PODCAST · science
Minds Matter
by Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa
Learn from cutting edge researchers in neuroscience and psychology with PhD students Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa. On Minds Matter, we explore a range of subjects, from conspiracy theories to falling in love, to nostalgia. We discuss the neuroscientific and psychological research behind these issues while talking through our own personal experiences.
Episodes
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S5 E04: Critical Race Psychology (Live!)
What does psychology miss when it treats racism as only an individual bias? In this special live episode, Dr. Phia Salter and Dr. Glenn Adams join us to discuss critical race psychology, and how psychological science can better account for systems of power while still asking psychological...
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S5 E03: Your Mind on the Multi-Scale Brain with Dr. Giulia Baracchini
How can we better understand the brain as a dynamic, multi-scale system? Dr. Giulia Baracchini shares her work using fMRI to study the brain’s fluctuations, and what measures of variability can reveal about how the brain functions. We discuss how ideas from complex systems science help make sense...
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S5 E02: Your Mind on Origins of Social Bias
How do babies learn to navigate diversity in their social worlds? Dr. Hyesung Grace Hwang shares her infant neuroscience (EEG) work showing that early “bias” might be less about emotions (like fear or disklike) and more about attention and information processing. We discuss how the environment,...
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S5 E01: Your Mind on Conversation
What makes for a great conversation? Dr. Sebastian Spear shares his research using hyperscanning (neuroimaging on multiple brains at once) to study people's brains during real conversations. We discuss differences in conversations between friends and strangers, and why exploration might be the...
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S4 Ep16: Your Mind on Dissociation with Dr. Anikó Kusztor
How can dissociation lead to positive and negative outcomes, and how does it affect an individual? Dr. Anikó Kusztor joins us this week to discuss the results of dissociation, and how they vary from person to person. Ava and Beth recount their personal dissociative experiences and contemplate…
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S4 Ep15: Your Mind on Beauty with Dr. Aenne Brielman
What is beauty, and just how subjective is it? Dr. Aenne Brielmann joins us this week to discuss how our minds react when we see or find something beautiful. Ava and Beth discuss the age old question in terms of how emotion affects perception, and further dive into the philosophy of beauty.
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S4 Ep14: Your Mind on Social Emotion Regulation with Dr. Razia Sahi
How do you handle tough emotions? Do you deal with things on your own or with support from others? Dr. Razia Sahi joins us to explore why leaning on others might be more powerful than we think. She shares her research on social emotion regulation, showing that when someone helps us reframe a...
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S4 Ep13: Your Mind on Substance Abuse with Dr. Keanan Joyner
What really is addiction—and can we actually get addicted to our phones? Dr. Keanan Joyner joins us to discuss how addiction works from both a biological and social lens. He shares insights from his lab’s research on drug use, genetics, and disinhibition, and explains why substance abuse isn’t…
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S4 Ep12: Your Mind on the Uncanny Valley with Dr. Julija Vaitonytė
Have you ever seen a robot that looks almost human, but something feels a bit off? Did it make you feel unsettled, and maybe a bit creeped out? Dr. Yulia Vaitonytė joins us to discuss her research on this phenomenon of the uncanny valley. She unpacks the brain and perceptual cues behind this...
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S4 EP11 Your Mind on Deep Brain Stimulation with Dr Saurabh Sonkusare
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a ground-breaking technique that uses electrical impulses to treat conditions like epilepsy and depression through electrodes implanted in the brain. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Saurabh Sonkusare to learn about how DBS works and how it can be used in...
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S4 Ep10: Your Mind on Criminal Justice with Dr. Mikaela Spruill
What comes to mind when you hear the term “objectively reasonable”? In this episode, Dr. Mikaela Spruill joins us to discuss how legal standards in criminal justice aren't as neutral as they may seem. We discuss how social stratification and lived experience influence jurors' priors, the idea of...
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S4 Ep9: Your Mind on the Built Environment with Dr. Isabella Bower
Have you ever wondered how the built environment effects your mood? Is it true that red rooms make you angry? This week we sit down with Dr. Isabella Bower to discuss her on research on how the built environment can impact our mental health. Dr. Bower shares how the colour and size of rooms may...
