Episode 4 – Arj Barker: Meditation Fails, Lucid Dreams & the Neuroscience of Funny

Bay-Area-born stand-up icon Arj Barker joins Pete Johansson and Dr Paul Whissell for 90 minutes of big laughs, deep nerdery and a few “did-he-really-say-that?” detours. We dig into:

• Arj’s guided-meditation show intro—why he likes to “prime” an audience and the science that (sometimes) backs it

• Corpse-visualisation in Buddhism, spiritual materialism and Arj’s parody rap “The Sickest Buddhist”

• Lucid-dream hacks (galantamine, FILD finger-tapping) and the brain waves that make them possible

• Priming, the replication crisis, and why some classic psych studies didn’t survive a second look

• Capilano-Bridge attraction, fatal-insomnia prions & other bedtime stories

• Gum ads, Mentos trauma and why humour disarms social tension

• How learning Mandarin for stand-up changed Arj’s brain—and his swearing habits

• “Meditation Intro” video (2009 special clip) → https://www.facebook.com/ArjBarker/videos/3527277020915478/​:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

• “The Sickest Buddhist” rap → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbzs_5gD2DM​:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

• Content flags: graphic corpse imagery (08 min), mild sexual language & drug references, brief chat about fatal familial insomnia.

• Galantamine/lucid-dream tips are anecdotal only—not medical advice.

📧 [email protected]
Insta @TheSlowLearnerPodcast

If you enjoyed the episode, tap ★★★★★ on Spotify/Apple and share it with a friend who still thinks the pencil-in-the-teeth study is solid science.

(c) 2025 The Slow Learner Podcast

Watch the bits Arj mentionsNeed-to-know notesSay hi / send feedback