Even Carl Sagan spreads myths: “Seven and a half lessons about the brain” by Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett

In a world where phrenology serves as an example of how we can collectively change the way we think when we obtain more evidence, this book highlights the importance of making that evidence accessible. It also shows how, despite decades of research disproving popular brain myths, we still keep repeating them. Seven (and a half) essays I highly recommend reading!

In this book, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett dismantles several modern myths about our brains in seven short essays. She starts with a brief evolutionary journey through the origins of our brain, leading to the unexpected connection between the neurobiological basis of how we “function” and the responsibilities this might imply in the society we live in.

I am particularly fond of this relationship. For a while now I’ve been arguing with some people in my life about the responsibility we have for our words and actions, often to find some resistance in the form of “we just respond to our biology”. That’s quite a narrow understanding of “our biology” and a lame excuse. But I digress. What I mean to say is, the author here makes this connection through our biology and social constructs, and how everything we live in is made up but it is true for us and our brains; our social reality exists inside our human brains. And as the brains responsible for creating this non-biological reality, we have quite some responsibilities here.

On a different note, here’s a fun fact I wanted to share: the idea of the “reptilian brain” and “limbic brain” was debunked back in the 1970s, but the myth of the “triune brain” persisted. Ironically, this was partly “thanks” to its mention in a book by Carl Sagan during that same decade. As the author aptly points out, “sometimes it takes 10, 20, or even 50 years for scientific discoveries to reach the public.” For me, this only underscores the importance and necessity of science communication in all its forms.

And just like the triune brain, we still repeat myths today—like the idea that creative people use one hemisphere of their brain more than the other. But it turns out that’s also a myth. The truth is that both hemispheres are deeply interconnected, neuroplasticity extends far beyond strict regions, and at the end of the day, our brain’s main goal is to optimize the use of our body’s resources—not necessarily to “think better,” learn to play the violin, or solve trigonometric equations. That’s just a bonus…

Beyond all the fascinating fun facts, this book helped me better understand my own reactions and even talk to myself more kindly.

✅ Debunking myths.
✅ Understanding ourselves better.
✅ And for the joy of reading and all the fun facts 🐸.
✅ Highly recommended!