Why Mind Hacks?

The term "hacking" has a bad reputation in the media. They use it to refer to those who break into systems or wreak havoc with computers as their weapons. Among people who write code, though, the term "hack" refers to a "quick-and-dirty" solution to a problem, or a clever way to get something done. And the term "hacker" is taken very much as a compliment, referring to someone as being "creative," having the technical chops to get things done. The Hacks series is an attempt to reclaim the word, document the good ways people are hacking, and pass the hacker ethic of creative participation on to the uninitiated. Seeing how others approach systems and problems is often the quickest way to learn about a new technology.

The brain, like all hidden systems, is prime territory for curious hackers. Thanks to relatively recent developments in cognitive neuroscience, we're able to satisfy a little of that curiosity, making educated explanations for psychological effects rather than just pointing those effects out, throwing light on the internal workings of the brain.

Some of the hacks in this collection document the neat tricks the brain has used to get the job done. Looking at the brain from the outside like this, it's hard not to be impressed at the way it works. Other hacks point to quirks of our own minds that we can exploit in unexpected ways, and that's all part of learning our way round the wrinkles in this newly exposed technology.

Mind Hacks is for people who want to know a bit more about what's going on inside own heads and for people who are going to assemble the hacks in new ways, playing with the interface between ourselves and the world. It's wonderfully easy to get involved. We've all got brains, after all.