Keyword: risk-taking

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Why Teenagers Take Risks July 1, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Lisa Arnone
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Identity & The Self

Adolescent risk-taking is rooted in brain biology: the amygdala and reward circuits mature before the prefrontal cortex, leaving teenagers flooded with sensation-seeking drive and no brake. Armand DiMele, co-host Giullian Gioiello, and Lisa Arnone, LCSW trace this from evolutionary necessity through modern dangers like cutting, substance use, and viral stunts.

The Mood of Depression November 20, 2008

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Depression & Mood, Society, Culture & Current Events

When a whole society swings from irrational exuberance to despair, a collective numbness sets in. Armand DiMele maps the symptoms of this shared depression and explores how people seek relief through crisis, romance, aggression, music, and nature, drawing on caller stories to illustrate what genuinely lifts the spirit.

The Pressure of Power March 11, 2008

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

Why do powerful people sabotage themselves? Armand DiMele uses the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal as a lens to examine the crushing psychological pressure of public power, the unconscious drive toward self-destruction as relief, and how personal histories with infidelity shape the stones people throw at others.

The Biology of Risk and Danger March 28, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Personal Growth & Change, The Mind & Neuroscience

Risk and danger are not personality flaws but biological drives rooted in dopamine and evolutionary history. Armand DiMele traces why humans crave thrill, why dangerous types attract mates, how optimistic bias fuels reckless behavior, and how the nester-adventurer spectrum shapes personality across the lifespan.