Best Books on Brain Science

Want to learn more about the amazing organ called the brain? Looking for the best books on brain science?  We are here to help you!

Our brain is the most complex organ in a human body, it is the supreme control center that orders every other organ system what to do, and all of them obey. The complexity often baffles the scientists as it is not limited to just giving commands to life-sustaining organs but the thought processes as well. A whole field of science is built on the principles of how this little mushy organ makes such complicated decisions and creates a world of its own. 

To understand a person, one has to know how they think about specific topics, and that is entirely under the control of our brain. The principles of human interaction and compatibility, all lie in the hands of this mysterious structure. 

As the world progresses into new ages of technological development, one tends to wonder if we can replicate the statistics our mind uses to generate individual thoughts to develop real-life robots. Artificial intelligence does not even lie close to the human brain, for one reason only, because it is not fallible; it cannot make mistakes and learn from them.

That is what creates individuality, our ability to make mistakes and learn. So many talented minds have tried to develop a better understanding of this small yet most advanced organ by writing these books. To help you learn more about the human brain, we have put together the reviews of the top 10 best books on brain science. Give a thorough read to our review article and choose the book that suits your preferences.

Let's go!

Our Overall #1 Rated Pick


The Brain That Changes Itself
  • Real stories make it a must-read
  • Get to know ourselves better
  • Create an optimistic approach
  • Ground Breaking Perspectives and insight

Are you in love with the realism of a book? Have you ever felt the connection between the reader and the lives described in the book? To live this experience again, read this masterpiece.

The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge, who is a psychiatrist and has conducted research based on topics such as neuroplasticity treatments. In this book, from real-life experiences, you get to know the miracles of neuroscience through the fascination of neuroplasticity.

The 10 Best Books on Brain Science Comparison Chart

The 10 Best Books on Brain Science Out There

In this section, we review the Top 10 Books on Brain Science available for amateurs and professions.

The Brain That Changes Itself

Are you in love with the realism of a book? Have you ever felt the connection between the reader and the lives described in the book? To live this experience again, read this masterpiece.

The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge, who is a psychiatrist and has conducted research based on topics such as neuroplasticity treatments. In this book, from real-life experiences, you get to know the miracles of neuroscience through the fascination of neuroplasticity.

By writing various tales about patients with shifting neural handicaps, the author shows the reader the enchantment of mind versatility. It might lead them to perceive how these tests can pave the way to exceptional facilities.

With Cheryl's story, the reader feels as though they are experiencing this journey with the patient, specialists, and researchers. Every part discusses an assortment of things, yet it will interest the reader, so they realize what's happening, particularly on a neuronal level. This book is fantastic for individuals who are into neuroscience and how brain plasticity may change the lives of people.

PROS

  • Real stories make it a must-read
  • Get to know ourselves better
  • Create an optimistic approach
  • Ground Breaking Perspectives and insight
  • Potential enhancement for recovery of stroke survivors
  • Enthralling, enlightening and thoroughly engaging

CONS

  • A little repetitive
How The Mind Works

Searching for a mindblowing book that gives you the idea of how your mind works in different situations of your life? The book which you can relate to? You are in the right place.

The book is the best selling masterpiece, written by Steven Pinker. He explains evolution and theory of mind in such a captivating way that the reader gets the idea of his choices in life. It has funny jokes and is essential reading for anyone interested in the brain

This is a book to gain knowledge about your psychological handling and how others process their perceptions and the responses that follow. The book raises some questions like what is the balance. And what is reasoning? What is unreasoning? What satisfies us? What makes us apprehensive, appalled, furious, or explicitly excited? 

The way our mind works is the combination of the most fulfilling clarifications of our psychological life from cognitive science, developmental (evolutionary) science. This book goes through it all.

PROS

  • Let you know about yourself and how your mind works in a different situation
  • Display of writing and knowledge
  • A reality-bound
  • A definite approach to psychology
  • Top-notch scientific knowledge
  • Great writing

CONS

  • Not an easy book to read
  • This book requires a reader to have a certain amount of medical, anatomical and psychological knowledge
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

Incognito is a gem as it contains examples that will clarify doubts in your mind and answer your questions about brain science. 

If you want to see what your brain can do, you need to give this book a read. What keeps you out of danger? Why can you guess that your name was being mentioned in a conversation, even when you were not even listening to it? The book answers these questions, along with several others.

