The shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains

By Nicholas Carr


Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.


Whether you accept his argument, whether you agree with or question the evidence he uses to support his contentions, or whether you have personal experiences that significantly differ from Carr’s, two things you should know about this book on a current and relevant topic include, first, it is well written and organized, and two, it offers a great deal of material for thought, consideration, and discussion.  It’s the kind of book I would love to have assigned for a book circle or book club simply because I can see that Carr’s ideas would generate a variety of viewpoints, strong advocates as well as healthy critics, and, certainly, lively discussion.


You don’t have to accept Carr’s premise to enjoy his book.  His thesis was effectively stated by Kenneth A. Vatz of Winnetka, Illinois, who writes in his five-star review of the book, “that our increasing addiction to the Internet is not only transforming our minds but physically changing, or rewiring, our brains in such a way as to shorten our attention spans and impair our ability to memorize, think and synthesize.”


This book is important, and it should be read by teachers and students as well as by parents and their offspring.  My position is that it is a well-thought-out, well-written, well-researched book that is likely to be the mere tip of the iceberg with respect to this topic, and we will see a great deal more research and writing about it in the future.  Carr writes, “When it comes to the quality of our thought, our neurons and synapses are entirely indifferent.  The possibility of intellectual decay is inherent in the malleability of our brains” (p. 35).  I think there is no question at all that the Internet will have a significant influence on the way we both think and behave, and its pernicious influence is likely to become greater and greater as time goes on.  This book, then, becomes the benchmark.


I’m a reader.  One of the delights in this book is the contrast Carr offers between reading a book or magazine (it’s "tactile as well as visual” (p. 90).) and reading a Web document (which “involves physical actions and sensory stimuli very different from those involved in holding and turning . . . pages” (p. 90).)  His contrast appears on pages 89-98.


For authors, readers of books, creators of e-books, and publishers, Chapter Six, “The Very Image of a Book,” is both an interesting and informative read.  The overall thesis, Carr explains, is: “The high-tech features of devices like the Kindle and Apple’s new iPad may make it more likely that we’ll read e-books, but the way we read them will be very different from the way we read printed editions” (p. 104).  The chapter goes on to explain the numerous “changes in the way books are written and presented” (p. 105).


In Chapter Seven, “The Juggler’s Brain,” Carr goes on to describe and discuss a similar thesis: “. . . the Internet’s import and influence can be judged only when viewed in the fuller context of intellectual history.  As revolutionary as it may be, the Net is best understood as the latest in a long series of tools that have helped mold the human mind” (p. 115). Carr then goes on to answer the crucial question, “What can science tell us about the actual effects that Internet use is having on the way our minds work?” (p. 115)


Just an additional thought.  After Carr’s Chapter Nine, “Search, Memory,” he includes three pages (pp. 198-200) entitled, “a digression: on the writing of this book.”  Now, as a writer, I found these three pages insightful.  I always enjoy it when writers write about the process of writing.  Carr says, “When I began writing The Shallows, toward the end of 2007, I struggled in vain to keep my mind fixed on the task.  The Net provided, as always, a bounty of useful information and research tools, but its constant interruptions scattered my thoughts and words.  I tended to write in disconnected spurts, the same way I wrote when blogging.  It was clear that big changes were in order” (p. 198).  He says all this as a way of showing what happened when he moved from Boston to the mountains of Colorado where there was no cell phone service, a very slow DSL connection, a canceled Twitter account, a Facebook account put on hiatus, and a shut down blog, RSS reader, skyping, and instant messaging.  What happened then is an anecdotal delight — and worth the read.


With respect to the credibility of the ideas in this book, there are over 25 pages of notes and 4 pages of further readings.  Throughout the book, readers are provided important, relevant, and highly accomplished researchers and experts as the basis for his observations.  His own experiences are offered, but he only uses them to further extend the research and the expert opinions.


With respect to the author’s own credibility, I quote here from his online biography: “Earlier in his career [ before writing his best selling books], Carr was executive editor of the Harvard Business Review and a principal at Mercer Management Consulting.


