A User Manual for Balancing the Human Brain and Body

The Science of our Self-Delusional, Addictive Homo economicus Brain

As humans, why do we walk such a fine line between depression and addiction, paranoia and recklessness, fatigue and burnout? Why are humans so prone to anxiety, self-delusion and self-deception? Why do we have so many conflicting stories and versions of the truth? Why is it such a challenge to give up bad habits and live a balanced life? What is the common denominator of disease, disorder, disparity and discord (fights, divorces, lawsuits, riots, wars) that plague human lives?

Imbalance and fatigue are two sides of the same coin and so prevalent in human lives that we have become blind to them. Today, humans suffer mostly from abuse not by others but by their own brain. The world’s largest battles are fought inside human minds. We are the only species metamorphosed to have the brain in the driver seat of our body-mind axis. Yet most of us are more knowledgeable and updated about our phones, apps, sports, politics, games, pets, homes, cars and jobs than about our own brain and body, and how they work (or get burned out) together. We all need a simple “User Manual” to our body and mind homeostasis.

“Masks, Crutches and Daggers: The Science of our Self-Delusional, Addictive Homo economicus Brain” is such a manual, which took me twice as long as my Ph.D. dissertation to research and write, plus I put my heart, soul and life experiences in it so I really believe it will be eye-opening and life-changing for many people.

In the book, I use a blend of real life stories and scientific first principles in science, philosophy, economics, engineering, psychology and mysticism to identify unifying explanations and the common denominator of disease, disorder, disparity and discord (fights, divorces, lawsuits, riots, wars) that plague human lives, particularly in successful people. I call the human brains “The largest battleground on the planet.”  

In the book, I identify, in simple language, the neurochemical soups that make our brains prone to metabolic imbalance, self-delusion, addiction, broken feedback loops and unfettered quantitative growth targets that construct a world of imbalanced winners, imbalanced losers and barely anyone in between. How are we then evolving and adapting if not bound, like other species, by natural balances and feedback loops? I make a case in this book that we have adapted to human-made selection pressures by using three adaptive tools: Camouflages and personas (masks), gadgets to patch our trauma (crutches) and gimmicks and cunning mind games (daggers)

As a graduate of University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University, I have years of interdisciplinary corporate research, business development and academic experience as a materials scientist, chemical engineer, former NASA grantee and an educator. I explain in the book how I specialized in balancing industrial product formulas but once I realized my own body, mind and life were imbalanced, I tempered my ambitious career goals to learn more about the human brain and behavior.

I am happy to announce that my book is finally being published. I just sent the first copy of the book (signed) to a great friend and a well-known super-athlete entrepreneur featured in a motion picture.

The book is now available on Amazon, major bookstores and libraries but a limited number of signed books are available only on my site (rayarmat.com, scroll down for Pre-order buttons) for good friends and supporting fans who have asked for signed copies. For my Substack supporters, I asked the publisher for a promotion code. Please use the following to receive a discount on your order of signed copies (while supplies last): MZZLZEWV

The book is dedicated to independent thinkers like you who have the wisdom to question, and the guts to defy herds, mobs and gatekeepers. You honor me by spending your money and time on this book. Please send me your comments and questions and if you liked the book, add your supportive reviews to Amazon or forums like goodreads. You can also recommend the book to podcasters, book reviewers and forums.