How We Think, Feel, and Make Meaning
(coming soon, 2025)
Some books change how we feel; others reshape how we think. A select few have the audacity to alter both our thoughts and feelings. Witty, interdisciplinary, and profoundly humane, Your Brain Now is among those that accomplish the latter.
Psychoanalyst, neuropsychologist, writer, and cultural provocateur Jane G. Goldberg provides us with a work that is part memoir, part science, part philosophy, and part cosmic speculation. She invites us into a bold, unexpected conversation about where biology, neurology, emotion, and meaning meet. The book engages both the heart and the intellect, challenging us to reconceptualize how we think and to listen more attentively to the quiet intelligence of our inner lives. It delves into what it means to be conscious and connected, offering a deep dive into the poetic mess of simply being human.
Whether you’re a clinician, a patient, a skeptic, or simply curious about why we feel and think the way we do, this book will leave you feeling more attuned, thinking more reflectively, and experiencing a deeper sense of aliveness. It’s enlightening, fun, and even funny, while also being deeply personal and intriguingly intelligent. As the author of eight books, Wired for Why stands as Goldberg’s magnum opus.
ACCLAIM FOR
Jane G. Goldberg’s
WIRED FOR WHY
How We Think, Feel, and Make Meaning
Part Lisa Barrett and part Maxwell Gladstone, this is Goldberg’s most whimsical yet scholarly work. More than anything, we feel inspired to be more of what we are by understanding more of how we are. Bravo. Sheer genius.
—Claudia Luiz, ED.M.: Psychoanalyst, Author
I love this book; I think it is truly amazing. I love it; I really, really love it. I can’t express enough good things about how great this book is. It has been said that to write one book, one must first read 1000 books. Goldberg has accomplished a tour de force in her latest work, Wired for Why. There is no doubt, from her synthesis of material across various subjects to her precise annotations and references, that she has read more than 1,000 books to create this masterpiece, which integrates our current understanding of the human brain, psyche, and mind. She covers a diverse range of subjects, including linguistics, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, psychoanalysis, developmental psychology, and more. This book should be read by everyone.
—William Gael, MD: A leading pioneer in cellular regenerative medicine
As we begin to build artificial intelligence and brains, it’s increasingly critical that we understand our own natural ones. I have never met anyone as skilled and understanding of our brains as Dr. Jane Goldberg and in this book, she pulls from her own experiences and a wide range of influences in order to help the reader build a similar understanding.
—Dino Dai Zovi: Hacker; Information security industry veteran; Entrepreneur; Startup advisor, CashApp Head of Security
There is so much to like about the book. With clarity and her fiery wit, Goldberg leads us to a deep and wide understanding of what it means to be a human. Even though she points out that brain books are quickly outdated because of new research tools and methods, this book is destined to be a classic. When she philosophizes, which she does with frequency and depth, her thoughts are timeless, and her words are poetic. And I love the personal “Jane” touches. Like growing up with cockroaches. Or that she and her daughter Molly made an imprint of Molly’s hand at age 3. Or how she likes double negatives. Or how her paranoid dog Petey would be a Jew if he were human. Or how the Dalai Lama’s doctor tested her urine. Anyone who has a brain should read this book.
—Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D.: One of the nation’s leading experts on memory; author of 19 books; Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine
Brain-Time, beer, caffeine, and the civilization evolution. What’s ice cream got to do with it? Jane G. Goldberg, the quintessential storyteller, lures you on a journey tracing human brain development and its impact on our transforming world. This is a fun and funny, while scholarly, introduction to brain neuroscience and neuroanatomy infused with stories and little-known facts that bring to life the interplay between brain/psyche/mind maturation and how we arrived in the world of today. Dr. Goldberg, neuropsychologist and psychoanalyst, shows us how we learn by forgetting: “For humans there is no now. There is only then.” And how “The mind and the body continuously eavesdrop on each other.” She elegantly offers a birds-eye perspective of how appreciating essential links between interpersonal connection, emotional awareness, curiosity, and the joy of not knowing can help us become smarter and live long and well. Wired for Why is a rich opportunity for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between our brain and mind, for professionals, newcomers to the fields of neuroscience and psychoanalysis, and anyone curious to learn.
