Forget the language instinct—this is the story of how we make up language as we go Language is perhaps humanity’s most astonishing capacity—and one that remains poorly understood. In The Language Game, cognitive scientists Morten H. Christiansen and Nick Chater show us where generations of scientists seeking the rules of language got it wrong. Language isn’t about hardwired grammars but about near-total freedom, something like a game of charades, with the only requirement being a desire to understand and be understood. From this new vantage point, Christiansen and Chater find compelling solutions to major mysteries like the origins of languages and how language learning is possible, and to long-running debates such as whether having two words for “blue” changes what we see. In the end, they show that the only real constraint on communication is our imagination.

Andrew J Bernstein reveals the truth about stress - where it really comes from, why we've misunderstood it, and a new, more effective way to eliminate it at its source. He argues that the issues that stress people out differ, but that the basic dynamics of stress do not. Yet these have been misunderstood for more than half a century. As a result, almost everyone is confused about where stress actually comes from, with disastrous consequences affecting our health, happiness and our ability to handle change. In this book, he argues that stress is not a physical process with a psychological component, as previously believed, but a psychological process with a physical component. In other words, stress doesn't come from what is going on in your life - it comes from your thoughts about what is going on in your life. Your job isn't stressful,for example, it's your thoughts about your job that are stressful and so on. All stress is an inside job, a result of subconscious assumptions. By using the specially developed techniques in this book and by addressing stress at its source, there is nothing you can't transform.

At last, a book that explains in practical terms the concept of calorie restriction (CR) -- a life-extending eating strategy with "profound and sustained beneficial effects," according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The concept is simple and flexible: eat fewer calories and choose foods carefully. Longtime CR practitioners and experts Brian M. Delaney and Lisa Walford clearly explain all the relevant health and nutrition guidelines and provide the tools you need to make the appropriate dietary changes. The results can be dramatic; those who follow CR have quickly lowered their cholesterol and blood pressure and reduced their body fat. Recently featured on Oprah and 60 Minutes, CR is continuing to gain momentum. With updated research and new information about exercise and food choices, The Longevity Diet is the key to a longer, healthier life.

A paradigm-shifting diet book that explains why one-size-fits-all diets don't work and helps readers customize their diet to lose weight and improve health. There are certain things we take as universal truths when it comes to dieting and health: kale is good; ice cream is bad. Until now. When Drs. Segal and Elinav published their groundbreaking research on personalized nutrition, it created a media frenzy. They had proved that individuals react differently to the same foods-a food that might be healthy for one person is unhealthy for another. In one stroke, they made all universal diet programs obsolete. The Personalized Diet helps readers understand the fascinating science behind their work, gives them the tools to create an individualized diet and lifestyle plan (based on their reactions to favorite foods) and puts them on the path to losing weight, feeling good, and preventing disease by eating in the way that's right for them.