Schauer Thoughts

You know what they say, fall down seven times, pursue a class action lawsuit against the establishment. Just kidding but not really (see sources linked below) this week we’re learning about the neuroscience, psychology, and *personal* philosophy of rejection to manufacture some good ol’ fashion luck. This is not a guide on gambling nor a get rich quick scheme, this is a reframe to get you all to take a chance on some weird opportunities to flourish or at least establish a sizable amount of lore.

As always, thank you for joining me in the communal Schauer, please know that I am not perceiving any of you. When I step into the weekly STEAM I can’t see anything beyond the computer in front of me. Wishing you all the best.

Check out Gabbies1000nos aka the woman who inspired this episode! 

 https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThRthGxf/

Resources: 

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst - Robert M. Sapolsky 

Squares & Sharps, Suckers & Sharks: The Science, Psychology & Philosophy of Gambling - Joseph Buchdahl 

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 

What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk

Your brain learns from rejection – here’s how it becomes your compass for connection

https://theconversation.com/your-brain-learns-from-rejection-heres-how-it-becomes-your-compass-for-connection-249124

Neural responses to social rejection reflect dissociable learning about relational value and reward

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2400022121

The Psychological Health Benefits of Accepting Negative Emotions and Thoughts: Laboratory, Diary, and Longitudinal Evidence

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5767148/

Strengthen Your Mind the Way You Strengthen Your Body

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/building-resilient-minds/202601/strengthen-your-mind-the-way-you-strengthen-your-body#:~:text=The%20Window%20of%20Tolerance:%20Whereand%20even%20grow%20from%20it.

The Neuroplasticity of First Attempts

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-from-a-neuroscience-perspective/202509/the-neuroplasticity-of-first-attempts

The Luck Field Manual - “How to Manufacture Luck”

https://substack.com/@polymathinvestor/note/c-194112619

The Spirit of Hope - Byung Chul Han

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2YMgEQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT2&ots=l4PW6LyQQ8&sig=bGGFu0gUVQv3hqfvSS0d0ZyBjP4#v=onepage&q&f=false

— My Resources to Help You All Get Lucky! —

On the Art and Craft of Doing Science - Kenneth Catania

How to Find a Research Gap - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThrD8Q8L/ 

Nightshade - https://nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/whatis.html

Learn More About Adaptive Yoga - Mindbodysolutions.org

Learn More About Class Action Lawsuits - ClassAction.org 

Job Posting Websites to Check Out

Hiring.cafe - https://hiring.cafe/

Welcome to the Jungle - https://us.welcometothejungle.com/?utm_source=foundation&utm_campaign=redirect_modal&utm_content=en 

LinkedIn Job Search Hacks - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThryKvGR/ 

Check Out Audrey Gidman’s Substack On Art Residencies 

A non-exhaustive list of writing (and art) residencies in the so-called US https://substack.com/home/post/p-162701566 

Another non-exhaustive list of writing (and art) residencies in the so-called US

https://audreygidman.substack.com/p/another-non-exhaustive-list-of-writing?r=1cyxix 

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Well howdy my curious crew, today we’re taking somewhat of an insightful detour on our discussion of the rest and digest system! Our mode of transportation? Metaphor! We’re using figurative language to figure out what should already be widely known. 

For anyone new here, we’ll be discussing neuroscience, math, fluid dynamics, lateral learning and inhibition - we cover a lot of ground. Feel free to trilateral my position on information silos and receive a high five when you get here.

Apologies to those who aren’t mathematically inclined, sometimes you have to “take it there” to prove a point, coordinate frustration. 

Also, please feel free to leave your favorite marching band performance! They’re so hypnotic and incredibly impressive, I’d be honored to have them in the communal Schauer.

Make sure to rate my 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, any place you get your podcasts!

Resources:

‘Next Albert Einstein’ is 32-year-old woman who turned down $1.1m offer from university

https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/next-albert-einstein-sabrina-gonzalez-pasterski-327566-20260112

Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders and How We Can Change That - Nicole C. Rust 

This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers & Ogi Ogas

On the Art and Craft of Doing Science - Kenneth Catania 

The Meaning of Proofs: Mathematics as Storytelling - Gabriele Lolli

Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement - Ashley Shew 

Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters - Gordon Shepherd

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Welcome to the first Schauer of 2026, this week we’re discussing “brain washing” (a function of cerebrospinal fluid during sleep states) and integrating some g-dang information on the rest and digest system! Get ready for a gut-load of neuroscience and gastroenterology as well as a crude but functional amount of chemistry. Make sure to take your fiber after the communal STEAM session as sudden, public motility is frowned upon in most cultures.

