"Spent" is a good book by evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller, looking particularly at consumer behaviour, including purchasing and marketing, through the lens of evolutionary psychology, concluding with some recommendations for a healthier, happier life based on his insights.   There are parts of this book where he gets carried away, or makes what I thought were absurd suggestions, but overall I find him an important author and scientist to be aware of.   Some of the content here reminded me a little bit of a book I previously reviewed called "The Case Against ..read more

I'm uncomfortable with the term "gifted" since it implies that some people have "gifts" while others do not.  Really, everyone is gifted, and it should be a project in life to help all people cultivate their gifts and be acknowledged and appreciated for them.   But admittedly, there are some students who whose talents and abilities allow them to be doing university-level academic work, or advanced work in performing arts,  by mid-childhood.  Leaving these children in the regular educational system could be boring or stifling for them, both intellectually and socially ..read more

 Robert Sapolsky is a great scientist with deep wisdom to share about humanity.  His recent book, Determined, is another must-read.   The first half or so of the book details the many factors causing a given behaviour which are outside of what could be called "free will."  For example, hereditary factors, evolved traits, endocrine factors, social and cultural factors, childhood adversity, abuse, poverty, neglect, or discrimination, or on the other hand extreme enrichment through wealth and having good parents, home, and family; and the environmental conditions of the ..read more

 Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer are social psychologists whose recent book, The Power of Us, is a nice review of basic social psychology with a unique emphasis on the impact of identity and group affiliation on human behaviour and cognitive biases.   This book would be an excellent accompaniment to The Righteous Mind, by Jonathan Haidt, and Blueprint, by Nicholas Christakis.    The subject of group affiliation, identity, with associated biases, polarization, and conflict, is an incredibly important subject in the world today.  Group-based divisions arguably are ..read more

 Zinc is a metallic element, and an essential nutrient.   It is toxic if ingested in excess, with various side effects such as nausea, headache, and diarrhea.  High-dose supplementation can cause copper deficiency, typically at doses greater than 100 mg/day.  The maximum recommended dose is 40 mg/day, with the standard daily requirement being around 10 mg/day.   The prevalence of zinc deficiency in North America is about 7.5 %  In cases of deficiency, it is obviously beneficial to use supplements.  But what about supplementation above a baseline, no ..read more

The nutritional supplement industry has a global market size of over 300 billion US Dollars annually.   This is comparable to all the money spent in the world on fresh fruit and vegetables.   People generally take supplements with the idea that they will improve health or vitality, or prevent disease.   What is the current evidence that supplements could help improve mental health?  I'll start by looking at vitamin and mineral supplements.   The vitamin with the most recent attention in the literature is folic acid.  This is a B vitamin found i ..read more

David McRaney, in his new book called "How Minds Change" (2022), reviews our understanding of why people can form tenacious beliefs which are resistant to change, leading to political polarization, conspiracy theorists, hate groups, cults, anti-vax groups, climate change denialism, etc.   I have discussed a lot of this material in some of my previous posts.   A big focus in McRaney's book is on what strategies are most effective to help with these problems.  He shows that simply presenting facts to a person with entrenched beliefs is usually ineffective, and could even ..read more

 It is very difficult to get admitted to a medical school.   At UBC, only about 10% of applicants are accepted.    This leads to extreme competition.  Students admitted to the program  have average university grades just under 90%, and average standardized test scores (from the MCAT) just under the 90th percentile.   Even if you have average university grades above 90%, it is no guarantee of admission.  Only 26% of applicants with such high grades are accepted.   Therefore, there are other factors which increase the likelihood of admi ..read more

Marc Lewis explores the neurobiology of addiction in this short book, with proposed approaches to better understanding and helping people who are struggling with addictions.   He comes across very clearly as a compassionate person, with a good understanding and personal experience in this area.  Probably someone who would be good to have as a therapist or support in the context of addictive problems.    The book presents several case stories, which is always a compelling style in describing health care issues.  They could be a source of inspiration that could help ..read more

 Two more books to recommend:   The Folly of Fools (2011) by Robert Trivers and The Elephant in the Brain (2018) by Kevin Simler & Robin Hanson are both about the human tendency to engage in deception: not only the deliberate deception of others but the deception of self.   Trivers approaches this issue from the point of view of genetics (he was the first to characterize the evolutionary biology of reciprocal altruism).  The capacity to deceive can be beneficial to survival, as we see in many species of animals, and in many human examples.  &nb ..read more