Rachel Barr – författare

'Fun, but still deeply, rigorously researched.' - Professor Neil Shyminsky'A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind.' - Jeffrey Meltzer, LMHC'Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.' - Joshua Fletcher, anxiety therapistYour brain is the most remarkable thing in the known universe.Always trying to mend itself, and always trying to protect you, it’s in a constant state of flux — adapting, reconfiguring, finding new pathways . . . And it has an astonishing capacity for recovery.Only it doesn’t always get it right.Rachel Barr struggled through years of devastating loss, heartache, and uncertainty until neuroscience gave her the first spark of self-belief she had felt in her adult life — and proof that, because of the brain’s near-infinite potential for neuroplastic change, it’s never too late to carve out neural pathways to form new habits, new skills, and new ways of thinking.Whether you want to nerd-out on Neuroscientific acronyms, finally understand what’s going on in your head, or take refuge in a book that’s like a warm hug for your mind, How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend is a delight-filled, evidence-based guide to taking better care of your brain — so it, in turn, will take better care of you.

THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER______'Riveting and enlightening, this book should be handed out to all humans as mandatory reading.' - Stylist'Fun, but still deeply, rigorously researched.' - Professor Neil Shyminsky'Insightful and relatable psychoeducation that demystifies the brain . . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist.' - Joshua Fletcher, anxiety therapist Your brain is the most remarkable thing in the known universe. Always trying to mend itself, and always trying to protect you, it’s in a constant state of flux — adapting, reconfiguring, finding new pathways . . . And it has an astonishing capacity for recovery.Only it doesn’t always get it right.Rachel Barr struggled through years of devastating loss, heartache, and uncertainty until neuroscience gave her the first spark of self-belief she had felt in her adult life — and proof that, because of the brain’s near-infinite potential for neuroplastic change, it’s never too late to carve out neural pathways to form new habits, new skills, and new ways of thinking.Whether you want to nerd-out on Neuroscientific acronyms, finally understand what’s going on in your head, or take refuge in a book that’s like a warm hug for your mind, How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend is a delight-filled, evidence-based guide to taking better care of your brain — so it, in turn, will take better care of you.The Irish Times Bestseller 06/09/2025

'Riveting and enlightening, this book should be handed out to all humans as mandatory reading'- Stylist 'Fun, but still deeply, rigorously researched' - Professor Neil Shyminsky'A true masterpiece. Rachel Barr has done a phenomenal job breaking down the complexities of the human mind' - Jeffrey Meltzer, LMHC'Insightful and relatable. . . it’s a resource I’ll proudly keep on my shelf as a therapist' - Joshua Fletcher, anxiety therapistTHE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLERYour brain is the most remarkable thing in the known universe.Always trying to mend itself, and always trying to protect you, it’s in a constant state of flux — adapting, reconfiguring, finding new pathways . . . And it has an astonishing capacity for recovery. Only it doesn’t always get it right.Rachel Barr struggled through years of devastating loss, heartache, and uncertainty until neuroscience gave her the first spark of self-belief she had felt in her adult life — and proof that, because of the brain’s near-infinite potential for neuroplastic change, it’s never too late to carve out neural pathways to form new habits, new skills, and new ways of thinking.Whether you want to nerd-out on Neuroscientific acronyms, finally understand what’s going on in your head, or take refuge in a book that’s like a warm hug for your mind, How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend is a delight-filled, evidence-based guide to taking better care of your brain — so it, in turn, will take better care of you.

Screen time, defined as estimates of child time spent with digital media, is considered harmful to very young children. At the same time, the use of digital media by children under five years of age has increased dramatically, and with the advent of mobile and streaming media can occur anywhere and at any time. Digital media has become an integral part of family life. Imprecise global screen time estimates do not capture multiple factors that shape family media ecology. In this Element, the authors discuss the need to shift the lens from screen time measures to measures of family media ecology, describe the new Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) framework, and more comprehensive digital media assessments. The authors conclude this Element with a roadmap for future research using the DREAMER framework to better understand how digital media use is associated with child outcomes.

Screen time, defined as estimates of child time spent with digital media, is considered harmful to very young children. At the same time, the use of digital media by children under five years of age has increased dramatically, and with the advent of mobile and streaming media can occur anywhere and at any time. Digital media has become an integral part of family life. Imprecise global screen time estimates do not capture multiple factors that shape family media ecology. In this Element, the authors discuss the need to shift the lens from screen time measures to measures of family media ecology, describe the new Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) framework, and more comprehensive digital media assessments. The authors conclude this Element with a roadmap for future research using the DREAMER framework to better understand how digital media use is associated with child outcomes.

This book discusses the burgeoning world of young children’s exposure to educational media and its myriad implications for research, theory, practice, and policy. Experts across academic disciplines and the media fill knowledge gaps and address concerns regarding apps, eBooks, and other screen-based technologies—which are being used by younger and younger children—and content delivery and design. Current research shows the developmental nuances of the child as learner in home, school, and mobile contexts, and the changes as parenting and pedagogy accommodate the complexities of the new interactive world. The book also covers methods for evaluating the quality of new media and prosocial digital innovations such as video support for separated families and specialized apps for at-risk toddlers. Highlights of the coverage:The role of content and context on learning and development from mobile media.Learning from TV and touchscreens during early childhood Educational preschool programming.How producers craft engaging characters to drive content delivery.The parental media mediation context of young children’s media use.Supporting children to find their own agency in learning.Media Exposure During Infancy and Early Childhood is an essential resource for researchers, clinicians and related professionals, and graduate students in diverse fields including infancy and early childhood development, child and school psychology, social work, pediatrics, and educational psychology.

This book discusses the burgeoning world of young children’s exposure to educational media and its myriad implications for research, theory, practice, and policy. Experts across academic disciplines and the media fill knowledge gaps and address concerns regarding apps, eBooks, and other screen-based technologies—which are being used by younger and younger children—and content delivery and design. Current research shows the developmental nuances of the child as learner in home, school, and mobile contexts, and the changes as parenting and pedagogy accommodate the complexities of the new interactive world. The book also covers methods for evaluating the quality of new media and prosocial digital innovations such as video support for separated families and specialized apps for at-risk toddlers. Highlights of the coverage:The role of content and context on learning and development from mobile media.Learning from TV and touchscreens during early childhood Educational preschool programming.How producers craft engaging characters to drive content delivery.The parental media mediation context of young children’s media use.Supporting children to find their own agency in learning.Media Exposure During Infancy and Early Childhood is an essential resource for researchers, clinicians and related professionals, and graduate students in diverse fields including infancy and early childhood development, child and school psychology, social work, pediatrics, and educational psychology.