PODCAST · science
The Social Brain
by Taylor Guthrie and Andrew Cooper Sansone
The place where society and biology meet. Conversations exploring the evolution and function of the human brain and the social pressures that shaped it into what it is today.
Episodes
-
The Human Brain’s Greatest Invention: The Neuroscience of Language
Something fascinating is happening as you watch this video. You are effortlessly converting a series of sounds into meaningful thoughts. To do that, your brain has to take a sound wave–a collection of frequencies streaming into your ears–and somehow extract from it a specific message that I’m...
-
Time, Music, and The Brain (Patreon Only - First Half Preview)
If you’re reading this, then you’re listening to the public version of this video, so if you want to watch the second half, go to: https://www.patreon.com/thesocialbrain and sign up for the “Premium” tier. You’ll get access to every exclusive Patreon-only episode of The Social Brain! In this...
-
How Music Shapes Our Brain and Identity
Imagine a world without music—a world devoid of melody, rhythm, and harmony. Music is not just a form of entertainment; it's a profound element of human existence that transcends cultural boundaries and historical epochs. From the ancient flutes carved by our ancestors to the digital symphonies…
more -
Where is NOW in the Brain? The Neuroscience of Time (The Social Brain Ep. 40)
Time is a limited resource and, in some ways, it’s our only resource in life. But what is time and why does it seem to flow at the rate it does? Why is it that our subjective sense of time can change so dramatically depending on the situation and our state of mind? How does the brain measure and...
-
Adolescence: The Brain's Quest for Identity and Independence
The narrative surrounding adolescence often paints a picture of turmoil and defiance, suggesting a stage of life fraught with challenges and rebellion. It's a portrayal that resonates deeply in our cultural consciousness, framing these formative years as something to be merely survived rather…
more -
How The Brain Evolved from Single Celled Organisms
Right now, you are in possession of the most complex thing in the known universe: Your brain. The question is, how could this amazingly advanced biological computer have come about through natural forces? In this episode of The Social Brain, we’re traveling hundreds of millions of years into the...
-
Deciphering Depression: The Role of Serotonin
The rise in depression diagnoses in recent decades is staggering. It's estimated that 1 in 7 in US alone have turned to antidepressants in their quest for relief. This journey often begins with a narrative many of us are familiar with: the theory of a chemical imbalance in our brains. The idea…
more -
Revealing the Mind: The Neuroscience of Psychedelics
Psychedelics powerfully alter the brain by tapping into the serotonin system. In this episode, we’ll discuss how psychedelics affect the brain and what the existing literature suggests about their therapeutic potential.
-
The ADHD Brain: Beyond Distractions
You've noticed it—the drift of your attention, the challenge of staying on task. We all experience this but for some of us this can reach extremes and fall under the category of ADHD, a complex neurological condition that's often misunderstood. We're not just talking about a child who can't sit...
-
A Balanced Mind: The Default Mode & Other Networks
Have you ever noticed that when you aren’t doing anything specific, you often start thinking about yourself, your past, other people, or maybe your future? That’s your brain’s default mode network in action. And when your attention gets pulled back to the task you’re working on, a whole another…
more -
From Panic to Peace: The Brain's Stress Response
You've felt it—the rush of your heartbeat, the quickening of your breath. It's stress, an integral part of our modern lives. We're not fleeing from predators on the savannah, yet our bodies react as if we are, triggered by the challenges and pressures of today's world. But what really is stress?...
-
Worry and Peace: Easing The Brain’s Anxiety
At first glance, it seems silly to fear things that haven’t happened or may never happen. What is the point of getting worked up over something you may have no control over? Odd as it seems, the truth is, most of us do this on a regular basis. It’s a normal process that occurs in the brain and…
more -
Are Your Choices Predetermined? Neuroscience and Free Will
Are we the architects of our destiny, or merely puppets dancing on the strings of unseen forces? This tantalizing question lies at the heart of the free will debate, a realm where philosophy and science intertwine in a complex dance of possibilities and perspectives. Imagine a world where every...
-
Decoding the Neuroscience of Consciousness
Consciousness is probably the most perplexing mystery in all of science, and right now there is no consensus among neuroscientists about how the brain produces it. Yet, it appears that the solution may soon emerge, and it’s possible that it already has.
