Daniel J. Levitin

And by the way, the neurochemicals don't do anything. I see. Themselves. We say a dopamine motivates you and oxytocin makes you feel bonded. That's a very sloppy shorthand. Okay. Your listeners are going to hear this first because most neuroscientists won't tell you this.

And by the way, the neurochemicals don't do anything. I see. Themselves. We say a dopamine motivates you and oxytocin makes you feel bonded. That's a very sloppy shorthand. Okay. Your listeners are going to hear this first because most neuroscientists won't tell you this.

What they do is there are circuits in the brain that relax you, circuits that make you feel bonded to other people, circuits that motivate you. Those circuits evolve separately from one another. And it just so happens that they evolve so that a very particular neurochemical component binds with receptors and activates the opening of those circuits. So we think of it as like a key in a lock.

What they do is there are circuits in the brain that relax you, circuits that make you feel bonded to other people, circuits that motivate you. Those circuits evolve separately from one another. And it just so happens that they evolve so that a very particular neurochemical component binds with receptors and activates the opening of those circuits. So we think of it as like a key in a lock.

What they do is there are circuits in the brain that relax you, circuits that make you feel bonded to other people, circuits that motivate you. Those circuits evolve separately from one another. And it just so happens that they evolve so that a very particular neurochemical component binds with receptors and activates the opening of those circuits. So we think of it as like a key in a lock.

Yes, a key. Yeah, that makes sense. But if you were to design it from scratch, you might only need four neurochemicals. Huh. An excitatory one that is short-acting. like adrenaline, it doesn't stay around for a long time, an inhibitory one that's short-acting, and then a long-acting excitatory and inhibitory, log-acting things like immune function.

Yes, a key. Yeah, that makes sense. But if you were to design it from scratch, you might only need four neurochemicals. Huh. An excitatory one that is short-acting. like adrenaline, it doesn't stay around for a long time, an inhibitory one that's short-acting, and then a long-acting excitatory and inhibitory, log-acting things like immune function.

Yes, a key. Yeah, that makes sense. But if you were to design it from scratch, you might only need four neurochemicals. Huh. An excitatory one that is short-acting. like adrenaline, it doesn't stay around for a long time, an inhibitory one that's short-acting, and then a long-acting excitatory and inhibitory, log-acting things like immune function.

Yeah, four neurochemicals would do the trick, but we have 100.

Yeah, four neurochemicals would do the trick, but we have 100.

Yeah, four neurochemicals would do the trick, but we have 100.

There are a lot of demonstrations of this and some recent work being done at UC Berkeley by Robert Knight, my colleague there, where a patient came in just recently who had a stroke and spoke in what we would call a word salad. He could not say the words to happy birthday. When he tried, he said words that didn't belong in it and he couldn't get full words out. And he was like, huh, closet. Okay.

There are a lot of demonstrations of this and some recent work being done at UC Berkeley by Robert Knight, my colleague there, where a patient came in just recently who had a stroke and spoke in what we would call a word salad. He could not say the words to happy birthday. When he tried, he said words that didn't belong in it and he couldn't get full words out. And he was like, huh, closet. Okay.

There are a lot of demonstrations of this and some recent work being done at UC Berkeley by Robert Knight, my colleague there, where a patient came in just recently who had a stroke and spoke in what we would call a word salad. He could not say the words to happy birthday. When he tried, he said words that didn't belong in it and he couldn't get full words out. And he was like, huh, closet. Okay.

Poor guy. But he could sing happy birthday perfectly fine. And so Bob Knight taught him, you know, the guy is grandfather. He likes going to the meat counter, the butcher to order pork loin. So Bob taught him a little song. Go to the meat counter, sing the song when you want to order pork loin because you can't speak to the butcher. So the guy goes and he sings to the butcher.

Poor guy. But he could sing happy birthday perfectly fine. And so Bob Knight taught him, you know, the guy is grandfather. He likes going to the meat counter, the butcher to order pork loin. So Bob taught him a little song. Go to the meat counter, sing the song when you want to order pork loin because you can't speak to the butcher. So the guy goes and he sings to the butcher.

Poor guy. But he could sing happy birthday perfectly fine. And so Bob Knight taught him, you know, the guy is grandfather. He likes going to the meat counter, the butcher to order pork loin. So Bob taught him a little song. Go to the meat counter, sing the song when you want to order pork loin because you can't speak to the butcher. So the guy goes and he sings to the butcher.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.