The Self Delusion: The New Neuroscience of How We Invent--And Reinvent--Our Identities - Hardcover

by Gregory Berns (Author)

A New York Times-bestselling author reveals how the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, are critical to our lives

We all know we tell stories about ourselves. But as psychiatrist and neuroscientist Gregory Berns argues in The Self Delusion, we don't just tell stories; we are the stories. Our self-identities are fleeting phenomena, continually reborn as our conscious minds receive, filter, or act on incoming information from the world and our memories.

Drawing on new research in neuroscience, social science, and psychiatry, Berns shows how our stories and our self-identities are temporary and therefore ever changing. Berns shows how we can embrace the delusion of a singular self to make our lives better, offering a plan not centered on what we think will be best for us, but predicated on minimizing regrets. Enlightening, empowering, and surprising, The Self Delusion shows us how to be the protagonist of the stories we want to tell.

Author Biography

Gregory Berns is a professor of psychology at Emory University, where he directs the Center for Neuropolicy and Facility for Education & Research in Neuroscience. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller How Dogs Love Us. He lives on a farm near Atlanta, Georgia.