Dean Burnett and the funny findings of the ‘flapping’ brain

Dean Burnett, PhD

‘If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t’, says Doctor Dean Burnett, in The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head is Really Up To. life to trying.

Burnett was born and raised in Wales, having developed a taste for performing and quite the sense of humour during his childhood and teenage years. He went on to graduate from Cardiff University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neurosciences, and a PhD in the role of the hippocampus in configuration learning though this academic career wasn’t the sole foundation for his accomplishments.

The passion for comedy and writing, which he started to explore in between degrees, would eventually lead him to a regular blog on The Guardian (Brain Flapping) and, from there, to many articles in several news outlets, interviews, conferences, and a growing list of published books.

As such, he has certainly earned his fair share of titles, as he likes to jest about ‘neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, podcaster, pundit, science communicator, comedian and numerous other things, depending on who’s asking and what they need.’[1]

Even so, his work mostly revolves around science communication, which, put simply, is the act of conveying scientific knowledge and ideas to nonexpert audiences, thus making them accessible and understandable[2]. In a way, this embodies the words of Albert Einstein – ‘If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough’ - but Burnett takes it a step further, having both the insight and the skills to turn science communication into art.

References: [1] - Burnett D. About Dean. Dean Burnett. https://www.deanburnett.com/about-dean-burnett/. Published 2018. Accessed March 12, 2023. [2] - Cherry B. Libguides: Science Communication: Introduction to science communication. Introduction to science communication - Science Communication - LibGuides at. https://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/ sciencecommunication. Published February 21, 2023. Accessed March 13, 2023. [3] - Burnett D. The Idiot Brain: a Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head Is Really up To. London, London: Guardian books; 2017. [4] - Burnett D. The Happy Brain: The Science of Where Happiness Comes from, and Why. London, London: Guardian Faber; 2018. [5]Fox K. Dean Burnett: 'happiness shouldn't be the default state in the human brain'. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/28/dean-burnett-happinessshould-not-default-state-human-brain-the-happy-brain. Published April 28, 2018. Accessed March 12, 2023.

He is amazingly capable of deconstructing complex processes and concepts into bite-sized pieces, and does so with a casual, humorous (and sometimes sarcastic) tone that brings the reader closer, through the doors of the vast and intimidating world of neuroscience. All things considered, it’s no surprise that since 2016 his books have been read by hundreds of thousands of people in over 20 different countries. [1]

In his debut book, The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head is Really Up To, Dr. Burnett takes the readers on a deep dive into the brain, the key that made humankind a species like no other. On the one hand, our conscience and cognitive functions are seen as the pinnacle of evolution. On the other hand, the brain sometimes falls into faulty behaviours – like when we worry too much to sleep at night, deal badly with emotions, or forget an important meeting. And so, Burnett explores questions about memory, self-confidence, and the general mess that is the human mind, as well as why sometimes its purpose seems to be sabotaging our own lives. [3]

A striking point of this book is that throughout the journey, the author speaks of the brain as if building a character - giving it traits, skills, convictions, and making it sort of a separate entity. And so, it becomes quite easy to imagine the brain as a little person living inside one’s head, with all its quirks and peculiar habits to guide us through life (and, somehow, that explains a lot).

In his following works, Dr. Burnett addresses themes like the origins of happiness, the meaning of human life [4][5], and the neuroscience behind mental illness and its correlation to the ‘modern lifestyle’ [6][7]. There’s even a book that attempts to explain to teenagers their parents’ reasoning during the typical family arguments of those years [8]. His most recent book, Emotional Ignorance: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion [9], was derived from Burnett’s own grief after his father’s death. It aims to explore feelings and emotions, delivering insight on how they work and their impact on relationships, routine, and well-being.

There’s no question that Dr. Dean Burnett has widely contributed to unveil the myths and mysteries of neuroscience amongst the general population, and that anyone can learn and benefit from reading his work. Therefore, it is with great excitement that we welcome him as a keynote speaker for AIMS Meeting 2023.

Guardian Faber Publishing; 2021. [7] - Rigby S. Dean Burnett on the Neuroscience of Mental Illness. BBC Science Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/dean-burnett-on-the-neuroscience-of-mental-illness/. Published June 28, 2022. Accessed March 14, 2023. [8] - Burnett D. Why Your Parents Are Driving You up the Wall and What to Do about It. London, London: Puffin; 2019. [9]Burnett D. Emotional Ignorance: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion. London, London: Guardian Faber Publishing; 2023.

CATARINA RIBEIRO Rohin Francis, MD

Humor can move mountains. (It’s actually love, but I hope this little change makes sense.)

When we tell a story, we always like to add a point and tell it in our own way. And if there's anyone who can do it with humor and, I would say, idiosyncratic irony, it's Rohin Francis.

The stories this cardiologist brings us portray the past of medicine and how it has been that way here – from the first transplant in Jackson, Mississippi (insert Uptown Funk, Bruno Mars) to the importance the breasts had in the evolution of medicine.

Dr. Francis is a Consultant Cardiologist and a Doctoral Researcher at the University College London. His passion for science communication and medical education has crystallized in his YouTube channel Medlife Crisis.

But the forgotten chapters in medical history are not the only thing he is going to tell us about. With his sarcastic way along with what he defines as "bad jokes", Rohin Francis intends to explore current health sensitive themes and clichés, often considered as taboos, defending evidence based medicine, as well as showcasing the shortcomings of modern medicine.

There is no better or worse way to say things, there is only our way. We can touch people more, be more empathetic, use Star Wars characters to make our point. However, we know that the dayto-day communication of a health professional is the "philosopher's stone" for a good relationship with our patients and families.

Using humor can be a weapon (and one of the good ones) in this contact with the other, reducing the anxiety and fear that patients may be feeling.