Author: This Is Your Brain producer
The gentle sounds of the surf, or sweet birdsong in the trees, are more than just refreshing — they have actual, proven power to heal the brain. Dr. David Strayer, professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah’s Applied Cognition Lab, is exploring how our over-stressed, technologically bombarded, multi-tasking brains are restored when we immerse ourselves in nature. Plus… meet a man who discovered that listening to the sounds of wilderness calmed his ADHD, and led him to a whole new career path. Phil Stieg: Hello, today, I have with me Dr. David Strayer, David is professor of…
Narrator: In this episode of This Is Your Brain – The Guided Tour, we meet a man who knows how to listen… Since 1968, Bernie Krause has traveled the globe to record the “voice” of the natural world. You are listening to one of his recordings right now… Jaguars in the Amazon… He was one of the first people in America to earn a doctorate in the emerging field of Bioacoustics and is considered a “rockstar” in the world of natural sounds, with more than four dozen record albums to his credit. Dr. Krause’s first experience of recording nature was…
Can you train your brain to perform better, feel happier, focus more? Steven Kotler says you can. The bestselling author of The Art of the Impossible and Stealing Fire and founder of the Flow Research Collective, Kotler explains what’s behind “flow states” and how we can all learn to harness the power of biology to reach peak performance. Learn what’s going on in the brain when you’re firing on all cylinders, and how to reach emotional states that are “north of happy.” Phil Stieg: Hello. Today I have with me Steven Kotler, author of nine bestsellers focusing on achieving ultimate performance. …
Dolphins have large, complex brains that are a lot like the human model — what if we could get inside their heads and communicate with them? Meet cognitive psychologist and marine mammal scientist Diana Reiss, PhD, who has been doing just that. Turns out our underwater friends have a lot going on in their brains, if only we could learn to decode it. Plus… Hear from one of the musician/scientists who discovered fifty years ago that whales produce actual songs. Phil Stieg: Hello. Some of us remember the TV show Flipper and how he developed an appreciation for the intelligence…
What’s causing the “Covid fog” and “long-haul Covid” that have been all over the news lately? Neuropsychologist Heidi Bender and infectious disease specialist Lish Ndhlovu explain how the virus is getting into the brain, what it does when it gets there, and how that affects cognition, emotions, and behavior. Plus… hear firsthand from a patient who went through the fog — and came out the other side. Phil Stieg: Hello — This week we are releasing a special expanded episode exploring several aspects of Covid 19 and its effect on the brain. I’ve asked two of my colleagues here at…
Pain and fear are inevitable, especially these days, but we can retrain our brains to reduce suffering. Dr. Sara Lazar, Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, reveals how just eight weeks of mindful meditation can visibly change parts of the brain to be less reactive to pain. Plus… how meditation apps put the power of mindfulness right in your hand. Phil Stieg: Hello, today, I have with me Dr. Sara Lazar. She is a scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She studies the beneficial effects of mindfulness training and…