Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

Rick Hanson's Buddha's Brain—the practical guide to the neuroscience of happiness, love, and wisdom, showing how ancient contemplative practices work with modern brain science to cultivate lasting well-being.

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., neuropsychologist and New York Times bestselling author, published Buddha's Brain in 2009, drawing on breakthroughs in neuroscience to reveal how contemplative practices physically reshape the brain. The book bridges Buddhist psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience, explaining how the brain's negativity bias evolved for survival but creates suffering in modern life, and how mindfulness and compassion practices can rewire neural pathways toward well-being.

What you'll discover:

• The neuroscience of happiness, love, and wisdom
• How Buddhist practices physically change brain structure
• The brain's negativity bias and how to overcome it
• Practical methods to cultivate positive neural pathways
• How to "take in the good" and rewire for resilience

Hanson presents accessible neuroscience alongside practical contemplative exercises. Each chapter explores a quality like mindfulness or compassion, explaining its neural basis and offering specific practices to strengthen corresponding brain regions. The book's central insight: mental states become neural traits—what you practice repeatedly becomes hardwired.

What makes Buddha's Brain essential for contemplative readers is its practical integration of neuroscience and Buddhist psychology, demonstrating that ancient practices are evidence-based methods for neuroplastic change. This anniversary edition includes a new introduction from the author, reflecting on fifteen years of impact and over 500,000 copies sold.

Perfect for: Practitioners seeking scientific grounding for meditation and mindfulness, readers interested in neuroplasticity and positive psychology, students of Buddhist psychology and neuroscience, those looking for practical methods to cultivate happiness and resilience, and anyone seeking evidence-based approaches to well-being and personal transformation.

This hardcover anniversary edition presents Rick Hanson's beloved classic—the practical neuroscience guide demonstrating how Buddhist practices rewire the brain for lasting happiness, love, and wisdom.