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S4 Ep8: Your Mind on Agency and Decision-Making with Dr. Hayley Dorfman
How do our beliefs about ourselves and the world influence the way we learn and make decisions? Dr. Hayley Dorfman joins us to discuss how internal representations like sense of control shape our learning processes. We discuss the interplay between reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference…
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S4 EP7: A conversation about AI with an artist and researcher, Dr. Nina Rajcic
This week on Minds Matter both Ava and Beth chat with Dr. Nina Rajcic about her work using LLMs in her art practice giving us a new perspectives for thinking about AI. Dr. Rajcic talks about her work and how its meaning has changed as LLMs continue to develop. We share our thoughts about the…
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S4 Ep6: Your Mind on Optimism with Beth Fisher
In a very special episode, our very own Beth Fisher tells us all about optimism! Beth shares what optimism is, how her recent research shows psilocybin can boost optimism in rats, and what this might mean for humans. We also discuss how optimism shapes our engagement with the world, and if and…
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S4 Ep5: Your Mind on Identity & Meaning-Making with Dr. Pauline Ho
How do our identities shift and change over our lifetimes? Dr. Pauline Ho joins us to explore three pathways of identity formation—consolidating, cumulative, and transformative—and how each is shaped by personal histories, social contexts, and important life events. Building off her research with...
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S4 EP4 Your Mind on Climate Inaction with Dr. Rachit Dubey
The climate crisis demands urgent action, yet many people struggle to make meaningful changes. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Rachit Dubey to hear about the the psychology behind climate inaction. Dr. Dubey shares insights into why humans are wired to seek rewards, leading to consumerism—a core...
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S4 EP4 Your Mind on Climate Inaction with Dr. Rachit Dubey
The climate crisis demands urgent action, yet many people struggle to make meaningful changes. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Rachit Dubey to hear about the the psychology behind climate inaction. Dr. Dubey shares insights into why humans are wired to seek rewards, leading to consumerism—a core...
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S4 Ep 3: Your Mind on Religious and Scientific Explanations with Dr. Telli Davoodi
How often do you find yourself pondering existential questions—like the meaning of life or what happens after we die? This week, we're joined by Dr. Telli Davoodi, to speak about her research on how both scientific and religious explanations address these questions and psychological roles they…
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S4 EP2 Your Mind on Disgust with Dr. Indra Bishnoi
Have you ever felt disgusted? Have you wondered what caused that feeling? This week Dr. Indra Bishnoi explains to us the science behind disgust and its relationship to nausea. She shares her research on conditioned induced nausea and chemotherapy, explaining the importance of finding a treatment…
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S4 Ep 1: A conversation about Civic Science with Andrew Gray
Welcome back to season 4 of Minds Matter! We begin our season with a conversation about civic science with Andrew Gray, co-founder of BioQuisitive a civic science hub in Brunswick, Australia. Can there be ways to create research outside a university? And what does it look like to democratise...
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S3 E21: Your Mind on Political Humor & Satire with Prateekshit "Kanu" Pandey
In an age where politicians are both subjects and creators of memes, and outlets like The Daily Show shape public discourse, how is humor influencing our political engagement? Dr. Prateekshit "Kanu" Pandey shares research on humor's effects on the brain, and its differing roles across cultures,...
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S3 E20: Your Mind on AI with Dr. Abhilasha Ravichander
New developments in AI are making headline news with many perspectives on what the future of AI holds. From Chat GPT to robots, there is lots of new information to take in! This week Dr. Abhilasha Ravichander answers our questions from the basics of AI to questions of AI and consciousness. She...
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S3 EP19: Your Mind on Addiction with Dr. Andrew Kim
How do behavioural and substance addictions relate to mental health? What are the risk factors for these disorders? This week Dr. Andrew Kim helps us answer these questions and discusses how we can best treat addictions and their mental heath co-morbidities. Dr Kim explains how we can use to...
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S3 E18: Your Mind on Adolescent Risky Decision-Making with Dr. Nina Lauharatanahirun
What makes teenagers so keen to embrace risk? Are they chasing potential rewards, or are they just blind to potential consequences? Dr. Nina Lauharatanahirun joins us to discuss the computational and neurobiological underpinnings of risky decision-making in teens. Beth and Ava reminisce about…
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S3 E17: Your Mind on Neurobiology with Dr. Claire O'Callaghan
We hear about neuromodulators like serotonin all the time, but how do they actually work? This week Dr. Claire O’Callaghan gives us an introduction to the science of neurobiology! She discusses the roles of serotonin and noradrenaline and we learn that the systems are more complex than we may…
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S3 E16: Your Mind on Inequality & Social Change with Dr. Riana Brown
Are all inequalities perceived the same? Dr. Riana Brown joins us to discuss how different inequalities — health, economic, and belonging — differentially motivate support for collective action and social change. Dr. Brown also shares research on when and why some people might opt to tackle the...
