The Science of Us

The AI landscape has evolved significantly over the past decade, with ChatGPT marking a distinctive turning point one year ago. We now live in a world where AI is both hailed as revolutionary, and at the same time feared for its destructive potential. So how is AI shaping our behaviour and augmenting who we are as humans? We speak with Gareth Rydon, Co Founder of Friyay, a Generative AI studio hel...

We talk with clinical psychologist Simon Kinsella about the personality traits that can affect our mental health, the changing dynamics of mental health in the workplace and the benefits and drawbacks that AI can have on our collective mental well-being.

Today we talk to Ed Brenac or Coach as he’s better known. Ed is the head of Team Experience at Winning Group but has also coached some of Australia’s best sports people during his team as a boarder and teacher at The Scots College. Ed talks to us about what makes a successful team to him, whether that be on the field or in an office, how he defines success and the importance of intrinsic motivatio...

They say that a great team is the sum of all of its parts, there’s no I in team, everyone knows those common sayings but the question is what actually makes  a great team and it’s this elusive search that many people go through whether you’re in a professional setting, in a business setting or in a sporting setting, everybody is looking for what is dynamic makeup of that team that will get me the...

In today’s episode, we talk to Katharina Kuehn, Chief Neuroscience & Strategy Officer at Winning Group and Deep Sphere Founder about the role of personality in consumer behaviour and how marketers can tap into the latest neuroscience research to better understand their audiences using what she has called Personalisation 3.0. If you’d like to learn more about how you can connect with your custo...

How well do we understand our deepest emotional drivers and decision making? You might be surprised to know that the answer is not well at all. In our conversation with Katharina Kuehn, Founder of Deep Sphere and Chief Neuroscience and Strategy Officer at the Winning Group, we examine where we are as a society when it comes to empathy and how the role of neuroscience can not only help us understan...

We speak with Winning Group CEO John Winning about his journey, what's important to him and how his mind operates through the lense of Deep Sphere, a behavioural profiling tool, as well as how he is looking to help shape our collective future with his Human Kind Summit You can find out more about Human Kind here: https://www.humankind.sydney/ You can learn more about Deep Sphere here: https://www....

Athletes at the top of their game often talk about the relationship between the mind and body. In fact, it's often the right mental state that can help them achieve amazing results, especially in the face of great adversity. While sport shows us the power of the mind, we can easily forget this when it comes to how we live everyday. One person that is bringing the two together is Cooper Chapman, pr...

We all want to feel like we can be free to share our thoughts and ideas in the aid of creating everything from better experiences to new product ideas or ways of working. But the challenge is that if we don't feel safe enough to do so, we will often sit quietly and hold back sharing what could be the next big thing. Psychological safety is something that is gaining a lot of momentum across compani...

As humans we crave connection. It's what separates us from many other parts of the animal kingdom, with our social prowess responsible for the formation of civilisations to the creation of new technologies. Connection is also at the heart of the relationships we enter into, for without it we wouldn't have a growing population. Over the years the approach to relationships has changed but one thing...

As a human race we are all incredibly unique. From gender, race, religion and more, who we are and how we behave is affected by everything from biology through to how we have been raised. But diversity isn't constrained to what we generally see on the outside, there's a lot that happens within, especially when it comes to the brain itself. There are many forms of neurodiversity, form dyspraxia, dy...

Mindfulness is a term that has started to gain a lot of attention in recent years. Something that has been practiced for thousands of years through Buddhism and other cultures has now been advanced through apps like Calm, Headspace, Waking up and many more. But why do we need to be mindful at all? How does it help our minds navigate the crazy pace of life and get the space that we so desperately s...

Despite the fact we are told that it is imperative to share openly and freely with the people we work with, so few of us are able to do it. Whether it's providing feedback to someone on a positive or negative experience, sharing thoughts on business strategy or suggesting a way to improve the way you work, most of the time we tend to keep our thoughts to ourselves, rather than share them with thos...

When we meet new people, we are often quick to form opinions of who they are based on things like their profession and the initial impression they make. But despite what it looks like on paper, personality goes far deeper than those initial perceptions, meaning we can quite often get someone wrong. To help demonstrate this point, we are joined by Felipe Ramirez Lastrico, Head of Artificial Intelli...

The eternal search for who we are has sprouted an industry designed to help us find a path to that answer. The 'self-help' industry has flourished over many years, helping people to find better versions of themselves and better lives to lead. Others, however, remain skeptical of theories and concepts that don't seem to make a difference. To break it down, we speak with Christine Meyer, an experien...

We look back at some of the many memorable moments of Season One, including clips from Katharina Kuehn, Rachel Green, Mike Conway, Hans Hickler and Michaela Simpson. Stay tuned for Season Two of The Science of Us, returning in January 2021. A huge thank you to all of our guests and to you, our listeners. We couldn't do this without you. Subscribe now to be the first to hear when our new episodes a...

The unconscious part of the human brain processes roughly 11 million pieces of information per second. Over a lifetime, that's a lot of information. So why do we remember some things and not others. And how can we somehow recall a piece of information that was buried down in the archives of our mind? We speak with Celia Harris, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow at The MARCS Institute for Br...

This year has shown the power of uncertainty on how we behave. Although change is a constant in our lives, the brutal force at which change has been thrust upon us this year, means many have been left reeling. When it comes to our work, this uncertainty can have effects on the way we work together, on the culture we create and ultimately, our output. So how do we build trust not only when times ar...

Whether we think it or not, emotions often govern the way we behave. In fact, the human brain processes emotions 200 times faster than rational input. The way we feel is often influenced by a number of factors, from our upbringing to other external stimuli we experience day-to-day. So how exactly do the things that go on around us, such as the saturation of negative news or the power dynamics at w...

A state of chaos seems more common these days, a by-product of the increased complexity and pace of life we are accustomed to. And in the wake of this chaos, it's easy to get caught up running from (or to) something without understanding what that actually is. So how do we slow down the frenetic pace of life to get a better picture of who we are? In this conversation with John Siddique, spiritual...

Being a political player is often used to describe darker behaviour in the workplace. Despite the fact many of us have little aspiration of actually being a politician, it's all too easy to find examples of where people 'play the game' rather than playing as a team. Why do we do it? What motivates us? And, is it even possible to have a workplace without office politics?

Emails, texts, LinkedIn... before COVID-19 many business transactions were done in an electronic and, if you didn't use services like Zoom at the time, a faceless world. With the world now thrust into a digital age, the question many ask is how easy is it to truly build great relationships? Especially without maintaining some level of physical contact with those you meet and deal with regularly? B...

Great teams work together like a hive of bees; through a universal understanding of individual roles and accountability. Yet despite research showing that teams which focus on collective goals outperform more individualistic cultures, there's a part of us that can all too often get in the way of making that happen. We chat with Quirin Schwaighofer from Madecomfy about what it takes to cultivate an...

Emotions fundamentally make up who we are. Yet emotions are often viewed as a weakness, something we are a prisoner to. Despite this, those who have become more aware of their emotions often better understand those around them, create stronger relationships and are more effective leaders. We talk with Doug White, a professional Major League Baseball coach with over 17 years experience, most recent...

Communication and trust are some of the most important human values that allow us to connect, build relationships and thrive as a collective unit. But trust as we know it is rapidly changing in the face of a shifting population, the rise of technology, fake news and external crises. So in a world full of change, who can we trust? We chat with Michelle Hutton, CEO, Australia and Brand Chair Asia Pa...