INDEX

A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.

Aalto, Ashprihanal 189

ability see expertise

Achilles tendons 179, 183

acting 145

and language learning 81–2

“seven levels of tension” technique 81–2

active coping 134

adenosine triphosphate (ATP) 173

ADRA2b gene 127

adrenaline 121, 126, 127, 150, 260

Afghanistan, US-led invasion of 115–16, 117–18

aging

acceptance of 225–6

age-related diseases 221

aging-as-disease model 194, 218, 225

antiaging drugs 223–4

geriatric medicine 218

see also lifespan-extension; longevity

AIDS 241–2

Alagna, Roberto 151

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York 199, 201, 216

Alex Lewis Trust 237–8, 239

algebraic topology 9, 10, 14

Ali, Muhammad 184

Allatt, Kate 299–301, 302

AlphaGo 312

AlphaZero 312

altruism 122

effective altruism movement 288–9

altruistic bravery 137

Alzheimer’s 73, 74, 211, 242, 278

ambition see drive

Amish population 246

amrita 197

amygdala 107, 127, 136–7, 138, 262

and fear responses 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 139

amyloid proteins 278

animal experiments

anxiety 136

fear 128

intelligence 311

learning ability 85

lifespan extension 219, 220, 222, 311

maternal responses 136–7

sleep deprivation 261, 263, 277–8

anterior cingulate cortex 109–10

anterior cingulate gyrus 110

anterior prefrontal cortex 27

ApoE gene 197, 211–12, 213

apolipoprotein 211

Appel, Kristoffer 268–9

Arguelles, Alexander 69, 70–2, 76, 77

Arkhipov, Vasili 292

artificial intelligence (AI) 312

Ashkenazi Jews 216

astrocytes 277

astronauts 260

athletes

cross-training 164–5

endurance athletes see marathons

extended sleep time, benefits of 271–2

lucid-dreaming athletes 269, 270

marginal gains training philosophy 270–1

Olympic medalists 164–5, 175

overtraining and overuse injury 165

see also basketball; cycling; Formula 1 motor racing; running

attention 92

balanced attention state 106

sustained attention 96–7

see also focus

Attention Network Test 109

Augur, Elizabeth 83

autism 51, 78

autistic savant syndrome 42, 45

autodidactic learning 72

autonomic nervous system 110

autonomous sensory meridian response 157

babies

sleep 263

vocalizing 150

Badwater Ultramarathon 170, 172

balanced attention state 106

Baldisserri, Luca 98, 103–5

barbiturate coma 228, 281

Barzilai, Nir 215, 216, 224

basal ganglia 133

basketball 271–2

Beatles 154

Beliavsky, Alexander 10, 17

Bellesi, Michele 277

Benjamin, George 143, 157

Berger, Hans 251–2

Berntsen, Dorthe 57

beta2-microglobulin 220

BioViva 220, 221

Blagosklonny, Mikhail 223–4

Blitz 198, 199

blood sugar levels 126–7

Blue Zones 176, 203, 204–5, 215–16

Bobe, Jason 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 246

bomb disposal operatives 116–24, 129

“bands of brothers” 123, 124

military–robot relationships 123–4

mortality risk 117, 118

motivation 121

risk awareness 118, 119

team bonding and camaraderie 119–21, 123, 124

Bor, Daniel 44–5

Borges, Jorge Luis 38, 41

Bosch, Oliver 136–7

Boston Attention and Learning Lab 100

Bowie, David 305

brain chemistry

bravery and 126–7

fear and 127, 135

intelligence and 27

language learning and 72–3, 74–5

meditation and 107, 109–10

memory and 46, 63, 65

brain damage 131, 300

brain parts and functions

amygdala 107, 127, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 136–7, 138, 139, 262