—Patricia Harte Bratt, Ph.D.: Psya.D., ACS; Psychoanalyst; Director at ACAP and BGSP-NJ; President of the National Association for Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the NJ Certified Psychoanalysts Advisory Committee
This book is for anyone who wishes to delve deeper into feelings and thoughts—their origins and meanings—and for those interested in the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and psychoanalysis. Dr. Goldberg addresses numerous everyday topics that anyone can learn from and find intriguing. Her discussion of geniuses, particularly Einstein and Darwin—who showed no signs of superior intellect during their formative years—is fascinating as it applies to some degree to so many of us, including herself. I first met Dr. Goldberg before she was Dr. Goldberg. She was just plain Jane back then (though dazzlingly pretty and energetically vivacious), and she was in graduate school. She was not a particularly stellar student. She was clearly bright, smart enough to acquire two Master’s degrees and a Ph.D. But I don’t think I would have predicted that she would write the vast quantity of material that has, to date, come from her pen, nor that she would be able to integrate such a large quantity of information from the various disparate fields she has tapped into in order to understand the human brain. She herself proves her own point: intelligence is a process that needs to be nurtured to grow and expand. Reading this book could and should be an important step in that journey.
—George Sperling, Ph.D.: Discoverer of the Sperling Iconic Memory System; Distinguished Research Professor in the Departments of Cognitive Science and Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine
This should be the first book any undergraduate reads on the topic of cognitive neuroscience. Driven by the author’s zest-filled curiosity, her love of stories, it is a thoughtfully conceived, though playful romp through decades of research on our amazing brains. Written by a passionate and seasoned psychoanalyst, the book’s narrative trajectory is formed from a collection of intriguing, frequently funny, compelling, and often deeply human stories. Goldberg’s contagious curiosity makes learning about the brain positively addictive. You’ll be hooked for life.
—Dan Gilhooley, PsyaD.: Psychoanalyst; Artist; Author
Dr. Goldberg is a modern-day Georg Groddeck, integrating our understanding of the psyche with embodied wisdom that honors the unity of mind and body, even if we are still undecided on the “perplexing question of where the mind begins and the brain ends.” As an apostle for the power of story, Dr. Goldberg allows neuroscience and psychoanalysis to each have their own dialogue. In doing so, she suggests that a new story awaits us. All we need to do is let our minds wander and write it. Dream it. For Goldberg, this is essential to counter the growing evidence we face regarding the “gradual decline of our collective intelligence quotient.” Wired for Why is a passionate call to action. Dr. Goldberg reminds us throughout about the convergence of emotions and intelligence: “There is no greater gift we can offer to our relationships than to share our feelings…” and, relatedly, “intelligence is a team sport.” She invites us to relish “the brilliance of multiple minds finding synchrony, collaborating, and extending compassion and understanding to one another: in short, the power of togetherness.” It is the spirit of invitation and curiosity that stays with me. Wired for Why is a welcoming space. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the full complexity of human experience and for anyone curious about how articulating thoughts and feelings heals, as per what has come to be known as “the talking cure.”
—Christopher Russell, Psychoanalyst
“I’ll help in the only way I know how: by identifying the blocks that prevent you from expressing your thoughts and feelings in words. Then, we’ll find ourselves in an articulable reality.” Jane Goldberg has said this to me over 18 years of therapy, during my times of extreme distress and even in my moments of joy and contentment. Storytelling is at the heart of Jane’s practice, both in individual sessions and in the groups she leads. Now I understand why: talking changes the brain, one word at a time. Naming our feelings actually rewires the brain because we’re not just brains in bodies—we’re a symphony of thought, feeling, and memory negotiating in real time. This book beautifully executes its research in the same manner that Jane’s expertise works: through stories. It’s rich, meaningful, and intellectually generous—neuroscience with narrative. And it’s delightfully surprising, offering insights such as gossip as a brilliant evolutionary adaptation, the notion that mental health is a collective condition, and that curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a biological imperative. If you want to better understand the inner workings of your self, you’ll find in this book a lasting truth: what our brains know, words can set free.
