Subliminal

March 15, 2012
Physicist Mlodinow (Physics/Caltech; The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, 2008, etc.) takes a wide-ranging look at some of the mysteries of the unconscious mind. As with his previous books, the author aims to make complex scientific concepts accessible to non-scientists. Here he samples a wide variety of studies and anecdotes from the 19th century to the present day, exploring the behaviors humans engage in without being aware of what they are doing. Because so many actions that affect our senses, memories, social interactions and self-image occur unconsciously, "the real reasons behind our judgments, feelings, and behavior can surprise us." A 2005 study, for example, found that people tend to unconsciously eat larger amounts of popcorn, regardless of its quality, if they receive a larger container of it. In another study, test subjects reacted differently to computerized voices depending on whether they sounded male or female, with subjects showing profound but unconscious gender biases. In a loose, easygoing style, Mlodinow combines numerous accounts of scientific studies with pop-culture references and even personal anecdotes. While many of his topics are fascinating individually, the author tries to cover too much ground in just over 200 pages. Among dozens of other subjects, he writes about the early history of psychology, experiments with a blind stroke victim, a horse named Clever Hans, the inaccuracies of the testimony of Watergate figure John Dean and his own mother's relationship with her pet Russian tortoise. Ultimately, the book never full coheres, and the reader comes away with little concrete insight into the unconscious--save that it is a subject full of mystery. A diverting but scattershot examination of undeniably intriguing aspects of human behavior.

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December 1, 2011

You'll know Caltech physicist Mlodinow as author of the best-selling The Drunkard's Walk, coauthor with Stephen Hawking of the mega-best-selling A Briefer History of Time--and author of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Here he explains how the unconscious mind drives everything we do. Big for the smart set.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
It can be very tricky to distinguish between behavior that is conscious and behavior that is habitual. We perform numerous automatic tasks every day, mostly unaware that we're doing them. We act on autopilot even as we also make one conscious decision after another. This very enlightening book explores the two sides of our mental lives, with a focus on the subconscious or subliminal element. More than ever before, researchers are discovering that our perceptions are filtered through the subliminal processes of our minds, that we actually see the world according to our unconscious mind's expectations and assessments. Drawing on clinical research conducted over a period of several decades and containing a number of rather startling revelationssuch as the at-first-glance counterintuitive fact that people who are briefly touched on the arm are more likely to order the dinner special in a restaurant, sign a petition, and buy food after sampling it for freethe book appeals to readers with an interest in the workings of the human mind.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

May 15, 2012

We are not always in control of our thoughts and decisions. In fact, physicist and science writer Mlodinow (The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives) states, "much of our social perception--like our vision, hearing and memory--appears to proceed along pathways not associated with awareness, intention, or conscious effort." Mlodinow examines the role of the unconscious in everyday decision making, demonstrating that much of the activity we think is under our voluntary control is not. Brain imaging studies in social science experiments have confirmed many findings of experimental psychology: the unconscious, programmed for survival, operates in parallel processes, independently of the conscious mind. Given choices, the unconscious prefers the positive, favors the attractive, values nonverbal cues, and may select the irrational. Mlodinow goes on to discuss the subliminal aspects of common social situations from dating to voting. VERDICT Many of the these topics have been similarly examined in Shankar Vedantam's The Hidden Brain, though Mlodinow introduces the new field of social neuroscience. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/11.]--Lucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.