anterior cingulate cortex 109–10

anterior cingulate gyrus 110

anterior prefrontal cortex 27

basal ganglia 133

Broca’s region 72

cerebral cortex 73

frontal lobe functioning 63

hippocampus 46, 65, 73, 74, 75, 107, 253

hypothalamus 138, 139

insula 109–10

left superior temporal gyrus 74

neocortex 253

precuneus 267

prefrontal cortex 86, 88, 107, 262

subgenual anterior cingulate cortex 138–9

brain plasticity 111

brain waves 250, 253

bravery 3, 115–41

altruistic bravery 125–6, 127, 129, 137

attractive trait 122

brain chemistry and 126–7, 138–9

collective 119–20

evolutionary behavior 121–3, 124

familial bravery 121, 122, 135–7

learned bravery 123, 133, 134, 137, 139

maternal bravery 135–7

motivation 120

perseverance in the face of adversity 138

risk awareness 118, 119

and sexual appeal 122

social bravery 137

see also fear

Broca’s region 72

Brown-Séquard, Charles-Édouard 219

Buddhism 39, 43, 108–9, 301

Buettner, Dan 204

Burgoyne, Alexander 15

cabin crew 133, 137

Calico (California Life Company) 225

Calment, Jeanne 198, 200, 201–2, 210, 217

Card, David 309

cardioprotection 245–6

carjackers 135

Carlsen, Magnus 9, 11–12, 307

carpe diem 194

Carpenter, Julie 120–1, 124

Carr, Michelle 265–7, 268

CCR5 molecule 242

centenarians 176, 194, 195, 197–200, 202, 203, 213

mental resilience 206, 207, 208–10

protective telomeres 221

supercentenarians 213, 217

unhealthy habits 197–8, 199, 217

cerebral cortex 73

Challenger space shuttle disaster 62

Chan, Jason 63

Chandrasekaran, Bharath 85, 86–7, 88

Charness, Neil 13, 16

chess players 9–18

children and young people

Chinese meditative practice 106

extreme intelligence 26

finding what they like and are good at 146–7, 166, 167, 309

gender and maturation rate 28

passions and goals 94, 104, 169

chimpanzees 1–2, 313

Chinmoy, Sri (Chinmoy Kumar Ghose) 184, 186, 188, 189

cholesterol 211

Christensen, Dirk Lund 179–80, 181, 182, 183

Christensen, Kaare 196, 211–13, 214, 215

chunking 44–5, 46

Church, George 311

Churro, Victoriano 177

circadian pacemaker 274

cognitive ability 3

see also focus; intelligence; language; memory

cognitive decline 12, 13, 35

“cognitive investors” 101

“cognitive misers” 101

cognitive processing speed 12, 13, 273

cognitive regulation 134

cognitive reserve 74–5

Colvin, Geoff 308

compressed morbidity 213–14

concentration 93

see also focus

conscientiousness 164

conserved genes 84, 85

consumerism 293, 304

contemplative practice see meditation

Copper Canyon Ultramarathon 179, 181

Costa Rica 204

Cotton, Ronald 60–1

courage see bravery

Coyle, Daniel 308

creativity 30

Crete 244, 245–6

CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) 126, 127, 137

Crick, Alexandra 235–6

Crimp, Martin 143

CRISPR 311

Crohn, Steve 241–2

Cromwell, Thomas 22, 30

cross-training 164–5

intellectual 165

crystallized intelligence 12–13, 35

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly 102

Cuban missile crisis 292

Culverhouse, Robert 297–8

curiosity 29, 32, 33–4, 36, 159

Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia 147, 151

cycling 270–1

cystic fibrosis 243, 246, 308

Dawkins, Richard 184

daydreaming 30, 56, 59

