Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience
*Starred Review* What do the bright and colorful splotches on brain scans tell us about the mind and human behavior? Not as much as we’d like to think, according to psychiatrist Satel and psychologist Lilienfeld, who caution against the overheated promises of neuroscience that have crept into commerce, law, sociology, and science itself. Could brain scans replace focus groups, counseling, and lie detectors to explain our actions, feelings, and potential? Focusing on the use of brain scans in marketing (to identify emotional triggers), addiction treatment (to look beyond efforts at self-control), and law enforcement (to mitigate responsibility for criminal behavior), they ponder the broader implications of relying too much on neurology—and not enough on psychology—to explain human behavior. Placing MRIs in historical context, including the phrenology fad, they question the scientific soundness of using brain scans in fields other than neurology. As interesting are important issues they raise, from worries about cognitive liberty to the right to protect yourself against incrimination and unreasonable searches and seizures. This fascinating book cautions against the appeal and seeming authority of the brain scan, which renders it vulnerable to conscription in the service of one or another political or social agenda. --Vanessa Bush