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Advance Praise for
The Hidden Brain
“A disturbing but enlightening look
at the power of the unconscious over human action and decision-making…
A tour into dark realms of the psyche by a personable guide.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A Washington Post science writer,
Vedantam explores the findings of social psychologists about unconscious
bias. Recounting people’s stories, he grips attention immediately.”
—Booklist
"In The Hidden Brain, one of America's
best science journalists describes how our unconscious minds influence
everything from criminal trials to charitable giving, from suicide bombers
to presidential elections. The Hidden Brain is a smart and engaging exploration
of the science behind the headlines—and of the little man behind
the screen. Don't miss it."
—Daniel Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling
on Happiness
"Shankar Vedantam brings his critical
eye to a question that has haunted scientists and writers for centuries:
Does the unconscious matter, and if so, how? With a light touch, the book
takes us through the complicated landscape of research on psychology and
human behavior. We come away not only understanding how we act, but Vedantam
moves past mainstream economic reasoning to shed light on the relationships
we create with each other. The book addresses the madness and beauty of
our struggles to create a moral and just world."
—Sudhir Venkatesh, New York Times bestselling author of Gang
Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
The "hidden brain" is Shankar
Vedantam’s shorthand for a host of brain functions, emotional responses,
and cognitive processes that happen outside of our conscious awareness,
but that have a decisive effect on how we behave. In his new book, THE
HIDDEN BRAIN (Spiegel & Grau hardcover; On Sale: January 19, 2010),
Shankar, longtime author of the Washington Post’s popular “Department
of Human Behavior” column, takes readers through case studies that
illustrate different aspects of his argument, including the chilling account
of a man who attacked a young woman before a crowd of people on the Belle
Isle Bridge in Detroit -- and caused her to leap off the bridge to her
death -- a story that illustrates how our minds unconsciously network
with the minds around us to create conformity; why we are riveted by the
story of a single puppy adrift on an ocean but are quickly bored by reports
of genocide; the way children learn to be racially biased and how difficult
it is to teach them otherwise; the story of the 88th and 89th floors of
the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11 and what the patterns
of death and survival on those floors tell us about decision-making during
crises; and the story of two transgendered biologists that explores how
sexism flows through our everyday lives.
Combining top-notch reporting and the latest research, Shankar illuminates
how our minds really work, while making an argument about how we can compensate
for our blind spots -- and what happens when we don't.
Shankar discusses:
Frontotemporal dementia. The remarkable
story of a Canadian couple in the vortex of a strange neurological disorder
dramatically illuminates what happens when parts of our brain that subtly
and secretly regulate our social behavior break down.
Gender biases. The author compares the
stories of two transgender scientists whose lives took very different
trajectories – depending on whether they went from male to female
or female to male.
The Implicit Association Test (IAT) --
www.implicit.harvard.edu -- Shankar
looks at a psychological test for bias that explores links between mental
associations and attitudes. The results of the tests, taken by more than
12 million people to date, show that most Americans have very little knowledge
about the hidden associations in their own minds.
The 2008 presidential elections. Shankar
reveals the shocking correlation between unconscious racial bias and political
views across the United States: The higher the unconscious racial bias
scores in a Congressional District, the more likely it is to vote Republican.
Unconscious Biases in disaster situations.
Shankar delves into what happened to employees of a Wall Street firm spread
over the 88th and 89th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center
on the morning of Sept 11, 2001. Why did nearly all the employees on the
88th floor decide to escape, while the employees on the 89th floor decide
to stay behind and get trapped?
The hidden biases of children. Surprising
new research delves into the biases of young children and provides us
with an unusual window into the hidden brain. Shankar shows us how the
unconscious associations of children can be seamlessly linked with biases
among the very old – and might also explain racist outbursts such
as former Sen. George Allen’s infamous “macaca” moment.
Unconscious bias and the death penalty.
Shankar casts serious doubts on whether a Pennsylvania inmate known as
Ernest Porter, who has spent nearly a quarter century on death row, is
guilty of the crime for which he is to be executed. The case highlights
a form of bias that most Americans have never heard of, let alone know
how to guard against.
The automatic biases of terrorists. Suicide
bombers appear to be irrational fanatics, but Shankar unearths systematic
research that debunks many conventional views about the men and women
who are willing to kill themselves for a cause. Remarkably, he shows that
biases in the hidden brain not only explain why some people become suicide
bombers, but that the underlying psychological phenomenon behind these
terrorists is common to other groups of men and women who do outlandish
or remarkable things.
Photo Credit: Gary Knight // VII Photo
Agency
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