For individuals who experience traumatic events as an adult or child, they can feel overly stressed even when there's nothing to stress about because of changes to their brain.

"Explore how learning to juggle alters brain structure, increasing gray and white matter, and the transient nature of these neuroplastic changes."

Ever find yourself rewatching The Office or Friends for the tenth time, even with a thousand new shows available? It’s not just you, and you’re not just lazy. You're using a powerful psychological survival tool. In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on nostalgia and the science behind your favorite comfort shows. This is your brain's secret weapon against the chaos of modern life. We'll explore how rewatching familiar media provides a predictable safe haven, reducing cognitive load and fighting the crippling decision fatigue of the endless scroll. It's a form of emotional regulation, especially crucial for managing stress, anxiety, and for the neurodivergent mind. But there's a flip side. We'll also expose how this deep, bittersweet emotion is being weaponized. We'll dive into the world of vicarious nostalgia marketing, where advertisers are selling Gen Z a romanticized version of a past they never even lived. Is your comfort watch a psychological safety blanket, or are you being sold a memory? The answer is more complex than you think. Hit play and find out why your "guilty pleasure" is one of the smartest things your brain does. After you listen, you have to tell us in the comments: what's YOUR ultimate comfort show?

What if I told you that the last decision you made—from choosing your coffee to changing careers—wasn't actually yours? That you’re not the driver of your life, but a passenger watching a movie that's already been filmed? This isn’t philosophy; this is neuroscience. Welcome to the podcast that puts free will on trial. We're cracking open the controversial science of determinism, armed with brain scans and shocking studies that suggest your choices are made by your subconscious mind seconds before you even know it. We’ll explore the invisible prisons that shape your reality: the genetics you inherited, the cognitive biases hardwired into your brain, and the societal programming you never even noticed. Is your personality just a script written by your childhood? Are your habits inescapable loops? We’re diving deep into the psychology of human behavior to question everything you think you know about control, choice, and consciousness. But don’t despair. This isn't a story about being a puppet. It’s a treasure map. Because hidden within all this programming is a tiny, one-percent window of opportunity—a chance to wake up. By the end of this journey, you'll learn how to use self-awareness as a key to unlock your own mind and seize that sliver of genuine choice. If you're ready to question reality and find out who's really in charge, hit that subscribe button. Share this with anyone who's ever felt like they're running on autopilot. The truth might set you free... or it might just blow your mind.

Seeing and imagining use similar brain machinery. New research reveals the brain circuit that identifies what is real, which may help scientists understand conditions such as schizophrenia

Discover the fascinating psychology behind why we remember the gifts we give more vividly than the ones we receive, and what this reveals about human nature.

Podcast Episode · Ground Truths · 05/05/2025 · 29m

YouTube video by Greenhouse for Mental Health Development