Minding the Brain
Minding the Brain is a monthly science podcast hosted by Dr. Jim Davies and Dr. Kim Hellemans. Each episode explores topics related to the scientific study of the brain and mind. It is produced in association with Carleton University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The show aims to discuss research and ideas from psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science in an accessible way.
Episodes
Time Management #105
Jim and Kim discuss time management and offer helpful tips for being less stressed and more productive. How often should you schedule breaks? Does time [...]
Dopamine Detox Myths #104
Kim and Jim talk dopamine and bust pervasive online myths about the misunderstood hormone and neurotransmitter. Do you really need to detox from dopamine? Can [...]
Brain Fog #103
Kim and Jim talk brain fog. What is brain fog, what does it feel like, and how can you manage it? Kim and Jim discuss [...]
Friendship with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk #102
Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk returns to join Dr. Jim Davies for a discussion about research on friendship. How do friendships go bad? What role does odour [...]
Glioblastoma with Dr. Kyle Malone #101
Dr. Kyle Malone joins Dr. Kim Hellemans to discuss his research on glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer in adults. [...]
Sound Meaning in Language with Dr. Ida Toivonen #100
Dr. Ida Toivonen joins Minding the Brain to talk about sound and meaning in language. Do all languages have tense? Do plurals work the same [...]
Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System With Dr. Matt Hill #99
Dr. Matt Hill joins Dr. Kim Hellemans to talk about his research on cannabis and the endocannabinoid system. Is there a difference between sativa and [...]
Using Chatbots for Therapy and Companionship #98
Why are people increasingly turning to AI for therapy and romantic relationships? Kim and Jim break down the pros and cons of our increasing reliance [...]
Seeking Closure in Uncertain Times #97
How do our brains respond to prolonged uncertainty? Is our era unprecedented? Why do we find the unknown simultaneously compelling and frightening? Why do conspiracies [...]
Metacognition With Brendan Conway-Smith – #96
Brendan Conway-Smith joins Minding the Brain to discuss metacognition. What is metacognition and why is it important? Can understanding metacognition help with depression and anxiety? [...]
Sound Meaning in Language with David M. Sidhu – #95
Have you ever wondered how J.R.R. Tolkien invented such evocative names? David M. Sidhu joins Jim Davies to discuss language processing, sound symbolism, and iconicity. [...]
Behavioral Addiction
Kim and Jim take a deep dive into the topic of behavioral addiction. What is behavioral addiction? Can you be addicted to food? What about [...]
Experiencing Nature with John M. Zelenski & Dan Rubinstein – #94
We’ve all heard that being in nature is good for mental and physical health, but just how good is it? John M. Zelenski and Dan [...]
AI Rights – #93
Jim and Kim take a deep dive into the world of AI and ethics. Are LLMs sentient? Why should we worry about AI rights? Is [...]
Schizophrenia
What does it feel like to have schizophrenia? What is the history of the schizophrenia diagnosis and are there effective treatments for the condition? Find [...]
Social Media & Mental Health with Dr. Andrea Howard, Part 2 – #92
Dr. Jim Davies, Dr. Kim Hellemans, and Dr. Andrea Howard continue their discussion on what research reveals about social media’s impact on youth mental health. [...]
Brain Fog, Neurodivergence in STEM & Improving Brain Function – Q&A – #91
What is brain fog and what can you do about it? What’s Jim’s #1 recommendation for improving brain function? Do brains compensate for cognitive decline? [...]
Social Media & Mental Health with Dr. Andrea Howard, Part 1 – #90
Dr. Jim Davies, Dr. Kim Hellemans, and Dr. Andrea Howard explore what research really says about social media’s impact on youth mental health. This episode [...]
Cannabis Induced Anxiety, Healing After Alcoholism & Brain Training – Q&A – #89
Why does cannabis give some people anxiety? Can your brain heal after alcoholism? Does brain training work? Join Kim and Jim as they answer listener [...]
Delusions with Dr. Ian Gold – #88
Dr. Ian Gold joins Minding the Brain to talk about his research on delusions. What are delusions? Is there a link between delusions and conspiracy [...]
Near Death Experiences, Brain Implants & Lucid Dreaming – Q&A – #87
Are near-death experiences real? Given the uniqueness of every brain, are brain implants a plausible future technology? Can people teach themselves to lucid dream? Join [...]
Cultural Effects on the Brain and Mental Disorders #86
How does culture impact our brains and the way that mental disorders manifest? How does schizophrenia look different across cultures? What about eating disorders? Can [...]
Ape Brains, Evo Psych and AGI – Q&A – #85
Could LLMs like ChatGPT ever lead to AGI? Could we ever erase traumatic memories? Why do some people hate evolutionary psychology? What has neuroscience learned [...]
