Giants Shoulder Archiv

Dr Taylor Guthrie is a social neuroscientist, researcher, and one of the leading experts in how our sense of self emerges from our relationships, our goals, and the powerful social forces around us

We all assume we know what’s happening inside our own minds. But what if the way you describe your identity—your inner narrative, your motivations, your beliefs—turns out to be incomplete?

What if you’ve spent your entire life overlooking how deeply social context shapes you? Taylor’s research suggests that most people don’t truly understand the hidden processes guiding how they think, feel, and behave

Expect to learn why the self is far more malleable than you might believe, how close friendships literally alter the brain’s activity, why dopamine is more about drive than pleasure, how the default mode network weaves your memories into a cohesive story, whether so-called “quick brain hacks” truly live up to the hype, and the fascinating ways that shared group identity can both unify and polarise us

This episode will make you question everything you thought you knew about your own mind.

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00:00 Intro: The Most Social Species On Earth

01:54 Why Should Anyone Care About Social Neuroscience?02:57 How Our Brains Evolved For Social Interaction

03:43 Language & Cooperation: The Human Advantage

05:04 Abstract Thinking & The Evolving Frontal Lobe

08:40 What Does It Mean To Have a “Self”?

10:47 How the Self Impacts Motivation & Memory

15:15 Seeing Others as Extensions of Ourselves

20:10 Shifting Selves Across the Lifespan

27:10 Redefining Goals: The Neuroscience of Change

34:55 Dopamine vs. Serotonin: A Complex Interaction

39:00 Intrinsic Motivation & Identity

42:50 Overcoming Bad Habits & Building New Paths

49:04 Mental Illness & the Self: Depression, Anxiety & Identity

56:00 Myths About Dopamine & “Quick Brain Hacks”

01:01:30 Cannabis, Psychedelics & Ego Dissolution

01:07:52 The Default Mode Network: A Master Conductor

01:13:10 Daydreaming, Self-Talk & Integrating Experience

01:21:59 Group Identity, Polarization & Belief Systems

01:30:25 Neuralink, AI & Real-Time Brain Data

01:40:52 The Potential & Risks of Brain-Tech Integration

01:48:45 Leaving Self-Limiting Beliefs Behind

01:56:15 Practical Takeaways for Changing Your Self-Concept

02:03:10 Final Reflections & Where Neuroscience Is Headed

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Dr. Will Bulsiewicz is a board-certified gastroenterologist, bestselling author, and a leading expert on the microbiome.

Understanding your gut is a lifelong journey. Repairing a troubled microbiome, fueling your “second brain,” and harnessing the power of short-chain fatty acids are all part of the process. So how do we move beyond the confusing myths around gut health to support our mood, energy, and overall well-being?

Expect to learn how gut microbes influence motivation and ambition, how to use fiber to boost brain power, what cutting-edge science says about fecal transplants, how chronic stress damages your digestion, why we crave certain foods (and how to manage those cravings), how simple daily habits like morning sunlight can reset your microbiome—and dive into strange, wonderful insights Dr. Will has never shared before.

Check out Fibre Fueled - https://amzn.to/41qnV0q

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00:00 Intro01:44 The Misunderstood Science of Gut Health

07:46 The Impact of Diet on the Microbiome

13:35 The Role of Microbiomes in Pregnancy and Child Development

19:34 The Microbiome's Influence on Disease and Health

36:58 The Gut-Brain Connection and Neuroinflammation

42:41 The Role of Diet and Supplements in Gut Health

48:29 Human Connection and Microbiome Health

56:44 Microbial Influence on Behavior

01:06:00 Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and the Microbiome

01:11:25 Understanding Prebiotics and Probiotics

01:17:48 The Importance of Dietary Variety

01:25:49 The Role of Red Meat in Gut Health

01:30:55 The Impact of Antibiotics on the Microbiome

01:36:52 Fecal Transplants: A Revolutionary Approach

01:43:23 Exploring Postbiotics and Their Benefits

01:49:30 The Role of Genetics vs. Microbiome

01:56:50 Skepticism in Microbiome Research

02:07:32 Practical Takeaways for a Healthy Microbiome...

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This first giant moment is from episode #20 with inner experience expert Dr Russell Hurlburt. In this clip Dr Hurlburt talks about the clinical case that shaped his 50 year career in the field of Inner Experience research. It blew my mind.

Dr Russell Hurlburt is a psychologist, researcher, and one of the leading experts in the study of inner experience.

We all assume we know what’s happening inside our own minds. But what if the way you describe your inner thoughts—your inner monologue, mental images, emotions—isn’t accurate? What if you’ve spent your entire life mischaracterizing your own experience? Russell’s research suggests that most people don’t truly understand how their minds work.

Check out the full episode after watching this Giant Moment!

