This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg

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Cultivating Confidence Jan 28, 2022

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Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point's Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you're about to do something great.

Plus... why Ted Lasso wants us all to be a little more like goldfish.

https://www.natezinsser.com/

Our Emotional Memory Jan 14, 2022

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Where were you on 9/11, and why do you remember it so clearly? Dr. Elizabeth Phelps, a Harvard neuroscience professor who studies the effect of trauma on memory, explains how highly emotional events get stored in our brains. Find out why we are so confident that these "flashbulb memories" are completely accurate, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. Plus... the "Michael Moore effect" that can influence what we think we remember.

The 9 Triggers of Rage Jan 01, 2022

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The human brain is designed to "snap" under threat, but 100,000 years of evolution did not prepare us for the world we live in today. R. Douglas Fields, PhD, describes how the brain's rage circuitry is activated -- whether that's a car that cuts you off on the highway or a pickpocket who steals your wallet. The primal rage response also explains a lot about the January 6 mob mentality, the unruly airline passenger who strikes a flight attendant, or a terrorist attack. Learn the 9 triggers that are programmed to make you snap (and how to identify the "misfires")

https://rdouglasfields.com

Awestruck! (Part 2) Dec 24, 2021

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The human brain resists uncertainty — whether it's an approaching tiger or a global pandemic, we've evolved to move from fear and chaos to order and resolution. Dr. Beau Lotto, founder of the Lab of Misfits, explains why the brain takes small steps instead of large leaps, and why we need to teach kids to think more like scientists. Plus... why we react to a pandemic by hoarding toilet paper

www.beaulotto.com

Awestruck ! (Part 1) Dec 17, 2021

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What is awe? It's not wonder, or surprise, or pleasure — it's a state of mind that Dr. Beau Lotto calls "finding the impossible in the common." Dr. Lotto is a neuroscientist who specializes in perception; he once actually measured awe in the brains of people watching Cirque du Soleil. Learn where awe originates, why it evolved, and even how military leaders might weaponize it. Plus... why Dr. Lotto says babies are born "useless"

https://www.beaulotto.com/

The Biology of Eating Disorders Dec 03, 2021

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After witnessing a childhood friend suffer from a severe eating disorder, Lauren Breithaupt dedicated her career to exploring the causes of anorexia, bulimia, and related syndromes. Now a PhD in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Breithaupt explains that eating disorders - once thought to be a plague of teenage girls – can affect men and women of all ages and share a genetic link with other psychiatric disorders. Plus… how dinnertime conversations help your child's brain develop.

Seeking Help? -

National Eating Disorders Asso. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders https://www.nceedus.org/

A Jolt of Happiness Nov 19, 2021

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Is it possible to relieve depression or PTSD using electricity? Kelly Bijanki, PhD, runs a lab at Baylor College of Medicine, where her team is using deep brain stimulation to induce happiness in patients who need it the most. Her fascinating work shows that "emotional" issues are as biologically based as "neurological" ones, and that depression can be treated with the same techniques used for epilepsy or Parkinson's disease. Plus… the evolution of the smile.

Things Don't Have To Fall Apart Nov 05, 2021

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Daniel Levitin says we can all age successfully if we take our choices more seriously now. The neuroscientist and author reveals the keys to reaching our senior years in the best possible shape, explains what happens to dopamine levels when we stop trying new things, and tells us the three things older adults are better at than younger ones. Plus... what primatologist Jane Goodall told him about the key to healthier aging.

https://DanielLevitin.com

Do You Hear What I See? Oct 22, 2021

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Synesthesia is the mysterious mingling of the senses that creates the experience of "seeing" sounds or "hearing" colors. Neurologist Richard E. Cytowic, MD, has spent his career exploring this remarkable phenomenon and has a fascinating insight into how these sensations are formed in the brain — and how we might use it to reunite our fractured society. Plus... meet the man whose extreme form of synesthesia mingled all five of his senses!

More information on https://drphilstieg.com and https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/synesthesia

Your Brain On Trial Oct 08, 2021

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Would a better understanding of the brain lead to better outcomes in court? Professor Francis X. Shen, neuroscientist and lawyer, has devoted his career to "neural law" – leveraging neuroscience to reduce injustice. Using what we know about addiction science, adolescent brain development, and traumatic injury could lead to better interventions to reduce recidivism and raise the bar on justice. Plus… why eyewitness memory is so very, very unreliable.

http://www.fxshen.com/bio/

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