Book Review of "200 Good Reasons to Rethink Your Habits"

I don’t pick up the book just because of the title. “200 good reasons to rethink your habits” just sounds like self-adaptation. And thus my habits are fine. There isn’t really a guide on the back of the book cover to a “healthy and happy life” as the subtitle promises. Instead, science writer and doctor Stuart Ferrymond answers more than 200 questions, some of which you’ve probably asked yourself before: Why am I tired even though I sleep in late? What if I have a word on the tip of my tongue? Why do I feel smaller than myself? Is sitting the new smoking? Do my dreams have any meaning? How do I improve my memory? And why do they all drive worse cars than me?

Many graphics help to understand

The author devotes a page or two to each question. His answers are concise and concise and interesting at the same time – and the graphics are so lovingly drawn that the book is really fun to read. The acknowledgment at the end of the book shows that Stuart Ferrymond was very helpful in answering these questions. The list of publications used and professors to consult is long.

With over 200 questions, there are certainly some that seem to be desired or that have no clear answer yet. The division into chapters “morning”, “afternoon”, “evening” and “night” seems artificial. It would have made more sense to organize the book by topics such as sleep, exercise, memory and diet.

Curiosity rather than self-adaptation

Incidentally, the original English title is more apt: “The Science of Life”. Rather than self-adapting, the book focuses on curiosity about the big and small events of everyday life. You learn a lot: for example, that scabies food is so irresistible because it contains the “unholy trinity” of nutrients the body craves most (sugar, fat, salt), or that young people like risk. This is because the front part of their brain, which is responsible for action control, is not yet fully developed. Farymond likes to use comparisons to explain his explanation, for example that once you learn sequences of movements, they are imprinted in the brain “like the shape of your body in a mattress made of memory foam.” ” Over and over again, he also gives specific suggestions about what you can draw for yourself from the findings, such as how you should design your desk to be particularly productive, from lunch time onwards. How to avoid or cope with fears and worries.