Minds Matter
Episodes
S5 E03: Your Mind on the Multi-Scale Brain with Dr. Giulia Baracchini
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How can we better understand the brain as a dynamic, multi-scale system? Dr. Giulia Baracchini shares her work using fMRI to study the brain’s fluct...
S5 E02: Your Mind on Origins of Social Bias
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How do babies learn to navigate diversity in their social worlds? Dr. Hyesung Grace Hwang shares her infant neuroscience (EEG) work showing that early...
S5 E01: Your Mind on Conversation
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What makes for a great conversation? Dr. Sebastian Spear shares his research using hyperscanning (neuroimaging on multiple brains at once) to study pe...
S4 Ep16: Your Mind on Dissociation with Dr. Anikó Kusztor
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How can dissociation lead to positive and negative outcomes, and how does it affect an individual? Dr. Anikó Kusztor joins us this week to discuss th...
S4 Ep15: Your Mind on Beauty with Dr. Aenne Brielman
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is beauty, and just how subjective is it? Dr. Aenne Brielmann joins us this week to discuss how our minds react when we see or find something bea...
S4 Ep14: Your Mind on Social Emotion Regulation with Dr. Razia Sahi
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you handle tough emotions? Do you deal with things on your own or with support from others? Dr. Razia Sahi joins us to explore why leaning on o...
S4 Ep13: Your Mind on Substance Abuse with Dr. Keanan Joyner
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What really is addiction—and can we actually get addicted to our phones? Dr. Keanan Joyner joins us to discuss how addiction works from both a biolo...
S4 Ep12: Your Mind on the Uncanny Valley with Dr. Julija Vaitonytė
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever seen a robot that looks almost human, but something feels a bit off? Did it make you feel unsettled, and maybe a bit creeped out? Dr. ...
S4 EP11 Your Mind on Deep Brain Stimulation with Dr Saurabh Sonkusare
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a ground-breaking technique that uses electrical impulses to treat conditions like epilepsy and depression through ele...
S4 Ep10: Your Mind on Criminal Justice with Dr. Mikaela Spruill
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What comes to mind when you hear the term “objectively reasonable”? In this episode, Dr. Mikaela Spruill joins us to discuss how legal standards i...
S4 Ep9: Your Mind on the Built Environment with Dr. Isabella Bower
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how the built environment effects your mood? Is it true that red rooms make you angry? This week we sit down with Dr. Isabella ...
S4 Ep8: Your Mind on Agency and Decision-Making with Dr. Hayley Dorfman
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do our beliefs about ourselves and the world influence the way we learn and make decisions? Dr. Hayley Dorfman joins us to discuss how internal re...
S4 EP7: A conversation about AI with an artist and researcher, Dr. Nina Rajcic
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Minds Matter both Ava and Beth chat with Dr. Nina Rajcic about her work using LLMs in her art practice giving us a new perspectives for t...
S4 Ep6: Your Mind on Optimism with Beth Fisher
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a very special episode, our very own Beth Fisher tells us all about optimism! Beth shares what optimism is, how her recent research shows psilocybi...
S4 Ep5: Your Mind on Identity & Meaning-Making with Dr. Pauline Ho
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do our identities shift and change over our lifetimes? Dr. Pauline Ho joins us to explore three pathways of identity formation—consolidating, cu...
S4 EP4 Your Mind on Climate Inaction with Dr. Rachit Dubey
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The climate crisis demands urgent action, yet many people struggle to make meaningful changes. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Rachit Dubey to hear a...
S4 EP4 Your Mind on Climate Inaction with Dr. Rachit Dubey
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The climate crisis demands urgent action, yet many people struggle to make meaningful changes. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Rachit Dubey to hear a...
S4 Ep 3: Your Mind on Religious and Scientific Explanations with Dr. Telli Davoodi
06 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How often do you find yourself pondering existential questions—like the meaning of life or what happens after we die? This week, we're joined by Dr....
S4 EP2 Your Mind on Disgust with Dr. Indra Bishnoi
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt disgusted? Have you wondered what caused that feeling? This week Dr. Indra Bishnoi explains to us the science behind disgust and it...
S4 Ep 1: A conversation about Civic Science with Andrew Gray
08 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to season 4 of Minds Matter! We begin our season with a conversation about civic science with Andrew Gray, co-founder of BioQuisitive a c...
S3 E21: Your Mind on Political Humor & Satire with Prateekshit "Kanu" Pandey
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an age where politicians are both subjects and creators of memes, and outlets like The Daily Show shape public discourse, how is humor influencing ...
S3 E20: Your Mind on AI with Dr. Abhilasha Ravichander
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New developments in AI are making headline news with many perspectives on what the future of AI holds. From Chat GPT to robots, there is lots of new i...
S3 EP19: Your Mind on Addiction with Dr. Andrew Kim
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do behavioural and substance addictions relate to mental health? What are the risk factors for these disorders? This week Dr. Andrew Kim helps us ...