The style is simple, and the subjects aren't scholarly or logical, so it is open to everybody. This book is a roller coaster of all the brain's contradictions, reflexes, insights, analogies, and dim fractions of our life experiences.

PROS

  • Thoughtful philosophical probabilities
  • Insight
  • Help you know yourself better
  • New ideas of perception
  • Effective

CONS

  • Some loose information at the start
The Tell-Tale Brain

Are you curious about the uniqueness of the human brain? Do you want to read something that could quench your thirst? The Tell-Tale by V. S. Ramachandran is what you are seeking.

The tell-tale brain is an enchanting book about changes in parts of the mind. It contains various case studies that show us a great deal about how the ordinary brain functions. It tells us details on how we comprehend what we see and how we can understand languages.

Ramachandran handles the most energizing and disputable subjects in brain science with a storyteller's eye for convincing contextual investigations for new ways to deal with age-old inquiries. Following the peculiar connections between brain science and behavior, this book provides a lot of information about the amazing puzzle we call the brain.

PROS

  • Great Insights
  • Productive use of diagrams
  • Give countless tidbit so that we could learn better
  • An exciting spectrum of mental and neuro disorders

CONS

  • Fundamental understanding of the evolution
The Brain The Story of You

This book is a masterpiece of David Eagleman in which he explains how our life is manipulated by our brain and how our brain manages our life and its decisions.

Eagleman helps us find the world of exciting sports, facial gestures, criminal justice, brain surgery, sixth senses, and the quest of eternity. He gives a compelling look at willpower and social neuroscience. This book is very sensible, and it quenches the thirst of those who always wondered their whole life; who are they? What circumstances lead them to make a particular decision?

The book gives bits of knowledge that the reader was just commonly mindful of, and had never observed before. We construct models in our minds and only update it with our faculties' senses. However, if we meddle with the model in different manners, at that point, totally dreamlike impacts can be delivered.

PROS

  • Accessible
  • Enlightening
  • Colorful illustrations
  • Explains keys components of the brain
  • Describes reality and consciousness
  • Explains how the brain makes decisions

CONS

  • no bibliography
Phantoms in the Brain

Searching for a book that is hard to put down and is fascinating? Then, you are in the right place.The writer of the book is V. S. Ramachandran. Ramachandran's speculations depend on his treatment of people who experienced phantom torment. 

Throughout examining this astounding and fascinating situation, Ramachandran came across specific thoughts that have consequences. Exploring this marvel permitted him to develop new theories about how stimuli are received and organized in mind.

In this book, the writer has written how he got to know the architecture of the brain after treating many patients. He tells us how we build our body image and perceptions, why we become happy or sad, why we may have faith, and how we betray ourselves. He provokes our insights to think about ourselves and our consciousness.

PROS

  • Has humor
  • Logical
  • Very educational for brain enthusiasts
  • Brilliantly written

CONS

  • A bit complex
Consciousness and the Brain

Stanislas Dehaene explains the marvelous experiments being held in his lab and the labs of other cognitive neuroscientists in the world. The book tells details about what they have achieved in testing, characterizing, and clarifying the working of a brain in an unconscious state.

The explanation of the different types of neural networks that lay the basis for the operations of the subconsciousness and brain makes the book very interesting.

This book will energize any individual who is interested in science and innovation and the tremendous philosophical, individual, and moral implications of over brain and consciousness.

PROS

  • A highly satisfying summary of the research
  • Written very well
  • Beneficial for the people who are interested in neurosurgery
  • A very technical book

CONS

  • The technical part is challenging to read for some
Descartes' Error

Antonio Damasio is one of the world's leading brain specialists. He tested customary thoughts regarding the association among feelings and reasonability. In this book, "Descartes Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain," he explains that emotions are not a thing to be taken for granted. They should be treated with care. They are a necessity. For rational thinking, we need them the most. Social behavior is also affected by it.

Damasio offers a novel point of view on what feelings and emotions are. What is feeling, its effect on dynamic, and how do real states make feeling? Descartes' Error drives us to reason that human life forms are derived from the earliest starting point with a lively enthusiasm for settling on decisions, which the social brain can use to fabricate normal conduct.