I do apologize for mispronouncing molecules and neurological components, since I’m self-taught I don’t often get the experience to say these words out loud. Feel free to spell anything phonetically in the comments or DM me an *labeled* audio clip on Instagram. 

Part two coming next Wednesday!

Resources:

This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers & Ogi Ogas

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams - Matthew Walker PhD

The Mind Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choice, and Our Overall Health - Emeran Mayer, MD

Fragmented: A Doctor’s Quest to Piece Together American Health Care - Ilana Yurkiewicz

Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders — And How We Can Change That - Nicole C. Rust

The Beauty Molecule: Introducing Neurocerticals, the Breakthrough for Ageless Beauty - Nicholas Perricone, MD

How Your Brain’s Nightly Cleanse Keeps It Healthy 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-sleep-cleans-the-brain-and-keeps-you-healthy/

Reduced Brainstem Volume is Associated with Mobility Impairments in Youth with Cerebral Palsy

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9949252/#:~:text=The%20study%20also%20found%20that%20the%20reduced,Respiration%20*%20Cardiac%20function%20*%20Reflex%20control

Sleep and the heart: Interoceptive differences linked to poor experiential sleep quality in anxiety and depression

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5606300/

Source: Slow-wave sleep, acetylcholine, and memory consolidation

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0400237101#:~:text=These%20results%20suggest%20that%20the,1). 

Additional source: How is Sleep Regulated?

https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/sleep/2012/how-is-sleep-regulated#:~:text=The%20balance%20of%20neurotransmitters%20in,external%20sensory%20stimuli%20produces%20dreams.

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5: A Potential Target for Neuropathic Pain Treatment

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11808587/

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Welcome back to the communal Schauer! This week we’re doing a part two to how to make your new years resolutions actually stick and hint; we need to efficiently, effectively, and strategically utilize saliency. We want to find the most direct route, give ourselves guardrails, space expectations, and leave a little *rewarding* bread crumb trail so our brain and body (together) keep showing up! I’m wishing you all nothing but the absolute best, you can absolutely do this. Do not beat yourself up if you flub in January, just keep it pushing. 

Thank you all for making this year an absolute delight! I cannot stress how much you all have made my learning and growth journey so incredibly worthwhile. Your belief in me, a somewhat total stranger, has been invaluable. Please absolutely utilize that with yourself and your goals. I have received but a fraction of your conviction and I can only imagine what you can achieve if you aim that power, that consistency, back at yourself. 

That being said, I hope you all have a wonderful New Year’s, we’ll chat in 2026!

Resources:

The Science of Nutrition: Debunk the Diet Myths and Learn How to Eat Well for Health and Happiness - Rhiannon Lambert

What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk

On Muscle : The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters - Bonnie Tsui

This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers & Ogi Ogas

Reparenting: Seeking Healing for Your Inner Child

https://positivepsychology.com/reparenting/

Difference between expectations and standards

https://theeverymom.com/expectations-versus-standards-with-kids/

5 Rules for Setting SMART goals

https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/5-rules-for-setting-smart-goals#:~:text=You%20may%20have%20learned%20about,met%20in%20the%20time%20allotted 

Substack Recommendations:

Finding the Best (free) Resources for Your 2025 Self-Study Goals

https://substack.com/home/post/p-171479150

Where to find media to consume instead of doomscrolling

https://substack.com/home/post/p-168039199

Learn for Fun or Free or Fun & Free

https://substack.com/home/post/p-175242020

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Welcome to the weekly communal Schauer, today we’re discussing the history of new year’s resolutions as well as the neuroscience of making them stick. You might be wondering “why is she taking so long on the phrasing of these goals?” That’s a wonderful question *hypothetical* listener and the answer to that is because how you speak to yourself does matter. Decisions are changes, they are pivots - pivots are a rapid change in direction that, if not taken carefully or under control, can cause significant strain and even injury. “But that’s muscle strain” - yes, however cognitive strain is also real and can cause you to fear pivots and change in the future. We’re taking this slow, step by step, because I’m talking about how to make things stick (grip) so the pivot feels solid and stable!

Thank you all for making this year absolutely fabulous, I would not be where I am without all y’all’s (2nd person possessive plural pronoun btw) support and feedback. I’m wishing everyone a happy holidays, happy new year, and just a general sense of happiness as it’s very much needed.

Go easy on yourselves, you got this.