S3 E18: Your Mind on Adolescent Risky Decision-Making with Dr. Nina Lauharatanahirun
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes teenagers so keen to embrace risk? Are they chasing potential rewards, or are they just blind to potential consequences? Dr. Nina Lauharata...
S3 E17: Your Mind on Neurobiology with Dr. Claire O'Callaghan
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We hear about neuromodulators like serotonin all the time, but how do they actually work? This week Dr. Claire O’Callaghan gives us an introduction ...
S3 E16: Your Mind on Inequality & Social Change with Dr. Riana Brown
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are all inequalities perceived the same? Dr. Riana Brown joins us to discuss how different inequalities — health, economic, and belonging — differ...
S3: E15 Your Mind on Great Ape Social Cognition with Dr. Laura Lewis
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do the social lives of chimps and bonobos reveal about human cognition? Join us as biological anthropologist & comparative psychologist Dr. L...
S3: E14 Your Mind on Learning & Memory with Dr. Oded Bein
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do we store information in the brain? How do we know when one memory should end and another begin? We speak to Dr. Oded Bein who explains how we u...
S3: E13 Your Mind on Emotion Regulation & Conflict with Dr. Rachel Low
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When something's bothering you, do you tend to suppress those emotions or sit with them? Dr. Rachel Low joins us to discuss her research on emotion re...
S3: E12 Your Mind on Sex and Relationships with Dr. Jessica Maxwell
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is sexual chemistry just natural compatibility, or can it grow from effort and work? Dr. Jessica Maxwell shares her research exploring how sexual beli...
S3: E11 Your Mind on Rumination with Dr. Rachel Bedder
28 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How often do you play negative experiences over in your head? If this is a painful pattern of thinking, why would we do this? This week we talk about ...
S3 E10: Your Mind & Action on Culture and Social Class with Dr. Kimin Eom
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does culture shape our actions towards the environment and our responses to global crises? Dr. Kimmon Eom joins us to discuss how different cultur...
S3 E09: Your Mind on (Good) Conversation with Dr. Emma Templeton
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a for a good conversation? Why do we feel we 'click' with some people and not others? This week we speak to Dr. Emma Templeton about resear...
S3E08 Your Mind on the Gut Microbiome with Dr Aya Osman
10 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are we really what we eat? Research on the gut microbiome suggests we really are! This week we speak to Dr. Aya Osman who researches how the gut micro...
S3 E07 Your Mind on Consciousness with Dr Anil Seth
26 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the biggest mysteries in science is, what is consciousness? This week we speak to Dr Anil Seth about how we can study consciousness and where t...
S3E06: Your Mind & Memory on Aging with Dr. Tarek Amer
29 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What happens to our memories as we age? Dr. Tarek Amer challenges the idea that memory decline is inevitable as we get older. Tune in to find out when...
S3E05 Your Mind on Cognitive Effort with Dr. Laura Ana Bustamante
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you decide to do your maths homework or play a video game? Why does maths homework feel like more effort than the video game? This week we spea...
S3E04: Your Mind on Guilt with Dr. Hongbo Yu
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When guilt strikes, how do you respond? Is it a rush to make things right or an urge to evade? Dr. Hongbo Yu is joins us to delve into the complexitie...
S3E03: A Conversation about Women's Health with a Patient-Researcher, with Elle Murata
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Elle Murata is a neuroscience Ph.D. student specializing in the impact of sex hormones on the brain. When she noticed something was off with her own m...
S3E02 Your Mind on Reality and Imagination, with Dr Nadine Dijkstra
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do we tell our imagination apart from reality? Although it may seem like a simple process we often get the two confused. This week Dr. Nadine Dijk...
S3E01 Your Mind on Compassion, with Dr Julian Scheffer
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are back for season 3! To start off the season we talk with Dr. Julian Scheffer about his research on compassion. Dr. Scheffer tells us about the c...
S2E18: Your Mind on Medical Mistrust: Exploring the Experiences of Minoritzed Individuals with Dr. Kimberly Martin
16 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore experiences of minoritized individuals in healthcare. Dr. Kimberly Martin shares her research on COVID-19 vaccination hesi...
S2E17: Your Mind on Deception, with Dr. David Markowitz
02 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever wonder how often people lie on dating apps? Or how language can reveal people's lies about groups they dislike? Dr. David Markowitz joins ...
S2E16: BONUS EP - Questions for a Literary Theorist on Consciousness Research with Dr. Mette Høeg
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we sat down to chat with Dr. Mette Leonard Høeg who is a literary theorist and philosopher studying theories of consciousness. Dr. Høeg sp...
S2E15: Your Mind on Changing Prejudices & Stereotypes, with Dr. Tessa Charlesworth
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have racism, sexism, and homophobia reduced over time? What about ableism? Dr. Tessa Charlesworth joins us to discuss her research using big data and ...
