Many of us experience moments of insecurity about our looks, but for some people, their reflection in the mirror becomes a source of severe distress.

Dr. Katharine Phillips is a leading authority on Body Dysmorphic Disorder, (BDD) a condition that affects how individuals perceive their appearance. She has authored seminal books that have helped shape how this disorder is recognized and managed worldwide.

As a psychiatrist and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, she has dedicated her career to understanding and treating this often-misunderstood disorder. And her work has been instrumental in improving outcomes for patients struggling with this distorted body image.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

Imagine a world where everyone looks the same and you can't recognize one person from another – even you own child! It sounds like a frightening episode from the "Twilight Zone", but it's just every day life for people with prosopagnosia, better known as "Face Blindness".

We humans use parts of our brains to see, process and recognize faces that are different from recognizing anything else in our lives, which is not surprising when you consider how important faces are to understanding the situations we are in and the emotions of the people closest to us.

In this episode, Dr. Brad Duchaine, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College and one of the world's experts on face recognition, explains how how the face blind perceive the world, the strategies they use to mange their lives, and the unfortunate people who experience the rare (and almost unpronounceable) condition of "prosopometamorphopsia."

Plus, hear how "Super Recognizers" are using the opposite of face blindness to help fight crime.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

The human brain has a remarkable ability to recognize faces and decode identity, emotion, and intent almost instantly. But what happens when that ability breaks down? Our next guest Dr. Brad Duchaine is a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College and one of the world's leading researchers on how the brain processes faces. His work focuses on conditions that make it difficult or even impossible for people to recognize familiar faces, including those of close friends and family.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

Why do we sometimes drink too much, even when we know the risks? In this episode, surgeon, author, and recovering alcoholic Dr. Charles Knowles joins us to explore the neuroscience of alcohol use and addiction. Drawing from his book "Why We Drink Too Much" and his own lived experience, Dr. Knowles describes how alcohol alters the brain's reward pathways, and how drinking problems exist on a spectrum. Through neuroscience and deeply personal insight, he speaks to alcohol's impact on mental and physical health and gives inspiration to others through sharing his own journey to recovery.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

Alcohol is one of the most ubiquitous and celebrated substances on the planet. It is woven throughout our social lives and culture, often without acknowledgement of its impact on the brain or the impact of addiction.

Our guest, Dr. Charles Knowles, is a surgeon and Chief Academic Officer at Cleveland Clinic, London. His new book, "Why We Drink Too Much: The Impact of alcohol on Our Bodies and Culture", is his first popular science work, driven by a deeply personal reason, his own battle with alcohol.

Although memories fade, hearing declines and our bodies suffer aches and pains, there is one benefit to aging that we can actually gain with each passing year.

It's called wisdom.

But just because someone is older, it doesn't mean they are wiser. It takes a certain type of person to learn important lessons from their life experiences.

Dr. Dillip Jeste reveals what he has discovered after studying wisdom for decades, including the neuroscience of the wise brain, emphasizing how cultivating wisdom enhances brain health as well as offering some insights on how to develop and nurture wisdom in yourself, at any age.

In a larger view, Dr. Jeste discusses the importance of wisdom for the health of our society.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit

https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit

https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

Although memories fade, hearing declines and our bodies suffer aches and pains, there is one benefit to aging that we can actually gain with each passing year. It's called wisdom.

But just because someone is older, it doesn't mean they are wiser. It takes a certain type of person to learn important lessons from their life experiences.

Dr. Dillip Jeste reveals what he has discovered after studying wisdom for decades- the neuroscience of the wise brain, as well as offering some insights on how to develop and nurture it yourself, at any age.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

Cults and high-control groups influence beliefs and fundamentally reshape identity, decision-making, and autonomy.

In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg sits down with sociologist and cult expert Dr. Janja Lalich, Professor and author of Take Back Your Life, to explore the psychology behind cults. Drawing from decades of research as well as her own personal experience of spending a decade in a political cult, she discusses how indoctrination alters a person's sense of self, why anyone can become vulnerable under the right circumstances, and the road to recovery after leaving.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit

https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit

https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

From Jim Jones, David Koresh, and the Branch Davidians, to online conspiracy theory groups, cults and coercive systems of control can shape how people think, feel, and make decisions. Often these systems are more pervasive and psychologically damaging than many of us may suspect.

Dr. Janja Lalich, (a cult survivor herself) has spent decades studying how individuals get drawn into high control groups and how they manage to find their way out.

What happens in the brain when belief, identity, and autonomy are manipulated? And what does it take to recover from a cult and reclaim independent thinking?

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit

https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit

https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

Narcissism is a term that gets used constantly - but what does it actually mean in psychological terms, and how is it shaping our society? In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with leading expert Dr. Keith Campbell to separate myth from science.

Drawing from his book The New Science of Narcissism, Dr. Campbell explains the difference between everyday self-focused traits and the far rarer personality disorder, unpacks the two distinct expressions of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and explores how these patterns influence our relationships, leadership, parenting, and culture.

Plus, let's spend some time with the "O.G." narcissist.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit

https://thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit

https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org