BrainCraft

BrainCraft

Science and Nature Series / 4 Seasons

Vanessa Hill talks about psychology, neuroscience, and why we act the way we do. Neuroscience has never been so animated.

Watch Latest: S4 E35

10m 59s

Your Emotions Are For Sale

S4 E34 / 10m 1s

This week we explore the relationship between AI, voice assistants and neuroscience through the lens of philosophy. Many thanks to Jaron Lanier, Guillaume Chaslot and Zeynep Tufekci for their expert contributions to this episode.

Google Owns 28% of Your Brain

S4 E33 / 9m 14s

We’re in the middle of an Attention War – where big tech battle it out to win over our eyeballs. Our attention spans are considered a precious—and scarce—commodity. So what is the price of your attention? In this mini-series, we'll explore the psychology, design and impact of tech and social media on both ourselves and society.

The Psychological Tricks Keeping You Online

S4 E31 / 9m 41s

We take a look at persuasive design – and how good design persuades you every single day. When it comes to technology this can have some pretty big impacts of keeping us hooked to our devices. Should navigating this be your responsibility? Or should we call for more ethical design?

Big Tech's Battle For Our Attention

S4 E30 / 11m 36s

We’re in the middle of an Attention War – where big tech battle it out to win over our eyeballs. Our attention spans are considered a precious—and scarce—commodity. So what is the price of your attention? In this mini-series, we'll explore the psychology, design and impact of tech and social media on both ourselves and society. A new episode will be released every Friday for the next six weeks.

How Dana Scully Changed Science

S4 E29 / 6m 27s

This week we take a look at the Scully Effect, to see what kind of impact it's had on encouraging more people to enter STEM fields. It's had the largest impact on women in STEM, but strong role models in film and tv have an impact on *everyone's* career choices and changing the public perception of scientists. I hope you enjoy!

Why Willpower Doesn't Predict Your Success

S4 E28 / 4m 11s

This week we discuss the truth about the Marshmallow Test, delayed gratification, will power and success. Did anyone else's parents talk to them constantly about instant vs delayed gratification? That was just me? Explains a lot.

How Magicians Trick Your Brain

S4 E27 / 8m 48s

Siegfried Tieber, a sleight-of-hand magician, or cognitive artist if you will, takes us through some illusions (formerly known as magic tricks). Magicians use a number of psychological tricks to bring their performances to life, such as guiding attention and forcing decisions. Can you decipher what's going on here?

Why Are We More Anxious Than Ever Before?

S4 E26 / 4m 41s

Let's take a look at some of the genetic and environmental factors that can lead to increased anxiety. Beyond that, it's SO complex and a variety of other factors lead to us experiencing different levels of anxiety. Do you feel more anxious? Why? Still, there are ways we can practice self care (meditating, exercising, limiting caffeine intake) to help be more of a warrior and less of a worrier.

The Antioxidant Benefits of Sleep ft. OTHER Vanessa Hill!

S4 E25 / 8m 37s

Why do we sleep? We know that sleep plays a role in learning and memory, but that doesn't really explain why sleep evolved. A lesser known theory, that sleep serves a purpose of flushing out free radicals (aka "Reactive Oxygen Species") is gaining traction after some research by Vanessa Hill and colleagues at Columbia University found that sleep has antioxidant benefits.

Why Most Personality Tests Are Wrong

S4 E24 / 4m 47s

You're not a static personality type like tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator suggest. Rather, you're a dynamic interaction of personality traits that can be shaped over time.

THE IKEA EFFECT ft. Joanna Hausmann!

S4 E19 / 5m 49s

In Psychology there’s this bias called the IKEA Effect – where people place a higher value on items they build themselves compared to items they did not construct. Since I’d recently ordered new furniture, I thought I’d put this IKEA Effect into practice.

Every Scientific Study on Arnold Schwarzenegger

S4 E17 / 9m 8s

After using a study mentioning Schwarzenegger a few episodes ago, I wondered, "How many scientific studies mention Arnold Schwarzenegger?" And when I looked into it, the answer REALLY got out of hand. This was a real pain in the neck.

Why Are People So Passive-Aggressive?

S4 E16 / 4m 15s

Humans are complicated: a tangled web of amazing biology and bad behaviors. This illustrated field guide will equip you with the necessary tools to navigate the lying, jealous and judgmental tendencies of your fellow humans. This week we explore passive-aggressive behavior, the act of expressing aggression indirectly.

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