Dr Russell Hurlburt is a psychologist, researcher, and one of the leading experts in the study of inner experience.We all assume we know what’s happening inside our own minds. But what if the way you describe your inner thoughts—your inner monologue, mental images, emotions—isn’t accurate? What if you’ve spent your entire life mischaracterizing your own experience? Russell’s research suggests that most people don’t truly understand how their minds work.Expect to learn why you might not actually have an inner monologue, the five core phenomena of inner experience, why most psychological self-reports are unreliable, the surprising differences in how people experience thought, how experience sampling can reveal the hidden structure of your mind, whether meditation really increases self-awareness, and the astonishing story of a woman whose perception of reality was forever altered by this method.This episode will make you question everything you thought you knew about your own mind.---01:26 Exploring Inner Experiences06:31 The Five Frequent Phenomena of Inner Experience11:27 Understanding Experience Sampling Methodology16:12 The Role of Meditation in Inner Awareness21:23 The Challenge of Self-Reporting Inner Experiences26:23 The Prevalence of Inner Monologue31:19 Case Study: Lena's Inner Monologue36:16 Insights from Sadie's Aphantasia43:49 Exploring Aphantasia and Inner Experience49:06 Understanding Descriptive Experience Tests56:49 The Importance of Inner Experience01:08:37 The Impact of Trauma on Inner Experience01:20:54 Reflections on Inner Experience and Relationships---Donate to my Paypal. You're Supporting Bootstrapped Science Communication!https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTGFollow the Podcast on other Platforms Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr William Li is a medical doctor, internet personality with over a million combined followers and author of Eat to Beat Disease. His viral Ted Talk “Can we Eat to Starve Cancer” has been viewed over 11* million times where he lays out his pioneering work in the field of angiogenesis. The process by which our body forms new blood vessels. Correction from video as I state only 5 Million times. In 1994 he co-founded the Angiogenesis Foundation with the mission of using advances in angiogenesis to tackle the worst plagues of society like cancer and Dementia.Buy His Book that is Changing Lives:Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself - https://amzn.to/3Q4y65fWe really went above and beyond on this episode so please show some love and Subscribe to the Channel. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Angiogenesis and the Brain06:31 The Interconnection of Blood Flow and Cognitive Function13:42 Developmental Disorders and Vascular Issues19:40 Stem Cells and Brain Regeneration25:52 The Brain Microbiome and Its Implications36:20 Practical Tips for Maintaining Healthy Blood Vessels45:12Optimising Your Diet for Blood Vessel HealthFollow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249

Dr. Paul Cisek is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Montreal, and focuses on understanding how the brain controls behaviour. Particularly through the lens of motor control and decision-making. His interdisciplinary approach combines neurophysiological recordings, computational modelling, and evolutionary biology to explore how the brain mediates interactions with the world. This type of knowledge makes for an incredibly interesting conversation!

Timestamps:

00:00 The Evolutionary Lens on Neuroscience

06:56 Understanding the Brain as a Control System

13:14 The Historical Context of Nervous System Development

20:30 Key Evolutionary Transitions in Brain Development

31:00 The Role of Reinforcement Learning in Evolution

45:52 Evolutionary Leaps: From Water to Land

54:41 Consciousness and Its Emergence

01:03:47 The Complexity of Brain Function and Evolution

01:24:29 Debunking Myths: Understanding Evolution's Nature

01:26:43 Engineering vs. Evolutionary Solutions

01:28:36 AI Models and Evolutionary Insights

01:35:09 The Grounding Problem in AI

01:42:52 The Role of Motion in AGI

01:54:55 Future of AI: Optimism vs. Pessimism

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In this episode, we dive into the revolutionary field of ecological psychology with Dr. Luis Favela, author of The Ecological Brain. What if the brain isn't a computer, but part of a dynamic system that includes your body and the world around you? Discover how this paradigm shift challenges traditional cognitive psychology and neuroscience, and why it could redefine how we understand perception, action, and intelligence.Dr. Favela shares compelling insights from his work, exploring key concepts like affordances, the perception-action loop, and how our minds evolved to interact with a complex environment. From World War II bomber pilots to the development of cutting-edge robotics, learn how this interdisciplinary approach connects psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy to tackle age-old questions about the nature of the mind.

