Mood: Glad

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Music Memory and the Brain December 3, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Connie Tameno, Imas, Jose, Marlon Sobel, Nsara, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Memories shift each time we recall them, and music rewires brain chemistry in ways science is only beginning to confirm. Armand DiMele and co-host Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, draw on a recent conference on music and neurological function to explore how rhythm and melody can reach Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, spark dopamine release, and even mirror the pull of addiction.

Emotional Isolation and Being Locked In November 25, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Identity & The Self

What does a rare neurological condition reveal about emotional life? Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. use locked-in syndrome as a lens to examine how people become trapped inside themselves through addiction, social anxiety, schizoid withdrawal, and holiday depression, then turn toward gratitude as a way out.

The Dopaminergic Mind with Dr. Fred Previck November 10, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Fred Previck
Category: Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy, The Mind & Neuroscience

What made humans human? Dr. Fred Previck, MD, cognitive neuroscientist and author, argues that a dramatic expansion of dopamine in the brain drove our species to language, abstract thought, strategic planning, and civilization itself. Armand DiMele traces the arc from early hominids to modern society, asking whether our dopaminergic drive is now outpacing our wisdom.

The Rhythms That Run Your Body September 30, 2009

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

Your heartbeat, digestion, sleep cycles, and mood are all governed by biological rhythms, and falling out of sync has real consequences. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. explore cortisol, melatonin, the pineal gland, and what it means when two people’s rhythms simply don’t match.

The Social Rules of Manners and Etiquette September 23, 2009

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

Why do manners exist, who gets to have them, and what happens when the brain can no longer enforce them? Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. trace etiquette from dementia and autism to class inequality and road rage, arguing that good manners are ultimately a function of time, neurological capacity, and self-awareness.

The Gifts and Losses of Growing Old September 17, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Aging & Mortality, Personal Growth & Change

Getting older is full of gifts that youth misses entirely: steadiness, perspective, freedom from reactive chemistry. Armand DiMele makes the case for aging with dignity rather than fighting it, drawing on caller stories, brain science, and the value older workers bring to any room.

The Healing Power of Touch September 16, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Faith Schwartz, Sherri Siegel
Category: Aging & Mortality, Emotions & Inner Life

Touch is a basic human need that goes unmet for many people, especially the elderly. Armand explores the science and practice of massage with Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. and licensed massage therapist Faith Schwartz, covering everything from nerve sensitivity and endorphins to the many massage modalities and why draping builds trust.

The Power of Consequential Strangers with Melinda Blau August 27, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Melinda Blau
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Most conversations about relationships ignore the dozens of peripheral people who shape our days. Melinda Blau, co-author of ‘Consequential Strangers,’ joins Armand DiMele to argue that acquaintances and near-strangers are as vital as intimates, offering job leads, practical help during crises, and a powerful antidote to loneliness.

Generation Jones August 21, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Catherine Altieri, Cynthia Levchenko
Category: Identity & The Self, Society, Culture & Current Events

The overlooked generation between boomers and Gen X gets its due. Armand DiMele and Catherine Altieri, LCSW, along with Cynthia Levchenko, map how shared experiences like the AIDS crisis, political assassinations, and 1960s pop culture shaped a pragmatic, self-reliant cohort whose identity was long misread.

The Myth of the Unruly Mob July 28, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Society, Culture & Current Events

Crowd violence and panic are far rarer than we assume, and heavy-handed control often causes the very chaos it aims to prevent. Armand DiMele surveys research on crowd psychology to argue that people in groups default toward cooperation and mutual care, not irrationality.