The Brain Blown Podcast

Have you ever been in or been around someone in the "honeymoon phase" of a relationship?

That crazy, passionate start where seeing their name pop up on your phone gives you butterflies and you can't help but think about them constantly to the point where it's almost obsessive?

Turns out there's some wild brain chemistry behind those crazy new-love jitters, how love seems to settle as the relationship continues, and what happens in your brain if that relationship ends.

In this episode, we explore:

• What scientific theories explain the different types of love
• The brain mapping behind passionate love, companion love, and a few more
• How your brain changes throughout different relationship phases
• What happens in your brain during breakups
• What we understand of marriage, monogamy, and human attachment

Whether you're currently falling in love, settled in a long-term relationship, or healing from heartbreak, this episode offers fascinating insights into what's happening in your brain through every stage of love.

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

• Social Neuroscience of Love -- Stephanie Cacioppo, Francesco Bianchi-Demicheli, Elaine Hatfield, Richard L. Rapson
• Love: Neuroscience Reveals All -- Larry J. Young
• The Power of Love on the Human Brain -- Francesco Bianchi-Demicheli, Scott T. Grafton & Stephanie Ortigue, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
• Demystifying the Neuroscience of Love -- Stephanie Cacioppo, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, USA, John T. Cacioppo
• Love is More than Just a Kiss: A Neurobiological Perspective on Love and Affection -- A Deboer, E. M. Vanbuelang, G. J. Terhorst
• The Neurobiology of Love -- Tobias Esch & George B. Stefano
• The Brain in Love: Has Neuroscience Stolen the Secret of Love? -- Sultan Tarlac

Why are women’s reports of pain so often dismissed?

As it turns out, it’s not just oversight—it’s a failure of trust.

In this case study mini-episode, we're looking at distrust in real-time—examining how bias in medicine isn’t just about misunderstanding symptoms, but about who gets believed and who doesn’t.

Building on our full episode on Trust and our mini-episode on Hatred, Laine dives into research from Harvard Health and neuroscience studies to uncover the real cost of medical distrust—especially for women and women of color.

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

• The Anatomy of Hatred: Multiple Pathways to the Construction of Human Hatred Randall E. Osborne, Ph.D., Christopher J. Frost, Ph.D. Texas State University-San Marcos
• A Brain Mechanism for Hate Mario F. Mendez, M.D., Ph.D.
• Neuropolitics in the age of extremism: Brain regions involved in hatred Henry A. Nasrallah, MD
• Trust is heritable, whereas distrust is not Martin Reimann, Oliver Schilkeb, and Karen S. Cook
• Medical education and distrust modulate the response of insular-cingulate network and ventral striatum in pain diagnosis Giada Dirupo, Sabrina Totaro, Jeanne Richard, Corrado Corradi-Dell’Acqua
• Understanding Emotions: Origins and Roles of the Amygdala Goran Šimić   Mladenka Tkalčić  Vana Vukić  Damir Mulc Ena Španić Marina Šagud  Francisco E Olucha-Bordonau  Mario Vukšić Patrick R Hof

Hate and distrust feel like opposites of love and trust—but they aren’t.

At their core, they’re about fear. Fear of being wrong. Fear of being hurt. Fear of death itself.

But how does the brain decide who to trust and who to fear?

Why do we hold onto hatred even when it harms us?

And most importantly, how do we break the cycle?

Let’s dive in.

(And enjoy a special open-door ending!)

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

• The Anatomy of Hatred: Multiple Pathways to the Construction of Human Hatred Randall E. Osborne, Ph.D., Christopher J. Frost, Ph.D. Texas State University-San Marcos
• A Brain Mechanism for Hate Mario F. Mendez, M.D., Ph.D.
• Neuropolitics in the age of extremism: Brain regions involved in hatred Henry A. Nasrallah, MD
• Trust is heritable, whereas distrust is not Martin Reimann, Oliver Schilkeb, and Karen S. Cook
• Medical education and distrust modulate the response of insular-cingulate network and ventral striatum in pain diagnosis Giada Dirupo, Sabrina Totaro, Jeanne Richard, Corrado Corradi-Dell’Acqua
• Understanding Emotions: Origins and Roles of the Amygdala Goran Šimić   Mladenka Tkalčić  Vana Vukić  Damir Mulc Ena Španić Marina Šagud  Francisco E Olucha-Bordonau  Mario Vukšić Patrick R Hof

Welcome to Season 4 of The Brain Blown Podcast!

