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What's on Your Mind in That Brain of Yours?

Science Rules! with Bill Nye

What's on Your Mind in That Brain of Yours?

Consider this episode of Science Rules! a user manual for how you think, feel and remember, as we explore the nature of consciousness with neuroscientist Dr. Heather Berlin. This episode is sponsored by Progressive Insurance ( www.progressive.com ), ZipRecruiter ( www.ziprecruiter.com/SCIENCERULES ), The Great Courses Plus (…

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Notes

  1. Who Is Dr. Heather Berlin at 3:23

    She is a long time acquaintance of Bill Nye. He states that Dr. Full answer

  2. What Are Scientists Trying to Discover With the Brain at 5:34

    They are trying to figure out the neural correlates of consciousness. Full answer

  3. What Happens When You Have a Thought at 7:00

    When you have a thought, there are specific sets of neurons firing that represent that thought in your brain. Full answer

  4. What’s the Easy Problem of Consciousness at 7:29

    That scientists can track every thought or feeling to a specific set of neurons firing to make a correlation. Full answer

  5. What’s the Hard Problem of Consciousness at 7:51

    It’s being able to bridge the gap of why the physical mechanisms should correspond to a subjective experience. Full answer

  6. Is It Possible for Scientists to Predict Our Choices at 11:55

    Dr. Berlin states that they can observe the build up of brain activity of a person prior to when they actually make the decision. Full answer

  7. When Do We Make Better Decisions at 16:41

    We make better decisions when we allow our unconscious state to operate on many variables to make a decision that way, which is also called post decision… Full answer

  8. Why Is It Difficult to Remember Boring Things, but Easy to Remember Exciting Things at 25:06

    Dr. Berlin states that first off, the brain cannot remember everything because t would be too much information. Full answer

  9. Why Do People Tend to React Than the Understand the Conversation at 28:28

    The physiological process of information that goes to your brain is focused on either what you’re hearing or how you will respond next in the conversation. Full answer

  10. Why Are Proper Nouns Harder to Remember at 32:19

    It’s because they aren’t common or regular nouns. Like a name, you have to really make a conscious effort to associate that name. Full answer

  11. Why Are We Still So Sleepy When We Wake Up at 38:35

    Dr. Berlin states that usually when we wake up, it takes about a half hour— subjectively speaking— for the brain to turn on. Full answer

  12. Why Is No Caffeine Best for Sleeping at 41:19

    It’s because your body is seeking a homeostasis to stabilize. Full answer

  13. Do Physical Activities Help Us Wake Up Better at 41:53

    It is a useful strategy to implement into your day as you're beginning to wake up. Doing physical activities can increase blood flow to the brain. Full answer

  14. Is Hypnosis Real at 45:07

    Dr. Berlin states that hypnosis relates to suggestibility. There parts of our brain that are active and self-aware. Full answer

  15. What Goes on Between a Hypnotizer and the One Being Hypnotized at 48:59

    Dr. Berlin states that there’s some sort of silent agreement between them, especially if it’s in front of an audience. Full answer

  16. What Happens With Decisions We Make at 50:26

    Most of our decisions we make happen because of things that are occurring in the brain outside of awareness. Full answer

  17. Do Hypnotherapy Strategies Really Help Us at 51:13

    When the prefrontal cortex is turned on, scientists can see that it down regulates memories and emotions that are still affecting our behavior. Full answer

  18. Did the Matrix Get Anything Right at 53:09

    Dr. Berlin says it did. One example is the idea that we could have this whole universe within our minds. Full answer

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