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S3: E15 Your Mind on Great Ape Social Cognition with Dr. Laura Lewis
What do the social lives of chimps and bonobos reveal about human cognition? Join us as biological anthropologist & comparative psychologist Dr. Laura Lewis tells us about the social structures of our closest living relatives & shares her research on how chimps and bonobos remember friends and…
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S3: E14 Your Mind on Learning & Memory with Dr. Oded Bein
How do we store information in the brain? How do we know when one memory should end and another begin? We speak to Dr. Oded Bein who explains how we use schemas to organise information. Dr. Bein discusses how we segment our experiences to store as our memories and how these processes might be...
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S3: E13 Your Mind on Emotion Regulation & Conflict with Dr. Rachel Low
When something's bothering you, do you tend to suppress those emotions or sit with them? Dr. Rachel Low joins us to discuss her research on emotion regulation in individuals, relationships, and families. Learn about how parents' emotion regulation styles might spill over to their children, and…
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S3: E12 Your Mind on Sex and Relationships with Dr. Jessica Maxwell
Is sexual chemistry just natural compatibility, or can it grow from effort and work? Dr. Jessica Maxwell shares her research exploring how sexual beliefs influence well-being in both long-term and casual relationships. We discuss how individual differences, like attachment styles, shape our...
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S3: E11 Your Mind on Rumination with Dr. Rachel Bedder
How often do you play negative experiences over in your head? If this is a painful pattern of thinking, why would we do this? This week we talk about rumination with Dr. Rachel Bedder, she explains why we ruminate and how it is different from worry. Dr. Bedder discusses her computational model of...
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S3 E10: Your Mind & Action on Culture and Social Class with Dr. Kimin Eom
How does culture shape our actions towards the environment and our responses to global crises? Dr. Kimmon Eom joins us to discuss how different cultures and socioeconomic statuses influence the willingness to engage in pro-environmental actions. He also shares work on how pandemics and fear of...
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S3 E09: Your Mind on (Good) Conversation with Dr. Emma Templeton
What makes a for a good conversation? Why do we feel we 'click' with some people and not others? This week we speak to Dr. Emma Templeton about research on conversation. She discusses why gap length between two conversation partners is important into understanding our connections and why this may...
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S3E08 Your Mind on the Gut Microbiome with Dr Aya Osman
Are we really what we eat? Research on the gut microbiome suggests we really are! This week we speak to Dr. Aya Osman who researches how the gut microbiome influences our brain and behaviour. Dr Osman explains the role of the gut microbiome in addiction and autism and how we can study these...
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S3 E07 Your Mind on Consciousness with Dr Anil Seth
One of the biggest mysteries in science is, what is consciousness? This week we speak to Dr Anil Seth about how we can study consciousness and where the field is at the moment. Dr. Seth discusses how our experience can be considered a controlled hallucination and what all this means for AI. Ava…
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S3E06: Your Mind & Memory on Aging with Dr. Tarek Amer
What happens to our memories as we age? Dr. Tarek Amer challenges the idea that memory decline is inevitable as we get older. Tune in to find out when older adults' 'sticky' memories not only aid in recollection but also enhance creativity, potentially giving them an edge over younger folks.
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S3E05 Your Mind on Cognitive Effort with Dr. Laura Ana Bustamante
How do you decide to do your maths homework or play a video game? Why does maths homework feel like more effort than the video game? This week we speak with Dr. Laura Ana Bustamante about how cognitive effort effects the decisions we make. She speaks about her research relating cognitive to...
