In The Tailored Brain: From Ketamine, to Keto, to Companionship, A User's Guide to Feeling Better and Thinking Smarter (out today from Basic Books) Emily Willingham (who brought us the glorious Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis) delves deep into the research and draws some surprising conclusions about how we might do better—as individuals and, crucially, in community. The human brain evolved to be highly social, yet most approaches to brain enhancement focus on individuals acting in isolation. Most “brain hacks” focus on boosting intelligence, memory, or mood. As Willingham writes: “Even though an essential feature of our species is being social, empathy and social-cognition skills don’t ever seem to be at the top of the ‘to tailor’ list for our brains.” But it turns out that the work of understanding and interacting with other people can be our best brain-tailoring tool. Willingham identifies six dimensions of brain function—global cognition, social cognition, stress management, attention, mood, and creativity—and shows how various approaches, including diet, exercise, pharmaceuticals, supplements, and technological interventions, can be used to manipulate each one. Individual gains may be possible, but the benefit is almost always compounded when we move from an individual to a social approach. Willingham explores a near future in which the ability to remotely monitor and impact the brain could usher in an era of unprecedented human collaboration and achievement—or a nightmare scenario—and shows how we can work together toward a future where advanced technology makes us more fully human, not less so. For anyone searching to understand the way they and society tick - and looking to do better – you couldn’t find a more wise and likable guide.