The Neuroscience of Your Workout
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Why do you exercise? It might be to lose weight, maintain or improve your health, reduce stress, or perhaps a combination of all of these. But what is actually motivating you is simpler than that. As Dr. Gary Wenk reveals in his book “Your Brian on Exercise”, you exercise because your brain needs you to move, and it will do everything it can to motivate you to do it. He provides fascinating insights into exactly what is happening to our brains when we go jogging, lift weights, swim laps, or take a walk, as well as what happens when we don’t. He’ll also...
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The Neuroscience of Your Workout
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
We all know that exercise is good for our bodies, but do our brains benefit as well? In our next episode Dr. Gary Wenk of the Ohio State University reveals exactly how our muscles communicate with our brains when we work out, and why exercise is so important to our mental health. Plus – how our brain chemistry explains why there’s a Dunkin Donuts on every corner and the mental and physical price we pay for too much exercise. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com For more about...
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Is Ketamine a Miracle Drug?
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Until the death of actor Matthew Perry many people had never even heard of Ketamine. As a recreational drug, known as “Special K”, it can be extremely addictive and dangerous. But, when used under supervision, this powerful drug can help people with depression and various other mental health issues. Dr. John Krystal, a leading expert on the neurobiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders, offers insights into why and how a drug once used as a horse tranquilizer and anesthetic has become a lifeline for those suffering from clinical depression. For more...
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When The Surgeon Becomes The Patient - Henry Marsh
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
At age 70, after a long career as a neurosurgeon and best-selling author, the tables were turned on Dr. Henry Marsh. Diagnosed with cancer, and facing his own mortality, Marsh offers a humble and honest look at what it was like when a prominent doctor becomes a patient; just as scared and dependent as anyone of us would be dealing with a terrible diagnosis, with regrets, fears, and feelings of helplessness. In his latest book chronicling his experience, Marsh shares some valuable lessons that he learned from both sides of the Doctor/Patient relationship. For more information,...
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Grief Is Not Just Sadness - Mary-Frances O'Connor
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Have you ever felt the type of grief where it seemed like you would never recover, like your heart was actually broken? Whether it’s a member of your family, a friend or a beloved pet, all of us will experience the loss of a loved one, and the deep and difficult emotions that follow. One of the reasons grief can be so difficult is actually more about our brains than our hearts. Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor has been studying grief for decades, and she has learned its profound effects on our brains and our bodies. She will reveal some surprising insights about why our minds...
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Why Play Is Not Just Kid’s Stuff
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
When was the last time you actually took time to play, to simply have fun? For most adults, the answer is usually not often enough. The benefits of play for adults, like children, has been shown to have many benefits to both physical and mental health. In fact, it can play a vital role in whether someone is happy or depressed, fulfilled or empty. In this podcast we will hear from a Play Expert whose career actually began by studying a mass murderer. He will help you discover what type of play personality you have as well as how important and easy it is to...
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"Dad Brain"
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Women obviously go through many changes to their bodies and their minds when they become mothers. But what about fathers? Although moms have been studied extensively, few people have paid any attention to what happens to men when they become dads. Do they go through any physical changes at all? Do they also experience hormone surges and shrinking brains like women do (yes mom and dads, your brains got smaller). Do they also suffer from depression and anxiety? Dr. Darby Saxbe has dedicated her career to studying fathers, and in her new book, Dad Brain, the New...
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Forgive and Flourish: The Healing Power of Letting Go
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Dr. Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, explains how releasing resentment can transform both mind and body. Drawing on decades of research and work with people in war-torn regions around the world, Luskin explains why forgiveness is a powerful act of healing for the forgiver. He shares compelling stories and practical steps to help keep past hurts from stealing your peace today. Plus, the Zulu concept of Ubuntu and how South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission used Ubuntu to help guide a nation’s journey towards healing. For more information, transcripts,...
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Why We Dream
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
What are your dreams really telling you? Renowned sleep researcher Dr. Robert Stickgold joins Dr. Stieg to unravel the mysteries of dreaming. From the bizarre to the brilliant, dreams are a window into how the brain processes memory, emotion, and problem-solving. Learn why your brain needs to dream, how dreams shape your waking life, and what science says about interpreting them. Whether you're a vivid dreamer or rarely remember a thing, this episode will change the way you think about what your brain is doing when you go to sleep at night. For more information, transcripts, and...
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Taming The Tremor
This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
What happens when your hands refuse to listen to your brain? For Alexandra Lebenthal, essential tremor was more than a neurological disorder, it was a lifelong challenge that affected everything from drinking water in meetings to giving public speeches. In this deeply personal episode, Alexandra shares her journey from a childhood marked by frustration and embarrassment to becoming one of the first patients in the U.S. to undergo focused ultrasound, a groundbreaking, non-invasive treatment that changed her life. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit ...
info_outlineEveryone loves a good story. And so do our brains. Whether its books, movies, fairy tales, or even office gossip, stories are much more than just entertainment. According to Dr. Fritz Breithaupt, narratives in our lives are way more powerful than we realize. We don’t just enjoy stories, we actually need them. But why are they so important? Does the brain gain anything from a good plot on your favorite Netflix series, or the well-developed characters in an Oscar winning film?
There is actually something much more important in a good story, a reward for our brains that has actually been essential to human survival.
Plus, tales of Dungeons & Dragons as therapy!
For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit
https://thisisyourbrain.com
For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit
https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org