Minding the Brain
Episodes
Sound Meaning in Language with Dr. Ida Toivonen #100
02 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Ida Toivonen joins Minding the Brain to talk about sound and meaning in language. Do all languages have tense? Do plurals work the same [...]
Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System With Dr. Matt Hill #99
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Matt Hill joins Dr. Kim Hellemans to talk about his research on cannabis and the endocannabinoid system. Is there a difference between sativa and ...
Using Chatbots for Therapy and Companionship #98
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why are people increasingly turning to AI for therapy and romantic relationships? Kim and Jim break down the pros and cons of our increasing reliance ...
Seeking Closure in Uncertain Times #97
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How do our brains respond to prolonged uncertainty? Is our era unprecedented? Why do we find the unknown simultaneously compelling and frightening? Wh...
Metacognition With Brendan Conway-Smith – #96
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brendan Conway-Smith joins Minding the Brain to discuss metacognition. What is metacognition and why is it important? Can understanding metacognition ...
Sound Meaning in Language – #95
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how J.R.R. Tolkien invented such evocative names? David M. Sidhu joins Jim Davies to discuss language processing, sound symboli...
Behavioral Addiction
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim take a deep dive into the topic of behavioral addiction. What is behavioral addiction? Can you be addicted to food? What about [...]
Experiencing Nature with John M. Zelenski & Dan Rubinstein – #94
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all heard that being in nature is good for mental and physical health, but just how good is it? John M. Zelenski and Dan [...]
AI Rights – #93
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Kim take a deep dive into the world of AI and ethics. Are LLMs sentient? Why should we worry about AI rights? Is [...]
Schizophrenia
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it feel like to have schizophrenia? What is the history of the schizophrenia diagnosis and are there effective treatments for the condition?...
Social Media & Mental Health with Dr. Andrea Howard, Part 2 – #92
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jim Davies, Dr. Kim Hellemans, and Dr. Andrea Howard continue their discussion on what research reveals about social media’s impact on youth men...
Brain Fog, Neurodivergence in STEM & Improving Brain Function – Q&A – #91
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is brain fog and what can you do about it? What’s Jim’s #1 recommendation for improving brain function? Do brains compensate for cognitive de...
Social Media & Mental Health with Dr. Andrea Howard, Part 1 – #90
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jim Davies, Dr. Kim Hellemans, and Dr. Andrea Howard explore what research really says about social media’s impact on youth mental health. This ...
Cannabis Induced Anxiety, Healing After Alcoholism & Brain Training – Q&A – #89
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why does cannabis give some people anxiety? Can your brain heal after alcoholism? Does brain training work? Join Kim and Jim as they answer listener [...
Delusions with Dr. Ian Gold – #88
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Ian Gold joins Minding the Brain to talk about his research on delusions. What are delusions? Is there a link between delusions and conspiracy [.....
Near Death Experiences, Brain Implants & Lucid Dreaming – Q&A – #87
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are near-death experiences real? Given the uniqueness of every brain, are brain implants a plausible future technology? Can people teach themselves to...
Cultural Effects on the Brain and Mental Disorders #86
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does culture impact our brains and the way that mental disorders manifest? How does schizophrenia look different across cultures? What about eatin...
Ape Brains, Evo Psych and AGI – Q&A – #85
15 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Could LLMs like ChatGPT ever lead to AGI? Could we ever erase traumatic memories? Why do some people hate evolutionary psychology? What has neuroscien...
The Evolution of Women with Cat Bohannon #84
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cat Bohannon joins Minding the Brain to talk about the evolution of women. Get ready to learn about prehistoric gynecology, sexual dimorphism in human...
Q&A: Transgender Brain Differences, the Impact of Racism on the Brain and More #83
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are the brains of transgender people different than the brains of cisgender people? Can experiencing racism cause lasting neurological damage? Can a d...
Psychedelics #82
01 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles joins Kim to discuss psychedelics. Does microdosing work? Are psychedelics effective for treating depression? How do these su...
