Improv & Impulse Control (w/ Dr. Heather Berlin)

On this episode of Staying Alive, hosts Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally invite neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Heather Berlin to discuss the neural basis of improvisation, making novel associations to keep your brain healthy and active, and her forthcoming book about the science of impulse control and the effects of fame on the brain. Plus Adam and Dr. Heather compare De Niro stories, we meet silent third host Donny The Plant, and Dr. Heather shows Gabrus where she lives on his Long Island tattoo. Follow Dr. Heather @heather_berlin on InstaListen to the Science Of Perception Box podcast HERE Full video episodes available HERECheck out Staying Alive merch at siriusxmstore.com/stayingaliveTickets for our live show at The Bell House in New York on Tues, August 5th HEREStreaming tickets coming soon! This episode was recorded April 2, 2025 at SiriusXM studios in New York CitySpecial thanks to Jared O’ConnellStaying Alive is produced by Devon Torrey Bryant and Anne HarrisEngineered and edited by Devon Torrey Bryant, who also wrote the musicAssociate producer and video editor is Maddie McCannExecutive produced by Jon Gabrus, Adam Pally, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Bernie Kaminski, and Rich Korson Keywords for this episode: neuroplasticity, Edinburgh Fringe, spontaneous creativity, freestyle rap, brain activation, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, flow state, Donny, checking in, Chuck Darwin, executive function, first responders, Sonic The Hedgehog, Rosebud Baker, dopamine, Robert De Niro, Sigmund Freud,Béarnaise, Dirty Grandpa, marshmallow test, The Waterboy, yoga, Siri Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.