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00:00 Dr. Louis Fevela's Academic Interests

07:48 Introduction to Ecological Psychology

13:10 Experimental Paradigms in Ecological Psychology

20:05 Differences from Cognitive Psychology

25:23 Meaning and Perception in Ecological Psychology

35:15 Defining Perception in Ecological Psychology

41:44 The Differences Between Cognitive Psychology and Ecological Psychology

46:15 Why Ecological Psychology is Less Known and Taught

50:09 Integrating Ecological Psychology and Neuroscience with the Neuro-Ecological Nexus Theory (NEXT)

53:35 The Mutuality of Interaction and the Role of Information in Ecological Psychology

57:02 The Importance of Ecological Validity in Ecological Psychology

01:20:48 Understanding Ecological Psychology

01:22:45 Exploring Affordance and Pass-Through Ability

01:29:24 Comparing Cognitive Psychology and Ecological Psychology

01:32:26 Soft-Assembled Systems: Flexibility and Adaptability

01:39:56 Advancements in Technology for Naturalistic Experiments

01:43:21 The Future of Neuroscience: Discovering New Types of Brain Cells

01:51:47 Moving Beyond the Brain-Centric View

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Scott Carney is a New York Times Best Selling Author, Youtuber and Investigative Journalist. He's risen online from his popular investigations into the ethics and business dealings of popular health influencers like Andrew Huberman, Peter Attia, David Sinclair and Wim Hof.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro 03:30 Introduction to Scott Carney's Journey

09:27 The Rise of Wim Hof and Ice Bathing

15:26 The Science Behind Cold Exposure

21:18 The Ethics of Health Influencing

40:39 The Influence of Joe Rogan

50:19 The Ethics of Health Influencers

01:04:50 The Power of Placebo and Hawthorne Effect

01:09:55 Misinformation in Health and Politics Donate to my Paypal. Thank you so much! https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTG Subscribe for more Neuroscience: ?sub_confimation=1 Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249 My Startup weeve - https://www.weeve.ie/ My Socials X - https://twitter.com/evan_mcgl LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-mcgloughlin/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/evan_mcgloughlin/

Dr. Brian Levine is a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences, professor in the Departments of Psychology and Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, and a clinical neuropsychologist. He is interested in the function and dysfunction of large-scale neural systems as expressed in complex human behaviours, including episodic and autobiographical memory and executive functioning.

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00:00 Intro 02:15 Introduction to Memory Deficits

08:15 The Role of Clinical Experience in Research

13:18 Understanding Memory Storage in the Brain

22:15 Factors Influencing Memory Consolidation

25:14 Differences in Memory Systems: Procedural vs. Semantic

45:10 Case Study: Clive Wearing and Memory Loss

53:27 Understanding Amnesia and Memory Function

56:16 The Complexity of Memory Retrieval

59:19 Storage vs. Retrieval: The Memory Dilemma

01:03:15 Confabulation: The Mind's Attempt to Make Sense

01:07:55 The Impact of Memory Deficits on Reality

01:12:35 Memory Disorders and Mental Health

01:14:45 The Dual Nature of Memory: Benefits and Drawbacks

01:20:17 Exploring Aphantasia and Cognitive Abilities - Get 56% off your first subscription to MAGIC MIND. The health shot to help you enter flow - https://www.magicmind.com/evanmc Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249 My Startup weeve - https://www.weeve.ie/ My Socials X - https://twitter.com/evan_mcgl LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-mcgloughlin/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/evan_mcgloughlin/

Donate to my Paypal. Thank you so much!https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L38HCUYY5TDTGSadie Dingfelder, also known online as the Faceblind Journalist is a Scientific Communicator and lives with one of the most severe cases of prosopagnosia ever recorded. Sadie lived for 38 years without any idea she was born with this remarkable brain until she came across prosopagnosia at her work.

02:13 Introduction to Sadie and Prosopagnosia

03:15 The Neuroscience of Facial Processing

10:18 Learning to See in 3D

15:59 The Journey of Training and Progress

19:59 Funny Mistakes and Bizarre Incidents

31:49 Loneliness and Coping Strategies

38:26 Discovering Face Blindness and Humorous Moments

41:38 Living in the Present: Mental Time Travel and Cognitive Differences

45:15 The Experience of Aphantasia: Inability to Visualize

48:43 Understanding Different Types of Thinking: Inner Monologue and Abstract Relations

51:36 Diagnosing Prosopagnosia: Face Memory Tests and Behavioral Observations

55:01 Accepting the Diagnosis: Coming to Terms with Cognitive Differences

59:51 Emotional Impact: Processing the Diagnosis and Its Implications

01:05:07 Neurodiversity and Individuality: Recognizing the Spectrum of Cognitive Differences

01:11:34 Steve Wozniak's Journey: Acquired Prosopagnosia and Pursuit of Neuroscience

01:17:08 Creating an Inclusive Society: Empathy and Acceptance of Neurodiversity

In this episode Sadie brilliantly educates me on the underlying Neuroscience of facial recognition. She goes deep on the difficulties she faced growing up, unable to make any friends as she couldn't recognise anyone. Her story is truly remarkable and this was without a doubt one of the most amazing episodes I've ever recorded. If you enjoyed please remember to Subscribe to the Channel. It really helps me out. To Support the Channel- Get 56% off your first subscription to MAGIC MIND. The health shot to help you enter flow - https://www.magicmind.com/evanmc Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249My Startupweeve - https://www.weeve.ie/My Socials X - https://twitter.com/evan_mcglLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-mcgloughlin/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/evan_mcgloughlin/

