Keyword: fear

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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.

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.

The Fear of Losing Control September 22, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Personal Growth & Change

Control shapes us from toilet training to adulthood, but the drive to master ourselves and others carries a steep cost. Armand DiMele traces the psychology of control through panic attacks, obsessive perfectionism, and bad habits, arguing that naming fear openly does more good than white-knuckling it.

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 Nervous System and Hypochondria July 29, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel
Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

Fear of illness can be as debilitating as illness itself. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. walk through common neurological symptoms people misread or obsess over, from vertigo and wide-based gait to hypochondriasis, including how caretaker dynamics and secondary gain keep health anxiety alive.

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.

The Instinct to Escape Being Trapped July 21, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Identity & The Self

Feeling trapped is not a neurosis but a survival instinct, argues Armand DiMele. From the evolutionary need to flee predators to modern exit strategies in marriage and career, he traces how the drive to escape is wired into human biology, and callers share how economic pressure, caregiving, and difficult relationships trigger that ancient fear.

Finding Your Sense of Home June 25, 2009

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Home is where love and safety meet, and Armand DiMele traces that feeling back to our evolutionary roots, from cave dwellers seeking food and mates to modern adults who forget how to play. A schoolteacher caller from New Jersey brings the theme to life, describing how fear has replaced recess.