Synopsis We don’t perceive the world as it is, but as our brain constructs it. By the time a perception has reached conscious awareness, raw sensory data has already passed through multiple layers of processing. And understanding the key variables
“I don’t think it is possible to overemphasize just how important mismatch diseases are” Dan Lieberman, The Story of the Human Body Key Points Collectively, compromises in the biological foundation of the brain is the single largest constraint on human
Key Points: There’s a battle being waged inside our heads all the time. A battle between competing neural networks, vying for attention and access to information. Networks don’t exist in an all or nothing, or “on/off” state. Rather, there’s an
Key Points Is the brain a general purpose machine, or a collection of specialized modules? This is a fundamental question in the field of neuroscience, and has been the subject of intense back-and-forth debate for centuries. Improvements in technology, statistical
Key Takeaways #1 – The Value of Rest. Our natural inclination to think more is better often leads us to underestimate the value of rest. Yet, whether we’re looking to build muscle or brain, rest is essential. We grow when we
Key Points Automaticity refers to our ability to engage in a behavior while our conscious mind is directed elsewhere. The creation of neural circuitry that supports it is the biological mechanism that allows us to compound knowledge throughout our lives,
Key Points From studies of patients with split brains, anosognosia, and Korsakoff’s syndrome comes the the concept of the interpreter, an area in the dominant hemisphere that’s in charge of explaining our own behavior. As discussed in the prior episode
Key Points In recent years, neuroscience research has revealed that the majority (up to 95%, by some estimates) of the neural networks that support cognitive function are housed in circuity that is largely segregated, or walled off, from the networks
KEY POINTS from Episode 1 1. The Central Thesis: The human brain has far more potential than most realize, and releasing that potential requires that we understand and address the ways in which its function is limited, or “shackled”. 2.