Carr has been a speaker at MIT, Harvard, Wharton, the Kennedy School of Government, NASA, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas as well as at many industry, corporate, and professional events throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A., in English and American literature and language, from Harvard University.”


This is a very good book.


This book is available from Amazon.com: The shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains

The intelligent entrepreneur: How three Harvard Business School graduates learned the 10 rules of successful entrepreneurship

By Bill Murphy Jr.


Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.


Harvard Business School (HBS) teaches its business classes by having students read, analyze, and discuss case studies.  Bill Murphy is a Harvard graduate, and the reason you need to know this before diving into this book, is that basically, it is three extensive and well-described case studies (of Marla Malcolm Beck, Chris Michel, and Marc Cenedella) tied together with their experiences and how they demonstrate (sometimes purposefully and at other times accidentally) the ten rules of successful entrepreneurship:
    1.    Make the commitment.
    2.    Find a problem, then solve it.
    3.    Think big, think new, think again.
    4.    You can’t do it alone.
    5.    You must do it alone.
    6.    Manage risk.
    7.    Learn to lead.
    8.     Learn to sell.
    9.    Persist, persevere, prevail.
  10.    Play the game for life.


In each case, you get a beautifully presented explanation of the real life challenges and triumphs of the three entrepreneurs in the eleven odd-numbered chapters, and in the even-numbered chapters, you get Murphy’s key rules of entrepreneurial success that Marla, Chris, and Marc learned along the way (p. 7).  It’s an interesting format, but it works well.


Once you meet Marla, Chris, and Marc in Chapter 1 and hear their stories (which sets the stage for the entire book), you will not just become interested in how their lives work out, but their stories, too, will captivate you, and you will quickly become absorbed in this well-written, interesting, and enlightening book.


Whether you are a hopeful entrepreneur, one just starting out, or one who has already plunged forward into entrepreneurship and is fully ensconced, I think you will find this book worthwhile.  Having recently established a small publishing company, And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C., I found his information accurate, insightful, and valuable.


This book is available at Amazon.com: The intelligent entrepreneur: How three Harvard Business School graduates learned the 10 rules of successful entrepreneurship

The mindfulness code: Keys for overcoming stress, anxiety, fear, and unhappiness

By Donald Altman


Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

It is helpful to know Altman’s credentials before reading this book.  First, he is a psychotherapist, second, he is a former Buddhist monk, and third, he is an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College Graduate School and Portland State University.  Why is it important to know this?  Because, throughout the book he successfully and seamlessly blends these three areas of interest and expertise.

Altman tells effective stories, and he tells them well.  The book is absolutely loaded with examples.

There are 44 chapters in this in 256 pages of text.  That means that, on average, each chapter is less than six pages long.  They read quickly.  And, too, each chapter includes a simple lesson, activity, or tool that engages readers and gives them an exercise to experience or apply the idea on their own.  

Chapter titles will give you an exact idea of the contents of this book.  The first section, “The Mind Key,” includes 11 chapters.  The second part, “The Body Key,” includes eleven chapters, “The Spirit Key,” includes eleven, and the fourth part, “The Relationship Key,” includes the final eleven.

Because I have a special interest in relationships (I write about them on a regular basis, and I had a college textbook, UNDERSTANDING INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, that went through 7 editions), let me give you the chapter names in this part: Give Others Your Full Presence, Embrace Silence and Deep Listening, Share Loving-Kindness with Others, Be Genuine and Real, Seek Out Happy and Meaningful Connections, Untie the Knots of Emotional Entanglement, Light Another’s Candle, Attune Yourself to Others, Offer Up Your Nonjudgment and Joy, Cultivate Kind Speech, and Mind Your Relationships.  (How can anyone argue against these ideas when it comes to cultivating successful relationships?)

In her review of the book at Amazon.com, I thought Marilyn Dalrymple of Lancaster, California, made a particularly good point.  She said the book “is a gentle, but serious reminder that most of us need to take care of ourselves and be concerned and caring toward others.”   I love her use of the word “gentle” for not only is it an accurate reflection of Altman’s approach, it is the feeling you acquire as he explains the idea of each chapter, offers examples to clearly define and demonstrate the idea, and then provides the “gentle” guideline readers can use to obtain (or at the least experience) the idea on their own.