-
Interpersonal Conflict and the Brain: Process and Strategies
Have you ever noticed that conflict is an unavoidable part of our lives? It seems that regardless of where we are or what we do, conflict has a way of finding us. Our initial instincts may be to avoid it at all costs, to brush it under the rug and pretend like it doesn't exist. But conflict is…
more -
The Power Struggle: Neuroscience of Status and Hierarchies
Have you ever stopped to consider the power dynamics at play in your daily life? Think about it for a moment. From the moment we wake up, we find ourselves navigating through a web of power and status. It's there in our relationships, both personal and professional, guiding our interactions and...
-
Neuroscience of Persuasion: Strategies for Changing Minds and Behaviors
There are two options for getting anyone to do anything: You can violently force them oryou can peacefully persuade them. The first option is almost always unethical. So, if you’re an ethical person, your only option for changing people’s behavior is persuasion. Persuasion tends to get a bad…
more -
The Neuroscience of Empathy: Mimicking the Minds of Others
In a world where our lives are becoming increasingly fast-paced and technology-driven, the importance of empathy cannot be overstated. It is the glue that holds our communities together, the bridge that connects us to one another's experiences, and the foundation on which we build meaningful...
-
The Brain Under Covers: The Science of Sleep
Sleep presents a paradox. It seems both perfectly natural and utterly mysterious. We love sleep and often can’t get enough of it, yet most of us have no idea what it is. But the paradoxes don’t stop there. All living creatures evolved to survive and avoid danger. Yet, animals of all kinds seem to...
-
Using the Past to Predict the Future: A New Neuroscience of Memory
Much of the groundbreaking research in neuroscience has revolutionized our understanding of memory. Contrary to previous beliefs, memory is not stored in a specific location within the brain but rather in the intricate circuits that processed the original experience. In essence, memory is not…
more -
AMA #2: Lizard brain, seeking and pleasure circuits, meditation and intrusive thoughts
We're back with another Ask Us Anything! On this episode of The Social Brain, we will be addressing questions about all things #neuroscience sent to us by viewers like you. I want to know the difference between the limbic brain and the reptilian brain. Are they the same or [do they] operate...
-
Us vs Them: The Tribal Brain
As humans, we are constantly interacting with others, both in person and online. In order to make snap decisions about how to interact with these people, our brains have evolved to create mental shortcuts that allow us to quickly categorize them. Our brain is wired to predict, and we put these...
-
Visualization & The Brain: Using Neuroscience to Boost Performance
We spend a lot of time inside our own heads–thinking, reminiscing, ruminating, predicting, and imagining. All of this is occurring as a result of brain activity, and we can learn to direct our inner experience to help reshape our brains, hone our abilities, and become the best versions of...
-
Connecting the Mind and Body: Collective Cellular Intelligence
As modern humans, we often get stuck ruminating on abstract cognitive thoughts and thereby neglect our relationship with our bodies. In doing so, we forget that the brain evolved to take care of its body. The only reason that neurons and “you” exist is because all of the other cells that pump…
more -
AMA #1: Triune Brain, Glial Cells, Serotonin and Dopamine and much more!
You asked, we're here to answer! On this episode of The Social Brain, we will be addressing questions about all things neuroscience sent to us by viewers like you. Be sure to join in and leave any questions you have for future AMA episodes in the comments or the live chat!
-
Crafting Who We Are: Examining the Neuroscience of Self
We have all sought to become the best versions of ourselves, understanding who we are and what we want to become. But how do humans have such a strong sense of self? Philosophers have deliberated on this topic for centuries, yet recent advances in cognitive science and neuroimaging have enabled…
more -
Activating Your Brain’s Hope Circuit: From Helplessness to Empowerment
One of the most empowering things you can do for yourself is to become more hopeful. To many people, this can sound trite. It can sound a lot like the idea that you should just have faith that things will work out, regardless of the reality of your situation. That makes sense because many people...
-
Evidence-Based Happiness: Uncovering the Science of Positive Psychology for a Better Life
Probably the most important question we can ask is “how can I be happier?” Some people might find this question overly self-centered, but becoming happier is not only good for us, but everyone we come into contact with as well. Others, while agreeing that individual happiness is important, may...
-
Motivate Your Mind: Self-Control and Your Brain
We all want to be able to do more, achieve more, and become more successful. But how do we do that? It turns out that the answer lies in the psychology and neuroscience behind willpower and self-control. Many of us probably believe that our will power is limited and that when we’re tired or...
