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Think Before You Think (Ebook)

Adrian Owen

From a pioneering neuroscientist comes a revelatory exploration of the neural processes in our brains that shape our day-to-day existence: how they work, what happens when they falter and how we can maintain them throughout our lives.

Format
Ebook
ISBN
9781783353019
Date Published
11.08.2026

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Summary

From a world-renowned neuroscientist comes a revelatory exploration of the neural processes in our brains that shape our day-to-day existence: how they work, what happens when they falter and how we can maintain them throughout our lives.

‘Owen is not just one of our top scientists, but a great storyteller.’
DANIEL LEVITIN

‘From jewelry heists to the nature of free will, Owen’s exploration of our cognitive powers is both a gripping story and a masterful summary of his pioneering research into the inner workings of our minds and brains.’
ANIL SETH, bestselling author of Being You

***

Why is it that some people breeze through life with the mental clarity of a chess grandmaster, while others struggle to organize their thoughts or even remember where they left their keys?

Our brains are miraculous things. Through a set of processes called executive functions, they drive everything over the course of our lives, allowing us to create and retrieve memories, understand our own and others’ emotions, plan our short- and long-term goals, and much more.

Drawing on gripping case studies and cutting-edge research, acclaimed neuroscientist Adrian Owen maps out the architecture of our brains and these executive functions. From encounters with memory champions, athletes who have suffered multiple concussions and patients with conditions such as ADHD, autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, he reveals the importance of these functions not only for the potential of our brains but to our very ways of being.

Think Before You Think presents a remarkable picture of both the brain’s brilliance and its fragility, providing practical advice on maintaining our executive functions at every stage of our lives. In doing so, it brings readers to a closer understanding of what it is that makes each of us human.

***

‘Owen is a wonderful guide and takes readers on a fascinating journey into the human mind . . . Think Before You Think provides a practical blueprint for a brighter future.’
PROFESSOR RICHARD WISEMAN, author of 59 Seconds

Critic Reviews

Adrian Owen is not just one of our top scientists, but a great storyteller.

Daniel Levitin

Critic Reviews

Executive function, or the ability to control our attention, emotions, and decisions, is probably the most important—and most misunderstood—capability of the human brain. Adrian Owen has spent much of his career shedding light on this most critical of faculties, and in this book he takes readers on a journey of discovery, demystifying executive function, busting myths, and giving readers tools to cut through the clutter, focus on what matters, and transform their lives.

Charan Ranganath, bestselling author of WHY WE REMEMBER

Critic Reviews

From jewelry heists to the nature of free will, Owen’s exploration of our cognitive powers is both a gripping story and a masterful summary of his pioneering research into the inner workings of our minds and brains. An insightful and rewarding read.

Anil Seth, bestselling author of BEING YOU

Critic Reviews

Adrian Owen is a wonderful guide and takes readers on a fascinating journey into the human mind. A deeply knowledgeable neuroscientist with an uncanny knack for linking laboratory experiments with everyday life, his latest book explores why you think what you think, and provides a practical blueprint for a brighter future.

Professor Richard Wiseman, author of 59 SECONDS

Critic Reviews

A captivating, lucid and empowering read that shows how, in this turbulent world, our executive functions may be our most underused superpower. Think before you think – it changes everything.

Roger Highfield, Science Director of the Science Musuem

Critic Reviews

Fascinating and packed with compelling stories, Think Before You Think takes us on a riveting cognitive journey that helps explain how our brains function and how to maximize our mental fitness . . . Owen is both a brilliant scientist and a superb communicator. By the end, I had not only a better understanding of ‘executive function', but also some excellent clues about how to protect my aging brain from decline.

Fergus Walsh, Medical Editor of the BBC

AdrianOwen

Dr Adrian Owen is a British neuroscientist. He is currently the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and imaging at The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, Canada. He has worked at the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University and the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge. His work has appeared in many of…

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AdrianOwen

Adrian Owen

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