Category: The Mind & Neuroscience

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How the Brain Evolved Emotions with Dr. Joe Ledoux June 16, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Joe Ledoux, Sherry Segal
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Fear is not just a feeling but a hardwired survival circuit, and the brain acts on danger before the conscious mind even knows what is happening. Neuroscientist Dr. Joe Ledoux walks Armand through the amygdala’s two pathways, why emotional memories feel vivid but are often inaccurate, and why it is far easier for emotions to hijack thought than the other way around.

In Pursuit of Silence with George Prochnik May 5, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: George Prochnik, Lauren Sykes, Sherri Siegel
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, The Mind & Neuroscience

Noise is everywhere, but what does silence actually mean? Author George Prochnik joins Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. to explore how mechanical noise damages us cognitively and physically, why people fill quiet with sound out of fear, and how the pursuit of genuine silence can expand attention and deepen connection.

Why We Are Drawn to Violence April 28, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lauren Sykes, Sherri Siegel
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Why do some people crave violent spectacle while others look away? Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. trace the neurochemistry behind attraction to violence, from adrenaline and cortisol surges to serotonin genetics, and propose that the real draw is not violence itself but the primal flight response and the thrill of imagined escape.

Surviving Extreme Environments with Emily Anthes April 22, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Emily Anthes, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Society, Culture & Current Events, The Mind & Neuroscience

What happens to the human mind when you’re trapped with strangers in Antarctica or a Mars simulation capsule for months? Emily Anthes, Science Journalist and Author, joins Armand DiMele and Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, to examine how extreme isolation, cold, and darkness disrupt mood, hormones, and group cohesion in ways that mirror everyday life under pressure.

Hormones and Female Addiction with Emily Anthes April 13, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Emily Anthes, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

Estrogen makes drugs feel better, and progesterone can counteract that effect. Emily Anthes, Science Journalist and Author, joins Armand to explain why female addicts are biologically distinct from male addicts, why teenage girls now use drugs as often as boys, and how hormone-based treatments might one day help women quit.

The Chemistry of Kissing March 11, 2010

Category: Love & Romantic Relationships, The Mind & Neuroscience

Kissing turns out to be a rich biochemical event. Armand DiMele and co-host Stephanie break down how testosterone, pheromones, dopamine, oxytocin, and even carbon dioxide exchange shape attraction and pair bonding, and why a single kiss can make or break a romance.

Music as a Healing Process with John Pelletieri January 7, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: John Pelletieri, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Music stirs feelings that words cannot reach, and John Pelletieri, author of a textbook on music therapy, explains why. Armand and Pelletieri trace how rhythm, melody, and imagery each activate different brain regions, and how therapists use that to unlock the unconscious. Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, co-hosts.

The Heart Is Not Just a Pump January 6, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel, Teresa Palmer
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Neurocardiology is upending the old idea that the heart is merely a pump. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. examine how extreme stress and emotional loss can literally stop the heart, where serotonin is actually stored in the body, and why fragmented specialist care leaves patients powerless.

The Anxious Brain and Doomsday Fear January 5, 2010

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

Some people are simply born to worry, and doomsday predictions like 2012 give them a target. Armand draws on Jerome Kagan’s landmark longitudinal study of infant temperament to show how a hyperreactive baby becomes an anxious adult, and explains how the amygdala drives fear that has no real object.

How the Brain Fills in the Blanks December 16, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

The brain is wired to fill in gaps, and that drive shapes everything from vision to dreams to romantic longing. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. trace the neuroscience of synapses and blind spots outward to nightmares, compulsive thinking, and why an excited amygdala conjures danger from thin air.