Free and affordable book and audiobook options (scroll down to bottom of Substack post)

 https://substack.com/home/post/p-181291076 

Resources: 

What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk

The Science of Nutrition: Debunk the Diet Myths and Learn How to Eat Well for Health and Happiness - Rhiannon Lambert

The History of New Year’s Resolutions

https://www.history.com/articles/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions

Millennials most likely to make 2026 resolutions over other generations: survey 

https://nypost.com/2025/12/08/lifestyle/millennials-most-likely-to-make-2026-resolutions-over-other-generations-survey/

The Neuroscience of Goals & Behavior Change

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5854216/

How Does “Not” Affect What We Understand? Scientists Find Negation Mitigates Our Interpretation of Phrases

https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2024/may/how-does--not--affect-what-we-understand--scientists-find-negati.html

Acute Stress Impairs Inhibitory Control based on Individual Differences in Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5448703/

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Bring your waders, this week we’re wandering into the stagnant swamp of Earth’s abject “elite.” Feel free to breathe through your mouth as we discuss AI brain rot, the “culture” of the 1%, and the longstanding tradition of offloading labor no matter the cost. Don’t worry, before we lock eyes with the ethically bankrupt and cognitively forlorn, we’ll also be discussing neuroscience, psychology, and art across cultures! So fun! I hope you enjoy these Schauer Thoughts.

Links to Substack: 

Research Wrapped 2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-181291076 

My 2025 Reading List: https://substack.com/home/post/p-181265928 

Resources:

StudyTogether & Study Stream

Generative AI: the risk of cognitive atrophy

https://www.polytechnique-insights.com/en/columns/neuroscience/generative-ai-the-risk-of-cognitive-atrophy/

Art Across Cultures: A Tapestry of Diverse Expressions

Exploring the impact of culture on artistic perception and creation.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/non-weird-science/202406/art-across-cultures-a-tapestry-of-diverse-expressions

The language of absence.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18558956/#:~:text=The%20paper%20%22The%20language%20of%20absence%22%20by,tantalizing%20*%20Mental%2C%20physical%2C%20and%20sexual%20abuse

ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT study

https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/

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Get ready for a strange mix of holiday cheer and fear, this week we’re serving up the science and psychology of generosity with a side of lore (my lore.) Don’t worry, things will be merry and bright… eventually. I’m just joshing, but make sure to check out the links below for sources, ideas, and much more. Hope to see you in the communal shower!

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Here we are, the third and final installment on how to be more creative! What a wild and winding journey it’s been, hopefully everyone is forever changed. Just a reminder: the essence (aka timbre - a unique quality of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds) of a shower thought is a rambling (divergent) musing while in the shower - an environment where sound and heat are taking ego (fixedness) offline and allowing you to make more fluid connections. Water is also a fluid, which is a substance that can flow and take the shape of it’s container aka your body, your brain - which btw are constantly changing so best to keep a lot of things fluid, moving, lest some solids clog flow. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the neuroscience, the lateral movements, the abstractions, the improv, but most of all… I hope you dance.

To the beat of your own drum. 

Don’t fall in line, or do, it’s up to you! Talk again soon, toodles!

Edit: I meant to say “IAF does RC circuits, not currents” - I was speaking so fast that I flubbed that.

Also, second edit: for an electrical fire, always disconnect the power source first. 

Third edit at the end: Delight is surprise + happiness, not happiness + sadness - I was speaking too fast. 

For more information on book club, visit my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-book-for-143088045 

Resources:

This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas

Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance - Elise Vernon Pearlstine 

Plant Lore and Legend - Ruth Binney

The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan 

Most Delicious Poison - Noah Whiteman

The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets - Thomas R. Cech

The Mind-Gut Connection - Emeran Mayer, MD

On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters - Bonnie Tsui

The Beauty Molecule - Nicholas Perricone, MD

A neurocomputational model of creative processes 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452#bbib49

Lateral Thinking: A Textbook of Creativity

https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/34623410/Lateral_thinking-libre.pdf?1409804461=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DL_AT_ERAL_T_HINKING.pdf&Expires=1764634187&Signature=gNaugtGh5fV5tq9C76US8IlQFXrqcrkaQ8UfxyvUsb~UM2YhbJJB-9PQOD4gjmHvFVaHfBNuIWsr9a~eVOHZuveFrUdxx-zZJdmh3DDxosekQ2OoHM2trx2ixYlWitsqpWY5CfobdDM0aQVICGCb00--EUfzJJq0-gIrySw388J4EI8MvqHtWJaGEIXWJx7gwpYvhfF3xTJ12GFhUK4pvrmz8qoLYTmLLjs3AwFZ-EWPRRfcCh8M6-eELduwJaTfi05edifhH6duN9qzmVUe7Nc-egIYIxcYWzIbFvwbDqseOpBDa2vD42DEZrU9eL4vW3XiYOobx6RD31QGEEvnpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA

Play It As It Lies | What Does This Mean?

https://cattailcrossing.ca/blog/play-it-as-it-lies-what-does-this-mean/ 

Improv Games for Collaboration

https://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/improv-games-for-collaboration

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Prepare to get meta, I’m going to walk you through my creative, divergent thinking process while explaining the neuroscience of creativity and divergent thinking! We do need our brains and bodies to be in sync for this to be meaningful, illuminating, give you (and I) an “aha!” moment.

