OVERLOADED by Ginny Smith describes "How Every Aspect of Your Life is Influenced by Your Brain Chemicals." Smith, a British science writer, deplores the "oversimplification rife in the media" and aims to explore scientific research in her discussion of neurotransmitters. Her chapters separately cover topics like memory, mood swings, and sleep. One discusses "Getting Motivated" which would seem to apply to our studies and curriculum during COVID and remote learning. However, she begins that chapter by reviewing studies with rats and dopamine from as long ago as the 1950s. While she eventually moves on to monkeys (1980s and 1990s) and then to opioid addiction, she eventually comments that "addiction is a complex mixture of behaviours and attitudes that vary from drug to drug and user to user." There is little information that applies to the well-documented changes in student work and motivation. Another chapter discusses "Food for Thought" and looks at hunger and hormone signals; Smith notes "the link between obesity and health problems may not be as direct as was once thought. But this area of research is still relatively new, and needs exploring a lot more." I am certainly not a scientist, but OVERLOADED feels like too much of an historical overview. I think other titles in this area would be more helpful to student researchers and to readers looking for action steps (e.g., changes in diet or sleep patterns) to improve their health.

Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for this wonderful advanced copy in exchange for my honest review
This was a wonderful and fairly easy explanation of how the brain works in detail. Coming from someone who loves neuroscience, I very much enjoyed this book. It was written so anyone from any background could understand it and it was fascinating. I give it 5 stars and recommend this to anyone especially those interested in the brain and behavior.

This book provides an entertaining and easy-to-read overview of the latest findings in the field of neuroscience. Covering topics as diverse as addiction, falling in love, and pain perception, the book is like a user manual for the human brain. I especially appreciated how the author pointed out weaknesses in the science regarding things that are supposedly common knowledge (like human perception of pheromones). As she points out, this is a snapshot of a rapidly changing field, and knowledge will evolve over time. Much of the information in this book is eye-opening—our knowledge of the brain is incomplete, which can lead to oversimplifications or faulty conclusions. If you have any interest in how the brain works, this is a must-read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

A seriously gifted presenter of science. Ginny Smith has an uncanny ability to make state-of-the-art medical insight simple, while retaining subtlety - and not going beyond what the research suggests. Her playful narrative style distracts with coaxing tributes to snacking (damn you!), peppered with folksy Britishisms and l’appel du vide - which is sure to amuse.

The influence of neurochemistry on our daily thoughts, emotions and behaviours are undeniable. Our interaction with reality being fundamentally chemical should make anyone nervous. There’s simply no getting around the fact that the unique mixology our body serves up, determines what we will do and who we will be. And it can be even more frightening than that, because it always has without our being consciously aware of it.

This was the tach I was expecting Ginny Smith to take throughout. After all, it’s not a terribly uncommon or mysterious interpretation of what’s happening, when you begin taking an interest in neuroscience. I was delighted this didn’t represent the bulk of her exploration.

While she does draw this relationship between neurotransmitters and Parkinson’s, OCD or Depression, say, Smith is perceptive to point out that vastly diverse medical diagnoses - and forms of mentation even - share strikingly similar biological signatures.

What is the physiological difference, for instance, between early ‘cupidity’ (infatuated preoccupation) and full-blown, clinical OCD? What separates thrill from terror? Or how can a certain neurotransmitter acting upon one region, or on different types of receptors, manifest sweeping experiential range?

These kind of inquiries spark immense philosophical speculation. Is our biology in control? Are our minds? Or is it both? Plotting the arrow of causation is the cartograph of a mirror maze.

Ginny Smith carefully navigates the topic without resorting to lifeless determinism or the ‘victim-blaming’ of free-will absolutists.

The rating of this book will clearly depend on your interests. For the sake of honesty, I’m giving it 4 stars. I’m not knocking the author. It’s a fantastic work! I’ve read voluminously and if I gave 5 stars for every great book I enjoyed…the rating would soon be meaningless. Thank you for the ARC.

Overloaded by Ginny Smith is a beautifully insightful dive into how the brain functions. Smith does a good job of making the material relatable and readable despite discussing complex and sometimes difficult to understand scientific concepts. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in neuroscience or psychology or just anyone interested in how their brain works.

This is a good book if you are interested in how our brain works. But those who are interested in this topic will be very limited. For those who are interested Overload gets five stars but for everyone else, it gets only one star. This averages out to three stars.