How the Mind Changed

The earliest human had a brain as small as a child’s fist; ours are four times bigger with spectacular abilities and potential we are only just beginning to understand. We’ve come a long way. Packed with vivid stories and ground-breaking science, How The Mind Changed is full of surprises. Discover how memory has almost nothing to do with the past; meditation rewires our synapses; magic mushrooms use might be responsible for our intelligence; climate accounts for linguistic diversity and the hugely positive lesson autism tells us about our future. Dr Joseph Jebelli takes us on a seven-million year journey through our own heads. Drawing on deep insights from psychology, philosophy and neuroscience, he guides us through the unexpected changes that shaped our brains. From genetic accidents and environmental forces to historical and cultural advances, How The Mind Changed explores how our brain’s evolution turned us into Homo sapiens and beyond. A single mutation is all it takes.