There are always new ways to improve yourself and increase your brain power by reading these powerful books. You need the right books to go in the right direction and to change something.
And these books will help you understand how your brain works and the best ways to train your brain. Knowing which are the best books to change your thinking is important.
This article will discuss 10 books you should read to develop brain power and improve your thinking.
#1 A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
About the book
Title: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Crown
Pages: 544
Goodreads Rating: 4.21/5
In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail—well, most of it. In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of Australia’s most lethal wildlife. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from nothing at all to there being us. He has attached himself to many of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, traveling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, and apprenticed himself to their powerful minds.
Why do we recommend this book?
A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest. It is a profound, sometimes funny, and always a supremely clear and entertaining adventure in human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.
Buy A Short History of Nearly Everything now; click the link:
#2 Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It by Ian Leslie
About the book
Title: Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It
Author: Ian Leslie
Publisher: Quercus Books
Pages: 310
Goodreads Rating: 4.02/5
Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they age. Those who do so tend to be more intelligent, creative, and successful. But at the very moment when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood and undervalued, and increasingly monopolized by the cognitive elite. A “curiosity divide” is opening up. In Curious, Ian Leslie makes a passionate case for cultivating our “desire to know.” Drawing on fascinating research from psychology, economics, education, and business, Leslie looks at what feeds curiosity and what starves it and finds surprising answers. Curiosity is a mental muscle that atrophies without regular exercise and a habit that parents, schools, and workplaces need to nurture.
Why do we recommend this book?
A fun yet provocative look at the importance of staying curious in an increasingly indifferent world filled with inspiring stories, case studies, and practical advice, Curious will change the way you think about your own mental life and those around you.
Buy Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It now; click the link:
#3 Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
About the book
Title: Humankind: A Hopeful History
Author: Rutger Bregman
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 462
Goodreads Rating: 4.33/5
If one belief has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers, and modern ones, it is the implicit assumption that humans are bad. It’s a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. We’re taught that humans are naturally selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the solidarity in the aftermath of the Blitz, the hidden flaws in the Stanford prison experiment to the true story of twin brothers on opposite sides who helped Mandela end apartheid, Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn’t merely optimistic—it’s realistic. Moreover, it has vast implications for how society functions.
Why do we recommend this book?
Bregman presents this idea with his signature wit and frankness, making history, social science, and economic theory accessible and enjoyable for lay readers. And a revolutionary argument that human beings’ innate goodness and cooperation has been the most significant factor in our success.
Buy Humankind: A Hopeful History now; click the link:
#4 Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E.P. Seligman
About the book
Title: Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
Author: Martin E.P. Seligman
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 319
Goodreads Rating: 3.96/5
Known as the father of the new science of positive psychology, Martin E.P. Seligman draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to demonstrate how optimism enhances the quality of life and how anyone can learn to practice it. Offering many simple techniques, Dr. Seligman explains how to break an “I give up” habit, develop a more constructive explanatory style for interpreting your behavior, and experience the benefits of a more positive interior dialogue. These skills can help break up depression, boost your immune system, better develop your potential, and make you happier with additional advice on encouraging optimistic behavior at school, work, and with children.
Why do we recommend this book?
Learned Optimism is profound, practical, and valuable for every phase of life, best for fellow moderate pessimists; buy this book.
Buy Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life now; click the link:
#5 Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
About the book
Title: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
Author: Joshua Foer
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 307
Goodreads Rating: 3.88/5
Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer’s yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top mental athletes. He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist’s trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author’s mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that we are the sum of our memories in every way that matters.
Why do we recommend this book?
The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an incredible journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory is highly recommended for all.
Buy Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything now; click the link:
#6 The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
About the book
Title: The Art of Thinking Clearly
Author: Rolf Dobelli
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 3.85/5
Have you ever invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn’t worth it? Or continue doing something you knew was bad for you? These are examples of cognitive biases, simple errors we all make in our day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to spot them, we can avoid them and make better decisions. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change how you think and transform your decision-making—at work, at home, and every day. In 99 short chapters, it reveals the most common errors of judgment, how to avoid them, and the new change these books bring.
