This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg

Candace Pert discovered the opioid receptor, created a drug to stop AIDS in the brain, and identified stress as a cause of disease.   She also inadvertently unleashed the overdose epidemic, got kicked out of the NIH, and was denied credit for much of her work.   Largely forgotten, Pert was a trailblazing yet mercurial neuroscientist. Emmy award winning writer and producer Pamela Ryckman shines a l...

New parents - especially moms - experience profound changes in the brain when they are expecting and welcoming a new baby. Health journalist Chelsea Conaboy explains how the caricature of "mommy brain" and its cognitive fog has it all wrong - parenthood actually has a neuroprotective effect, as the brain adapts to meeting the needs of children. It happens to all parents, not just mothers, but it's...

Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point's Performance Psychology Program and author of  The Confident Mind , explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when...

We all do it - put things off, tell ourselves we'll start tomorrow, and somehow still miss the deadline. But chronic procrastination isn't just a bad habit; it's self-sabotaging behavior that can derail our goals, relationships, and even our health. Psychologist Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a leading expert on procrastination, breaks down the emotional roots of procrastination, debunks the myth that we "wo...

Nancy Jarecki's stroke could have reduced her to a statistic.   But her determination, humor and style paved a different path to recovery.   For our Season Six Finale we are recognizing Stroke Awareness Month with a very special episode of This Is Your Brain.   This is a story told by Nancy Jarecki, - a businesswoman, wife and mother - whose resilience and good humor while recovering from a seriou...

Most of us have a bad hair day or we're not happy if we have a little pimple on our face. But that's quite different from the experience of people with body dysmorphic disorder.   (BDD)   More than simple insecurity about one's appearance, BDD is a disorder in which a person's perception of their appearance becomes all-consuming and deeply distressing. Perfectly normal looking people can see thems...

Imagine a world where everyone looks the same and you can't recognize one person from another – even you own child! It sounds like a frightening episode from the "Twilight Zone", but it's just every day life for people with prosopagnosia, better known as "Face Blindness".   We humans use parts of our brains to see, process and recognize faces that are different from recognizing anything else in ou...

Why do we sometimes drink too much, even when we know the risks? In this episode, surgeon, author, and recovering alcoholic Dr. Charles Knowles joins us to explore the neuroscience of alcohol use and addiction. Drawing from his book "Why We Drink Too Much" and his own lived experience, Dr. Knowles describes how alcohol alters the brain's reward pathways, and how drinking problems exist on a spectr...

Although memories fade, hearing declines and our bodies suffer aches and pains, there is one benefit to aging that we can actually gain with each passing   year.   It's called wisdom.   But just because someone is older, it doesn't mean they are wiser.    It takes a certain type of person to learn important lessons from their life experiences.   Dr. Dillip Jeste reveals what he has discovered afte...

Cults and high-control groups influence beliefs and fundamentally reshape identity, decision-making, and autonomy. In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg sits down with sociologist and cult expert Dr. Janja Lalich, Professor and author of Take Back Your Life , to explore the psychology behind cults. Drawing from decades of research as well as her own personal experience of spending a decade in a politica...

  Narcissism is a term that gets used constantly - but what does it actually mean in psychological terms, and how is it shaping our society? In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with leading expert Dr. Keith Campbell to separate myth from science.   Drawing from his book  The New Science of Narcissism , Dr. Campbell explains the difference between everyday self-focused traits and the far rarer p...

Whether it's rock and roll, classical, hip hop, or rap, most people enjoy music in one form or another.  (Even newborn babies respond to it.) But why?  What is going on in our brains when we hear our favorite tunes?   Dr. Barbara Minton,  a psychotherapist and neuroscientist, studies exactly how our brains react to various types of music, to provide targeted music therapy.  And she goes one step f...

Artificial intelligence  is reshaping how we think, live, and make choices, but are our brains ready for it? Award-winning tech journalist Jacob Ward joins Dr. Phil Stieg to discuss how AI exploits our ancient decision-making systems, why we're so easily manipulated, and what it means for our future. Drawing from behavioral science and decades of reporting, Ward explains just how predictable we ar...

If someone asks you what you are doing to prepare for your retirement, you might mention a 401K or an IRA, but what you might not realize is that you also need to prepare your mind for this major change in your life as well.    Dr. Ross Andel, a gerontologist, who has been studying what happens to our brains when we retire, reveals how it can have serious consequences for our mental health, includ...

We all know the importance of a good diet, sufficient exercise and a good night's sleep, but there's one more essential thing we all need to be healthy. Social connection.  Simply put, our brains need friends.  Neuroscientist Dr. Ben Rein reveals exactly what is happening in our brains when we interact with friends, family, even strangers, and how exactly this affects our physical and mental healt...

Touch is the first sense we develop, and one of the most powerful tools we have for connection, healing, and communication. In this episode,  social neuroscientist Dr. Michael Banissy explains how everyday gestures like hugs, handshakes, and high-fives influence our health and emotional well-being. From the biological complexity of our touch receptors to surprising studies on immune response, stre...

Whether it's our shopping habits, Google searches, or Facebook friends, we are all aware that our personal information is being collected and often sold online.  But what about our thoughts, what's going on in our minds?     With all the advances in consumer Neurotechnology and AI, stealing data from our brains is no longer science fiction and at least for now, it can collected and used without ou...

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 in...

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,...

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 hel...

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-France...

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 Exp...

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 b...

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 t...

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...