Brain Buzz

On today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Gary Lewandowski, Professor of Psychology at Monmouth University, to chat about his new book Stronger than You Think: The 10 Blind Spots That Undermine Your Relationship... and How to See Past Them. Gary shares with us some of the signs of healthy relationships, how to strengthen them, and some of the best ways to maintain them. What is optimal distinctiveness and how can couples maintain the ‘you, me, and we’ of their personalities? What is the Michelangelo Effect and what does it reveal about your relationship? Why should you give a CRAPO and why might this boost your relationship? How much sex do partners need to be happy? All this and much more in Stronger than You Think with Dr. Gary Lewandowski!

Today we are joined by Dr. Anna Radke, Director of the Reward and Addictive Disorders Lab and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Miami University, to talk about sex differences in alcohol consumption. Anna shares with us how they use mice to understand how males and females differ in alcohol consumption behaviour and what that might mean for humans. Why does sex matter in alcohol consumption and why do we need to study sex differences? How much alcohol does a mouse drink if given the chance? What does a mouse bar look like? All this and much more in Sex Differences in Alcohol Consumption with Dr. Anna Radke!

Today we are joined by Dr. Seth Pollak, Letters and Science Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Professor of Anthropology, Pediatrics, Neuroscience, and Public Affairs, and Laboratory Director of the Child Emotion Lab at the Waisman Centre at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, to talk about emotions. Seth shares with us how humans develop the ability to display and read emotions, and how important context is when interpreting emotions. Are reading and displaying emotions innate skills that we are born with or do we learn them through social experience? Is there a critical period during which infants and children need to experience social and emotional input or is reading emotion a lifelong learning endeavour? Does having adverse early life experiences prevent the development of emotion regulation and emotion learning? All this and much more in Emotional Development with Dr. Seth Pollak!

In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Kaitlyn Goldsmith, Registered Psychologist and Lecturer at the University of British Columbia, to talk about long distance relationships. Kaitlyn shares with us why sexual satisfaction and well-being, including body image, mindfulness, and sexual communication, makes for lasting and meaningful romantic relationships when physically separated from your partner. How do partners deal with sexuality and intimacy during long distance relationships? What are the most important questions that couples need to answer to make their long distance relationship work? What is best: spontaneous or scheduled sex? All this and much more in Long Distance Relationships with Dr. Kaitlyn Goldsmith!

In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Gary Lewandowski, Professor of Psychology at Monmouth University, to talk about relationships, break-ups, and self-expansion. Gary explains why the ending of a relationship is not always a bad thing and instead can lead to self-growth and rediscover of the self. How long does it take to get over a breakup? Why should being selfish be considered a good thing in a relationship? What are ‘expander’ and ‘conserver’ personality traits in relationships, and what combination leads to the most successful relationships? All this and much more in Breaking Up with Dr. Gary Lewandowski!

In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Tom Griffiths, Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Princeton University, to talk about the mathematical principles behind human cognition. Tom shares with us how mathematical models are used to understand cognition, and how these can be applied in computer science to machine learning to create more efficient and capable computer systems. Why are humans so good at solving problems that computers struggle with? What is inductive bias and how does this separate humans from computers? How does understanding machine learning help us understand human behaviour? All this and much more in Algorithms to Live By with Dr. Tom Griffiths!

In today’s episode we are joined by A Month in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’s Sarah Louadi and Elyn Rowe to talk about neurodegenerative research, Alzheimer’s Disease, and AMiNDR Podcast. Elyn shares with us how heart health is related to Alzheimer’s Disease, and how good cholesterol might help identify, prevent, and treat Alzheimer’s Disease. Sarah explains how trying to keep up with the incredible volume of literature on neurodegenerative research inspired the creation of AMiNDR podcast. How do you diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease? What is Apolipoprotein E? How can we keep up with the onslaught of new and exciting literature? All this and much more in A Month in Neurodegenerative Disease Research with Sarah Louadi and Elyn Rowe!

Listen to Part Two of this episode, in which Drake and Kyle join Sarah and Elyn to talk about Brain Buzz Podcast, at AMiNDR.com!

In episode 52: Superbug Slayer we are joined by Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences and Harold Simon Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, to chat about superbugs and how to treat them. In this episode Steffanie shares with us the incredible story of how she helped resurrect a little known, but highly effective, treatment for antibiotic resistance bacteria and, in the process, saved her husband’s life. What is phage therapy and how can it reduce our reliance on antibiotics? Which infections can be treated with phage therapy? What can you do to prevent superbugs becoming the next global health crisis? All this and much more in Superbug Slayer with Dr. Steffanie Strathdee!

On episode 51 we are joined by Dr. Jiaying Zhao from the University of British Columbia to talk about how direct cash transfers can reduce homelessness and improve wellbeing in people experiencing homelessness. Jiaying shares with us how providing homeless people with $7500 aided them in finding employment, improved their cognitive function, alleviated concerns of food security, and enabled these individuals to find stable housing solutions. How did individuals spend the money they received? How quickly did the participants find housing? How much would direct cash transfers save governments and funding agencies? All this and much more in Reducing Homelessness with Direct Cash Transfers with Dr. Jiaying Zhao!

Brain Buzz Podcast makes research and science accessible to everyone. Every episode is on a new topic with a new expert guest. Follow Drake and Kyle as they interview research experts on each new episode. New topics every episode make sure that you will have something to mention at the watercooler or next cocktail party that is backed by researchers themselves.

Casual sex relationships; how direct cash transfers can reduce homelessness; breaking up and making relationships stronger; how drinking alcohol created our modern civilization; cancer cells and cooperation; non-verbal communication; accessing mental health services; sleep and cognition; why people believe in conspiracy theories; post-traumatic growth; researching pornography; exercise science;…. all these topics and so much more!