A Brief History of Intelligence
Episodes about this book
2 episodesHow Do I Finish Meaningful Projects? | Monday Advice
Cal Newport describes the book as similar to Sapiens but focused entirely on the brain, tracing its evolution from the first single-cell organisms to homo sapiens. He notes he drew on an idea from it for a recent podcast episode connecting brain function to smartphone use.
Why Do Digital Detoxes Fail? What Works Better? | Monday Advice
Cal Newport is reading Max Bennett's book on vacation and uses its neuroscience content as the backbone of the episode. He draws on Bennett's discussion of the basal ganglia—described in the book as 'the puppeteer of the animal'—and the neocortex to explain why digital detoxes fail and why aggressively pursuing analog activities rewires reward-seeking behaviour more effectively. He is also reading it as research for a forthcoming book on thinking.
July 2026
Compiled from Cal Newport’s Deep Questions. Books read, not necessarily recommendations.
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