Unlocking the ADHD Advantage by Anders Hansen is an empowering and insightful exploration into the strengths and unique abilities of people with ADHD. As a psychiatrist and bestselling author, Hansen reframes ADHD traits—such as restlessness, impulsivity, and divergent concentration—not as deficits, but as evolutionary advantages that have helped humans adapt and thrive throughout history.

Key Themes and Content
Reframing the Narrative:
Hansen delves into the concept that the very traits often considered problematic today were once advantageous, helping our ancestors survive and innovate. He encourages readers to view their brains not as faulty, but as uniquely equipped for certain environments and tasks.

Scientific Grounding and Practical Advice:
The book is rooted in research and neuroscience, explaining the "ADHD spectrum," genetic influences, and reasons for the recent rise in diagnoses. Hansen balances this in-depth science with user-friendly summaries and “ADHD Advantage” tips at the end of each chapter, helping readers focus on behavior strategies such as routine exercise, creative outlets, and maintaining healthy boundaries.

Personal Stories:
Interwoven throughout are real-life accounts of individuals with ADHD who, by understanding and embracing their unique wiring, have achieved remarkable personal and professional success. These stories are both validating and inspiring, emphasizing that there is no single model for thriving with ADHD.

Holistic Approach:
Hansen does not ignore the challenges of ADHD, particularly for children and adults navigating conventional educational or work systems. He covers strategies for managing symptoms, both with and without medication, and stresses that exercise and creativity can be especially helpful complementary approaches.

Conclusion
Anders Hansen’s Unlocking the ADHD Advantage is an encouraging and resourceful guide for anyone with ADHD or anyone seeking to understand it better. By positioning ADHD as a difference, not a deficiency, Hansen inspires readers to see the creative, adventurous, and driven sides of their unique minds. This book is a valuable resource for parents, educators, and adults with ADHD—helping to unlock not just challenges, but also extraordinary potential.

Recommended for those interested in a strengths-based, scientifically grounded perspective on ADHD and practical techniques for daily life.

i really wanted to rate this higher but i cant. why not?
1 repetitiveness. it mentioned the same thing over and over and kept overexplaining like i would not understand. in reality it was mostly distracting (isnt that ironic)
2 this book was not about the advantages. it mostly went into history and genetics etc, but rarely mentioned advantages of adhd. i was expecting tips on how to use your adhd for the better, or whatever.
was it an easy and quick read? yes. can you learn from it? yes probably, if you dont know much about adhd yet. did it bring anything new? not really.

im sorry!

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

Was not what I expected based on the blurb and title. It might be useful to someone who has literally zero knowledge of adhd, but even then it infantilizes a great deal and misrepresents other elements.

This was an informative read. It really went into how the brain works and gave some good tips for living with ADHD.

Being newly diagnosed as ADHD I am fully aware that there are many perspectives on ADHD. And it is simply impossible to have one book telling the whole story and perfect approach.

This book focuses on the science and history behind ADHD. As some reviewers pointed out this might not match the expectations of readers when picking the book because of the title.

Not my favorite book on ADHD, but ok.

This book gives readers a way to unlock advantages of ADHD. Anders Hansen informs why having ADHD means that your brain is wired differently to other people. This could show what’s your superpowers are. The book goes through thoroughly on what ADHD is and how you can understand what it means for you going through your daily life and how you are deal with your life. Can at times be helpful and informative and other times it can be hard to read and understand. A great book to have on a bookshelf for when you’re facing difficult times and need some extra help. Ideal book to give as a gift to someone.

As an ADHD woman, thank you. Loved it! It often feels like I can’t navigate the world around me whatsoever as I see and express things differently as well as experiencing them. I guess it’s just nice to be seen and learn new ways to be better

4 out of 5 stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this eARC of Unlocking the ADHD Advantage by Anders Hansen.

This was actually a book that was available during the "Read Now" option, and since both of my boys were diagnosed last year of ADHD, I took advantage of educating myself on ADHD. This was very well done but also a little overwhelming for me at times. It took me a while to read it but it was a good book to get myself ready for my boys and possibly their future. This has helped me prep on what to expect of my son's future and how I can plan to work with him on getting ahead of his ADHD. I really appreciate how short it was and just to the point.

Really appreciate this!

