In this episode we discuss real life inception with a former bank robber turned neuroscientist. Is it possible to plant ideas in your head? Are your memories an accurate reflection of past reality? Can you change and mold your memories to be different? We open the door on human irrationality and explore why and how we make bad decisions, and what you can do to make small changes that will create a big impact in your life and much more with our guest Moran Cerf. How Moran went from an accomplished bank robber to a prominent neuroscientistMost times in life we tell our story backwards to make sense of the pastAre people rational actors who make decisions in their own best interest?Humans are not rational actors - they often make irrational choicesBehavioral economics opened the door to explaining human irrationality - but neuroscientists were necessary to truly explain WHY these mistakes were happeningIrrational behavior - why it works - and how we can change it Is losing a $10 movie ticket the same as losing $10? In case of most people’s behavior - almost certainly not.  Your memories are not a reliable reflection of reality or your past - despite the fact that you think they are “Don’t believe everything you think"Real Life Inception - Planting Ideas In Your Brain, re-shaping your memoriesHow neuroscientists use magicians and slight of hand to demonstrate our ability to rationalize and explain our decisionsIf you make a small positive step, the brain will start to build pillars of support to underpin that new behaviorHow does neuroplasticity impact our brains ability to change adapt and transform our beliefs and memoriesYour memories are never fixed - they aren’t sitting in a vault, perfect, unchanged. Your memories are changed and modified every time you remember them and pull them back. Ever time you use a memory, you change it a little bit - over time we change memories greatly - we can remember things that never existed and forget what truly happenedThis is how the brain deals with trauma and negative experienceEven when you’re sleeping your brain rehearses, loads, and engages with your memories.Bringing up and talking through negative memories physically reshapes those memories in your brainYou think you are very unique - in terms of your brain - but we are very similar and fall into predictable behavioral patterns and biases We often think our decisions are our own - but in reality they are often influenced by biases, the environment, and many things beyond our control. We are discovering that more and more of our brain is not really under our control. Subtle shifts in your environment change how you respond to things. “Embodied cognition” shows that many things are happening to us, that we don’t have full control over If you have a name for something you can think about it, if you can think about it you can control itCoding things is huge as well (what was the temparture, your mood, hunger level etc when you made decisions)Just by listening to this episode you’re improving your ability to think more effectively and make better decisions! How can we take these lessons of neuroscience and apply them to make ourselves smarter and better decision makers?Planting computer chips into your brain - and teaching your brain how to read and interact with them. Homework - surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do Think about what you wantFind people who have it Spend time with them and in their proximity

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