PROS

  • A classic read
  • Makes you think out of the box
  • Takes philosophy to a modern and proved neuro-biological era
  • Marvelously edited

CONS

  • Complex
The Mind and the Brain

Searching for a book that can blow your mind and tells you how our mind affects our life? Then you are in the right place. This book The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force is for you.

This book explains that humans have control over their actions, brain, and individuality of the mind. The Mind and the Brain follow Schwartz as he examines this newfound force, which he calls mental power that is self–coordinated neuroplasticity. 

It was believed in the conventional sciences that the mind is a reaction of electrochemical movement in the physical brain- a mere illusion or hallucination.  The mind and brain completely deny this belief. 

Schwartz's original work is on OCD. He treated most of his patients by diverting their minds from negative approaches to the positive once. Schwartz's patients were utilizing their psyches to reshape their brains and finding an exciting new measurement to the idea of neuroplasticity.

PROS

  • Tells the concept of Force of Mind completely
  • Explains neuroplasticity 
  • Explains how we can imply neuroplasticity in our lives
  • Filled with life-changing advice
  • Beautifully written

CONS

  • A bit technical
  • The reader should have knowledge of neuroplasticity and OCD before reading
The Brain's Way of Healing

Are you a Norman Doidge Fan? "The Brain's Way of Healing" is a masterpiece of a journey of enlightening ourselves from the profound dark revelations of how our brain works. It is highly original and fantastic and keeps you awestruck. 

The book is a fortune trove of the writer's profound bits of knowledge, and the light of idealism radiates through each page. It was believed in the past that the mind's complex nature helped it in healing. "The Brain's Way of Healing" shows the complex structure of the brain helps it in healing itself from traumas.

PROS

  • A new example for treating chronic illness, and pain
  • Describes the performance of brain plasticity in the process of healing
  • Well written and edited
  • Fascinating
  • Revealing and optimistic
  • Interesting point of view on alternative medicine
  • Doesn't have sensationalism
  • Opens your mind and widens your view
  • Fascinating presentation

CONS

  • Individual cases to prove the efficiency

Buying Guide

If you are looking for the best books on brain science, it is evident that you want expert advice, and that is what we have got for you. There are so many variations in understanding the brain itself because there is just a lot going on up there in the skull, from controlling the critical life process to evaluating what life is really about. 

So, the division exists in books as well; every book evaluates a different aspect of the brain and follows a different set of theories. When the organ is that mysterious and deep, there has got to be more than one theory about the reality of its existence and work.

About Books on Brain Science

Brain science covers a broad spectrum of topics, including psychology, neuroscience, neurology, and psychiatry. The books presented in front of you in this blog cover one or the other matter related to our brains, its functions, or its dilemmas. 

The fun part is that we get to learn a little bit more about our very own existence, and we learn about the brain with the help of the brain itself. The difference of the context of these books relies on the ability of the mind to function in that particular subject, such as in neuroscience-related books, you will be able to learn about nerve tracts and anatomical position of gray matter within the brain and their significance. 

Whereas in psychiatry and psychology, the books answer the questions regarding the human personality, and how we observe and relate to the world around us. The significant issues like mental health and its malfunctions are answered in psychoanalytical books. All of these books are termed brain science and are the best of the best in themselves. 

To be able to target one minor genre from this enormous range of books is extremely difficult, and that is why we have embodied this buying guide to help you through the process.

Unique Concept

There are hundreds of articles and blogs present on the internet about the information on brain science when an author or a scientist in this aspect starts to compose a book. They need to come up with an idea that is unique to the other books that have already been written and published to make their book stand out amidst a crowd of extraordinary books. 

When a scientist embarks upon a journey of researching a particular issue, it is necessary to devise a theoretically valid hypothesis that has never been conclusively proved by any research methodology. Then they have to come up with a practical method of research that doesn't involve putting any living being at risk in the name of science. 

And after months of hard work, they have to patiently wait to analyze the results of that series of experiments. These results, if positive, are published in the form of a book to help others give a better understanding of themselves, and every crucial step of the process has to be uniquely designed, or the theory fails. For a book to excite your brain, the concept should feel unique to you. So, in the end, the questions fall on you to decide whichever book you want based on your requirements. 

Solid Research 

When we have a topic as complex as brain science in front of us, there is no room of Error available in the book to be published. The complete reputation of a scientist depends upon that book because if the information in the book is proved falsified anytime in the future, their whole career becomes a huge question mark. 