It's still not clear to me who this book is adressed to.
While it makes some suggestions to be for people with ADHD, the layout and the chapters aren't really well thought through for this crowd.
There's lots of explanation about the brain chemistry and while it's an interesting topic, it's written in a rather uninspiring way with lots of statistics and repetitions.
Some of the stories (e.g. the female basketball player) seem to be made up to sound "sensational" and while the authors admits feeling guilty about it - there are quite a bunch of moments with lots of (implicated) judgement.

It might be a good overview for people who aren't familiar with ADHD though - it's a short read after all.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this ARC.

As a human being who was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 6 years old I felt this book was understandable and easy to read. It was engaging while at the same time the author obviously utilized research to write this book, which is a breath of fresh air compared to the most recent non-fiction book I reviewed for NetGalley.

My favorite part of this book was the "ADHD Advantage" sections within the chapter which really helped give somewhat "step by step" instructions on how to best accommodate one's life with ADHD or create the best "life hacks" while living with ADHD.

Overall, this was well done, easy to digest and understand, and I found it to be helpful. I appreciate the glossary and bibliography in the back as well.

Great Book that helped me understand myself much better. The writing was easy to understand and i was able to get through the book very fast.

A great take on ADHD.
Anders Hansen's take on ADHD was uplifting, informative and thoughtful. Framing it in the context of how it can be beneficial as opposed to a disability. Even with that, he doesn't sugar-coat the difficulties that ADHD can cause, especially for school-aged kids who are stuck in an educational system that is not designed for the way their brains work.
There is interesting data scattered throughout. The first part does get a bit scientific in discussing genetics, which can be difficult for those of us with ADHD. However, it is still interesting.
I also appreciated that this was short and accessible.
I give it a 4.25.
Thanks to Netgalley and Zeitgeist for this ARC

If a reader was new to the concept of ADHD, then this book could be helpful, but for someone who has already done a lot of reading and learning on this topic, this book was not helpful. I have read several books and articles on ADHD, and I was eager to read this about unlocking the advantage, but the information and advice it gave were largely information I have already read when I first started learning about ADHD or strategies I already developed from the first several years of my adulthood when I was undiagnosed but living with ADHD. It did not present me with new information or strategies unfortunately.

This book completely shifted my perspective on ADHD. It’s packed with relatable insights, practical strategies, and an inspiring message about embracing neurodiversity. The balance of research and real-life examples made it such an engaging read—I felt seen on every page.

If you want to better understand ADHD or harness its strengths, this is a must-read. Five stars for the empowering and positive outlook! 💡✨

A friend of mine recently asked if maybe, I had ADHD, considering that, as for many conditions, women and men are often having different ways to cope and therefore women being less identified. Out of curiosity, I picked a few books to understand a bit more what ADHD means, and whether I could identify to this.

On the one hand, I really liked the approach of the author saying that we are all more or less on the spectrum for ADHD, with some aspects of our behaviour being more or less under what is called ADHD.

On the other hand, he kind of started losing me, when he started describing ADHD as one of the most important qualities imaginable, making people having it more courageous, better focused on what really matters, and so on. The fact that the author speaks of a superpower in the title was a hint, but to me it felt like too much at some point, not so much highlighting the positive, than making it all about it.

Still it was an interesting read, thank you to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read it.

Dr. Anders Hansen’s Unlocking the ADHD Advantage offers a refreshing, empowering perspective on ADHD, framing its challenges as potential strengths. With scientific insights and practical strategies, Hansen highlights how traits like impulsivity, restlessness, and hyperfocus once served an evolutionary purpose and can still be harnessed effectively in today’s world. The blend of historical context, actionable advice, and inspiring personal stories makes this book an engaging read for anyone affected by ADHD. While some parts may feel basic for readers already familiar with ADHD, Hansen’s positive, holistic approach brings valuable encouragement and a unique outlook.

Really interesting points and ideas to follow, especially as someone recently diagnosed with ADHD, thank you

I found this very well researched and helpful for learning techniques on how to manage and thrive with ADHD. It was thorough and well-written.

A new, positive take on ADHD, the interspersion of personal stories and practical tips were informative and helped in rewiring my thinking that this learning disability IS a disability and instead, it is in fact, a super power that I can harness to achieve my goals. Sometimes veered into the overly positive, self-helpy vibes that I can get from a well-being book, but nonetheless, I still enjoyed the read.

G e f ä l l t m i r s e h r. A d h s ist keine Krankheit sondern ein Segen. Positives über Adhs in einem Buch zusammengefasst.