Q&A: Is Dopamine Addiction Real? #81
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is dopamine addiction real? What about dopamine detoxes? Is it safe to use cannabis after the age of 25? Can psychedelic drugs cause schizophrenia? Do...
Do Babies Understand Math? #80
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rebecca Merkley joins Jim to discuss the math abilities of babies. How early do children begin to understand math? What kind of mistakes do children [...
The Neuroscience of Emotion – #79
01 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim discuss the neuroscience of emotion: Which regions of the brain process emotions? What is the relationship between substance withdrawal an...
Memory Errors with Daniel Schacter – #78
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Schacter joins Minding the Brain to talk about memory errors. How and why is memory prone to failure? Do people repress traumatic memories? Doe...
Moral Goodness Psychology with Matt Coleman – #77
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Matt Coleman of Giving Multiplier, a website that provides evidence-based recommendations to help people give to the most effective cha...
Mommy Brain and the Mental Load of Motherhood – #76
01 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Dr. Jodi Pawluski about mommy brain and the mental load of motherhood. How is society failing mothers? Is it okay to take anti-depressa...
Personality Disorders with Dr. Pete Kelly
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kim Hellemans interviews Dr. Pete Kelly about personality disorders. What are personality disorders and what are some common symptoms? What does ...
Mantra Meditation – #75
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks to Dr. Doug Oman, a scientist and scholar with a special interest in spirituality and health. They discuss the practice of mantra meditation...
Cultural Evolution – #74
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Kim explore the role of cultural evolution in shaping human behavior and survival. What has enabled humans to dominate the globe more successf...
Q&A: Magic Mushrooms, Chat GPT in Academia, Ice Baths, Caffeine & More – #73
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Kim answer student questions about magic mushrooms, Chat GPT in academia, ice baths, caffeine, the impact of listening to music, self-efficacy...
Fake News with Gordon Pennycook – #72
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Gordon Pennycook about the phenomenon of fake news. What types of misinformation tend to spread? What role will generative AI play in t...
#71 Nutritional Neuroscience
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Orsha Magyar about the emerging field of nutritional neuroscience. How can we combat nutritional pseudoscience on social media? Are the...
#70 Aloneliness and the Value of Solitude
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Dr. Robert Coplan about aloneliness and the value of solitude. What are the benefits of solitude? How should we balance solitude and so...
#69 AI & Existential Risk
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Darren McKee, author of Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World. What are the long-te...
#68 Eating Disorders
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Kim about the topic of eating disorders. They discuss clinical and behavioral symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eati...
#67 The Psychology of Soundtracks with Joe Kraemer
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Hollywood composer Joe Kraemer about the psychology of soundtracks. Joe is responsible for the music in films such as The Way of the [....
#66 Money and Spending
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Johanna Peetz about money and spending. Why does money cause so many problems in relationships? What does the research say about how be...
#65 Distinguishing Fantasy From Reality
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How are false memories created? Do children believe their imaginary friends really exist? Why aren’t we always mistaking our imaginings for reality?...
#64 Animal Consciousness
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are other animals conscious? Why is animal consciousness important to understand? What function does consciousness serve? Take a deep dive into the fa...
Multitasking
01 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim discuss the scientific evidence surrounding multitasking. Does multitasking make you more or less efficient? When should you multitask? Is...
#63 Schizophrenia
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does it feel like to have schizophrenia? What is the history of the schizophrenia diagnosis and are there effective treatments for the condition?...
#62 Theories of Consciousness
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Minding the Brain, Jim and Kim explore various theories of consciousness. What are the most popular theories of consciousness? What...
#61 Handedness
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some people are left handed and some people are right handed, why? Join Kim and Jim as they explore the science behind the phenomenon of [...]
#60 20 More Questions with Kim & Jim
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do brain training apps work? Is reading fiction a waste of time? How dangerous is artificial intelligence? Join Kim and Jim for a special Q&A [...]
#59 Time
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why does time seem to pass slowly when you’re a child and more quickly when you’re an adult? How does the brain measure time? What [...]
