Elastic
The bestselling author of The Drunkard's Walk unlocks the secrets of flexible thinking
What do Pokémon Go and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein have in common?
Why do some businesses survive, and others fail at the first sign of change?
What gives the human brain the edge over computers?
The answer: Elastic Thinking. It's an ability we all possess, and one that we can all learn to hone in order to succeed, at work and in our everyday lives.
Here Leonard Mlodinow, whose own flexible thinking has taken him from physics professor to TV scriptwriter and bestselling author, takes us on a revelatory exploration of how elasticity works. He draws on cutting-edge neuroscience to show how, millennia ago, our brains developed an affinity for novelty, idea generation and exploration. He discovers how flexible thinking enabled some of the greatest artists, writers, musicians and innovators to create paradigm shifts. He investigates the organisations that have demonstrated an elastic ability to adapt to new technologies. And he reveals how you can test your own brain power and increase your capacity for elastic thinking.
By uncovering the secrets of our flexible minds, Elastic explains how to thrive in an endlessly dynamic world, at a time when an ability to adapt is more important than ever before.
Leonard Mlodinow is the bestselling author of The Drunkard's Walk (New York Times Notable Book), Subliminal (winner of the PEN / E. O. Wilson Award), The Upright Thinkers and, with Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design. Trained as a physicist, he has had a very elastic career, writing for television series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and working in the gaming industry before becoming a full time writer while continuing to publish physics papers as a hobby.