De Brigard, Felipe 65

de Grey, Aubrey 218–19, 221, 222

De Neve, Jan-Emmanuel 296–7

Deaton, Angus 291

DEC2 gene 275, 311

declarative learning 86

deep-vein thrombosis 281

deferred gratification 27, 29

delta 32 mutation 242

dementia 220

sleep deprivation and 277–8

demographic shifts 200–1

depression 295, 296, 297, 298

despotism 122

discipline 160

disease, protection against 246

childhood intelligence and 19

language ability and 74–5

socioeconomic status and 19

diseases, age-related 221

DMTG (differentiating model of talent and giftedness) 163

dogs 8

Doll, Evelyn 268

Domingo, Placido 152

Dorren, Gaston 80

dreaming 254, 264–5

daydreaming 30, 56, 59

dream-training 269–70, 271

lucid dreaming 265–70

nightmares 266

Dresler, Martin 46, 47–8, 57, 267

drinking 197

drive 27, 29, 153, 159, 171, 174, 300, 310

genetic component 174

see also focus

“drown proofing” 133

drug trafficking 181

Duckworth, Angela 159, 308

Dymaxion sleep 255

dyslexia 169

East African runners 182–3

Easterlin, Richard 289

Easterlin Paradox 289

EEG (electroencephalogram) 252

effective altruism movement 288–9

eidetic memory 55

Eliasen, Mikael 151–2

elixir of life 197, 219

Emerson, Ralph Waldo 115

emotion 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 58, 152, 263, 268

emotional intelligence 21

testing 82

empathy 82–3

Enard, Wolfgang 84–5

endurance performance

endurance running see marathons

physiological factors 176–7

environmental component 307, 308

gene–environment interaction 11, 148–9, 159, 164, 166–7

happiness 297

intelligence 32, 33

longevity 203–4, 212–13

musical ability 159–60

epigenetics 308

episodic memory 58

equanimity 107, 285, 301

Ereku, Morgan 12

Ericsson, Anders 11, 16, 148, 153, 165–6, 308

Esterman, Michael 100, 101, 102

eugenics movements 309

Everyman 3 sleep system 257

existential threats to humanity 313

experiential sampling 290, 291, 303, 304

expertise

genetic component 148, 149, 153, 154, 159, 160–2, 163–4

innate 10, 11, 15, 16, 148

multifactorial gene–environment interaction model (MGIM) 148–9, 164

practice see practice

Expertise Lab 11, 149, 154

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units see bomb disposal operatives

exposure therapy 132–3

eyewitness testimony 60–2, 64, 65

face transplants 230–1

Factor V Leiden 281

failure, coping with 36

“failure of success” 212

false memories 58–9, 63

Falstaff 120, 122

familial bravery 121, 122, 137

fear

animal experiments 128

brain autopilot mode 135

brain chemistry and 127

differential responses 127

fear deficit 129–32

Fear Litany 134

genetics of 127–8

habituating the fear response 133

innate fear 128

overriding 127, 129, 134, 138, 139

pathological fear 128

Feinstein, Justin 129, 130–3, 141

Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio 273

Ferrari 103

fire officers 118, 122, 133

Fisher, Dave 221

Fisher, Simon 87–9

5-HTTLPR gene 295–6, 297, 298

Fleming, Renée 152

flow state 102–3, 110, 111

dynamic flow 111

static flow 111

fluid intelligence 12

Flushing Meadows, New York City 185, 186–7

Flynn, James 212

Flynn effect 212

fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Image) 46, 47, 74, 100–1, 267