#58 Goals
01 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why are goals important? Why are we successful in the pursuit of certain goals, but not others? Jim Davies interviews Marina Milyavskaya about how sci...
#57 Video Game Addiction
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Can someone get addicted to video games? Join Kim and Jim as they talk about the science of addiction as applied to video games. Featuring [...]
#56 Video Games
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do video games increase aggression? Are they addictive? Can video games make you smarter? Jim and Kim discuss the research on video games in this [......
#55 Caffeine
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why did plants evolve to be caffeinated? When did humans start using caffeine? What are the benefits of caffeine? Can caffeine be dangerous and is [.....
#54 Where Are All the Aliens?
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If the universe is teeming with life, and even a fraction of that life is intelligent, where are all the aliens? Join Jim and Kim [...]
#53 Alcohol
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alcohol is, by far, the most commonly used addictive drug, but how much do you really know about it? How does alcohol interact with the [...]
#52 Hacking Your Reward System
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim tell you how to hack your reward system! What is the brain’s reward system and why did it evolve? Is it possible [...]
#51 The Future of Depression Treatment with Dr. Benicio Frey
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Dr. Benicio Frey about the future of depression treatment. What is depression and what are the symptoms? How is depression treated? How...
#50 Happiness
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Davies and Darren McKee talk about happiness. What is happiness? What does science say about how people can be happier? Find out the answers [...]
#49 Eastern and Western Thinking
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Dr. Richard E. Nisbett about Eastern and Western thinking. What are the differences between Eastern and Western thinking? How do econom...
#48 Pain
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Michael Hildebrand about the topic of pain. Does everyone experience pain the same way? Why do we experience pain? Is there such a [......
#47 Where Are All the Geniuses?
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Jim about the phenomenon of geniuses. Are there as many geniuses born today as there were previously? Are groundbreaking scientific dis...
#46 Testosterone
01 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Carole Hooven, Harvard evolutionary biologist and author of the new book T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and D...
#45 Seasonal Affective Disorder
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Kim about the phenomenon known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Why do searches for “depression” peak in November and February...
#44 Free Will
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is free will? Can humans make conscious decisions? What does the scientific evidence tell us about the existence of free will? Find out on [...]
#43 Right Brain / Left Brain
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of brain lateralization has attained a high degree of popularity in culture. People will often refer to themselves as being “right brained”...
#42 Conspiracy Theories
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Jim about conspiracy theories. What makes conspiracy theories so appealing? What is the relationship between scientific literacy and th...
Alien Abduction
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a scientific explanation for the alien abduction phenomenon? Is there a link between nocturnal alien visitations and the many similar stories...
Concussions
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jim Davies and Dr. Kim Hellemans interview two experts on the topic of concussions, Andree-Anne Ledoux, a Research Associate at Children’s Hosp...
#41 Talking
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr, Jim Davies interviews Dr. Iva Ivanova about the psychology of talking. Do different languages change the way we formulate meaning? What is syntax...
#40 Neurodiversity
01 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kim Hellemans discuses neurodiversity with Tara Connolly, Patricia Berube and Kait Bowser. What is neurodiversity? Why is it important to recogn...
#39 Control: Why You Do What You Do
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim discuss the science of why we do what we do. How long does it take to form a habit? How is it [...]
#38 Synesthesia
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some people perceive colors when they see certain words, letters or numbers, and some people experience geometric shapes as associated with certain ta...
#37 Behavioral Addiction
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim take a deep dive into the topic of behavioral addiction. What is behavioral addiction? Can you be addicted to food? What about [...]
#36 Dreams
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Jim about dreams. What are dreams and why did we evolve to have them? Are dreams symbolic representations of events in our lives? [...]
#35 Depression
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Kim about Depression. What exactly is Depression, and how many people have it? What’s the difference between being depressed, and bei...
#34 Personality Disorders
01 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kim Hellemans interviews Dr. O. Pete Kelly about personality disorders. What are personality disorders and what are some common symptoms? What do...
#33 Don’t Choke! Why we sometimes fail under pressure
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why does stress sometimes make us choke at the most critical moment? Jim interviews cognitive scientist Sian Beilock about this phenomenon and they d...
