…and 7 other lessons about the command center that runs all our body’s systems. Lisa Feldman Barrett, professor of psychology at Northeastern University and a director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory there, talks about how the 128 billion neurons in the brain act like the air traffic control system. They are knit together into […]
The gentle sounds of the surf, or sweet birdsong in the trees, are more than just refreshing — they have actual, proven power to heal the brain. Dr. David Strayer, professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah’s Applied Cognition Lab, is exploring how our over-stressed, technologically bombarded, multi-tasking brains are restored […]
Narrator: In this episode of This Is Your Brain – The Guided Tour, we meet a man who knows how to listen… Since 1968, Bernie Krause has traveled the globe to record the “voice” of the natural world. You are listening to one of his recordings right now… Jaguars in the Amazon… He was one […]
Can you train your brain to perform better, feel happier, focus more? Stephen Kotler says you can. The bestselling author of The Art of the Impossible and Stealing Fire and founder of the Flow Research Collective, Kotler explains what’s behind “flow states” and how we can all learn to harness the power of biology to […]
Dolphins have large, complex brains that are a lot like the human model — what if we could get inside their heads and communicate with them? Meet cognitive psychologist and marine mammal scientist Diana Reiss, PhD, who has been doing just that. Turns out our underwater friends have a lot going on in their brains, […]
What’s causing the “Covid fog” and “long-haul Covid” that have been all over the news lately? Neuropsychologist Heidi Bender and infectious disease specialist Lish Ndhlovu explain how the virus is getting into the brain, what it does when it gets there, and how that affects cognition, emotions, and behavior. Plus… hear firsthand from a patient […]
Pain and fear are inevitable, especially these days, but we can retrain our brains to reduce suffering. Dr. Sara Lazar, Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, reveals how just eight weeks of mindful meditation can visibly change parts of the brain to be less reactive to pain. Plus… how meditation apps put the […]
Narrator: There’s a lot of things you can do with a smartphone … Check the latest headlines … shop online … post embarrassing pictures to your social media feed, and many other forms of stress and distraction. … And now, you can also meditate. Here’s how… Voice of Tamara: Begin by taking a comfortable position…. […]
More than an evolutionary waste of energy, dreams are one of the last mysteries of human cognition. Dr. Raphael Vallat, a neuroscientist and sleep researcher at UC Berkeley, explains what we know about what happens during REM sleep, why we have recurring nightmares, and even how that evening cocktail affects your dreams. Plus… the weirdest […]
A brain experiment on abstract vs representational art reveals the secrets of how we make decisions, and how we impulsive humans may finally learn to delay gratification. Psychologist Daphna Shohamy, Professor of Psychology at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University, explains “construal level theory” and what that means about art — and […]