#AcademicRunPlaylist - 1/6/25

It was pretty cold in Boston today, but after bundling up I was still able to get out for a bit and listen to books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was "Exercised" by Daniel Lieberman. The modern, post-industrialized world is so different than the environment humans evolved in, so it can be challenging to design studies that adequately investigate how and why some types of physical activity can lead to better and worse outcomes. Fortunately Daniel Lieberman has assembled a vast array of literature from his own anthropological and laboratory work to other research on sleep, aging, and more to provide an incredible view into this important topic. Lieberman brings his characteristic engaging writing style here, and I also enjoyed the section that won him and his coauthors an igNobel (on why pregnant women don't fall over) that my wife Rebecca Waber (a fellow igNobel winner on a different topic) demonstrated at an igNobel event! Highly recommend. https://scholar.harvard.edu/exercised/home

Last was "Why We Remember" by Charan Ranganath. This book gives a good overview of many aspects of memory, focusing mainly on neuroscience but also dabbling in sociology. Ranganath examines the research on this topic at a high level, making this more accessible to the general public but a bit lighter for experts. There are a lot of myths exorcised here, and the writing and prose make for an enjoyable read. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705542/why-we-remember-by-charan-ranganath-phd/