focus 3, 29, 35, 91–111

flow state 102–3, 110, 111

goals and 94, 95, 96, 104, 111

mind-set of progression 104

motivation and 99–102

rewards and 100–2

focusing illusion 290

Foer, Joshua 46

Folland, Jonathan 175, 176, 183

foot-and-mouth outbreak, 2001 287–8

Formula 1 motor racing 96–7, 98–9, 101–5, 110

feeling the car 97, 105

flow state 102–3

going beyond the comfort zone 103

mental strength 104–5

mental training and rehearsal 102, 271

motivation 99–101

natural talent 105

simulators 99, 102

young-driver program 103–4

Formula 3 motor racing 98

FOX03a gene 197

foxes 255

FOXP2 gene 84–5, 86, 87, 88

fractional utilization 176

Franklin, Aretha 157

free will 108

Freeman, Morris 74

frontal lobe functioning 63

Fu, Ying-Hui 275

Fujinami, Genshin 189

Fuller, Buckminster 255–6, 260

Fulljames, John 145

Funes, Ireneo 37–8

g (general factor of intelligence) 20, 21

Gagné, Françoys 163

Gardner, Randy 261–2

Garry, Maryanne 63, 64

GDF11 protein 220

GENDISCAN study group 160

gene therapy 220–1, 311

genetic component

expertise 148, 149, 153, 154, 159, 160–2, 163, 163–4

fear 127–8

happiness 295–8

intelligence 10–11, 20, 25–6, 32, 127

interrelatedness 307–8

language learning 83–9

longevity 195–7, 211–13, 214–17

musical ability 149, 153, 154, 159, 160–2, 162, 163–4, 166

pleiotropy 307–8, 311

practice, propensity to 154, 155, 160, 174, 310

resilience 240–4

resistance to the idea of 308, 309

running 175, 176, 177, 182

sleeping 274, 275, 276

genetic enhancement 311

genetic polymorphisms 85–6, 87, 88, 127, 214–15

gene–environment interaction 11, 148–9, 159, 164, 166–7

geodesic dome 255

geriatric medicine 218

Giffords, Gabrielle 232

Giuliano, Laura 309

Giving What We Can 289

Gladwell, Malcolm 148, 308

glucose 173, 174

Go (game) 312

Gobet, Fernand 12

Goldman, Dana 218

Google DeepMind 312

Grant, Adam 21

Grant, Joshua 107

Green, Alan 223–4

grit 159, 160, 301, 310

Gross, Cornelius 83

Güllich, Arne 164–5, 166

GWAS (genome-wide association study) 161, 214–15

habit memory 135

Häkkinen, Mika 99

Hambrick, Zach 11, 15, 16, 149, 154–6, 166–7

Hamilton, Lewis 105

Hamlet 306, 307

Hannigan, Barbara 156–60, 162, 210

happiness 3, 29, 187, 279–304

baseline levels 295, 296

default setting 280, 294

Easterlin Paradox 289

environmental influences 297

evolutionary viewpoint 304

experiential sampling 290, 291, 303, 304

genetic contribution 295–8

hedonic adaptation 294

lifetime evaluation 290, 291, 302, 303

measuring 290, 291

money and 289–90, 291, 303

transcendent joy 158, 188, 190

Haraguchi, Akira 39, 43, 46

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium 88

Harris, Michael Levi 81–2

Harrower, Tim 287, 299

Hassabis, Demis 312

Hayman, Aurélien 50–1, 52–3, 54–5, 56, 57, 58

healthspan 214, 220, 222

hedonic adaptation 294

Henner, Marilu 49

Henson, Dave 115, 116–19, 121, 122, 123, 127, 134, 139, 140–1, 210, 286

Herbert, Frank 134

Hewitt, James 99, 100, 101–2

Hinsta Performance 99, 103

hippocampus 46, 65, 73, 74, 75, 107, 253

Hitler, Adolf 21

HIV 241–2, 243

Hoeven, Kati van der 301

Hölzel, Britta 107

HSAM (highly superior autobiographical memory) 48–9, 50–9

Hudson, Richard 69

Human Longevity Inc. 225

Human Performance Center, San Francisco 173

Humphreys, John 205–8, 211, 214, 246

The Hurt Locker (film) 120

Hutnik, Nimmi 208, 246–7

hydrogen ions 173

hypnagogia 108–9, 266

hypothalamus 138, 139

IBMT (integrative body–mind training) 107, 109

IEDs (improvised explosive devices) 115–16, 132

Ikaria 176, 204

insula 109–10

intelligence 3, 7–36, 307

animal experiments 311

and better health outcomes 19, 20, 21, 308

brain chemistry and 27

cognitive decline 12, 13, 35

crystallized intelligence 12–13, 35

definitional problems 8

emotional intelligence 21

environmental component 32, 33

fluid intelligence 12

g (general factor of intelligence) 20, 21

genetic component 10–11, 20, 25–6, 32, 127

and longevity 308

socioeconomic and cultural differences 21

twin studies 24

see also IQ (Intelligence Quotient)