-
Rewire Your Brain: How Neuroplasticity Can Transform Your Life
In this episode, we will explain how neuroplasticity works and how you can use it to improve your life. Throughout life, you are continually changing, shifting, adapting, learning, and becoming who you are. Another way of saying that is that your mind is continually changing, because you are your...
-
Unlocking the Power of Flow: The Neuroscience of Peak Experience
We’ve all experienced it at one point or another: that feeling of effortless, almost magical engagement with a task, where time seems to stand still and the world around us fades away. It’s the state of flow, and it’s been described as the ultimate form of happiness and productivity. Flow is a...
-
From Burnout to Bliss: Dopamine, Motivation, and Goals
Do you feel exhausted by work or life in general? More specifically, do you lack a feeling of motivation and drive that you used to have? If so, you might be experiencing burnout. Burnout is incredibly common, with a 2018 Gallup poll reporting that 23% of employees in the US say they feel burned...
-
Master Any Skill: Neuroscience of Motor Learning
These days, it's easy to take for granted the incredible complexity of motion, the way we are able to move through the world with such ease. We don't often think about the countless hours of practice, the countless micro-adjustments, and the countless neurons firing in our brain to make it all...
-
Get Out of Your Brain and Into Your Body: Interoception & Pain
Take a moment to feel what’s going on inside your body. Maybe your stomach is starting to feel hungry, or maybe it feels pleasantly full and satisfied. Maybe you don’t feel any specific area, but instead you sense a hum of life within you–your breath gently moving in and out and subtle tingles...
-
FOCUS! The Neuroscience of Attention and Strategies for Improving It
These days, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and distracted by the barrage of notifications, emails, and tasks that vie for our attention. It can be hard to stay focused and give our undivided attention to the things that truly matter. Rather than reflexively reacting to the chaos, we must take the...
-
The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: How Meditation Can Improve Your Brain
We spend a lot of time thinking about the future or the past, often at the expense of living in the present. As we talked about in the last episode, this kind of cognition is completely natural: it’s built into the brain’s default mode network. And while planning for the future, reviewing the…
more -
The Default Mode Network: Integrating the past, present and future
What makes human cognition so much different from that of other animals? The short answer has to do with a single brain network: the default mode network (DMN). Humans are deliberative, able to flexibly combine the current moment with the past so that we can simulate and predict the future. We…
more -
The Addicted Brain
How does the human brain develop an addiction? The extremely high prevalence rates for disorders such as alcohol use disorder or drug use disorder (1 in 3 AUD lifetime prevalence, 1 in 10 DUD lifetime prevalence) suggests that addiction is not simply a disease but is instead a natural brain…
more -
What is an Emotion?
Everyone knows what an emotion is.. until they are asked to explain it. We all have a sense that we are living emotional lives and that these emotional drives have immense control of our behavior but it’s hard to say what that emotion actually is. Is it the physiology? Is it the brain activity?…
more -
Brain Decoding: The Science of 'Mind Reading'
Neuroscientists are on the cusp of cracking the neural code. Just by looking at the brain data, computer algorithms are reading out and recreating what people saw and listened to. Learn how we got there and what the future has in store.
-
Getting on the Same Wavelength: How our Brains Sync Up
We all know the feeling of being in sync with one another or feeling like we're understood by those around us. Is there something actually going on in our brains during these moments? Do our brains get in sync with one another and get "on the same wavelength"? Does the strength of our social...
-
The Rise of Social Neuroscience
Neuroscience has a fascinating and at times funny history but it is an extremely new scientific discipline. Explore with us how neuroscience got it's start and how this led to the rise of fields like social and cognitive neuroscience.
-
Life is a Social Process
From single cells within an organism to individuals within a society, all living things engage in social processes. Join us and explore how these dynamic social interactions shaped evolution and made our brains what they are today.
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
The place where society and biology meet. Conversations exploring the evolution and function of the human brain and the social pressures that shaped it into what it is today.
HOSTED BY
Taylor Guthrie and Andrew Cooper Sansone
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Social Brain have?
The Social Brain currently has 43 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Social Brain about?
The place where society and biology meet. Conversations exploring the evolution and function of the human brain and the social pressures that shaped it into what it is today.
How often does The Social Brain release new episodes?
The Social Brain has 43 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Social Brain?
You can listen to The Social Brain 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 The Social Brain?
The Social Brain is created and hosted by Taylor Guthrie and Andrew Cooper Sansone.
URL copied to clipboard!