What We Get Wrong About the Brain: Neurobiologist Gina Rippon on Myths, Gender & Neurodiversity

In part one of this two-part conversation, neurobiologist and
author of The Gendered Brain and The Lost Girls of Autism -
recently awarded the British Psychological Society’s Popular
Science Book Prize - Gina Rippon joins Ben to unpack what we
really know, and don’t know, about the human brain.


From left-brain/right-brain myths to the rise of gendered brain
science, Gina explains why many of the ideas we’ve grown up with
simply don’t stand up to scrutiny. Drawing on decades of
research, she explores how brains change across the lifespan, how
experience actively shapes neural pathways, and why no two brains
- neurodivergent or not - are ever the same.


They dive into alpha rhythms, brain plasticity, ageing, and the
cultural bias baked into neuroscience, including why the idea of
distinctly “male” and “female” brains has caused more confusion
than clarity.


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Host: Ben Branson


Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné


Video Editor: James Scriven


Social Media Manager: Charlie Young


Music: Jackson Greenberg


Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller


00:00 Introduction


00:57 Why Gina Rippon Became Obsessed With the Brain


2:54 What Science Really Knows About the Neurodivergent Brain


7:18 Brain Waves Explained: Alpha Rhythms & Neurodivergence


10:24 Debunking Common Myths About the Neurodivergent Brain


12:00 Left Brain vs Right Brain: Does It Actually Exist?


17:14 The Best Analogy for How Brains Really Work


18:17 Why London Taxi Drivers’ Brains Change


19:30 How the Brain Changes With Age


21:46 Brain Plasticity, Careers & Learning Over Time


23:27 Why Every Brain Is Different And Neurodiversity


26:45 Gender Bias in Neuroscience: “Neuro Trash” Research


27:53 Is There Such a Thing as a Male or Female Brain?


35:18 The Real Impact of Gendered Brain Science


40:56 Neurodivergence, Gender & Brain Differences Explained


44:07 Moving Beyond Gendered Brains to Human Brains


45:22 What Are Thoughts, Really?


48:40 Why Gina Decided To Write “The Lost Girls of Autism”


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Gina Rippon https://www.ginarippon.com/





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