Book Review

While we were in Fiji, I spent many hours in our pool reading This is Your Brain in Love by Dr. Earl Henslin. The book is intended to help couples learn about themselves so that they can experience the perfect marriage. Dr. Henslin is a psychiatrist who worked alongside a neurologist for many years, through which he discovered how SPECT brain scans pinpoint the areas that can indicate specifically how individuals can change their diets and consciously adjust their ways of thinking to be better spouses.

I found the majority of the book to be like an infomercial for Dr. Henslin. There were parts here and there that gave insight into how people I know may be partly like one of the five types that he described, but quite honestly, the relationship examples he gave were too extreme or specific to relate to.

Despite the underlying sales pitch, what kept me reading is that I found it interesting how brain damage at even a very early age can affect the way you think and act as an adult. Admittedly, it made me want to get a SPECT scan to see what areas are over- or under-active, thus preventing me from being a better spouse, mother, daughter, friend... and how I can work to counteract that damage.

The last quarter of the book was helpful. It gave relevant and relatable ways to show love to your spouse. They were more or less basic, but a good reminder.

Overall, though the book was interesting, I don't think that it should be marketed as a marriage book since in order to get the "more passionate and emotionally healthy marriage" that it talks about, you'd likely need to go see Dr. Henslin in person.

I received a copy of this book for free from BookSneeze with the agreement that I would write an honest review when I finished it. The opinions expressed are mine and not influenced by the agreement.