The Brain at Rest: Why doing nothing can change your life (August 2025, Paperback, 256 pg) Dr Joseph Jebelli

We are constantly told to make the most of our time. Stop procrastinating. Optimise. To be happy, creative and successful requires discipline and focus. The most important thing is to be efficient with every precious hour. But when we let our brains rest, and our minds wander, something magical happens: the brain’s ’default network’ switches on, and suddenly we are able to think in completely new ways.

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Dr Joseph Jebelli

R440.00

Available on back-order

Description

Want to know how to solve tough problems, be more creative and protect your health, all with zero effort? This is the surprising science of the brain at rest, a ‘stealth help’ book for readers of  Why We Sleep.
We are constantly told to make the most of our time. Stop procrastinating. Optimise. To be happy, creative and successful requires discipline and focus. The most important thing is to be efficient with every precious hour. But when we let our brains rest, and our minds wander, something magical happens: the brain’s ’default network’ switches on, and suddenly we are able to think in completely new ways.
Blending science and personal stories with practical tips, Dr Joseph Jebelli reveals how neuroscience is solving the mystery of the brain at rest, with profound implications for intelligence, creativity and even life expectancy.
If we dare to break the taboo surrounding rest, we will find that long baths, walks in nature, meditation and simple daydreaming are the key to a happier, healthier – and ironically, more productive – life.
The author: Dr Joseph Jebelli received a PhD in neuroscience from University College London, then worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Washington. He has written two books,  How the Mind Changed  and  In Pursuit of Memory,  which was shortlisted for the  Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize and longlisted for the  Wellcome Book  Prize. He lives in London.