Please note, divergent thinking means you think in a way that is not typical or standard, so I apologize if I’m hard to follow, however it is necessary to illustrate the point I’m making. I want you to know that you don’t have to understand every single detail, however you should focus on the actual “route” my mind is taking - the “figure 8.”

Thank you so much to The Allen Institute for inviting me to Neuroscience 2025 in San Diego, I am beyond grateful and appreciative for the experience. I encourage everyone to check out their website, as well as their mission, because science (and creativity) truly are for everyone.

The Allen Institute: https://alleninstitute.org/ 

New Book Club Information:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-book-for-143088045 

Resources:

This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas 

Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us - Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross

Horror in Architecture: The Reanimated Edition - Joshua Comaroff + One Ker-Shing

Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad) - Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, PhD

A neurocomputational model of creative process

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452

Functional Fixedness: When We Stick to What We Know

https://nesslabs.com/functional-fixedness

Sensorimotor experience and verb-category mapping in human sensory, motor and parietal neurons

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945217301491

Mental time travel, language, and evolution

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393219302441

Isometric Handgrip Exercise Speeds Working Memory Responses in Younger and Older Adults

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10238670/

Analogy: Definition, Examples, and Usage

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/literary-devices/analogy/

Learning from the Double Diamond: How Divergent and Convergent Thinking Can Improve Collaboration and Problem-Solving in Museums

https://www.aam-us.org/2024/04/05/learning-from-the-double-diamond-how-divergent-and-convergent-thinking-can-improve-collaboration-and-problem-solving-in-museums/

On the emergence of interdisciplinary scientific fields: (how) does it relate to science convergence?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000751

A Global Map of Science Based on the ISI Subject Categories

https://www.leydesdorff.net/map06/texts/index.htm

The Brain Science of Elusive ‘Aha! Moments’

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-elusive-brain-science-of-aha-moments/

Recommended Books:

The Geometry of Grief - Michael Frame

The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra 

The Gentrification of the Mind - Sarah Schulman 

On the Art and Craft of Doing Science - Kenneth Catania 

The Meaning of Proofs: Mathematics as Storytelling - Gabriele Lolli

The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan 

The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know - Shawn Coyne 

When Narcissism Comes to Church - Chuck DeGroat

Humour - Terry Eagleton

The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone - Philip Fernbach & Steven A. Sloman

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 I heard you wanted to get creative, so here is my *almost painfully*detailed breakdown of that process. If you’d like my resume when it comes to creative thinking, Google my name. 

(Before appearing too self-righteous to prospective listeners, we will be discussing the fundamental use of first person and first person possessive pronouns when it comes to creativity.)

This is part one to my new mini-series on how to be more creative where we’re exploring the fields of neuroscience, linguistics, metalinguistics, musculature, childhood development and much more! It’s time to brace yourself because the communal Schauer this week is loosening some pretty big knots.

Resources:

What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk

A neurocomputational model of creative process

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452

The Seven Functional Movement Patterns + Video Demonstrations

https://www.opexfit.com/blog/seven-functional-movement-patterns

Advertising: how it influences children and teenagers

https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/play-learning/screen-time-media/advertising-children#:~:text=At%207%2D11%20years%2C%20children,overstate%20how%20good%20products%20are.

Describing Skeletal Muscles: A Review of Muscle Attachments and Actions

https://www.visiblebody.com/learn/muscular/muscle-movements#:~:text=3.,muscles%20play%20in%20each%20movement.&text=The%20prime%20mover%2C%20sometimes%20called,are%20keeping%20your%20posture%20sturdy

Behavioral energetics in human locomotion: how energy use influences how we move

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11993254/

“I” versus “the author”: The power of first-person voice when writing about science

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11145200/#:~:text=Writing%20in%20the%20first%20person,that's%20something%20most%20scientists%20want. 

Using “I”: The First Person in Academic Writing

https://www.brandeis.edu/writing-program/resources/faculty/handouts/first-person.html

Why Metalinguistic Awareness Matters

https://www.gemmlearning.com/blog/learning-issues/why-are-metalinguistic-skills-important/#:~:text=Metalinguistic%20awareness%20is%20the%20ability%20to:%20*,your%20understanding%20as%20you%20listen%20and%20read 

Epithelium 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22062-epithelium 

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

https://www.verywellmind.com/kohlbergs-theory-of-moral-development-2795071

For sources from a previous podcast episode, please visit that episode for the full source list in the caption!

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