Dr. Kevin Smith studies the biology and psychology of individual-level differences in political attitudes and behaviour. In this conversation, Dr. Kevin Smith discusses the intersection of psychophysiology and political behavior, exploring how individuals respond to political stimuli and the physiological and psychological impacts of political stress.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:23 Introduction to Psychophysiology and Political Responses

05:22 The Impact of Political Stimuli on Mental Health

08:19 The Role of Social Media in Political Stress

11:23 Political Stress Across Different Countries

14:17 Evolutionary Perspectives on Political Stress

17:27 Differences in Stress Responses: Left vs. Right

20:15 Physiological Measurements in Political Psychology

23:21 Genetics and Political Ideology

26:24 The Neuroscience of Emotion in Politics

29:23 Causality: Genetics vs. Environment in Political Beliefs

45:03 The Connection Between Olfaction and Political Orientation

47:51 Biological Markers and Political Engagement

54:57 Neuro-Politics: Brain Differences in Ideology

01:43 Understanding Polarization and Tribalism

01:11:50 Changing Minds: The Psychology of Belief

01:20:21 Politics as a Process: A Perspective on Stress

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Dr. Tony Zador is a neuroscientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, known for pioneering work on the connectome and computational neuroscience.In this episode, we dive into one of the most urgent frontiers of science — the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. As AI races ahead, what can the brain teach us about building better machines? And could the secrets of our neural circuits unlock the next revolution in AI?Expect to learn why our current understanding of the brain might be as limited as understanding a city by staring at blueprints, why it’s essential to create a new generation of ‘bilingual’ scientists fluent in both neuroscience and AI, how the brain’s sparse firing patterns and spike-based computation could shape the next era of machine learning, and why fundamental research into worms and flies could hold the key to curing depression. We also explore how the failure to communicate science may threaten its future, what scares Zador most about AI, why we still don’t teach coding in neuroscience, and how science communication could be our best hope — plus so much more....00:00 Intro01:36 - Introduction to Connectomics05:00- The Ambitious Goal of Mapping Neural Circuits11:20 - Insights into the Human Brain from Connectomics27:58 - Delivery of Barcoded Viruses to Neurons34:11 - Output and Findings of Connectomics Research41:24 - Discovering the Randomness of Brain Wiring47:35 - Randomness in Brain Development52:18 - The Third Component in the Nature-Nurture Debate57:06 - The Impact of Language Deprivation01:07:15 - Understanding Emotions as Persistent States01:16:13 - Exploring the Intersection of Neuroscience and AI01:20:44 - The Challenge of Energy Efficiency in AI Systems01:31:23 - Unraveling the Principles of Neural Circuits01:34:45 - Key Differences between Biological and Artificial Neural Networks01:38:39 - The Limitations of Data and Compute01:42:36 - The Answer Isn't More Data01:44:55 - The Exciting Potential of Neuroscience and AI Collaboration01:48:23 - The Importance of Making the Same Mistakes01:55:18 - The Evolutionary Curriculum Approach...Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet at https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL (use Code GIANTSMANTA10)

Dr Tara Spires Jones is one of the leading Alzheimers disease researchers in the entire world and is the current president of the British Neuroscience Association and Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro04:15 Understanding Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

08:52 The Role of Amyloid and Tau Pathology

10:46 Advancements in Alzheimer's Research

23:43 Promoting Brain Resilience through a Healthy Lifestyle

30:21 The Influence of Genetics on Alzheimer's Risk

35:07 Genome-wide Association Studies and Alzheimer's Risk Genes

42:44 The Role of Tau in Alzheimer's Pathology

47:51 Early Detection and Intervention in Alzheimer's

53:22 Current Treatments and the Need for Funding

Robert Plomin is a prominent behavioural geneticist known for his pioneering work in the field of psychology and genetics. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of how genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences in behaviour, personality, and cognitive abilities.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction to Behavioral Genetics

08:47 The DNA Revolution: Studying Genetic Influence

18:57 The Nature of Nurture: Non-Shared Environment

30:34 Recognizing the Biological Component

39:36 Predicting Behavior with DNA

44:40 The Interaction of Genetics and Environment

53:23 Cultural Variations in Heritability

01:01:17 The Development of Similarity in Twins

01:14:03 The Overlap of Genetic Factors in Psychiatric Disorders

01:20:34 Understanding Traits as Quantitative Rather Than Qualitative

01:54:16 The Influence of Parents in Child Development

01:59:35 The Limited Control of Parents

02:08:23 DNA Dating and DNA Augmentation

02:16:59 Concerns about Data Breaches and Genetic Caste Systems

02:32:27 Equal Opportunity and Social Mobility in Genetics