interrogation 63, 64

Invictus games 141

IQ (Intelligence Quotient) 8, 9, 15, 16, 18–21, 24, 309

correlation between spouses 21

and life outcomes 18–19, 20, 21

testing 18–19, 20, 21, 25, 42, 309

isolated populations 244–5

James, LeBron 271

James, William 283

Japan 91–2, 155, 189, 194, 202–4, 210–11, 289

Japanese language 76

Järvelä, Irma 161, 162

Jefferson, Thomas 280, 303

Jie, Ke 312

Jones, Christopher 274–5

Joseph, Dana 19–20, 21

Jovin, Ellen 78

joy 158, 188, 190

Jurek, Scott 172

Kahneman, Daniel 291

karaoke 155, 306

Karnazes, Dean 169–71, 173, 174, 175–6, 189–90

Kasperova, Petra 184–8, 189, 210

kendo 91–2, 111

Kennedy, John F. 292

Keysar, Boaz 78–9, 80–1

Kijioka, Japan 202–3

kin selection 122, 123

King, Martin Luther, Jr. 21

Kinjo, Nabi 203

Knauss, Sarah 200, 213

Kouros, Yiannis 172, 173

Krebs, Emil 72

Kryger, Meir 261, 263, 272, 273, 277

lactate 173, 174

lactic acid 173

Lang Lang 147

language disorders 83–5, 88

language extinction 69

language learning 3, 67–89

acting and 81–2

bilinguals 74, 75

genetic component 83–9

“language gene” 83–7

language–thought relationship 80

learning a language 72–3

and moral thinking 78–80

polyglots see polyglots

protective effect 74–5

rationality effect 80

and risk perception 80–1

social learners 70, 76–7, 83

unused languages 75

verbal fluency 23–4, 25, 26, 28

Large Hadron Collider 2

Laureys, Steven 286

Lawrence, Ruth 14

leadership 122

Leadville Trail 100 marathon 177–8

Lecoq, Jacques 81

Lee, Ledell 59–60

Lee, Stan 190

left superior temporal gyrus 74

Lehmann, Laurent 122, 123, 124

Leschziner, Guy 261, 263–4

Lester, Kathryn 298

Lewis, Alex 233–9

Lewis, Carl 184

Libet, Benjamin 108

Lieberman, Daniel 178, 181

life expectancy 194

changes in 194, 200

natural limit 201

lifespan-extension 218–23, 225

animal experiments 219, 220, 222, 311

calorie restriction 221–2

economic benefits 218, 223

gene therapy 220–1

regenerative medicine 222

young blood experiments 219–20

limb inertia 183

locked-in syndrome 281, 282, 283–4, 285–6, 299–303

communication 281, 287, 299

happiness, experience of 280, 282, 283, 286, 302

recovery from 299–301

resilience 286

Loewi, Otto 264

Loftus, Elizabeth 65

Loma Linda, California 204

loneliness 258

LonGenity project 216

longevity 3, 176, 193–226

age-related diseases 214

Blue Zones 176, 203, 204–5, 215–16

centenarians see centenarians

compressed morbidity 213–14

environmental component 203–4, 212

gender differences 196

genetic component 195–7, 211–13, 214–17

healthspan 214, 220, 222

intelligence and 308

Japanese 202–4

life expectancy see life expectancy

longevity escape velocity 222

personality factor 206, 207, 208

social factor 204, 205

twin studies 196

see also lifespan-extension

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 193

Love, Elizabeth 194, 195, 197–200, 202, 206, 209–10, 211, 214, 217

Lowe, Paddy 97

lucid dreaming 265–70

Lush, Peter 108, 110

MacArthur, Ellen 93–6, 104, 111, 210, 240, 260, 262

MacAskill, William 288–9, 290, 291–3, 301

McCartney, Paul 264

McDougall, Chris 178, 179

McGaugh, James 49

McPherson, Gary 162–3

Mah, Cheri 271–2

Mandela, Nelson 48

Mantel, Hilary 7, 22–3, 25–8, 29–30, 34, 96, 227

Marathon, battle of 171

marathons 170, 171–2, 186–90, 306

jelly legs 173

track races 172–3, 185, 186–7, 188–9

ultramarathons 170, 172–3, 177–8, 179, 184–5, 186–7

maraviroc 242

marginal gains training philosophy 270–1

marshmallow test 27

Mårtensson, Johan 73, 74, 75

Martin, George 264

Marx, Karl 67

Masten, Ann 246

maternal instinct 136–7

Mathis, Edith 151

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock 201

Mazzoni, Giuliana 51, 53, 54

meditation

and athletic development 184, 186

benefits for cognitive performance 107

