Listen to a sample
How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend
- Author
- Rachel Barr
- Narrator
- Rachel Barr
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley Ltd
- Publish Date
- 28 August 2025
- Run Time
- 6 hours 37 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Popular psychology, Popular medicine and health: the human body, Cognitive and behavioural neuroscience
- Rating
- 5.0 (1 review)
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
'Fun, but still deeply, rigorously researched.' - Professor Neil Shyminsky
'A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind.' - Jeffrey Meltzer, LMHC
'Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.' - Joshua Fletcher, anxiety therapist
'Riveting and enlightening, this book should be handed out to all humans as mandatory reading.' - Stylist
This BESTELLING audiobook explores how your brain is the most remarkable thing in the known universe.
Always trying to mend itself, and always trying to protect you, it’s in a constant state of flux — adapting, reconfiguring, finding new pathways . . . And it has an astonishing capacity for recovery.
Only it doesn’t always get it right.
Rachel Barr struggled through years of devastating loss, heartache, and uncertainty until neuroscience gave her the first spark of self-belief she had felt in her adult life — and proof that, because of the brain’s near-infinite potential for neuroplastic change, it’s never too late to carve out neural pathways to form new habits, new skills, and new ways of thinking.
Whether you want to nerd-out on Neuroscientific acronyms, finally understand what’s going on in your head, or take refuge in an audiobook that’s like a warm hug for your mind, How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend is a delight-filled, evidence-based guide to taking better care of your brain — so it, in turn, will take better care of you.
Rachel Barr holds a master’s degree in molecular neuroscience and wrote How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend while completing her PhD in the electrophysiology of memory and sleep. Beyond the lab, her videos as ‘Rachel the Neuroscientist’ demystify the fundamental principles of brain science, empowering her million-plus followers to make informed decisions about their mental health. Born and raised in Fife, she studied in Bristol and is now based in Quebec, where she shares her home — and keyboard — with Gnocchi the cat.
©2025 Rachel Barr (P)2025 DK Audio
Critics Review
-
Whether you’re looking to understand why your brain behaves the way it does or seeking practical strategies to get your mind on your side, this is a must-read.
Jack Lawrence, video creator
-
Somehow both a delightful and poignant piece of science communication. Rachel Barr’s writing is Bill Bryson-esque in both its accessibility and playfulness – your brain is “a well-meaning but inadvertently toxic-positive aunt”, “a multi-layered birthday cake”, and “A LIAR” – but it’s also tender and tinged with the pain of loss . . . I really enjoyed it!
Professor Neil Shyminsky, Professor at Cambrian College and content creator
-
Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.
Joshua Fletcher, Anxiety Therapist, author of And How Does That Make You Feel?
-
A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind into language that’s easy to understand.
Jeffrey Meltzer, LMHC, licensed therapist and mental health content creator
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Rachel Barr
- Narrator
- Rachel Barr
- Duration
- 6 hours 37 minutes
- Release Date
- 28 August 2025
- ISBN
- 9780241736982
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley Ltd
- Genre
- Popular psychology, Popular medicine and health: the human body, Cognitive and behavioural neuroscience
- Rating
- 5.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 5.0(1 review)
Synopsis
'Fun, but still deeply, rigorously researched.' - Professor Neil Shyminsky'A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind.' - Jeffrey Meltzer, LMHC'Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.' - Joshua Fletcher, anxiety therapist'Riveting and enlightening, this book should be handed out to all humans as mandatory reading.' - StylistThis BESTELLING audiobook explores how your brain is the most remarkable thing in the known universe. Always trying to mend itself, and always trying to protect you, it’s in a constant state of flux — adapting, reconfiguring, finding new pathways . . . And it has an astonishing capacity for recovery.Only it doesn’t always get it right.Rachel Barr struggled through years of devastating loss, heartache, and uncertainty until neuroscience gave her the first spark of self-belief she had felt in her adult life — and proof that, because of the brain’s near-infinite potential for neuroplastic change, it’s never too late to carve out neural pathways to form new habits, new skills, and new ways of thinking.Whether you want to nerd-out on Neuroscientific acronyms, finally understand what’s going on in your head, or take refuge in an audiobook that’s like a warm hug for your mind, How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend is a delight-filled, evidence-based guide to taking better care of your brain — so it, in turn, will take better care of you.Rachel Barr holds a master’s degree in molecular neuroscience and wrote How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend while completing her PhD in the electrophysiology of memory and sleep. Beyond the lab, her videos as ‘Rachel the Neuroscientist’ demystify the fundamental principles of brain science, empowering her million-plus followers to make informed decisions about their mental health. Born and raised in Fife, she studied in Bristol and is now based in Quebec, where she shares her home — and keyboard — with Gnocchi the cat.©2025 Rachel Barr (P)2025 DK Audio
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.