To Korean Readers: The Name Value of Homo Sapiens
Getting Started: How to Enjoy Ultimate Wisdom, Regardless of Age

Part 1: What is Wisdom?

1 Scientific Facts About Wisdom
The Berlin Wisdom Project | John Nash's Schizophrenia | How Far Have Scientists Uncovered?

2 The relationship between the brain and wisdom
Where Wisdom Dwells│Exploring the City of the Spirit│What the Swindlers and Pioneers Left Behind│The Tragedy of Phineas Gage│The Disease That Loses Wisdom│Can We Become Wise Sooner?

3 Every family needs a grandmother and a grandfather.
Aging and Society│Why Genes Protect the Elderly│If We Go Back 22 Years│Ask a Person Facing Death│Ability in Tragedy│What the Brain and Muscles Have in Common│Less Bad Things, More Good Things

4 How to Measure Wisdom
Focusing on What Matters│How Smart Is Your IQ Score│Quantifying Wisdom│Sunless Daylight│Cognition, Reflection, and Emotion│In the Noise and Bustle of Everyday Life│The San Diego Wisdom Scale│The 24 Questions of SD-WISE│There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Wisdom

Part 2: The Components of Wisdom

5 Compassion is also a muscle
The Altruistic Brain│The Thoughtful Psychopath│The Kindness of Strangers│The Difference Between Self-Pity and Narcissism│Gender and Genetics│Cultivating Compassion│More Active Gratitude│Reading More Novels│Directing Emotions

6 Where Emotions Stay
Within the spectrum│Feeling and controlling│Pink glasses│The unstoppable optimist│Can't resist marshmallows│The meaning of a smile│Riley's control room│The genetics of emotions│Opening the brain's black box│A precarious brake│People with excessive emotional control│The art of regulation│Knowledge for an uncertain life

7 What Happens When You Make a Decision
Dilemma Exercises│Where Shortcuts Lead│Hot Choices, Cold Choices│Bad Things and Good Things│Foresight Wisdom?│Signing the Informed Consent Form│The Gentle Skeptic│Finding in Differences│From Coin Flips to Balance Sheets

8 Thoughts are not trivial
The author of one's own life│The brain that looks into itself│People who avoid thinking│The benefits of self-affirmation│The usefulness of laziness│The pervasiveness of curiosity│The desire to know│The winning joke│What makes us laugh│The power of humor│Everyone wants to understand a joke│The realm of the gods

9 A sense of something greater
The Difference Between Religiosity and Spirituality | Scientific Measurement | Experiences with Nature | Wisdom and Spirituality | Health Strategies | A Bus Driver's Story | "There Are No Atheists in the Trenches"

Part 3: Practical: How to Strengthen Social Wisdom

10 Can it get better sooner?
The intervention of science│How to make good decisions│Time to reflect on myself│Trained compassion│The more I practice, the better│The heart to care for the younger generation│When I feel like driving recklessly│Moments I inadvertently missed│Elderly creative masters│Time alone│Inner strength│There is no panacea│Exercise, food, sleep

11 Latest Technologies to Develop Wisdom
Smarter Drugs│Technology that Enhances Brain Function│Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Wisdom

12 The wiser you are, the less lonely you are.
If a Wisdom World Cup were held, would herd immunity be effective? The debate surrounding whether the world is becoming wiser, no matter how many trophies we win. Wisdom in a crisis.

Acknowledgements
References
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A Wisdom Research Project by World-Class Neuropsychiatrists
The Components of Wisdom Discovered Through Neurobiology and Psychology

"The Secret of What We Call Wisdom (Original Title: Wiser)" is a scientific study of "wisdom" that everyone desires but cannot obtain. It is the first popular book to compile the results of wisdom research by the author, a neuropsychiatrist who has dedicated his life to studying brain function and cognitive function in old age.
There have been many books discussing 'wisdom', but in philosophy and religion it has been regarded as something mysterious that follows age and experience, and in health and self-help books it has been regarded as a thread of hope that offsets the fear of cognitive aging.
This book covers everything from the definition and components of wisdom from the perspectives of neurobiology and psychology to how individuals and societies can strengthen their wisdom. It also offers a fresh perspective on various mental health issues in modern society, such as aging, loneliness, empathy and compassion, choice, reflection, and happiness, through the lens of wisdom.

Specifically, wisdom is made up of seven elements.
These include 'prosocial behavior' that comes from compassion, empathy, and altruism; 'emotional regulation' that can manage not only fear and anger but also joy; 'decisiveness' in the midst of sudden changes and dilemmas; 'reflection' that can turn even dark moments into humor; 'spirituality' that is the ability to sense bigger things without being absorbed in oneself; and the ability to accept various perspectives and provide social advice.
Of these, the most essential, in the author's view, is prosocial behavior.
In fact, this connects to the essence of wisdom in that “the most impressive achievements of human cognitive function, such as the technologies, languages, and social institutions that have enabled human survival, were not created by individuals alone, but emerged from the interactions of many people.”

“The concept of wisdom and moral wisdom, once speculated in the realm of mythology and philosophy, has been brought into the bright and radiant realm of modern psychology and neuroscience.
“It defines wisdom as an aspect of the human mind and brain, explains the psychological components of wisdom, and shows how to become wiser.”
- Howard C.
Nussbaum (Professor of Psychology, University of Chicago)

What if wisdom could be measured and trained like a muscle?
How to Get Wiser Earlier, No Matter Your Age

This book overturns the traditional notion that wisdom is something sublime and incomprehensible, the fruit of a lifetime of enlightenment and aging.
Like human consciousness, stress, and resilience, wisdom also has a biological basis and can therefore be measured and changed.
According to various brain science experiments and observations, the components of wisdom are created through complex interactions between various parts of the brain, centered around the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.
So if this part is damaged, wisdom may be lost.
A representative example is the case of Phineas Gage, a worker who suffered frontal lobe damage in an accident at a railroad construction site in Vermont, USA in 1848 and became “capricious, insolent, and impatient.”