brain chemistry 107, 109–10

Chinese meditative practice 106

integrative body–mind training (IBMT) 107, 109

narrow-focus meditation 106, 111

open-focus meditation 106, 111

and the subconscious 108

taiji meditative practice 258–9

Zen meditative practice 107, 108–9, 111

Meena, Rajveer 39–40, 43, 46

Melbourne Conservatorium of Music 162, 163

memory 3, 25, 37–66

age-related changes 13

distortion 63, 64, 65–6

eidetic memory 55

episodic memory 58

evolutionary context 47

eyewitness testimony 60–2, 64, 65

false memories 58–9, 63

habit memory 135

highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) 48–9, 50–9

long-term 25, 46, 54, 63

method of loci (memory palace technique) 46–7

related memories 50, 53

reliability 60–2

retrieval 50, 58, 59

semantic memory 58

short-term 46, 253

traumatic memories 127, 128, 130

visuospatial information 47–8

working memory 55, 102

memory athletes 39–40, 42–7, 48

memory palace technique 46–7

Mendeleev, Dmitri 264

Mendelian diseases 243, 246, 308

Merrill, Robert 151

metformin 224

method of loci 46–7

Methuselah Foundation, Virginia 194, 225

MGIM (multifactorial gene-environment interaction model) 148–9, 164

microglial cells 277

the military

bomb disposal operatives 116–24, 129

habituating the fear response 133

interrogation 63, 64

mind-wandering 30

mindfulness 106, 111

mindfulness meditation 107, 110

minimalism 283, 293–4

Mischel, Walter 27

mitochondria 176

mnemonics 39–40, 49

Mongolia 160, 245

Monk, Timothy 276–7

Morgan, Charles III 64

Morgan, Dave 249

Morris, Desmond 210

Mosing, Miriam 149, 153–4, 156, 159, 162

motivation 120, 121, 163

age-related changes 13

genetic basis 164

intrinsic and extrinsic 99–102

social 183

Mount Hiei kaihogyo ultrarunning 189

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus 150–1, 307

MRI scans 65, 252

Mullen, Alex 45

Murakami, Haruki 169

muscles and exercise 173–4

musical ability 3, 143–67

genetic component 149, 153, 154, 159, 160–2, 163–4, 166

opera see opera

practice, significance of 149, 151, 153, 154, 155, 156

singing see singing

twin studies 153–5

variance in performance outcomes 149, 153, 154, 166

myelin 275

Myint, Darlene 125–6

Myint, San Thidar 125

Nachev, Parashkev 300, 303

Napoleon Bonaparte 277

napping 260

narrow-focus meditation 106, 111

natural running 178

nature and nurture 3, 11, 159, 307, 308

gene-environment interaction 11, 148–9, 159, 164, 166–7

see also environmental component; expertise; genetic component

Navon task 44

necrotizing fasciitis 235

neocortex 253

neurotransmitters 264

Nietzsche, Friedrich 305

nightmares 266

Nili, Uri 138, 139

9/11 terrorist attacks 62

Nizzi, Marie-Christine 284–7

NR2B gene 311

Nunn, John 9–11, 12–13, 14, 15, 17–18, 42

Nurse, Paul 31–6

obesity epidemic 180–1, 304

obsessiveness 59, 78, 153

Okinawa 202–4

Olshansky, Jay 202, 218

open-focus meditation 106, 111

opera 143–5, 149–51

complex demands of 144–5

emotion 152

“natural” singers 151–2

practice and 146, 151

speech and 150

stamina requirement 144, 150

successful composers 165

vocal cords 149–50, 157, 158

warming-up 157

optimism 239

orangutans 7–8

Ord, Toby 289

out-of-body experiences 170

overtraining 165

oxytocin 136, 137

Padron, Angie 135–6, 137

pain 107, 118, 134, 138

panic attacks 131, 132

parable of the Chinese farmer and the horse 285

Paralympics 140, 141

Parrish, Elizabeth 220, 221

Parsons, Shirley 279–80, 281–2, 283, 284, 287–8, 294, 302

Patel, Aniruddh 166

Patihis, Lawrence 56, 57, 58–9

pattern perception 16

Pavarotti, Luciano 151

Paxton, Bill 241–2, 243

Penfield, Wilder 57

Per2 gene 274

periodic table of elements 264

Perls, Thomas 213, 214, 215, 217

perseverance 159

personality traits, alteration 66

