Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Constantly Changing World - Hardcover

Mlodinow, Leonard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0241334403 ISBN 13: 9780241334409

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2018

Synopsis

'Timely and engrossing. . . a fascinating exploration of one of the most important topics: how the human mind deals with change' - Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

'A book of sparkling intelligence, written with humour and grace. If you read only one book of accessible science this year, let this be the one' - Mark Williams, author of Mindfulness

The bestselling author of The Drunkard's Walk and Subliminal unlocks the secrets of flexible thinking.

What do Pokémon Go and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein have in common?
Why do some businesses survive, and others fail at the first sign of change?
What gives the human brain the edge over computers?

The answer: Elastic Thinking. It's an ability we all possess, and one that we can all learn to hone in order to succeed, at work and in our everyday lives.

Here Leonard Mlodinow, whose own flexible thinking has taken him from physics professor to TV scriptwriter and bestselling author, takes us on a revelatory exploration of how elasticity works. He draws on cutting-edge neuroscience to show how, millennia ago, our brains developed an affinity for novelty, idea generation and exploration. He discovers how flexible thinking enabled some of the greatest artists, writers, musicians and innovators to create paradigm shifts. He investigates the organisations that have demonstrated an elastic ability to adapt to new technologies. And he reveals how you can test your own brain power and increase your capacity for elastic thinking.

By uncovering the secrets of our flexible minds, Elastic explains how to thrive in an endlessly dynamic world, at a time when an ability to adapt is more important than ever before.

About this title

About the Author

Leonard Mlodinow is the best-selling author of The Drunkard's Walk, Subliminal and Elastic, as well as a theoretical physicist who taught at Caltech and was a fellow at The Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics. He co-authored two books with Stephen Hawking, A Briefer History of Time and The Grand Design, and later wrote an acclaimed memoir, Stephen Hawking, about their time together. There are over one million copies of Leonard Mlodinow's books in print.

Edition details

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241334403
• ISBN 13: 9780241334409
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272