S2E14: Your Mind on First Nations Methodologies, with Dr. Cammi Murrup-Stewart
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does a researcher's positionality affect their research? Why do we use the scientific methods that we do? And how do we even measure success in sc...
S2E13: Your Mind on Dance, with Dr. Emily Cross
05 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we love to dance? What makes dance different from other movements? This week on the podcast we speak to Dr. Emily Cross about her research on t...
S2E12: Your Mind on Meditation & Mindfulness, with Dr. Sarah Strohmaier
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is more of a good thing always better? We know this isn't the case with exercise and eating, but does the same idea apply to meditation and mindfulnes...
S2E11: Your Mind On Moral Curiosity, with Dr. Jordan Wylie
08 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered why we are drawn to characters like Tony Soprano, even though he carries out morally bad actions? One possible explanation is o...
S2E10: BONUS EP - Questions for a Buddhist Monk
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A Minds Matter bonus episode! This week we step away from the research questions and have a chat with a Buddhist monk. Bhikkhu Sadaro (Kevin Berryman)...
S2E09: Your Mind on Hierarchy, with Dr. Sa-Kiera Hudson
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you feel about hierarchies? Dr. Sa-Kiera Hudson joins us to discuss how the answer may influence empathy and intergroup conflict. Support for h...
S2E08: Your Mind On Modeling & Active Inference, with Noor Sajid
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered why some days you order your same favourite meal whereas others you decide to try something new? How do we know when we should ...
S2E07: Your Mind on Good & Bad Sleep, with Dr. Lauren Whitehurst
30 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What actually makes for good sleep? Dr. Lauren Whitehurst joins us to discuss how the brain, and crucially, the rest of the body, interact to support ...
S2E06: Your Mind on Resilience & Grief, with Dr. Lucy Hone
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Resilience is a word we hear all the time, but what does it actually mean to be resilient? In this episode, Dr. Lucy Hone discusses her work on resili...
S2E05: Your Mind on Motivation, Perception & Biases, with Dr. Yuan Chang Leong
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do we see things the way they really are or do our biases and motivations influence our perception? Dr Yuan Chang Leong discusses his research on how ...
S2E04: Your Mind on History, Guns & Racism, with Dr. Gerald Higginbotham
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of the first and strictest gun laws passed in the United States was the Mulford act of 1967, sparked by lawmakers perceived threat of the Black Pa...
S2E03: Your Mind on Loneliness & Social Connection, with Dr. Elisa Baek
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some people amass have friends effortlessly while others remain isolated? Dr. Elisa Baek tells us about her work using social network analysis ...
S2E02: Your Mind on Language & Emotion with Dr. Ajay Satpute
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What comes first, language, or emotion? In this episode, Dr. Ajay Satpute shares his work examining how the brain and mind interact with language to c...
S2E01: Your Mind on the Self with Dr. Kelsey Perrykkad
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To kick off season 2, we are joined by Dr. Kelsey Perrykkad, a post-doc at Monash University. Dr. Perrykkad tells us about her work on understanding t...
S1E11: Your Mind on Boredom
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Beth Fisher and Ava Ma de Sousa bring you a Minds Matter episode on a very exciting topic: boredom. We promise it's more interesting than it seems! Bo...
S1E10: Your Mind on Art & Beauty
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does abstract art leave you feeling in awe or annoyed? Art can provoke powerful experiences, making one feel overcome by the experience of beauty. Are...
S1E09: Your Mind on Curiosity
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you consider yourself to be a curious person? If you are, you might have better relationships, be less aggressive, and less affected by rejection. ...
S1E08: Your Mind on Empathy
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Empathy has been touted as the answer to the world's crises, while also been pointed to as a potential hindrance to morality. How can researchers be s...
S1E07: Your Mind on Dreams
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The elusive nature of dreams has led some to believe that they serve as a tool to uncover our unconscious desires, solve problems, and maybe help us c...
S1E06: Your Mind on Conspiracy Theories
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories have always existed, but with the global pandemic keeping us locked inside and glued to the internet, it seems that these beliefs ...
S1E05: Your Mind on Mindfulness
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The billion-dollar industry of mindfulness promises us reductions in anxiety, knowledge of our true selves, and general transcendence... or something....
S1E04: Your Mind on Music
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we listen to music, our brains light up like fireworks. While listening starts in the auditory cortex, processing also involves memory, emotion, ...
S1E03: Your Mind on Love
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to love, science has been a bit slow to realize that romantic relationships don't have to be between one man and one woman. But, a lot o...
S1E02: Your Mind on Nostalgia
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Getting lost in bittersweet memories of the past might not seem like the most productive use of your time. But, research shows nostalgia can actually ...
S1E01: Your Mind on Nature
15 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Take a hike! We mean that in a nice way, seriously. This week we’re talking about the effect of the great outdoors on our brains. Research has shown...