Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
The book that took brain imaging arguments about mental health to a general audience
Published in 1998 and revised several times since. Amen walks through five brain systems, the behavior patterns he associates with each, and the food, exercise, supplement and thought-work changes he suggests for them. Case studies and scan images carry most of the argument, which is what made it readable and also what drew the objections: mainstream psychiatry has questioned how much can be read from a single patient's SPECT scan. It has sold past a million copies, and it is still the usual entry point to his work.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Daniel AmenRecommends
Psychiatrist · Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
The book that carried his imaging argument to a general readership. His own site says it has sold over a million copies, and that his books between them have been translated into 50 languages.
Source: Daniel Amen: Meet Dr. Daniel Amen
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or longevity.
- Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Memory Rescue
Eleven risk factors for memory loss, organized under the BRIGHT MINDS mnemonic
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - Supplement$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)
Fish or algae oil, often 1-2g EPA daily
On record from 9 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 1 recommends it - Habit$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Bridge
Contract bridge, played at a table or online, several sessions a week
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - HabitFREE, no cost
Learning something new daily
A short block each day on a skill you have never had before
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Table tennis
Ping pong played as a brain workout, part aerobic and part fast decision-making
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker on what sleep does for memory, immunity and mood
On record from 8 of 62 tracked people: 5 recommend it, 3 have discussed it
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