Title: Skärmhjärnan (The Happiness Cure)
Author: Anders Hansen
Narrator: Anders Hansen
Series: –
Genre: Nonfiction
Length: 5 hours 26 minutes
Published: 2021, Bonnier Fakta
My Grade: 5 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

As a species, we’ve never had it so good. We’re living longer and healthier lives than ever before; the sum of human knowledge and endless entertainment are only ever a few clicks away.

So why are we in the midst of a mental health crisis?

The Happiness Cure offers a radical new way to think about fulfilment. Blending neuroscientific research and empirical breakthroughs with stories of ordinary individuals, leading psychiatrist and viral TedX speaker Dr Anders Hansen reveals that by adopting an evolutionary take on life, we can re-set our perspective on happiness to find longer-term meaning and lasting contentment.

MY REVIEW

This was good! I kind of feel like I am already going in the right direction here (wisdom that has come with age), but it was so necessary to hear it. Five and a half hour read by the enthusiastic Anders Hansen himself while driving through Europe was exactly what my boyfriend and I needed.

This is the third book by Hansen that I’m reading and I love that even if they are supposed to be three individual pieces, it feels like they follow each other and intertwine.

So, what makes this book of his so great? He explains everything very thorough and several times in different ways so his words really stick with you. He also uses great analogies and explains our history in such a logical way that makes you say: Of course! That makes so much sense!

I won’t spoil anything, but the general idea of his meaning is that we are not programmed to be happy all the time, we are not programmed to be happy at all, because all our brain wants is to survive. And most importantly, evolution is SLOW, our society and technological advances are WAY TOO FAST for our evolution. We are not made to live in this world. And all of our anxiety, panic attacks and depressions are normal. Those are signs that our brain is functioning as it should. It still sucks! But that’s just how we as a species work. I will also try to remember that our memories are not something written in stones. They are meant to change to ensure our survival. Which justifies me taking photos of things I know I will eventually forget the details of, haha!

I’ve always thought that I was cynical and more and more carefree the older I got. But it is reassuring to know that my inexplicable downs that happen every now and then are completely normal. My depressions are normal, and it is okay! It is okay to not be happy. I mostly am happy and feel happiness which probably means that I unconsciously have accepted this. And it feels even more reassuring having heard this from a doctor. Anders Hansen is great and I did not take this read as something depressing which I think some people can interpret it as. It’s just the way it is.

It was a great short listen! I highly recommend it! Five out of five!

Title: Skärmhjärnan (~Screen Brain)
Author: Anders Hansen
Series: –
Genre: Nonfiction
Length: 4 hours 55 minutes
Published: 2019, Bonnier Audio
My Grade: 5 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

Mental illness is taking over the great health threat in our world. The high tempo, chronic stress and this digital lifestyle with constant connection is starting to have consequences on our brains. It doesn’t matter h much you think you might enjoy scrolling your Instagram feed, watching the news on your phone or movies on your tablet, your brain is not adapted to whatever today’s society brings. It’s not synchronized with our time!

But that doesn’t mean that you’re powerless and that there are no solutions – with a little more knowledge on how the brain works, you’ll soon realize that it’s all about simple things. The human brain originate from a completely different time and we should show it some more consideration. Follow along on this exciting journey and get a whole new understanding on what’s happening inside your head!

MY REVIEW

Things might look different in the future when I have kids, but I feel like this is a book that I should reread when I have children of my own. It was, as Hansen’s other book Hjärnstark (The Real Happy Pill), really interesting and eye opening. They are strongly intertwined and I’m glad that I read Hjärnstark right before this one as I understood everything that he discussed.

As in his other book, he writes about so many different studies made on the subject and they all point to the same thing. Screens = bad. But that’s not entirely true either. It’s hard to tell if the depression among people increased when we got our smartphones or when depressed people use it more. Or if it is more accepted by society now to be open about mental illness. Regardless, it was interesting and in either case, screen time should be reduced. At least the unnecessary time we spend scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. I hate when I do it, but I can’t stop. I can’t really say that I feel bad doing it though. I don’t compare myself to unrealistic things posted there. I’m aware that people post the absolute best moments of their lives. I have moments like that too. And also, my feed is mostly filled with memes and cats.