—Ali Manning, Founder of Chalice AI; Former Executive at Google and Snap
Insightful, irreverent, and uncomfortably resonant, Wired for Why is a brilliant manifesto for anyone who suspects the mind is more than just gray matter—and that healing begins when we learn to speak, feel, and think with intention. Despite its accessibility, Wired for Why does not shy away from critiquing its own fields. Goldberg questions long-held assumptions in neuroscience (such as the early exaltation of fMRI data or mirror neurons) and invites readers to sit comfortably in ambiguity. Her tone is not didactic, but curious—and that curiosity is infectious.
—Molly Garrity, Psychoanalyst
What if your brain isn’t just a biological machine made of fat, water, protein, carbohydrates, and salt—but a conversation in ongoing, perpetual progress? Forget everything you thought you knew about neuroscience and cognitive psychology. Wired for Why turns the standard narrative inside out—and then teaches you how to listen to what’s really going on inside your head.
—Karliin Brooks, Author
Jane Goldberg teaches us that intelligence is not what separates us from others—it’s what binds us to them. She weaves stories with valuable and interesting content, drawing on primordial times and deeper aspects of intelligence. She accomplishes her self-stated goal in writing the book: we get smarter from reading her book. 5 stars.
—Michael Mayer, Ph.D., Author; Book Award Winner; Certified Master Tai Chi Instructor
Jane Goldberg’s Wired for Why is a dazzling, genre-defying exploration of what it means to be human through the lens of neuroscience, psychoanalysis, and evolutionary biology. Written with warmth, wit, and intellectual rigor, this book is part memoir, part scientific treatise, and part philosophical meditation. It is, at its heart, an invitation to understand the deep entanglement of our brains, our psyches, and our minds.
—Evelyne While, Founder and CEO of SixPlus
One of the book’s core strengths is its insistence on the interconnectedness of human beings—not just biologically or socially, but neurologically. Goldberg argues compellingly that intelligence is not a solitary pursuit but a collaborative one, and that the health of our minds is tied to our ability to relate, communicate, and tell our stories. This idea is beautifully illustrated through clinical vignettes of patients rediscovering themselves through dialogue and psychoanalysis. Her tone is not didactic, but curious—and that curiosity is infectious. Goldberg’s voice is engaging, and her thematic through-lines are absolutely clear.
—Lisa Diamond-Rosenthal, Family Constellation Therapist
In her book about the brain, Goldberg takes side tours into conversations about tree roots and fungi mycelium. She refers to the equation of formation that roots and fungi teach us about most emphatically, not only in the web of neurons, not only in our brain, but most of all in the connection to others—community. I love the awakening to this actuality! Rather than following a traditional neuroscientific approach centered on brain regions and neurotransmitters, Goldberg’s framework is delightfully humanistic. She steers clear of overly technical jargon and instead focuses on stories, metaphors (especially the memorable ice cream analogy of brain evolution), and lived experience. Her prose is deeply personal, peppered with anecdotes from patients, mythology, history, and even her dog Petey, creating a multidisciplinary mosaic that reflects the complexity of human consciousness. Wired for Why is more than a book about how our brains work. It’s about how we make meaning, how we relate, and how we survive—together. For anyone interested in the intersection of science, psychology, and storytelling, Goldberg’s book is a thought-provoking, heart-expanding read.
—Carole Johnson, RN, Licensed Acupuncturist, RDN
This book is a rich tapestry of insight, full of unexpected twists and turns that illuminate how the brain, mind, and psyche move together in shaping our lives. With great mastery of language and a brilliant storyteller’s gift, Dr. Goldberg weaves scholarship, stories and personal anecdotes into an expansive elegy on the human mind–on humanity, really. What emerges is a hopeful journey on the constant resurrection of self, our profound impulse for shared humanity and meaningful connection, and a deep appreciation for the complexity and diversity of human experience. This book feels like a long walk with an old friend.
—Meret S. Hofer, M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought, Ph.D., Community Psychologist
A rare blend of science, soul, and story. Goldberg’s brain is a gift—and she’s just wrapped it for the rest of us.
—Michael Fillmore, Co-author with Jane of the poem at the end of the book