Learning English with Human Beans

When music turns into colors, what else is your brain hiding? In this episode of  Learning English with Human Beans , Alice discovers that the way she experiences music may be a real neurological phenomenon: synesthesia. Together with Marc, they explore the science, the creativity, and the strange beauty of hearing sound as color.

Have you ever poured your heart out to an algorithm at midnight? In this episode of  Learning English with Human Beans , Alice confesses her new, slightly embarrassing habit: using AI as a digital diary and emotional sounding board. Together with Marc, they dive into the fascinating psychology behind this silent trend. AI is always awake, perfectly objective, and completely judgment-free—making it...

You’ve heard it a million times:  “Our generation has a shorter attention span than a goldfish.” Spoiler alert: it’s entirely fake. In this provocative episode of  Learning English with Human Beans , Alice and Marc scientifically destroy the myths about digital distraction, expose the apps hijacking your dopamine, and explain why adults have been complaining about "kids these days" for over 2,000...

After a breakup, who do you become? In this intimate episode of  Learning English with Human Beans , Alice shares a personal story about healing after a long relationship, inspired by  Eat, Pray, Love . Together with Marc, she explores identity, grief, and the quiet process of rebuilding yourself.

In this episode of  Learning English With Human Beans , Alice and Marc dive deep into one of the most fascinating questions of our time. From Durkheim's three functions of religion to Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, from the sacred rituals of fan communities to Baudrillard's hyperreality — they explore why your favourite show might be doing a lot more than just entertaining you. Along the way: ...

Marc's story ...

Are we secretly wired to think only of ourselves, or is the drive to help others hardwired into our DNA? In this episode of  Learning English with Human Beans , Alice and Marc debate one of the greatest questions about human nature. Marc, with his scientific and analytical mind, confronts us with Hobbes' cynicism, the laws of evolution, and the brain's dopamine circuits. Alice grounds the...

In this new episode of Learning English with Human Beans, Marc and Alice shift into high gear! After deconstructing the illusion of the “perfect self,” we tackle its collective equivalent: the perfect society. Delving into André Comte-Sponville's Treatise on Despair and Bliss, we explore why our political utopias are often just a reflection of Narcissus on a societal scale. From “Make America...

Explore why the "self" is a dream and how "de-hope" leads to radical freedom. This episode dives into André Comte-Sponville’s philosophy to challenge the self-help industry and reclaim the present moment. De-hope is the neutral state of being free from expectations and the "trap of time". It is not a form of sadness, but a way to stop fighting reality and find happiness in the now. This "zero degr...

Mikasa Ackerman is Attack on Titan's most lethal warrior—rated 10/10 in combat, capable of decimating titans and humans alike with surgical precision. Yet beneath her unmatched strength lies a devastating psychological fragility. In this deep-dive analysis, we explore Mikasa through the lens of clinical psychology, examining how Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) shapes every aspect of her c...

Have you ever felt a shiver run down your spine while listening to a violin tune, or a knot in your stomach when faced with a melancholic melody? Why can simple vibrations in the air, pure physics, trigger such deep and visceral emotions? In this fascinating episode of “Learning English with Human Beans,” Alice and Marc explore one of the greatest mysteries of the human experience: the emotional p...

"Suit up!" Everyone knows Barney Stinson—the legendary, high-fiving, magic-trick-performing playboy of  How I Met Your Mother . But what if the suit isn't an armor of confidence? What if it’s actually a cage? In this episode, Alice and Marc move past the sitcom laughs to perform a deep-dive psychological autopsy on the "Legendary" Barney Stinson. Using his character as a le...

Have you ever worked yourself to the bone to achieve a goal, only to feel completely empty when you finally reached it? In this deep dive into Jack London’s masterpiece (with SPOILERS),  Martin Eden , Alice and Marc explore the dark side of the "American Dream." We analyze the tragic journey of a rough, uneducated sailor who transforms himself into a literary genius—not for art, but to b...

