However, she comes to the conclusion that no relationship is more crucial or rewarding than the one we have with ourselves, writing that “humans may be used to connect, but there is a limit to how much we can offer other people without eroding the strong force that protects our own personality, needs and identity”. Probability and estimates are a better way to navigate uncertain human relationships rather than making assumptions at the beginning. Only downside is that the book prize 2020 is not a sticker but actually printed on, the hardback is really pretty otherwise!

On thinking outside the box, Millie likens the process of decision-making to machine learning, where “algorithms excel by their ability to be unstructured, to thrive amid complexity and randomness and respond effectively to changes in circumstances. D. in biochemistry, and takes a delightfully analytical approach to deconstructing and explaining human behavior. If you adore reading descriptions of scientific terms and are on the spectrum, then this is the book for you!Thoughtful, incisive and important : this is a must-read for an accessible education in human understanding. Millie’s memoir is relatable and original, littered with anecdotes and scientific principles to guide us to a better understanding of what it really means to be human. No, I should just stop being difficult, and pay attention to what people are saying and otherwise indicating. The promise of Pang’s book is a neurodivergent perspective on seemingly natural and mundane aspects of social life—and the possible advantages that such a perspective might offer if neurotypicals were to alter their behaviors.

The author uses complex (to a lay person like me) analogies about proteins and thermodynamics to explain people but. From her point of view seems to mean mainly comparing human interactions to phenomena in biochemistry, which may be insightful for people who know more than I do about biochemistry, but since I don't, it was a matter of explaining something I already more or less understand - human behaviour - in terms of something I don't. I came to this book already knowing about refraction and harmonic motion so I didn’t need to read about them. Can’t believe some of these reviews, how can you complain about a book not being what you thought it was when you haven’t made the effort to read the description? Previous winners include Stephen Hawking – a childhood hero of Pang’s, who read A Brief History of Time at the age of eight.Each of those people has struggled in the workplace because of how their diversity is perceived, just like Millie struggles with people viewing her as rude or emotional. I had no idea ASD and ADHD go together so commonly and it was interesting to see the combination from a personal perspective.

Her career and studies have been heavily influenced by her diagnosis and she is driven by her passion for understanding humans, our behaviours and how we work. There are far more informative and relatable books out there that support ASD folk in dealing with the world, and/or that help neurotypical folk understand a little more about neurodiversity. For more infomation please review our use of cookies in our Cookie Policy and then Accept and Close this bar.Passionate about understanding humans and the way we work, and how science and art parallels this, I aim to bridge the gap between the everyday and the inaccessible. A fascinating perspective on how aspects of scientific theory and principles (outside of behavioural sciences) can be applied to the workings of the human mind.

While the scientific analogies prove personally useful to Pang and could be generative for a group discussion on alternative ways of considering social life, Pang’s overloaded analogies and prescriptions serve poorly as generalized guides to humans—even for other people with neurodivergent profiles. Daraus entstand eine gute Mischung aus Autobiographie, wissenschaftlichen Erklärungen und Selbsthilfebuch. There’s nothing analogous about an oak tree or some kind of flimsy box and the long-term usefulness of inductive and deductive modes of reasoning Pang compares them to.As the father of a recently-diagnosed son with ASD and having forgotten most of the physics I was taught at university, this joyous book delivered many moments of enlightenment and inspiration.