Trust Your Mind: Embracing Nuance in a World of Self-Silencing

An urgent examination of self-silencing culture and the toxic impact of groupthink, by the author of Divergent Mind and founder of The Neurodiversity Project. Nerenberg empowers readers with tools to understand the mind and navigate an increasingly polarized world, from campuses and workplaces, to the media and beyond.Connected across geography and culture via the internet, the world is both a vast, limitless landscape and an ever-shrinking echo chamber. Communication, especially discourse over free speech, is becoming increasingly divisive; one person's right to speak comes into conflict with another seeking to prevent harm. Our tolerance for differing opinions is also narrowing. A “wrong” remark or comment, no matter how seemingly innocent, can result in banishment, and contradictory ideas spark hysteria and backlash-what is referred to as “cancel culture.” This polarization affects everyone of us-among friends and families, workplaces and communities-and threatens the fabric of society.In this timely book, Jenara Nerenberg analyzes this phenomenon of “self-silencing,” asking potent questions about how harmful groupthink has become accepted. Applying her expertise in journalism, psychology, and public health, she digs deep into urgent problems that are worsening under a culture of self-censorship, including loneliness, isolation, and polarization.But there is hope. Nerenberg offers insights for how to identify and escape groupthink and transform fear into empathy, allowing space for authentic communication that reduces-rather than causes-harm to others.

About the author

Jenara Nerenberg lectures widely on neuroscience, innovation, sensitivity, leadership, and diversity. Selected as a "brave new idea" presenter by the Aspen Institute for her work on re-framing mental differences, Jenara is also the founder and host of The Neurodiversity Project. She holds degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health and UC Berkeley. Her work has been published in Fast Company, New York magazine, Susan Cain's Quiet Revolution, Garrison Institute, Elaine Aron's HSP, Healthline, KQED, and elsewhere. In addition to her work as a journalist, Jenara is a frequent workshop facilitator, speaker, and event host for institutions including the Stanford Graduate School of Business and elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.