This book is available at Amazon.com: The mindfulness code: Keys for overcoming stress, anxiety, fear, and unhappiness

The upside of irrationality: The unexpected benefits of defying logic at work and at home

By Dan Ariely


Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This is an absolutely fascinating book.  I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it.  I loved the stories, I loved the experiments, I loved the practical nature of the entire book and how Ariely applies all of the information to our lives whether it be at work, in relationships, or simply everyday existence.

Here is an example of how Ariely relates stories or experiments to readers’ lives: “The moral of the story?” he writes.  “You may think that taking a break during an irritating or boring experience will be good for you, but a break actually decreases your ability to adapt, making the experience seem worse when you have to return to it.  When cleaning your house or doing your taxes, the trick is to stick with it until you are done” (p. 179).

His experience with “Public Speaking 101" (pp. 42-49), of course, caught my attention.  Ariely is so good at telling stories.  The details he provides allow readers to imagine the situations he describes accurately, but not only that, it puts readers into those situations with all of the attendant emotions and reactions.

What I found particularly interesting was the build-up Ariely offered for each of his experiments.  If you have ever wondered where the motivation or stimulation for behavioral science experiments come from, reading this book will be especially enlightening.

Also, delightful and evident on almost every page of the book, is Ariely’s engaging and surprising sense of humor.  If you ever think that university professors — especially ones like Ariely who not only have two Ph.D’s, but are obviously well-versed and well-practiced in research methodology and approaches — are sedate, staid, formal, stuffy, and conventional (devoid of any sense of humor!), then you will not only be pleasantly surprised by this book, you may even be astonished.  On page 61, Ariely puts you (the reader) in the “character” of an adult male albino rat in a cage.  He gives you all the rat language and rat feelings to help you identify with it: “You accidentally press the bar, and immediately a pellet of food is released.  Wonderful!  You press the bar again.  Oh joy!—another pellet comes out. . . .”  In the next paragraph he says, “You wander around the cage, cursing under your rat breath, and go over to the tin cup.  ‘Oh my!’ you say to yourself.  ‘It’s full of pellets!  Free food!’” (You get the point.).

The book is written for anyone and everyone.  It is highly readable!  There are few technical words, no erudite vocabulary, and it is incredibly engaging.  You just can’t put it down.  (That’s because the stories and illustrations are so captivating!)  “I truly enjoy the research I do,” Ariely writes, “I think it’s fun.  I’m excited to tell you, dear reader, about how I have spent the last twenty years of my life.  I’m almost sure my mother will read this boo, and I’m hoping that at least a few others will as well” (p. 64).

I loved his personal examples, like putting together the IKEA furniture designed for his toy room (pp. 83-84).  His example of what happened with his small Audi (pp. 131-135) was delightful, and it was truly an illustration with which all readers could identify.  Also, once again, it was a story that led to an experiment “to measure the extent of vengeful behavior” (p. 135).  

Just an aside regarding Ariely’s Audi experience, here he writes about it in retrospect on page 153: “Other than my near brush with death on the highway, I’d say that my experience with Audi was overall beneficial.  I got to reflect on the phenomenon of revenge, do a few experiments, share my perspective in print, and write this chapter.”  These sentences give you a good sample of his writing style, his directness in talking to readers, and his honesty.

Speaking of his use of personal examples, how he became an academic (because I am, too, an academic) is most interesting.  It was a choice, incidentally, that happened slowly over time as he “began engaging in more and more academic pursuits” (p. 184).  Ariely uses this experience as an example of how he adapted to a powerful, painful, and prolonged injury (which he fully explains toward the beginning of the book).

This really is an outstanding book that will capture your attention, tune your senses to a number of aspects of human behavior, and inform, enlighten, and entertain you along the way.  If it hasn’t been clear in this review, I truly loved the book and Ariely’s writing style.

This book is available at Amazon.com: The upside of irrationality: The unexpected benefits of defying logic at work and at home