Like other faculties, wisdom is a mixture of innate and developed.
Several brain science and psychology studies, such as the 'altruistic brain theory', which posits that the neurocognitive mechanisms that operate in the human brain at the stage of processing altruism have evolved to reinforce prosocial behavior; 'mirror neurons' cells that make us flinch when we see someone else get hit by a ball as if we were hit ourselves; and 'theory of mind', which is the ability of six-month-old babies to instinctively distinguish and understand their own and others' mental states, show that humans are born with some of the components of wisdom.
According to the author, “35 to 55 percent is determined by innate factors, and the remainder is determined by external influences and individual behavior.”

Therefore, we can transform and strengthen our wisdom in the direction we want.
To do this, we first need to measure the level of wisdom.
This book contains a 'wisdom measurement scale' that the author personally participated in developing.
This allows you to score each component of wisdom and identify areas where you are lacking.
If you lack 'compassion', you can practice it.
The methods suggested by the author include writing gratitude journals, reading novels, and meditating. In the brains of people who did this 'compassion training', activity was actually shown in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and the putamen, brain areas associated with positive emotions and a sense of belonging.
If you are concerned about 'emotional regulation', we recommend training to divert attention and training to name emotions.
From this perspective, it is possible to create wisdom externally in the form of drugs, electronic devices, artificial intelligence, etc.
In fact, research has proven that games that activate self-control to treat gambling disorders and other disorders are effective.


“This book, which explains the components of wisdom, uncovered through cutting-edge neuroscience and a lifetime of research, shows us that wisdom is something we can develop and strengthen, and shows us how to do it.
“The scientific nature of wisdom changes our thinking about human potential.”
- Jonathan Rausch (Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, author of "Why Life Starts to Bounce Back at 50")

Why Smarter People Are Healthier
The Brain Science of Wisdom that Heals Aching Hearts

Human lifespan is longer than ever before.
However, problems such as stress, internet addiction, drugs, and suicide, which are getting worse day by day, show that the 'mental lifespan' of modern people is going in the opposite direction.
Wisdom is the key to turning this around.
Above all, it can be an antidote to loneliness, which is “a problem that has spread like an epidemic in modern society and has spread almost everywhere on the planet.”
Loneliness has been linked to a wide range of health problems, from heart attacks to dementia.
The author conducted a 'loneliness study' targeting three groups living in different regions, including San Diego, USA and Cilento, Southern Italy, and found that loneliness and wisdom showed a strong inverse correlation.
This means that the wiser a person is, the less likely he or she is to suffer from the negative effects of loneliness.

The wiser you are, the more connected you are with others, and the more connected you are, the wiser you become.
This is also revealed in the ‘generativity’ of the middle-aged and older generation trying to take care of the younger generation.
According to a study conducted in the United States, elderly people who participated in an "experience volunteer group" that helped elementary school students with their academic, social, and behavioral development experienced increased generativity and improved mental health.
We pursue wisdom not simply to become smarter.
To “understand the meaning of life, broaden your perspective on where you fit in and how to get there, and become a better person for yourself and others.”
This wisdom can only be created when we are connected to each other.
Homo sapiens, the 'wise man', is the human race that survived in that way.

“It details the scientific basis for the human tendency to be concerned about the well-being of others and the environments that reinforce that tendency.
“Once we know this clear truth about wisdom, we will become wiser.”
- Laura L.
Carstensen (Professor of Psychology and Public Policy, Stanford University)

“When you become wise, happiness naturally follows.”
Nine Strategies for an Age of Wisdom

Everywhere in the world, without exception, faces similar crises: the climate crisis and natural disasters that worsen every year, political polarization that repeats a vicious cycle of anger and distrust, and even deeper-rooted income polarization.
Will humanity be able to overcome this crisis and turn it into an opportunity for a better life and society?
The wisdom strategies this book recommends for use in times of crisis are as follows:
① Emotional control is important: Don’t panic.
Accept reality, but don't lose your optimistic outlook.
② The more difficult it is, the more you should not avoid reflection: Think about the experiences you overcame and how you dealt with them.
Develop a strategy similar to the one used back then.
③ Prosocial behavior helps me too: Studies show that people who help others feel stronger, happier, and less lonely.
The best antidote to stress like loneliness is wisdom.
Compassion is particularly effective.
④ Accepting uncertainty and diversity: You can learn from other people's actions and strategies.
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to a crisis.
⑤ Make a decision: Sudden changes inevitably bring with them various moral dilemmas.
You have to make decisions by mobilizing all the information at that time.
Not being able to make any decisions doesn't help.
⑥ Become a person who knows how to give social advice: To give advice to someone, you need general knowledge about life.
Let's always listen to what the experts say.
You can give better advice when you need it.
⑦ Cultivating spirituality: We must care for all life, including all of humanity, animals, and plants.
⑧ Don't lose your sense of humor: Humor is an element that creates wisdom and a way for wisdom to be revealed.
It helps even in desperate moments.
⑨ Openness to new experiences: Maintaining an open attitude can help you turn crises into opportunities and growth.

“It takes us on a journey from the neurobiological basis of practical wisdom to its psychological components and social factors.
“This book will be an incredibly valuable basic guide for all readers.”
Dan Blazer, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine