Hallowell and Ratey invite readers to imagine a man named Hank who is both charming and brooding, often getting stuck in negative rumination and underachievement. Hank has tried therapy and medication but has given up, arguing that he has a natural “dark side” that he needs to “get used to” (20). The authors argue that the intense worry associated with ADHD can create a mental “rut” that they suggest can be overcome with practice.

Modern science has made numerous advancements in neurology; scientists now know that nature and nurture are both equally important and that brains have neuroplasticity, meaning that, rather than being fixed, brains are constantly changing in response to stimuli. The authors suggest that, had Hank known this information, he might have continued pursuing help.

The authors explain brain functions using an analogy of an Angel and a Demon guiding one’s thoughts—” The Angel bestows the gifts, and the Demon casts the curse” (22). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), scientists have discovered connectomes, or “clumps of neurons.” The task-positive network, or TPN, is the connectome associated with performing tasks, and the default mode network, to DMN, is associated with imagination and creativity.