Think Before You Think by Adrian Owen

A pioneering researcher unveils the neuroscience of executive function: how it works and what we can (and can’t) do to improve it.

From the ever-rising rate of ADHD diagnoses to the life-changing challenges of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to the everyday brain fog many of us muddle through, so-called deficits of executive function are everywhere. Whether you’re tearing the house apart trying to find the keys you’ve been holding all along, struggling to stay on task at work, or watching a loved one lose their social filter, the consequences when executive function falters can be frustrating, puzzling—sometimes even devastating. We’re told it governs everything from planning and decision-making to self-control and social behavior. But what exactly is executive function, and what can we do to sharpen it? In Think Before You Think, internationally renowned neuroscientist Adrian Owen cuts through the confusion, showing how the underlying systems that orchestrate executive function interact, why they sometimes fail us, and what that tells us about the everyday business of being human.

Drawing on decades of groundbreaking research, Owen reveals the six core components of executive function that shape how we think and act: working memory, planning, inhibition, attention, theory of mind, and emotional regulation. Crucially, he also busts many common brain myths. Sharpening your mind isn’t about brain-training apps or quick fixes; in many cases, a good night’s sleep will do more than any puzzle or game. But the latest discoveries in neuroscience offer a simpler—and more powerful—solution: understanding your own executive functions and learning to take conscious control of how you use them.

As practical as it is profound, Think Before You Think offers a new way of understanding your brain—its strengths, its limitations, and its remarkable potential. You’ll never say “I wasn’t thinking” in quite the same way again.