Why do we recommend this book?
In engaging prose and with practical examples and anecdotes, an eye-opening look at human reasoning and essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make.
Buy The Art of Thinking Clearly now; click the link:
#7 Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
About the book
Title: Thinking, Fast and Slow
Author: Daniel Kahneman
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 499
Goodreads Rating: 4.18/5
In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive our thinking. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities, faults, and biases of fast thinking and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.
Why do we recommend this book?
Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking.
Buy Thinking, Fast and Slow now; click the link:
#8 Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
About the book
Title: Think Like a Freak
Author: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 304
Goodreads Rating: 3.85/5
The New York Times bestselling “Freakonomics” changed how we see the world, exposing the hidden side of everything. Then came “SuperFreakonomics,” a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more. With Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us to think more productively, creatively, and rationally—to think, that is, like a Freak. Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for a new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all to retrain your brain.
Why do we recommend this book?
Reading this book, you will learn to appreciate the upside of quitting—because you can’t solve tomorrow’s problem if you aren’t willing to abandon today’s dud. Levitt and Dubner see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing and fun to read. One of the best books that change the way you think and learn.
Buy Think Like a Freak now; click the link:
#9 Train Your Brain: Teach Yourself by Simon Wootton
About the book
Title: Train Your Brain: Teach Yourself
Author: Simon Wootton
Publisher: Teach Yourself
Pages: 400
Goodreads Rating: 4.67/5
Train your brain to be quicker, fitter, and brighter than ever! This book gives you everything you need to get a mental edge, featuring hundreds of puzzles, quizzes, and problem-solving games. It also gives you some great advice on maximizing your mental agility through diet, exercise, and the right lifestyle choices, as well as how to put your new, more powerful brain to the test at work, home, and play.
Why do we recommend this book?
Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success based on the authors’ many years of experience with quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.
Buy Train Your Brain: Teach Yourself now; click the link:
#10 You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney
About the book
Title: You Are Not So Smart
Author: David McRaney
Publisher: Gotham Books
Pages: 302
Goodreads Rating: 3.86/5
You Are Not So Smart is a celebration of self-delusion. It’s like a psychology class, with all the boring parts taken out and with no homework. Collecting more than sixty of the lies we tell ourselves daily, McRaney has produced a fascinating synthesis of cutting-edge psychology research to turn our minds inside out. You Are Not Such Smart covers a wide range of topics drawn from all aspects of life, such as coffee (it doesn’t stimulate you also a cure for caffeine withdrawal), hindsight bias (when we learn something new, we reassure ourselves that we knew it all along), and also, brand loyalty (we reach for the same brand not because we trust its quality but because we want to reassure ourselves that we made a smart choice the last time we bought it).
Why do we recommend this book?
This is one of those books that are fresh and change your mood. You Are Not So Smart is infused with humor and wit, an entertaining illumination of stupid beliefs that make us feel wise, packed with interesting sidebars and quick guides on cognition and common fallacies.
Buy You Are Not So Smart now; click the link:
Lastly, we hope these books will help you discover the best way to improve your brain power and also help you think more creatively. Tell us in the comment section which are your favorite books that change how you think we recommend and how they will help you.
The summarized list of books we discussed above will help you change how you train your brain.
| 1. | A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson | Buy Now |
| 2. | Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It by Ian Leslie | Buy Now |
| 3. | Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman | Buy Now |
| 4. | Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E.P. Seligman | Buy Now |
| 5. | Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer | Buy Now |
| 6. | The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli | Buy Now |
| 7. | Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | Buy Now |
| 8. | Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner | Buy Now |
| 9. | Train Your Brain: Teach Yourself by Simon Wootton | Buy Now |
| 10. | You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney | Buy Now |
Keep reading these awesome books, change your thinking with great knowledge, and learn a new perspective on life.
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