It is very depressing to know that babies, not even one year old, are on the internet. Learning among kids are worsening because they use tablets and computers so much instead of learning the fine motor skills they get when writing by hand for example. They don’t play physically anymore, which is bad news for the development of their brains (which is more thoroughly described in Hjärnstark). I’ve also heard from my cousins that the digital social interactions are making kids unable to communicate in real life. That’s scary!

I am also aware that technology goes forward, and that’s great. There are benefits of having smartphones as well but the main point of both of Hansen’s books is that evolution goes much, much slower than the development of technology and our brains have not left the time when we were hunters and gatherers.

I know that I use my phone a lot. But I’m more concerned about younger generations that doesn’t know anything else. I grew up playing outside during recess at school, I built tree houses with my neighbors. What do kids do now? What will become of them in the future? This scares me.

I’m really glad I read the book. It was great! My recommendation is the same as with Hjärnstark. Please, read it! I give it five out of a possible five.

Title: Hjärnstark (The Real Happy Pill)
Author: Anders Hansen
Series: –
Genre: Nonfiction
Length: 7 hours 14 minutes
Published: 2016, Bonnier Audio
My Grade: 5 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

Is there a foolproof way to reduce stress and anxiety while you boost your memory? Raise your IQ even as you slow down the aging process? Become more creative and train your ability to focus at the same time? The answer is simple: Move! Modern neuroscience and research has shown, more than ever, that physical exercise has extraordinary effects on our cognition.

Physical activity, more so than Sudoku or crossword puzzles, optimizes our mental abilities and health in a way unparalleled by any drug, medication, or food supplement. And exercise doesn’t just enhance your health, energy and mood levels, and cognitive abilities. You will also learn:

• Why physical training is the best protection against dementia
• What type of exercise can be used to treat depression as an antidepressant
• How exercise increases the ability to focus in children, especially kids with ADHD
• How children with good fitness can become better in math and reading comprehension
• Why “runner’s high”, the natural chemicals released during jogging, improves your health and mood

With practical and concrete advice for the layman on how to reap these benefits, as well as neuroscientific research from the last five years broken down to accessible findings, The Real Happy Pill urges you to train your body and mind for a whole-body upgrade, and start to move!

MY REVIEW

I’ve heard many good things about this book for quite a while now but haven’t really felt that I wanted to prioritize reading it physically. Audiobooks has opened up a whole new world to me and I wish I would have started with it sooner.

I’ve grown up knowing that exercise is good for you. I may not have been the most active kid during recess at school, but I’ve always performed some kind of after school activity, since I was like 8 or something? But I didn’t know it had a bigger effect on the body than maintaining weight and keeping your heart healthy in the future.

But apparently, the brain benefits a lot from working out and this book explains how and why, in a simple way. He takes study after study and presents the evidence that all point to the same thing. Exercise is helping the memory, creating new brain cells, and helping you in ways that prescribed antidepressants is nowhere near doing. The problem is that no one is gaining any monetary means from promoting exercise.

Hansen is also describing how we have developed very very fast in the last two centuries and our brains have not yet adapted to it. Our brains are still thinking that we live on the savanna and hunting for food. Which is something he writes in more depth about in his next book “Skärmhjärnan” (~Screen Brain).

I have played beach volleyball for fourteen years now. I consider that a cardio workout, but I’ve always preferred lifting weights and gaining muscle (mostly because I have a genetic disorder with my calves) and stayed away from running, which is the form of exercise that Hansen exclusively writes about. I can’t run. But he also said that as long as your heart rate goes up, it’s fine. Maybe I’ll add an extra cardio workout every week in different forms. I have already started walking more, for example to and from work every day (more time to listen to books). I will also be very careful with letting my potential future kids know that exercise is good for them and make sure that they stay active and not just use the screen as a plaything.

It was an inspiring book and I do believe that the world would be a better place if everyone stayed active more. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. Please read it!