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The most famous preparatory drawing is a sheet that lays out Leonardo’s initial conception for the entire picture (fig. 16). On it he plots his perspective lines, following the methods used by Brunelleschi and Alberti. As the scene recedes to the vanishing point, the horizontal lines, which he drew with a ruler, are compressed with incredible precision, far more than necessary for a finished painting. Combined with this meticulous grid are quick, spectral sketches of twisting and scrambling humans, rearing and frenzied horses, and an ultimate bit of Leonardo fantasia: a resting camel twisting his neck to regard the scene with a wild surmise. Mathematically delineated, precise lines work in concert with frenzied motion and emotion. It is a remarkable combination of optical science and imaginative art, and it shows how he constructed his art on a scaffold of science.25
Leonardo Da Vinci
Walter Isaacson
Her curiosity piqued, Gallagher set out to better understand the role that attention—that is, what we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore—plays in defining the quality of our life. After five years of science reporting, she came away convinced that she was witness to a “grand unified theory” of the mind: Like fingers pointing to the moon, other diverse disciplines from anthropology to education, behavioral economics to family counseling, similarly suggest that the skillful management of attention is the sine qua non of the good life and the key to improving virtually every aspect of your experience.
If you’re like me and many people, you go through each day zipping from one thing to another. But along the way, when’s the last time you stopped for ten seconds to feel and take in one of the positive moments that happen in even the most hectic day? If you don’t take those extra seconds to enjoy and stay with the experience, it passes through you like wind through the trees, momentarily pleasant but with no lasting value. This book is about one simple thing: the hidden power of everyday positive experiences to change your brain—and therefore your life—for the better. I’ll show you how to turn good moments into a great brain, full of confidence, ease, comfort, self-worth, and feeling cared about. These are not million-dollar moments. They’re simply the cozy feeling of a favorite sweater, pleasure in a cup of coffee, warmth from a friend, satisfaction after finishing a task, or love from your mate.
Hardwiring Happiness
Rick Hanson
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