The Evolution of Women with Cat Bohannon #84
Cat Bohannon joins Minding the Brain to talk about the evolution of women. Get ready to learn about prehistoric gynecology, sexual dimorphism in humans, why [...]
Q&A: Transgender Brain Differences, the Impact of Racism on the Brain and More #83
Are the brains of transgender people different than the brains of cisgender people? Can experiencing racism cause lasting neurological damage? Can a deeper understanding of [...]
Psychedelics #82
Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles joins Kim to discuss psychedelics. Does microdosing work? Are psychedelics effective for treating depression? How do these substances interact with the brain? [...]
Q&A: Is Dopamine Addiction Real? #81
Is dopamine addiction real? What about dopamine detoxes? Is it safe to use cannabis after the age of 25? Can psychedelic drugs cause schizophrenia? Does [...]
Do Babies Understand Math? #80
Rebecca Merkley joins Jim to discuss the math abilities of babies. How early do children begin to understand math? What kind of mistakes do children [...]
The Neuroscience of Emotion – #79
Kim and Jim discuss the neuroscience of emotion: Which regions of the brain process emotions? What is the relationship between substance withdrawal and our natural [...]
Memory Errors with Daniel Schacter – #78
Daniel Schacter joins Minding the Brain to talk about memory errors. How and why is memory prone to failure? Do people repress traumatic memories? Does [...]
Moral Goodness Psychology with Matt Coleman – #77
Jim interviews Matt Coleman of Giving Multiplier, a website that provides evidence-based recommendations to help people give to the most effective charities. They discuss the [...]
Mommy Brain and the Mental Load of Motherhood – #76
Kim interviews Dr. Jodi Pawluski about mommy brain and the mental load of motherhood. How is society failing mothers? Is it okay to take anti-depressants [...]
Personality Disorders with Dr. Pete Kelly
Dr. Kim Hellemans interviews Dr. Pete Kelly about personality disorders. What are personality disorders and what are some common symptoms? What does therapy look like for [...]
Mantra Meditation – #75
Jim talks to Dr. Doug Oman, a scientist and scholar with a special interest in spirituality and health. They discuss the practice of mantra meditation, [...]
Cultural Evolution – #74
Jim and Kim explore the role of cultural evolution in shaping human behavior and survival. What has enabled humans to dominate the globe more successfully [...]
Q&A: Magic Mushrooms, Chat GPT in Academia, Ice Baths, Caffeine & More – #73
Jim and Kim answer student questions about magic mushrooms, Chat GPT in academia, ice baths, caffeine, the impact of listening to music, self-efficacy and reducing [...]
Fake News with Gordon Pennycook – #72
Jim interviews Gordon Pennycook about the phenomenon of fake news. What types of misinformation tend to spread? What role will generative AI play in the [...]
#71 Nutritional Neuroscience
Kim interviews Orsha Magyar about the emerging field of nutritional neuroscience. How can we combat nutritional pseudoscience on social media? Are there such things as [...]
#70 Aloneliness and the Value of Solitude
Kim interviews Dr. Robert Coplan about aloneliness and the value of solitude. What are the benefits of solitude? How should we balance solitude and social [...]
#69 AI & Existential Risk
Jim interviews Darren McKee, author of Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World. What are the long-term dangers of [...]
#68 Eating Disorders
Jim interviews Kim about the topic of eating disorders. They discuss clinical and behavioral symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and the [...]
#67 The Psychology of Soundtracks with Joe Kraemer
Jim interviews Hollywood composer Joe Kraemer about the psychology of soundtracks. Joe is responsible for the music in films such as The Way of the [...]
#66 Money and Spending
Jim interviews Johanna Peetz about money and spending. Why does money cause so many problems in relationships? What does the research say about how best [...]
#65 Distinguishing Fantasy From Reality
How are false memories created? Do children believe their imaginary friends really exist? Why aren’t we always mistaking our imaginings for reality? Join Jim and [...]
#64 Animal Consciousness
Are other animals conscious? Why is animal consciousness important to understand? What function does consciousness serve? Take a deep dive into the fascinating world of [...]
Multitasking
Kim and Jim discuss the scientific evidence surrounding multitasking. Does multitasking make you more or less efficient? When should you multitask? Is it safe to [...]
#63 Schizophrenia
What does it feel like to have schizophrenia? What is the history of the schizophrenia diagnosis and are there effective treatments for the condition? Find [...]
#62 Theories of Consciousness
In this episode of Minding the Brain, Jim and Kim explore various theories of consciousness. What are the most popular theories of consciousness? What is [...]
#61 Handedness
Some people are left handed and some people are right handed, why? Join Kim and Jim as they explore the science behind the phenomenon of [...]
#60 20 More Questions with Kim & Jim
Do brain training apps work? Is reading fiction a waste of time? How dangerous is artificial intelligence? Join Kim and Jim for a special Q&A [...]
