Switch on your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Switch on your Brain

I rarely review non-fiction, but after a friend mentioned reading Dr. Leaf’s work, I knew I wanted to check out this latest book.

Let’s begin with the back cover copy:

According to researchers, the vast majority—a whopping 75-98 percent—of the illnesses that plague us today are a direct result of our thought life. What we think about truly affects us both physically and emotionally. In fact, fear alone triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses in our bodies, activating more than thirty different hormones! Today our culture is undergoing an epidemic of toxic thoughts that, left unchecked, create ideal conditions for illnesses.

Supported by current scientific and medical research, Dr. Caroline Leaf gives readers a prescription for better health and wholeness through correct thinking patterns, declaring that we are not victims of our biology. She shares with readers the "switch" in our brains that enables us to live happier, healthier, more enjoyable lives where we achieve our goals, maintain our weight, and even become more intelligent. She shows us how to choose life, get our minds under control, and reap the benefits of a detoxed thought life.

And now, my review:

Philippians 4:8. You probably know the verse by heart. If not, go check it out. Dr. Leaf’s work centers around that and other Scriptures to back up scientific research about how the brain works—specifically how the mind affects the brain, which affects the body.

Some of the writing is academic and would probably best benefit through slow ingestion. After she explains the science of the mind/brain connection, she gives a 21-day brain detox strategy. This is a useful tool to apply the lessons of the first part of the book.

I liked how she tied Scriptures and science together. She calls scientific discovery a means of glorifying God. I agree.

The research was fascinating—how thoughts (our minds) affect our brains and bodies. Negative thinking doesn’t just affect our attitudes, but also our health. I’ve highlighted multiple passages for review later.

For me, this was a timely tool God used in my life. Perhaps that will be the same for you. The beginning of a new year seems an appropriate time to read it. 

Recommended. 

(e-book format)