Author(s): John Ratey

Self-help

What does it mean to be linguistically ambidextrous? How does a mother's cradling of her child on her left shoulder relate to the development of language skills? Why does listening to music while doing homework improve accuracy? Dr John Ratey answers such compelling questions, illustrating his points with vivid and often surprising examples drawn from his own practice, research and everyday life. He also analyses the ways in which things can go wrong, detailing causes and treatments for conditions such as autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. As Dr Ratey demonstrates throughout the book, the brain is astonishingly flexible able to be retrained and reprogrammed. Like a muscle, it responds to use, adapting to new demands and conditions, allowing, as the title of the book suggests, the guidance of the user.