Author: This Is Your Brain producer
Extreme athlete Wim Hof has set records for immersion in icy water, and he recommends it for physical and mental health. Find out why his wife’s suicide drove Hof to master controlled hyperventilation — in breathtaking cold — to become happy, strong, and healthy. (Everything else, he’ll tell you, is BS.) Surprisingly, heart and brain science just may support the Wim Hof Method. Plus… contrasting Ice with Fire. Plus…contrasting Ice and Fire with a firewalking story courtesy of Jim Metzner of “Pulse of the Planet” Phil Stieg: Hello and welcome to Wim Hof, or better known as The Iceman. Clearly…
Dancer and neuroscientist Julia Basso, PhD, wants us all to dance — together or separately, it’s all good. Dancing with a partner creates a synchrony that’s remarkably like that between a mother and infant, and even dancing alone benefits body and brain alike. Find out how dance produces new neurons and engages brain processes, and why it is that joyful movement optimizes brain function. Plus… Dance for Parkinson’s Disease! Phil Stieg: Hello. I’d like to welcome to Dr. Julia Basso, director of the Embodied Brain Laboratory at Virginia Tech. She is also a trained improvisational dancer. Today we are going…
Sound may be the least understood of the five senses, with music the most mysterious of all. Neuroscientist Nina Kraus of Northwestern University takes us on a tour of how the brain processes music, and explains the lifelong benefits of music education. Find out how music can help offset the effects of poverty, and how concussion distorts the perception of music in the brain. Plus… Why you really should make your child take piano lessons!Dr. Kraus’ Lab – www.brainvolts.northwestern.eduDr. Kraus’ new book – Of Sound Mind – https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/sound-mindPhil Stieg: Hello and welcome to Dr. Nina Kraus, professor of communication sciences,…
Our brain pathways are designed to get us through life’s traumas, as painful and debilitating as they are. Neurologist Lisa Shulman, MD, joins us this week to talk about how to make sense of grief, how trauma interrupts the connection between the cognitive and emotional parts of the brain, and how the brain learns to consolidate traumatic experiences and allow us to move forward. Plus… humans are not the only creatures to feel grief – hear how other animals experience loss. Phil Stieg: Hello. I’d like to welcome Dr. Lisa Shulman, director of the University of Maryland’s Movement Disorder Center…
Whether you’re a believer or not, God is taking up space in your head – the prefrontal cortex, to be exact. Jordan Grafman, PhD, of Northwestern University has been studying where religious belief systems are stored in the brain and how they overlap with moral, political, and social systems. This fascinating episode explores near-death experiences, how brain injury can influence belief, and how religion has been used to enforce cultural and social rules. Plus – the disappearing boundary between Religion and Politics in America. Phil Stieg: Hello and welcome. It is my pleasure to have Dr. Jordan Grafman, a neuropsychologist and…
Smell is our most evocative sense, with instant associations with emotions and memories. Cognitive neuroscientist Rachel Herz, PhD, explains why she loves the stink of a skunk, why a blow to the head can kill off your sense of smell, and how you get a new nose every month. Plus… why stores, hotels, and other brands create signature scents. Phil Stieg: Hello, I’d like to welcome to Dr. Rachel Herz, the world’s leading expert on the psychology of smell. She is an academician at Brown University and Boston College who has published multiple books that analyze the relationship between smell,…