This is a preview of the Shortform book summary of Brain Wash by David Perlmutter and Austin Perlmutter.
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Could your daily habits be sabotaging your health and happiness? In Brain Wash, David and Austin Perlmutter argue that our modern lifestyles are full of chronic stress, technological distractions, and unhealthy foods that impair our brain function and ability to make good decisions. This causes us to make unhealthy choices that damage our health and relationships while putting us on the path to chronic disease, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. However, the Perlmutters write that you can break free from these destructive patterns. They suggest simple lifestyle adjustments to reclaim your health and happiness in the modern world.

David Perlmutter is a neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He’s an associate professor at the...

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Brain Wash Summary The Problem: Modern Life Makes Us Unhealthy and Unhappy

David and Austin Perlmutter argue that modern life is full of conveniences that seem to make life better but actually damage your physical and mental health. For example, instead of spending a lot of time in the kitchen to prepare a meal, you can order fast food delivery; instead of being bored, you can binge-watch TV shows late into the night. However, such habits can lead to poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and less physical activity.

(Shortform note: In [restricted term] Nation, psychiatrist Anna Lembke explains why it’s so easy to indulge in these convenient, pleasurable activities: Our brains evolved thousands of years ago when food and resources were hard to find. As a result, we developed strong drives to hunt, gather, and take advantage of any pleasure or resource we found, since we didn’t know when we’d find more. Today, we can easily access pleasurable things anytime—like junk food, social media, or videos—but our brains still tell us to get as much as we can of these pleasures, even...

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Brain Wash Summary The Solution: Habits for a Healthier Brain

We’ve discussed how our modern lifestyle can send us down a spiral of poor choices that damage our health and happiness. Now, let’s talk about how we can correct our course and improve our brain health. The Perlmutters write that you can establish healthier habits that reduce activity in your amygdala and restore proper function to your prefrontal cortex. They suggest six lifestyle changes: Limit technology use, improve your diet, get exercise, reconnect with nature, improve your sleep, and practice mindful meditation.

Tip #1: Limit Technology Use

The first healthy habit the Perlmutters recommend is to reduce technology use. They argue that tech companies have deliberately created addictive features to trick your brain into using technology longer than you plan to. For example, social media feeds encourage endless scrolling, while autoplay features keep you watching video after video.

(Shortform note: In Irresistible, Adam Alter explains that technology is addictive because it [creates a sense of...

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Shortform Exercise: Create Your Brain Health Reset Plan

The Perlmutters explain that modern habits can weaken your prefrontal cortex, leading to poor decisions that harm your health and happiness. In this exercise, design a brain reset plan to break free from unhealthy patterns and strengthen your brain’s decision-making abilities.


Which of the six brain-healthy habits (limiting technology use, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, spending time in nature, getting good sleep, and practicing mindfulness) do you struggle with the most? What negative effects does struggling with this habit have on your mood, energy, or ability to make good decisions?

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