#32 Sleep
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim discuss how sleep relates to the mind and the brain. Why did sleep evolve? What is the function of dreaming? How do [...]
#31 How Imagination Can Make You Happy or Miserable
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Jim about imagination and imagines a future podcast all about star nosed moles. Can imagination make us miserable? Does fantasizing abo...
#30 Student Mental Health
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Kim about the important topic of student mental health. What is the impact of substances of like alcohol and marijuana, on mental healt...
#29 Climate Change Psychology
31 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jim, Kim and special guest, Florence Daviet, CPAWS’ National Forest Program Director, discuss the important topic of climate change. What is the bes...
#28 Wrapping Your Brain Around the Coronavirus
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim help are here to help you wrap your brain around the Coronavirus. Why are people drawn to Coronavirus conspiracy theories? What is [...]
#27 Emotional Expression
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Davies interviews Gerald Cupchik about emotions. What do people misunderstand about emotions? How does emotional expression differ between culture...
#26: Imaginary People
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kim interviews Jim about imaginary people. Why do people we meet in our dreams seem to have a mind of their own? Why do authors [...]
#24: ADHD
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Davies interviews Dr. Hellemans about ADHD. What is the difference between ADHD and ADD? How is ADHD diagnosed? Are there risks associated with th...
#23: Hallucinations
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hellemans interviews Dr. Davies about hallucinations. What are the neural correlates of hallucinations? How many types of hallucinations are there...
#22: Relationships
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Davies interviews Cheryl Harasymchuk about relationships. What types of people tend to start relationships with each-other? What makes people phys...
#21: Trauma
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hellemans interviews psychologist Matthew Rippeyoung about trauma. What is trauma and how does it impact us? Where does trauma come from and what ...
#20: Morning People & Night People
01 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim discuss the apparent phenomenon of morning people and night people. Is there a biological difference between “morning people” and “n...
#19: Pet Therapy
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim interview Dr. Colleen Dell and Shannon Noonan about their work with therapy dogs. Why do dogs make such good therapy animals? Can [...]
#18: Voices in the Head
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Davies interviews Gregory Shankland about his experiences with hearing voices in his head. Gregory tells the fascinating story of how he began t...
#17: Religious Experiences
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Kim explore the science of having religious experiences, with the help of special guest Dr. Ann Taves. Why do people have religious experience...
#16: Social Media & Addiction
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim dive into the topic of social media and addiction. Can you be addicted to social media? Does using social media too much affect [...]
#15: Multitasking
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kim and Jim discuss the scientific evidence surrounding multitasking. Does multitasking make you more or less efficient? When should you multitask? Is...
#14: Alcohol and the Developing Brain
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Kim are joined by special guest Audrey McFarlane to discuss the impact of alcohol on the developing brain. What are the effects of [...]
#13: Beauty and Neuroaesthetics
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Many people think beauty is something ephemeral, subject to the arbitrary whims of individual taste and cultural trends. But philosophers have been st...
#12: Why We Like Sports
01 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
People love to watch sports. The Superbowl, for example, is incredibly popular. About 111 million people, a third of everyone in the united states, wa...
#11: Nutrition and the Brain
01 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
According to the world health organization, obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight, and at leas...
#10: Alien Abduction
01 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a scientific explanation for the alien abduction phenomenon? Is there a link between nocturnal alien visitations and the many similar stories...
#9: 20 Questions with Kim & Jim
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at an event sponsored by Carleton University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The audien...
#8: Exercise
01 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews Kim on the topic of exercise. What is the impact of exercise on the brain? Can exercise be used to treat depression? The [...]
#7: Estrogen and the Brain
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What role does estrogen play in the brain? Why do people experience PMS? Is PMS a real phenomenon? For this episode we’ve partnered with the [...]
Brain: The Inside Story Walkthrough – Bonus Episode
15 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a special bonus episode of Minding the Brain! Follow Dr. Hellemans and Dr. Davies to the Canadian Museum of Nature as they explore [...]