I was drawn to psychology in college and then I became interested in Buddhism later, for the same reasons. I gravitated toward the parts in psychology that were practical -- why spend decades on a couch analyzing your life when there are techniques you can lose to recover? And Buddhism is a philosophy that helps the practitioner learn how to be happy by admitting the impermanence of the world and letting go (of course this is simplified).
In Buddha's Brain, Hanson breaks down the science behind how our thoughts affect our brain, and then shows us techniques on how to deal with the world to feel better about ourselves and live better. I love it because it's practical, and anyone can use these kinds of techniques that only get better with practice.

Buddha's Brain is a book that combines years of mindfulness and spiritual practices with decades of neuroscience research. It explores how to change your brain via various mindfulness approaches.

I always appreciate books that back up meditation and mindfulness with actual research. Sometimes things in that realm can get too far on the woo spectrum and it's hard to take seriously. This book is not like that. I enjoyed the variety of included meditations and mindfulness exercises.

The narrator's voice was perfect for this type of read - clear, soothing, and even.

Recommended for anyone curious about the brain, mindfulness, and how to channel one to change the other.

Thank you Brilliance and NetGalley for the ALC.

This was a little too technical to listen to as an audiobook. The audiobook does come with a PDF that contains all the sources to get more information on any points a reader wants to get more information about, This is a book about how your brain changes as you get older and how meditation helps to gain more rain cells. There is only one part of the brain that can reproduce brain cells and this is is explained really well in this book.. Older, spiritual leaders like the Buddha are able to tap in to this power because they meditate to take advantage of this power of the brain.. The author tried really hard to not make this sound like a textbook, I am not really sure that he completely achieved this, but this was am interesting listen and a reader will learn much from this book. There are also two prefaces in this edition so one would learn the story of how this book impacted others.

This book combines cutting-edge neuroscience with ancient mindfulness practices to show how changing your thoughts can literally change your brain. It explains how to cultivate positive brain states to unlock a deeper sense of happiness, confidence, and connection.

This book is full of useful and inspiring advice. The audiobook is soothing and a good choice to listen to while unwinding at the end of the day. It includes both theoretical and practical information, as well as meditations you can follow along with.

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