Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

Daniel Coyle, a revered journalist, spent years investigating the possible origins of skill. Whether it is sports, language, mathematics, or science, Coyle asserts the biology and myelin are the two biggest factors in producing success. Based on his findings, Coyle presents an easy, foolproof program that will allow listeners to develop their own path toward success.

An excellent dive into how and why we form talents.

I got skeptical about the book when reading the introduction, which mentioned “revolutionary scientific discoveries”. Unfortunately, reading it confirmed my first impression: I was looking for concepts, but I found very few of them and instead a gazillion of stories to support them.

In a nutshell:

- the quality of a skill is determined by the thickness of a neural insulator called myelin around the nerve fibers in the brain circuits
- myelin wraps but doesn't unwrap, which is why to break bad habits we have to form good ones instead
- deep practice creates new myelin layers, improving the skill
- motivation can be ignited using cues
- great masters have deep knowledge, recognize where they pupils are struggling and are able to guide them