#59 Time
Why does time seem to pass slowly when you’re a child and more quickly when you’re an adult? How does the brain measure time? What [...]
#58 Goals
Why are goals important? Why are we successful in the pursuit of certain goals, but not others? Jim Davies interviews Marina Milyavskaya about how science [...]
#57 Video Game Addiction
Can someone get addicted to video games? Join Kim and Jim as they talk about the science of addiction as applied to video games. Featuring [...]
#56 Video Games
Do video games increase aggression? Are they addictive? Can video games make you smarter? Jim and Kim discuss the research on video games in this [...]
#55 Caffeine
Why did plants evolve to be caffeinated? When did humans start using caffeine? What are the benefits of caffeine? Can caffeine be dangerous and is [...]
#54 Where Are All the Aliens?
If the universe is teeming with life, and even a fraction of that life is intelligent, where are all the aliens? Join Jim and Kim [...]
#53 Alcohol
Alcohol is, by far, the most commonly used addictive drug, but how much do you really know about it? How does alcohol interact with the [...]
#52 Hacking Your Reward System
Kim and Jim tell you how to hack your reward system! What is the brain’s reward system and why did it evolve? Is it possible [...]
#51 The Future of Depression Treatment with Dr. Benicio Frey
Kim interviews Dr. Benicio Frey about the future of depression treatment. What is depression and what are the symptoms? How is depression treated? How important [...]
#50 Happiness
Jim Davies and Darren McKee talk about happiness. What is happiness? What does science say about how people can be happier? Find out the answers [...]
#49 Eastern and Western Thinking
Jim interviews Dr. Richard E. Nisbett about Eastern and Western thinking. What are the differences between Eastern and Western thinking? How do economic differences impact [...]
#48 Pain
Kim interviews Michael Hildebrand about the topic of pain. Does everyone experience pain the same way? Why do we experience pain? Is there such a [...]
#47 Where Are All the Geniuses?
Kim interviews Jim about the phenomenon of geniuses. Are there as many geniuses born today as there were previously? Are groundbreaking scientific discoveries still being [...]
#46 Testosterone
Jim interviews Carole Hooven, Harvard evolutionary biologist and author of the new book T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us. [...]
#45 Seasonal Affective Disorder
Jim interviews Kim about the phenomenon known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Why do searches for “depression” peak in November and February? What kinds of [...]
#44 Free Will
What is free will? Can humans make conscious decisions? What does the scientific evidence tell us about the existence of free will? Find out on [...]
#43 Right Brain / Left Brain
The idea of brain lateralization has attained a high degree of popularity in culture. People will often refer to themselves as being “right brained” or [...]
#42 Conspiracy Theories
Kim interviews Jim about conspiracy theories. What makes conspiracy theories so appealing? What is the relationship between scientific literacy and the likelihood that someone will [...]
Alien Abduction
Is there a scientific explanation for the alien abduction phenomenon? Is there a link between nocturnal alien visitations and the many similar stories that have [...]
Concussions
Dr. Jim Davies and Dr. Kim Hellemans interview two experts on the topic of concussions, Andree-Anne Ledoux, a Research Associate at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario [...]
#41 Talking
Dr, Jim Davies interviews Dr. Iva Ivanova about the psychology of talking. Do different languages change the way we formulate meaning? What is syntax and how [...]
#40 Neurodiversity
Dr. Kim Hellemans discuses neurodiversity with Tara Connolly, Patricia Berube and Kait Bowser. What is neurodiversity? Why is it important to recognize neurodiversity in higher education? How [...]
#39 Control: Why You Do What You Do
Kim and Jim discuss the science of why we do what we do. How long does it take to form a habit? How is it [...]
#38 Synesthesia
Some people perceive colors when they see certain words, letters or numbers, and some people experience geometric shapes as associated with certain tastes. These are [...]
#37 Behavioral Addiction
Kim and Jim take a deep dive into the topic of behavioral addiction. What is behavioral addiction? Can you be addicted to food? What about [...]
#36 Dreams
Kim interviews Jim about dreams. What are dreams and why did we evolve to have them? Are dreams symbolic representations of events in our lives? [...]
#35 Depression
Jim interviews Kim about Depression. What exactly is Depression, and how many people have it? What’s the difference between being depressed, and being diagnosed with [...]
#34 Personality Disorders
Dr. Kim Hellemans interviews Dr. O. Pete Kelly about personality disorders. What are personality disorders and what are some common symptoms? What does therapy look like [...]
#33 Don’t Choke! Why we sometimes fail under pressure
Why does stress sometimes make us choke at the most critical moment? Jim interviews cognitive scientist Sian Beilock about this phenomenon and they discuss psychological tools [...]
#32 Sleep
Kim and Jim discuss how sleep relates to the mind and the brain. Why did sleep evolve? What is the function of dreaming? How do [...]
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