Cover Image: Side Effects

Side Effects

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Member Reviews

I thought this was an interesting book about left brain vs right brain and how it makes us who we are. After reading this book, I found myself thinking about me being right handed but how with certain things I feel my comfortable with my left hand. An example, styling my hair. I am definitely a right handed with my writing by hand, although I try to strengthen my left hand.

I love the neuroscience in this book and how it relates to everyday life. That was detailed quite nicely. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book and how much I learned.

Recommended if you like science and the human body.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lorin J Elias and Dundurn Pressn for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 9/13/22

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Once you have read this book you will see everything differently, become aware of the patterns of one sidedness for photos, paintings, kissing, holding babies and more. I real enjoyed this book. The author is a professor in psychology and brings all his learnings to explain this one sidedness of humans with accessible language and good use of supporting research.

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I was expecting the book to be dull, slow, and monotonous due to similar works I’ve read, but it was uber interesting! I’m a leftie so getting to see the biological and psychological reasoning behind things I unconsciously do in everyday life was fascinating.

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I was always interested to know how the left and the right side of our brains influence our day-to-day lives. When I picked up this book, I did not what I would expect. Would it be the same boring writing that I see in some science books or something new. And I was not disappointed. Well researched and fully detailed, this book will blow your mind.

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This book was not what I expected. I have a background in medicine and psychology so I was ready to read about neuroscience. The research in this was SO detailed I was blown away. However, some of the studies and research shared didn’t hold my interest. I think this is a well written nonfiction book on this particular topic but be prepared for an in depth discussion

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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Side Effects.

I was very interested in the premise of Side Effects, because I'm a lefty and from a culture that view left-handedness as, well, kind of evil.

It turns out we perform a lot of lopsided actions, and some of it is dependent on if you're a lefty or righty.

The author shines the spotlight on so many behaviors we perform but never think about when we do it:

How do we tilt our head when we kiss a lover? Our friends? A child?

How do we cradle a baby in our arms?

What is the best way to take a selfie and get more matches on a dating app?

My favorite section was how being left handed is (finally!) a positive in sports, especially combat activities like MMA.

The book discusses how our brains influence our behavior unconsciously but being self aware of these biases can be used advantageously in our personal and professional life.

I would love to see another book in this series delving into health, wellness and preventing injuries.

Do left-handed athletes incur more injuries on their left side or right?

Are certain sports better for lefties or right handers?

Do lefties sleep more on their left side or right? Does it matter? Does it affect sleep quality?

This was a good read, and I especially like the takeaways at the end of each chapter, encapsulating the summary of findings.

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