We diagnosed the illness (Episode 64) and we saw the terrifying prognosis for democracy (Episode 65). Now, it is time for the cure. In this explosive finale of our trilogy based on  Reader, Come Home , Alice and Marc refuse the path of the Luddite. We cannot throw away our screens, but we can stop them from rewiring our children. In this episode, we build the "Reader of the Future": The...

In the previous episode, we discovered that we have lost our “cognitive patience.” But is it really that bad if we can no longer read complex novels? In this intense second installment of our trilogy based on Maryanne Wolf's Reader, Come Home, Alice and Marc answer with a resounding “YES.” We dive into the heart of the Deep Brain to understand what we really lose when we “skim” a text. On the...

Have you ever opened a book you used to love, only to find that you can no longer focus on the page? Do you feel an urgent, twitchy need to check your phone after just two paragraphs of "dense" text? In this first installment of our special trilogy based on Maryanne Wolf’s  Reader, Come Home , Alice and Marc explore the fragile miracle of the  Reading Brain . We discuss why humans were n...

What if the end of the world wasn't a hell of dust and violence, but a paradise of comfort and harmony? In this episode, Alice and Marc dissect the narrative universe of the Pluribus series. Forget brutal invasions like Star Trek; here, humanity is not undergoing a war, but an “update.” We explore how this collective consciousness (the Hive Mind) uses abundance and empathy as weapons of mass d...

Are "monsters" made, or are they born? In this chilling episode, Alice and Marc venture into the dark side of the brain to explore the biological roots of violence. We debunk the myth of pure evil by looking at the  Biopsychosocial Etiology of Antisocial Personality Disorder . Discover why a  low resting heart rate  might be a predictor of criminality (the  Stimulation Seeking Theory ) and how the...

Why does a polite conversation about the weather sometimes feel like a physical assault on your energy? Why do you feel like a wilting plant when stuck at a dinner party with no "real" topics? In this episode, Alice and Marc reveal that your impatience isn't arrogance—it's a biological hunger. We explore  Cognitive Intolerance to Under-stimulation  and why a  High Need for Cognit...

Have you ever spent three hours comparing toasters at midnight, paralyzed by the fear of making the "wrong" choice? In this episode, Alice and Marc diagnose the curse of bright minds:  Pathological Optimization . Discover why having a  High Need for Cognition  (loving to think) paired with a  Maximizer  mindset (wanting the best) turns every mundane decision into a neurological ordeal. W...

Is "Brutalism" just about ugly grey buildings, or is it a philosophy of truth? In this episode, Alice and Marc decode Brady Corbet’s monumental film,  The Brutalist . Follow the journey of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Holocaust survivor trying to rebuild his life in a predatory post-war America. Discover why concrete becomes an armor against trauma and how the clash between the architec...

You've got everything planned: the hotel, the champagne, the mood... but when the moment arrives, your body displays an “Error 404: Desire not found” message? In this episode, Alice and Marc tackle the complex mechanics of sexual desire. Discover the Dual Control Model: why your brain sometimes hits the brakes when you want to accelerate. From the anatomical truth about the CUV Complex (goodby...

What if the "Real You" didn't actually exist? In this grand finale of our trilogy "The Self is a Fiction," Alice and Marc tackle a dizzying question: is your identity merely a narrative construction constantly manufactured by your brain?  From the gentle madness of Don Quixote to the trap of "Bovarism," discover how our minds superimpose stories onto the real worl...

If reading can change us for 20 minutes, can it transform us forever? In this episode, Alice and Marc move from simulation to therapy. Discover the science of  Bibliotherapy  and why the NHS prescribes novels instead of pills. We dive into the  Proteus Effect : how adopting a mental avatar can physically alter your confidence. Learn why your "Self" is actually a  Narrative Identity  and...

Have you ever wanted to run a marathon right after finishing a novel... even though you hate sports? In this first installment of the “The Self is a Fiction” saga, Alice and Marc explore the fascinating phenomenon of Experience Taking. Discover why immersive reading is not mere observation, but a true dissolution of identity. Unlike simple “Perspective Taking” (conscious empathy), learn how your b...