Petkov, Plamen 125–6, 127, 129

Pfeiffer syndrome 243–4

Pheidippides 171–2, 175

Philosopher’s Stone 197

pi, recounting of 38–9, 40–1, 42–4, 45, 46

Pinto, Nicole 173, 174, 190

Pistorius, Martin 283–4

pitch-production accuracy tests 161

Plant, Michael 290, 294–5, 303

pleiotropy 307–8, 311

Pliny the Elder 37

Plomin, Robert 24–6, 33, 296, 309

police officers 118

polyglots 42, 67–72

brain chemistry 72–3, 74–5

genetic component 71

hyperpolyglots 69, 72, 85

introverted polyglots 76, 78

lone studiers 70, 76, 83

moral thinking, changes in 78–80

and personality changes 75, 77

social learners 70, 76–7, 83

and thought pattern changes 76

Pomohac, Bohdan 228, 230, 231, 232

Pool, Robert 308

positivity 207, 210, 238, 239, 302

Posner, Michael 107, 110

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 116, 126, 128, 131, 132–3

incidents of 131, 233

symptoms 131, 232

treatment 132–3

potential, human 184, 311, 312–13

practice

deliberate practice 11, 12, 15, 46, 148, 166

genetic propensity to practice 154, 155, 160, 174, 310

10,000 hours of practice theory 11, 146, 148, 154, 163

and variance in performance outcomes 149

precuneus 267

prefrontal cortex 86, 88, 107, 262

Price, Deborah 220

Price, Jill 49, 50

problem solving 30

procedural learning 86, 87

Profile of Mood States Test 109

Prozac 295

psychologist’s fallacy 283

Ptacek, Louis 275–6

public speaking 137

Radcliffe, Paula 184

Rae, Michael 221

Räikkönen, Kimi 103

railway-track metaphor of ideas 36

Rajpathak, Swapnil 199

rapamycin 197, 223, 224

Rattle, Simon 145

Rechtschaffen, Allan 261

Reese, Debra 59

relaxation training 109

resilience 3, 206, 207, 208–10, 227–47, 279, 286, 310

genetic component 240–4

learning 247

optimism 239

positivity 207, 210, 238, 239, 246, 302

social network, importance of 238–9

Resilience Project 244

resource accumulation 293

Ricard, Matthieu 283

Richards, Keith 264

Righter, Marinda 231

Ritchie, Stuart 18, 19, 201

Robot Accommodation Dilemma 124

Rogers, Herbert 227–8, 229

Roring, Roy 13

Rosberg, Nico 99

Rose, Matthew 144–7, 149–50, 152–3, 156, 157, 158, 162

Ross, John 262

round-the-world sailing 93–6, 110

Royal Hospital Chelsea 205–6

running 106, 140, 169–90

barefoot 178–9

East African runners 182–3

foot-strike injuries 178, 179, 181

genetic component 175, 176, 177, 182

natural running 178–9

sleep-running 170

sprinters 173–4

Tarahumara people 177–8, 179–82

ultrarunners see marathons

running economy 176, 183

Rylance, Mark 44

Sage Bionetworks 244

samurai 91

Sandberg, Anders 313

Sardinia 204

Sartre, Jean-Paul 37

Schredl, Michael 265, 268, 269, 270, 271

Schumacher, Michael 103

SEALs 133, 137

Second World War 198–9, 206–7

Sedol, Lee 312

self-control 27, 267

Self-Transcendence race 186, 188–9

selflessness 127

Seli, Paul 30

semantic memory 58

SENS Foundation 218, 221, 225

Seo, Jeong-Sun 160–1

serotonin 295, 296

serotonin-transporter gene 295–6

Seventh Day Adventist Church 204

Shakespeare, William 120, 249, 306, 307

Sharrock, Rebecca 51–2, 55

Shaw, Julia 49–50, 53

Shenk, David 308

short sleepers 272–7

extreme larks 274, 275

genetic component 275, 276

health-related problems 272, 273

natural short sleepers 275, 276, 311

personality traits 276–7

subclinical hypomania 277

Shumyatsky, Gleb 127–8

Sierra Madre Occidental 177

Simcott, Richard 76–7, 78

Simonton, Dean Keith 165

Singer, Peter 123

singing 3, 141–67

genetic component 146, 164, 166

innate talent 151–2

opera see opera

practice 146, 147–8, 151

timbre 164

vocational training 146, 147

sisu 301, 302

skill see expertise

sleep 3, 249–78

animal experiments 261, 263, 277–8

brain activity 249–50

cellular repair and maintenance 250

Dymaxion sleep 255

Everyman 3 system 257

