When I first picked up this book I thought, “Great, I can learn how the brain works.” It was not until I was pretty far into this hefty book that I realized that the word “mind” was carefully chosen because it was distinctly different from “brain.” Pinker delivers on his promise and the book wanders through many of the wonders of the mind. It contains many fascinating ideas, studies and theories about why we do the things we do.
Interesting tidbit 1: Children will generally accept any food given to them from birth through their second year, after which their tastes and generally “locked in” for life.
Interesting tidbit 2: Children generally learn fears and phobias between the ages of three and five.
Interesting tidbit 3: Tickling is a form of mock fighting and laughing while tickling is a way of saying, “I know this would otherwise be scary because it seems like I am attacking you, but I am just having fun.”