it fascinated me while I was in nursing school even though I didn’t ultimately become a neuro nurse. So I was intrigued by this title when it showed up at one of my favorite book review sites. It is very easy to read compared to other books on the thought and communication. It felt almost too simplistic at times. But at least it is more accessible than many books I’ve read on the topic. In this book, the author explores concepts like perception, content, bias, and distractions. For me, this book felt too loosely woven together. It was hard to see the interrelationship between all the various parts of this idea. Because of my interest in neuroscience, this was not my first time hearing some of these concepts, so most were not new to me. I thought the title and the subtitle were a bit disingenuous, as neither really had much to do with the book itself. I didn’t really make the connection between the content of the book and stupidity (although it could be argued that not understanding the basics of human engagement could lead to some stupid actions or decisions) nor did I feel that the book was very heavy into neuroscience, as I hoped it would be. Also, too, the subtitle states that this is about communication in the workplace; again, this didn’t seem to be the major thrust of the book, which seemed more about the theories in general than a lot of practical information. The book at its core is about communication on a variety of levels, though. It is about aspects of thought and human behavior that can affect how we perceive, think, decide, and act. Despite some deficiencies, I did still find this to be a fascinating read. If you have an interest in communication, perception, or bias, this book might interest you.