I did not start with a career goal of becoming a neuroscientist, nor have I been a book lover in general, since my ADHD often kept me from finishing them. Somehow, while pursuing my growing passion for this field, I came across a few neuroscience books that strengthened my knowledge, broadened my view, and gave me company in the cold, dark Dutch winter.
Some brains hear words and sense the emotional pressure behind them before language has fully caught up. Maybe high sensitivity is not a weakness, but an early warning system for the invisible weather of a room.
From the design of seatbelts to the symptoms of a heart attack, the average male body has long served as the default model for research and development across society. Fortunately, efforts are now underway to better represent others, including women. But where do we currently stand in neuroscience?
Baking isn’t just a holiday tradition; research shows that cooking and baking can reduce stress and improve emotional well-being. Here’s what neuroscience can tell us about why it works.
From the moment you are born, you live in one body. This body grounds your perspective: you see, hear, and feel the world from this single point of view. Yet this also means you are stuck inside it. You can never truly know what it is like to be someone else. Or can you? With a few clever tricks, your brain can be persuaded that you have stepped into another body. This is the body-swap illusion.
Chatbots may not have bodies, but they act through ours. As we prompt, respond, and adapt, they become part of our cognitive loop; just slower, but no less real. Maybe the real question isn’t if they’re intelligent, but if we’ve started thinking with them.
Were you called a genius, visionary, or brilliant by an LLM (large language model) based on the last idea you discussed with it? But deep down, you know that the idea was half-baked and needed major refinement? The over-the-top ego massage may lead to an egoistic society. Read further to know why and how to stop it.
Love takes on many shapes and forms; it can move mountains, remain unrequited, or last a lifetime. It has the power to make us feel like the happiest person in the world, but also the saddest. Arguably the most powerful emotion of all, love can largely be explained by what happens in our brains. But can it really be reduced to biochemical signals?
As you casually buy gifts for the holidays, a hidden force guides you towards certain stores and products. Unbeknownst to you, their appearance has been tailor-made to catch your attention. This is neuromarketing; utilizing the brain’s reactions to ads and products.
The most valuable resource a society can hope to import, collect, and sustain is not oil, gold, or diamonds but the brain of a young scientist. Policymakers who forget this should revisit the fable of the hen that laid golden eggs. If the hen is killed, no more golden eggs.