Reviews for Sexual Interactions and HIV Risk

The average rating for Sexual Interactions and HIV Risk based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-09-21 00:00:00 Judson Spangler If I was to sign up for a religion it would really have to offer me much more than the chance to chant "Holy, Holy, Holy" at the right hand of God for the rest of eternity. One of the things that would nearly sway me would be if it gave me a change to do and be all of the things there just isn't time in one life to be and do. And if I was converted to this particular religion one of the lives that would be on the top of the list would have to be some sort of brain scientist type person - you know, a neurologist or a cognitive scientist, some sort of brain dude. This really was a remarkable book about a remarkable journey into the brain of the author. Not just some crappy journey you might expect from one of those horrid 1950s science documentaries … "Let me take you deep inside my brain…" No, nothing like that. This was a literal journey into his brain. Often it involved him being strapped into some god-awful, whirling machine and having to do things so that analysis could be done on him as he was 'working'. It is such a great idea for a book and one I would have loved to have come up with - this is precisely the journey I would have liked to have gone on. I could think of nothing better than playing with some of the stuff this guy gets to play with in this book. There is lots of quite difficult material presented, but always in an interesting and engaging way. In fact, it was so well presented and so fascinating that the book just whizzed by. His discussion of our brain on drugs, for example, was quite fascinating. But the most interesting parts of this book are the bits about the placebo effect and whether it 'really exists'. I have always known that the placebo effect accounts for about 30% of the effectiveness of any medical treatment - but had no idea how I knew this. That this isn't actually the case - that it really depends on the nature of the drug or treatment under consideration - is interesting enough. What is even more interesting is that the placebo effect can even be detectable when you know it is a placebo you are taking. Get your head around that one. You can know you are taking a sugar table and it can still make you feel better! He even goes so far as to say that clinical tests on Valium show that the drug is only effective if you are told you are going to be on it - not if you don't know. Lorena told me off today for suggesting this - but that was what the man said. This was an interesting book on a truly fascinating subject.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-09-21 00:00:00 John Winters Disturbingly simple depiction of the mind. Johnson is unquestionably in awe of the brain. His awe seems to have impaired his skepticism. The result is that he sensationalized what he learned and at times provided absolutely false information as if it were fact. For example, He is under the assumption that the better people are at reading emotions, the more extroverted. Where is the evidence for such an absurd claim? This is why extraverts often misdiagnose introverts with autism, when in fact they are not even on the spectrum. Worse, despite being around some of the most respected neuroscientists the world has to offer, he was still holding tight to the myth that people only use 10% of their brains. It's absurd. These are only two examples of the many. He really didn't have a good enough grasp of neuroscience to write this book. Some journalists and science writers can swing it, but he is not nearly skeptical enough to pull it off. The book's target audience seems to be those who also have no education in the neurosciences. Sadly, those people will believe what he is saying because he included work from very respected researchers who have conducted some pretty good studies. He related their work as well as many of his own assumptions. The very way in which he ties together the bits of information he gleaned from the researchers really demonstrates his lack of understanding. For him to have written a book to educate others seems grossly irresponsible. I would highly suggest finding an introductory book written by an actual scientist instead.