The Social Brain
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
The Human Brain’s Greatest Invention: The Neuroscience of Language
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Something fascinating is happening as you watch this video. You are effortlessly converting a series of sounds into meaningful thoughts. To do that, y...
Time, Music, and The Brain (Patreon Only - First Half Preview)
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re reading this, then you’re listening to the public version of this video, so if you want to watch the second half, go to: https://www.pat...
How Music Shapes Our Brain and Identity
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world without music—a world devoid of melody, rhythm, and harmony. Music is not just a form of entertainment; it's a profound element of h...
Where is NOW in the Brain? The Neuroscience of Time (The Social Brain Ep. 40)
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Time is a limited resource and, in some ways, it’s our only resource in life. But what is time and why does it seem to flow at the rate it does? Why...
Adolescence: The Brain's Quest for Identity and Independence
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The narrative surrounding adolescence often paints a picture of turmoil and defiance, suggesting a stage of life fraught with challenges and rebellion...
How The Brain Evolved from Single Celled Organisms
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Right now, you are in possession of the most complex thing in the known universe: Your brain. The question is, how could this amazingly advanced biolo...
Deciphering Depression: The Role of Serotonin
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The rise in depression diagnoses in recent decades is staggering. It's estimated that 1 in 7 in US alone have turned to antidepressants in their quest...
Revealing the Mind: The Neuroscience of Psychedelics
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Psychedelics powerfully alter the brain by tapping into the serotonin system. In this episode, we’ll discuss how psychedelics affect the brain and w...
The ADHD Brain: Beyond Distractions
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've noticed it—the drift of your attention, the challenge of staying on task. We all experience this but for some of us this can reach extremes a...
A Balanced Mind: The Default Mode & Other Networks
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever noticed that when you aren’t doing anything specific, you often start thinking about yourself, your past, other people, or maybe your ...
From Panic to Peace: The Brain's Stress Response
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've felt it—the rush of your heartbeat, the quickening of your breath. It's stress, an integral part of our modern lives. We're not fleeing from ...
Worry and Peace: Easing The Brain’s Anxiety
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At first glance, it seems silly to fear things that haven’t happened or may never happen. What is the point of getting worked up over something you ...
Are Your Choices Predetermined? Neuroscience and Free Will
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are we the architects of our destiny, or merely puppets dancing on the strings of unseen forces? This tantalizing question lies at the heart of the fr...
Decoding the Neuroscience of Consciousness
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Consciousness is probably the most perplexing mystery in all of science, and right now there is no consensus among neuroscientists about how the brain...
Interpersonal Conflict and the Brain: Process and Strategies
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever noticed that conflict is an unavoidable part of our lives? It seems that regardless of where we are or what we do, conflict has a way of...
The Power Struggle: Neuroscience of Status and Hierarchies
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever stopped to consider the power dynamics at play in your daily life? Think about it for a moment. From the moment we wake up, we find ours...
Neuroscience of Persuasion: Strategies for Changing Minds and Behaviors
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are two options for getting anyone to do anything: You can violently force them oryou can peacefully persuade them. The first option is almost a...
The Neuroscience of Empathy: Mimicking the Minds of Others
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where our lives are becoming increasingly fast-paced and technology-driven, the importance of empathy cannot be overstated. It is the glue ...
The Brain Under Covers: The Science of Sleep
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sleep presents a paradox. It seems both perfectly natural and utterly mysterious. We love sleep and often can’t get enough of it, yet most of us hav...
Using the Past to Predict the Future: A New Neuroscience of Memory
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Much of the groundbreaking research in neuroscience has revolutionized our understanding of memory. Contrary to previous beliefs, memory is not stored...
AMA #2: Lizard brain, seeking and pleasure circuits, meditation and intrusive thoughts
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with another Ask Us Anything! On this episode of The Social Brain, we will be addressing questions about all things #neuroscience sent to u...
Us vs Them: The Tribal Brain
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As humans, we are constantly interacting with others, both in person and online. In order to make snap decisions about how to interact with these peop...
Visualization & The Brain: Using Neuroscience to Boost Performance
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We spend a lot of time inside our own heads–thinking, reminiscing, ruminating, predicting, and imagining. All of this is occurring as a result of br...
Connecting the Mind and Body: Collective Cellular Intelligence
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As modern humans, we often get stuck ruminating on abstract cognitive thoughts and thereby neglect our relationship with our bodies. In doing so, we f...
AMA #1: Triune Brain, Glial Cells, Serotonin and Dopamine and much more!
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You asked, we're here to answer! On this episode of The Social Brain, we will be addressing questions about all things neuroscience sent to us by view...
Crafting Who We Are: Examining the Neuroscience of Self
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have all sought to become the best versions of ourselves, understanding who we are and what we want to become. But how do humans have such a strong...
Activating Your Brain’s Hope Circuit: From Helplessness to Empowerment
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most empowering things you can do for yourself is to become more hopeful. To many people, this can sound trite. It can sound a lot like the...
Evidence-Based Happiness: Uncovering the Science of Positive Psychology for a Better Life
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Probably the most important question we can ask is “how can I be happier?” Some people might find this question overly self-centered, but becoming...
Motivate Your Mind: Self-Control and Your Brain
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all want to be able to do more, achieve more, and become more successful. But how do we do that? It turns out that the answer lies in the psycholog...
Rewire Your Brain: How Neuroplasticity Can Transform Your Life
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we will explain how neuroplasticity works and how you can use it to improve your life. Throughout life, you are continually changing,...
Unlocking the Power of Flow: The Neuroscience of Peak Experience
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all experienced it at one point or another: that feeling of effortless, almost magical engagement with a task, where time seems to stand still...
From Burnout to Bliss: Dopamine, Motivation, and Goals
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you feel exhausted by work or life in general? More specifically, do you lack a feeling of motivation and drive that you used to have? If so, you m...
Master Any Skill: Neuroscience of Motor Learning
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These days, it's easy to take for granted the incredible complexity of motion, the way we are able to move through the world with such ease. We don't ...
Get Out of Your Brain and Into Your Body: Interoception & Pain
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Take a moment to feel what’s going on inside your body. Maybe your stomach is starting to feel hungry, or maybe it feels pleasantly full and satisfi...
FOCUS! The Neuroscience of Attention and Strategies for Improving It
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These days, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and distracted by the barrage of notifications, emails, and tasks that vie for our attention. It can be hard...
The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: How Meditation Can Improve Your Brain
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We spend a lot of time thinking about the future or the past, often at the expense of living in the present. As we talked about in the last episode, t...
The Default Mode Network: Integrating the past, present and future
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What makes human cognition so much different from that of other animals? The short answer has to do with a single brain network: the default mode netw...
The Addicted Brain
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How does the human brain develop an addiction? The extremely high prevalence rates for disorders such as alcohol use disorder or drug use disorder (1 ...
What is an Emotion?
06 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows what an emotion is.. until they are asked to explain it. We all have a sense that we are living emotional lives and that these emotiona...
Brain Decoding: The Science of 'Mind Reading'
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Neuroscientists are on the cusp of cracking the neural code. Just by looking at the brain data, computer algorithms are reading out and recreating wha...
Getting on the Same Wavelength: How our Brains Sync Up
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We all know the feeling of being in sync with one another or feeling like we're understood by those around us. Is there something actually going on in...
The Rise of Social Neuroscience
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Neuroscience has a fascinating and at times funny history but it is an extremely new scientific discipline. Explore with us how neuroscience got it's ...
Life is a Social Process
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From single cells within an organism to individuals within a society, all living things engage in social processes. Join us and explore how these dyna...