extended sleep time, benefits of 271–2

genetic component 274, 275, 276

health issues 272, 273, 277–8

mammals 255

monophasic sleep 255, 258, 259

napping 260

polyphasic sleep 255, 256–7, 258, 259–61

recommended duration of 273

REM sleep 250, 252, 254, 261, 263, 264, 266, 267, 268

short sleepers see short sleepers

sleep deprivation 259, 260, 261–3, 272, 273, 277

sleep hygiene 272

sleep latency 258

spindles 253

stages of sleep 252–4

Uberman system 256–7

see also dreaming

sleep apnea 261, 274

sleep-phase syndrome 274

sleep-running 170

Sleep-Wake Center, Utah 274

Smith, Ali 279

Smith, Shankara 186, 188–9

Smith, Tony 184

Smith, Zadie 305

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome 243

smoking 197–8, 217

SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) 85–6, 88, 214–15

social bravery 137

social facilitation 182, 183

social motivation 183

Spartathlon 172

speech apraxia 84

spindles 253

sports science see athletes

sprinters 173–4

Sri Chinmoy marathons 184–5, 186–7, 188

Stafforini, Pablo 293–4

stamina 144, 150, 183

Stampi, Claudio 260

Stark, Craig 51, 52, 55–6

stathmin 127, 128

Staver, Marie 256–7, 258–60

Stevenson, Betsey 289–90

Stewart, Martha 273

STMN1 gene 128

Strange, Bryan 127, 134–5

Strauss, Richard 143

Streptococcus A 235

stress, calm approach to 210, 213

Stroll, Lance 96–7, 98, 99, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 111

subclinical hypomania 277

the subconscious 108

subgenual anterior cingulate cortex 138–9

supercentenarians 213, 217

Superhumans (TV show) 190

sustained attention 97–8

see also focus

synesthesia 41, 42, 44, 45

tai chi 259

taiji meditative practice 258–9

talent 10, 11, 148, 151–2, 156

DMTG (differentiating model of talent and giftedness) 163

see also expertise

Taliban 115, 117

Tammet, Daniel 41, 42–5, 46

Tamminen, Jakke 61, 62, 249–50, 251, 252, 253, 254

Tan, Yi Ting 163–4

Tang, Yi-Yuan 105–7, 109, 111

Tarahumara people 177–8, 179–82, 183

Tarleton, Carmen 227–32, 237, 239, 240

team bonding dynamic 122–3

telomeres 220–1

10,000 hours of practice theory 11, 146, 148, 154, 163

Terfel, Bryn 151

Thatcher, Margaret 272, 278

Thompson-Cannino, Jennifer 60–1

thrombophilia 281

“tilt,” psychology of 26, 34

total recall see HSAM (highly superior autobiographical memory)

track races 172–3, 185, 186–7, 188–9

transcendent experiences 158, 170, 188, 189, 190

Tranströmer, Tomas 249

trauma survivors 117–18, 127, 134, 140–1, 227–38

see also locked-in syndrome; resilience

trolley dilemma 79

True, Micah 179–80

Trump, Donald 272

Tucker-Drob, Elliot 154–6

twin studies

fraternal twins 196

identical twins 196

intelligence 24

longevity 196

musical abilities 153–5

physical ability 175

Uberman system 256–7

Übermensch 259

UGT8 gene 161, 162

Ullén, Frederick 148–9

Urbach-Wiethe disease 129–32

Urs, Albrecht 274

VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake) 176–7, 180

Vaupel, James 201

Vendée Globe 93–4

Venter, Craig 225

Vettel, Sebastian 99

Vietnam War veterans 131, 308

Vijg, Jan 201

Villeda, Saul 219, 220

Villeneuve, Jacques 96

Voltaire 279

Wagers, Amy 219, 220

Walhovd, Kristine 28

Wallace, David Foster 67

Watson, Geoff 235

weightlifters 173–4

Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run 172

Whitney, Doug 242, 243

Williams, Adrian 261, 263, 278

Williams, Alan 150

Williams F1 racing team 96–7, 98–9

Wilson, Nicola 37

Wolfe, David 232–3, 239, 240

Wolfers, Justin 289–90

Wolsey, Cardinal 9, 14

World Indigenous Games 179

World Memory Championships 45

Wren, Christopher 205

writing profession 29–30

Yamamoto, Tsunetomo 91

Zakai, Mira 151

Zeggini, Eleftheria 245–6

Zen meditative practice 107, 108–9, 111

Zhavoronkov, Alex 222–3

Zhu, Bi 64–5