There are different stages of research that have to be followed vigorously to ensure a clean and effective process. Any quality research has two very main components to ensure that results apply to the general population; one is the control group and the other that is being experimented upon.

Confidentiality is a crucial aspect as well that cannot be broken at any given time throughout the research to map the effectiveness of the hypothesis effectively. It takes a lot of human resources as well as money to execute such qualitative research. The reason that quantitative analysis cannot be as effective in this field is that every reaction created by each individual is unique, so numbers cannot estimate such diverse reaction formations.

Authentic Theories 

All of the work about research and experimentation starts from one great idea that is backed by factual theories and laws of human functionality and interactions. The sustenance of research must stand firm in the academic world that the hypothesis it is based upon has the potential to become a valid theory or even a law after conclusive proof. 

The basics of neuroscience, as well as psychology, are ever-changing and ever-evolving because, as humans, we keep adapting to the changing circumstances of this world. And with that, our responses change, and the epicenter for reaction formation changes, the tracts get evolved, and more hormones get included. 

For a hypothesis to become a law, it needs to be backed by universal laws and substantial proof that it cannot be limited to time and the evolutionary process of the human mind. The theory you need to study can be different from the one the author has explained in the book, so it is necessary to check the table of contents before purchasing the book.

Author

The authors of these books are some of the most reputed scientists, doctors, and researchers of their time. So, there is no logic in questioning their intelligence at all because they only get a chance to perform such studies when they are, in fact, at the top level of their careers. But it does sometimes help to check the author's credentials in motivating one's self.

References 

For a book to be composed with utter perfection, one author or scientist needs knowledge from past studies and experiments. It is crucial to the quality of the book that references to those studies be mentioned in the book so people can divert to those studies for any additional information. These references become the backbone of the book in supporting its facts and theories.

Cost

We have always been an advocate of free knowledge because we feel like it is unfair to put a price on a piece of information that can help create a better understanding of scientific facts. By supporting advanced research and increasing the level of intelligence of the common people and raise the bar once and for all in our society. 

The books are the primary source through which students can avail of an opportunity to learn some authentic information and have a chance to become one of the scientists of their era. We understand that for the industry to work, some influx of cash smoothly is essential through this process of selling books as well, we are not against that at all. But profit hoarding should not be supported at all, that is why we present you with some of the most conveniently priced and affordable books.

FAQs

What is it like to push the brain to its full potential?

We are indeed capable of manipulating our brains and tricking them into particular modes of thinking with the help of rigorous training and exercise. But the information about how far we can use the brain is still unknown because even with the latest technology, we have limited access to working brains for experiments and research purposes.

Do scientists like Stephen Hawking use their brains fullest?

As we have explained earlier that the full potential of the human brain is unknown, so we cannot determine if the presumed greatest minds on the face of this planet use their brains to what limit. But, indeed, their brain activity is more than any other one of us because they process the world differently than the general population because of their ability to focus on one aspect more than the other with the help of savant syndrome.

What is a human brain working capacity?

There is no conclusive scientific method that enables us to derive a functioning human brain capacity. But we do understand that our brain has different capacities for different functions, and for that, we have tests as well as conclusive formulas to determine them. The intelligence quotient of a person determines how well they can solve everyday life problems as well as answer complicated scientific questions. And emotional intelligence determines our ability to process the emotions of others present around us and factors in to explain the extent of human relationships.

Is our memory storage limited?

There are different kinds of information that we receive every day, and only one type of information gets stored in our brain permanently. It solely depends if we feel that piece of information is important enough or not. The storage space in our brain is not limited at all, but our ability to retrieve that information is limited.

Do these books about brain science help in brain training?

Any book that has quality information and intrigues the human mind can be used for brain training. The brain training is basically just helping our brain exercise by storing information with strong cues, and that can be done with the help of these books as well.

Final Words

The field of neurology calls for nothing but excellence. The best books on brain science reviewed above delivered nothing less; these books are the masterpieces of some of the most exceptional researchers and scientists of this world. 

This contribution to the world has been made in the name of science to help not just the layman but the upcoming greatest minds to have a head start on their projects. If we think a little, the depth of our mind's ability to create thoughts and decisions is so extraordinary that it almost gives the appearance of the deep dark space. Just like space, our brain's thought process does not have a boundary at all.

Happy Learning, People!