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S3E04: Your Mind on Guilt with Dr. Hongbo Yu
When guilt strikes, how do you respond? Is it a rush to make things right or an urge to evade? Dr. Hongbo Yu is joins us to delve into the complexities of guilt, its neural bases, and the surprising role our eyes play in magnifying or mitigating those guilty feelings. Plus, Beth and Ava share…
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S3E03: A Conversation about Women's Health with a Patient-Researcher, with Elle Murata
Elle Murata is a neuroscience Ph.D. student specializing in the impact of sex hormones on the brain. When she noticed something was off with her own menstrual cycle, she found herself having to advocate for her own health to receive proper care. In this conversation, Elle shares her journey to…
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S3E02 Your Mind on Reality and Imagination, with Dr Nadine Dijkstra
How do we tell our imagination apart from reality? Although it may seem like a simple process we often get the two confused. This week Dr. Nadine Dijkstra shares with us her research on the reality threshold and how this helps us determine what is real and what is not! Ava and Beth discuss…
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S3E01 Your Mind on Compassion, with Dr Julian Scheffer
We are back for season 3! To start off the season we talk with Dr. Julian Scheffer about his research on compassion. Dr. Scheffer tells us about the cognitive costs of compassion and how effort may effect our decision to feel compassion for others. We discuss how compassion compares to empathy…
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S2E18: Your Mind on Medical Mistrust: Exploring the Experiences of Minoritzed Individuals with Dr. Kimberly Martin
In this episode, we explore experiences of minoritized individuals in healthcare. Dr. Kimberly Martin shares her research on COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Black Americans, and challenges the common attribution to the Tuskegee experiments, sharing research on the critical role of current...
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S2E17: Your Mind on Deception, with Dr. David Markowitz
Do you ever wonder how often people lie on dating apps? Or how language can reveal people's lies about groups they dislike? Dr. David Markowitz joins us to share his research on the frequency and types of lies people tell. He also discusses whether and how lies, like fake news, can be detected by...
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S2E16: BONUS EP - Questions for a Literary Theorist on Consciousness Research with Dr. Mette Høeg
This week we sat down to chat with Dr. Mette Leonard Høeg who is a literary theorist and philosopher studying theories of consciousness. Dr. Høeg speaks about how we can use works of literature in the field consciousness research. We discuss everything from free will to what future societies…
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S2E15: Your Mind on Changing Prejudices & Stereotypes, with Dr. Tessa Charlesworth
Have racism, sexism, and homophobia reduced over time? What about ableism? Dr. Tessa Charlesworth joins us to discuss her research using big data and word embeddings to track shifting attitudes about marginalized groups over the years and decades. We explore the implications of her research on...
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S2E14: Your Mind on First Nations Methodologies, with Dr. Cammi Murrup-Stewart
How does a researcher's positionality affect their research? Why do we use the scientific methods that we do? And how do we even measure success in science? This week on the podcast we speak to Dr. Cammi Murrup-Stewart about her research on well-being for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island...
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S2E13: Your Mind on Dance, with Dr. Emily Cross
Why do we love to dance? What makes dance different from other movements? This week on the podcast we speak to Dr. Emily Cross about her research on the neuroscience of dance. Dr. Cross explains why we prefer to watch certain dances over others and how emotion is central to dancing. Ava and Beth...
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S2E12: Your Mind on Meditation & Mindfulness, with Dr. Sarah Strohmaier
Is more of a good thing always better? We know this isn't the case with exercise and eating, but does the same idea apply to meditation and mindfulness? This week on the podcast Dr. Sarah Strohmaier talks about her research on 'dose' meditation. Her research found that more mindfulness isn't…
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S2E11: Your Mind On Moral Curiosity, with Dr. Jordan Wylie
Have you ever wondered why we are drawn to characters like Tony Soprano, even though he carries out morally bad actions? One possible explanation is our moral curiosity. This week on the podcast Dr. Jordan Wylie helps us understand what moral curiosity is and why we are allured by morally…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Learn from cutting edge researchers in neuroscience and psychology with PhD students Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa. On Minds Matter, we explore a range of subjects, from conspiracy theories to falling in love, to nostalgia. We discuss the neuroscientific and psychological research behind these issues while talking through our own personal experiences.
HOSTED BY
Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Minds Matter have?
Minds Matter currently has 71 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Minds Matter about?
Learn from cutting edge researchers in neuroscience and psychology with PhD students Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa. On Minds Matter, we explore a range of subjects, from conspiracy theories to falling in love, to nostalgia. We discuss the neuroscientific and psychological research behind these...
How often does Minds Matter release new episodes?
Minds Matter has 71 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Minds Matter?
You can listen to Minds Matter on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Minds Matter?
Minds Matter is created and hosted by Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa.
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