From attention mechanisms to memory processing, the neuroscience of sleep and the psychology of superstition, neuroscientist Dean Burnett explores the surprising workings of the brain and the bemusing behaviours these cause in everyday life.

Unpredictable and entertaining, Burnett's account gives us up-to-date research and the principles of neuroscience along the way. Looking at memory, intelligence, observation, social interaction and personality, Burnett explains why:
* memory is like a doting mother;
* tall people are more intelligent;
* criticism is more powerful than praise;
* we remember faces before names;
* a glass of wine can refresh your memory;
* and you can't be 'a little bit OCD'.