Certified by the world's best medical institutions
Behavioral Strategies for Changing Your Life with Brain Science
A practical and scientific guide to sharpening your mind.

Sharp is a story about the brain.
The author, Turis Houston, is a cognitive scientist at Seattle University who has long worked on applying neuroscience to real-world problems.
The author, who was wondering how to use his brain more efficiently, discovered an immediately actionable strategy backed by solid psychological research.
As readers encounter the various strategies contained in this book, they will be able to use some of them to become a more intelligent version of themselves.
Let's meet my brain that has become smarter through this book, "Sharp."

I expect you'll read this book on the bus, during your lunch break, just before bed, and whenever you can during your busy day, hoping to find new strategies that fit your schedule.
So, with the busiest situations in mind, I tried to include at least one strategy in each chapter that would take no more than 10 minutes a day to implement.
--- p.16, from the "Preface"

I'm not saying you only use 10% of your brain.
This claim is a widespread misconception, believed by more than one in three people worldwide.
Completely wrong.
As a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist observed, 'Evidence suggests that we use 100% of our brains each day.'

--- p.21, from the "Preface"

There is one thing you should ask yourself first when deciding whether or not to hold on to a job.
Am I a morning person or a night person? Psychologists have actually discovered that people fall into two types.
If you are, without a doubt, a night person, you will probably have a hard time staying awake in the morning.
So, let's clear our schedule for the afternoon or evening and focus on what's most important.
Conversely, if you are a morning person, make sure to reserve the first hour of your day for important tasks.
--- p.32, from “Let’s Focus on Chapter 1”

Even if you don't think you're creative, there are more ways to be creative than you might think.
You have to be creative at work, whether you're coming up with cost-saving ideas, coaching colleagues, drafting documents, or even finding loopholes in contracts.
Plus, you'll need to be creative when figuring out what to do with leftover chicken when you get home, where to go for that precious three-day holiday, or even how to help your kids earn some pocket money.
--- p.51, from “Chapter 2: Let’s Be Creative”

Since dopamine makes us want to do things that are both desirable and familiar, it's easy to see why we'd be drawn to things we already enjoy, like eating our favorite ice cream, playing a board game, or lying in a hammock in the backyard.
I used to really enjoy doing this kind of thing, and I know it can be rewarding.
--- p.75-76, from “Chapter 3: Raising Motivation”

If done right, visualization can help you achieve your goals.
There is a secret here.
Let's imagine the 'process' of moving toward the desired goal, rather than the goal itself.
Researchers have found that imagining the process of moving toward an outcome increases the likelihood that you will work harder and achieve the outcome.
--- p.93, from “Chapter 4: Let’s Achieve More”

Perhaps the most important skill today is cognitive flexibility.
If you're worried about dealing with unexpected questions, solving technical problems, or adapting to unexpected situations, you need cognitive flexibility.
--- p.109, from “Chapter 5: Think Fast”

The hippocampus is a small brain region, about 4 to 5 cm long.
It's not big enough to contain 'every' detail that allows you to recall everything from the packaging of your favorite chocolate bar as a child to the feeling you had when you took a bite of chocolate the last time.
Instead, a recent study from Rockefeller University found that the hippocampus stores "general" memories, such as "I liked candy necklaces as a child," while more refined details, such as the color of the candy necklace or how it felt on your neck, are stored elsewhere in the brain.
--- p.127, from “Chapter 6: Let’s Learn More, Faster”

If you have a growth mindset, mistakes are opportunities.
I hope you don't misunderstand.
Failure can still be painful.
But as Dweck says, with a growth mindset, “failure doesn’t define you.
“Failure is just a problem that we have to face and learn from.”
When you make a mistake, the next step is to accept the problem, not avoid it.
--- p.150, from “Chapter 7: Let’s Reduce Mistakes”

Many experts agree that there are at least two types of empathy, both of which involve understanding another person's feelings.
One type is affective empathy, which involves feeling another person's pleasure or pain and sharing their emotional experiences.
Another type is cognitive empathy, commonly called perspective taking, which involves recognizing that another person is experiencing pleasure or pain and inferring how that emotion might affect them.
--- p.168-169, from “Chapter 8: Let’s Empathize More”

Bias is a tendency to favor or oppose something in one's environment.
It can be as harmless as liking a particular brand, or as harmful as racial bias that leads to unfair treatment.
Let's think of bias as a tilt.
When you have a bias, you either lean towards something or someone or, conversely, move away from them.
--- p.189, from “Chapter 9 Let’s Throw Away Prejudice and Look Fairly”

It turns out that emotions play a surprisingly important role in decision-making.
Even the most analytical people rely on the subtle ripples of emotion to make decisions, whether they're conscious of it or not.
--- p.214, from “Chapter 10: Making Better Decisions”

If the doctor doesn't make eye contact or doesn't smile much, the patient's health deteriorates and the pain gets worse.
The way your doctor treats you may not seem like much, but if you are not satisfied, your body will not respond to treatment.
A good doctor is ultimately someone who 'understands' his patients.
--- p.229-230, from “Chapter 11: Live Less Painfully and Healthier”

Life is a series of stresses.
Whether it's money problems, pressure at work, health issues, relationship problems, or a shocking news story, we all face times when things feel out of control and stress takes over.
If I had to pick one area where smart strategies could be employed in these situations, it would be stress management.
--- p.247, from “Chapter 12 Managing Chronic Stress”

Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone, helping to keep the body's arousal levels high when it feels threatened.
Moreover, the amount of cortisol in the bloodstream is an objective indicator of stress levels.
In general, many factors can affect cortisol levels, but the more stressful situations you experience during the day and the more distressed you are, the higher your cortisol levels will be.
--- p.274, from “Chapter 13: Managing Acute Stress”

Social support refers to helping or comforting others to cope with difficult situations.
Social support is the backbone of many intimate relationships, and it takes many forms, from the very practical, like clearing snow from your parents' front door after a heavy snowfall, to the emotional, like listening attentively to a friend who's lost.

--- p.294-295, from “Chapter 14: Be a Strength to Your Spouse”