Prof Jon

The fact that science is under fire in the US is surprising, but it's nothing new. Governments and religions have always been afraid of science, which is crazy, because science isn't political or religious. Don't lose hope. Teach. Share. Wonder. Science is still the future.

In tomorrow's episode, Jon teaches Sean about the intricacies of emotional intelligence, discussing its components, the importance of self-awareness, and the role emotions play in decision-making and mental health. Listen on Spotify, iHeart, Amazon, or YouTube. #Neuroscience

Now research is showing that microplastics in ultra-processed foods, like chips and soda, may cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially contributing to depression and anxiety.

Should I change my snack choices, or am I just too old for it to matter?

Depression traps a person's thoughts in self-focus and rumination. Brains can get stuck.

But they can also change and heal.

Try connecting with others or seeking therapy. It's hard to take that first step, but it's essential to shift your neural tracks back towards hope.

If you are connected in any way to teaching, training, or learning, you will get something out of this episode.

Loneliness makes us feel bad. It fuels rumination and self-criticism. But research shows that even brief, meaningful interactions, like a shared smile, eye contact, or laughter can improve these. If you're feeling isolated and depressed, it's because you're human. Let's reach out to each other more.

Speaking of the Met Gala...your brain puts on its own fashion show. Every thought you have gets ‘dressed’ by context, memory, and emotion before stepping onto the red carpet of your awareness.

Episode 16, "I Got Patterns" dropped today. Listen on Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, or YouTube to hear Jon teach Sean how our brains recognize and interpret patterns in various contexts, from everyday life to storytelling and art. #podcast #Neuroscience

Ever notice how quickly you grasp ideas from short videos or infographics? That's microlearning, and your brain LOVES it!

Neuroscience shows we process and remember things best in focused bursts. That's how social media works. More people should share knowledge this way.

If you're facing major changes in your life, keep a healthy mindset. New opportunities, new paths, new perspectives...flow with them.

Change doesn't have to be chaos, it can be growth.

Our brains overreact to what’s most dramatic, not what’s most likely. It’s the availability heuristic—the same reason we fear plane crashes more than heart disease.

That's why we're more afraid of AI taking over the world than we are of its more likely risks, like algorithmic bias.

Have you ever experienced The Sean Effect? If you are not sure, listen to this week's episode that dropped today on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, and iHeart Radio. #podcast #Neuroscience

Is 'The Sean Effect' a real thing? Have you ever experienced it? 👂🏻to find out!

Science is apolitical. The scientific method is not biased. Yet science finds itself under attack. What gives?

Is it fear that inconvenient facts will challenge our worldviews? Or a power play to control which facts we collectively accept?

👏🏻Left👏🏻Brain👏🏻Right👏🏻Brain👏🏻Don't👏🏻Work👏🏻Separately👏🏻

Your amazing 🧠 uses both hemispheres for pretty much everything it does. It's a team effort.

No more hoaxy quizzes. Let's bury that myth!

My phone buzzing for every notification drives me crazy. Group texts the the worst! I want to be in the loop, but the constant barrage fragments my focus and I struggle to get my work done.

How do I tell people nicely to leave me off their mass texts?

I loved recording this episode! 🎙️

When scientists challenge consensus, we get breakthroughs.

When the uninformed challenge science, we get noise.

It's so noisy right now.

Let's not confuse scientific skepticism with ignorance.

Btw, our brains ARE amazing! 😜

Or you could spend 10 minutes scrolling. That's another way to challenge your brain’s notion of human intelligence.😉

Listen👂tomorrow @jonteachessean.bsky.social

The next time you catch yourself marveling at how smart we humans are, remember: that's just a three-and-a-half-pound blob of gooey biomatter patting itself on the back. Maybe it’s slightly biased?

So, what should we do? Perhaps a dose of humility about our perceptions, memories, and actions is in order. Realize that your brain isn't some objective observer—it's a self-serving storyteller creating a narrative that always writes itself in as the hero.

When I say, "the human brain is amazing," it's literally just my brain giving itself a compliment. This neuro-centricity is fascinating—we exist in a universe where the very organ evaluating our sense of reality is simultaneously self-evaluating its importance within that reality.

"BRAIN PHENOMENA"
Our latest🎙️episode on @jonteachessean.bsky.social drops tomorrow (Wednesday). Sean and I discuss various mysteries of the brain, but lead with the idea that the brain tends to be rather proud of itself. Read more👇
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That 'a-ha' moment you have? It happens when everything clicks. Your nonconscious brain connects seemingly unrelated dots and aligns patterns to bring everything together at once into a moment, a burst, of creative insight.
#BrainSpark

Your brain uses imagination to bridge gaps in knowledge, which is why curiosity is one of its most powerful tools.

What are you curious about? What leap must your imagination take?

Are AI’s cross-modal algorithms a kind of digital synesthesia, where models ‘see’ the flavor of words or ‘hear’ the texture of thoughts? In our next @jonteachessean.bsky.social podcast episode, we dive into phenomena like synesthesia—where senses blend... similar to today’s AI? Listen Wednesday👂🏻

Perhaps the challenge isn't to eliminate the fear in our lives but to recognize when that paranoid prophet is just trying to protect us from tigers that no longer exist.

All this led to a mind that treats uncertainty as inherently threatening. We fear what's unfamiliar. Some of the anxieties you have may simply be an evolutionary hangover.

This neurological pessimism bias isn't a design flaw; it's an important feature. False positives (seeing danger where none exists) kept us alive; false negatives (missing actual threats) got us eaten.