Elastic

With rapid technological innovation leading the charge, today's world is transforming itself at an unprecedented pace. Fortunately, as Leonard Mlodinow shows, the human brain is uniquely engineered to adapt.

Drawing from cutting-edge research in neuroscience and psychology, Mlodinow takes us on an illuminating journey through the mechanics of our own minds as we navigate the rapidly shifting landscapes around us. Out of the exploratory instincts that allowed our ancestors to prosper hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans developed a cognitive style that Mlodinow terms elastic thinking, a collection of abilities that include neophilia (an affinity for novelty), schizotypy (a tendency toward unusual perception), imagination and idea generation, pattern recognition, mental fluency and divergent thinking.

These are the qualities that enabled innovators from Mary Shelley to Miles Davis, and from Nike to Pokemon Go to create paradigm shifts. And they're the qualities that will enable each of us to succeed, personally and professionally. With his keen acumen and rapid-fire wit, Mlodinow gives us the essential tools to harness the power of elastic thinking in an endlessly dynamic world.