New from United Press

The book department of Alpina Business Books/United Press has released a new book by Marco Iacoboni: “Mirroring People: The Science of Empathy and How We Connect with Others.”

A Chinese proverb states that a child learns the complex art of speech without the help of great teachers. Our amazing ability to copy the behaviors of other people (that is, to learn from them) and to empathize with their feelings (that is, to understand them) is built into our very nature. But scientists have only recently discovered exactly how and where that ability is encoded. This revolution in neuroscience occurred after the discovery of special brain cells called “mirror neurons” that are responsible for the ability to imitate and empathize. With their aid we can live among others of our kind, but a dysfunction in the system of mirror neurons can lead to “socialization failure” and autism.

In the renowned book “Mirroring People” by leading neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni, readers will find an account of this remarkable discovery and learn its implications for ordinary people.