Author: This Is Your Brain producer

We’re all aging (if we’re lucky). But what does it mean to age successfully? Dr. Daniel Levitin – neuroscientist, author, musician – tries to answer the question in his new book, Successful Aging. Interviewing “seniors” famous and not, he found that successful aging has nothing to do with money or position. In part it’s being able to  look forward, no matter your age, and to continue to take pleasure in the world and your place in it. And the really good news? Our happiness increases as we age, successfully. Phil Stieg: Hello. I’d like to welcome to Dr. Daniel Levitin, bestselling author…

Interstitial theme musicNarrator: There’s a classic kid’s joke – Why was six afraid of seven? … Because seven ate nine!If your numbers have distinct personalities, you have something in common with the famous Russian synesthete Solomon Shereshevesky. Music out Described in a classic study entitled “The Mind of a Mnemonist” by Alexander Luria, Shereshevsky was discovered in the 1920’s to have a synesthetic connection across all five senses! Sfx: bell When Dr. Luria rang a small bell, for instance, the sound would evoke in Shereshevsky’s mind “a small round object . . . Sfx: tennis ball bounce … something rough…

Synesthesia is the mysterious mingling of the senses that creates the experience of “seeing” sounds or “hearing” colors. Neurologist Richard E. Cytowic, M.D. has spent his career exploring this remarkable phenomenon, and has some 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! Phil Stieg: Hello and welcome to Dr. Richard Cytowic, the man who revolutionized our understanding of synesthesia. What is synesthesia? How common is it? How may it affect your…

(Interstitial Theme Music)Narrator: As former U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan once said, “there is almost nothing more convincing than a live human being who takes the stand, points a finger at the defendant and declares, ‘That’s the one!’” But research on human memory and breakthroughs in DNA evidence show that eyewitness testimony is one of the least reliable form of evidence – despite what that 100th re-run of Law and Order would have us believe. Studies conclude that about half of erroneous convictions are caused by inaccurate eyewitness statements. It’s not that witnesses lie. It’s that our brains are…

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. Phil Stieg: Hello. I’d like to welcome Dr. Francis Shen. Dr. Shen is a Professor of Law and Faculty Member in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota.…

NarratorDuring this break, we’re going to take a moment to hear from some people who made music in school, and continue to “invest” in music making as adults. (Band music under) The music we’re listening to is by composer Michael Makowski. It’s being played by amateur musicians from the Grand Street Community Band. Don: I played music all through high school and stopped when I started the engineering school. 26 years later, I picked up my horn again, and I found the piece of my life I didn’t even know I was missing. Playing music gives me an avenue for…