This month's focus: relationships

And starting with the root of any relationship: trust

Trust shapes everything we do—but it’s more complex than we think.

In a split second, our brain decides who feels safe and who doesn’t. But why?

What makes someone truly trustworthy? And why do some teams thrive while others crumble?

Let’s break it down.

And look out for more mini-episodes on this topic in the coming weeks!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Closing out season 3, the BBP ends on an explicit note.

The best way to move from a state of numbness or avoidance is to do something. Anything. And Laine walks us through some prime examples as we head into an important election season.

Fair warning: Laine's passion in this one is so strong, you may want to mind your audio levels. ;)

Join us for a final quick dive into making social change possible, and check out our full episode on Social Change if you haven't!

For anyone new here, Laine & I will be taking a short winter hiatus to plan for season 4, so you'll hear from us again in January.

Until then, enjoy!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

How do make social change feel feasible? Look to sway those who are already with you.

In this mini-episode of Brain Blown, we explore the power of making changes within our own social movements -- like how we made bullying "uncool" and how the GLBT+ adapted the quickest to COVID-19 restrictions.

Join us for a quick dive making social change possible, and check out our full-episode on Social Change if you haven't!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Have you ever felt that knot in your stomach when faced with a new idea that challenges everything you’ve believed?

Social change is inevitable, but it often brings discomfort and resistance. And when you're fighting for a social movement, it can feel impossible trying to fight "against the grain" and change people's ways, thoughts or beliefs.

Join us as we navigate these complex dynamics and uncover what it truly takes to inspire change in our society

Look out for more mini-episodes on this topic in the coming weeks!

And a friendly reminder for new listeners, November & December are our off-months for planning and holidays. After a few more episodes in October, we'll see you back in January!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Ever notice how easy it is to feel connected to someone if they're wearing your team's jersey or a t-shirt of your favorite band?

You might think it's cause it's familiar or you found something in common, but in truth, it's another way we find belonging.

In this mini-episode of Brain Blown, we explore how our brains create powerful connections beyond human relationships:

Join us for a quick dive into the fascinating world of belonging, where your brain treats logos and ideologies with the same intensity as human connections.

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Your brain on social media: It's not just addictive, it's transformative. Here's why.

In this episode of the Brain Blown Podcast, we're logging into the neuroscience of social media and belonging.

We'll explore:

From the prefrontal cortex to the ventral striatum, we're mapping the brain's social media hotspots. Join us as we uncover the fascinating relationship between our neurons and our newsfeeds.

Plus, we'll discuss how this digital revolution is providing neuroscientists with unprecedented insights into human behavior and social cognition.

Tune in, and you might just see your next post through a whole new lens.

Look out for more mini-episodes on this topic in the coming weeks!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Around the pandemic we saw an explosion of social media influencers -

You know, those ads of random internet people (maybe you've seen before) casually chatting to you about a product or experience they had that you'll totally love.

As it turns out, these so-called "peer" influencers may be changing our brains more than we realize.

Enjoy this mini episode as not only a wrap-up to influence, but a preview for one of the next full episodes coming out this season!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Introduction to the Journal of Marketing Research, Special Issue on Neuroscience and Marketing -- Colin Camerer and Carolyn Yoon

Persuasion, Influence, and Value: Perspectives from Communication and Social Neuroscience -- Emily Falk and Christin Scholz

What can neuroscience offer marketing research? -- Billy Sung and Nicholas J. Wilson

Neuroscience in Marketing: Assessment of Advertisement; Memory by Means of Facial Muscles; Movement Analysis -- Calga Pinar, Sanem Alkibay