Neuroscientist David Linden received a devastating diagnosis of heart cancer, just shy of his 60th birthday. He found himself fascinated by how his brain was reckoning with his mortality. Our brains are always predicting the future in a deep way presupposes that there will be a future. And so I think this makes it very hard as a human to truly imagine yourself gone because that next moment is something that's deep in our consciousness.
At age 59, neuroscientist David Linden received a startling diagnosis of heart cancer. Even in the face of a terminal illness, David is continuing to think like a scientist. He shares what he's learned from watching his mind grapple with his own mortality, and how the diagnosis has changed his experience of time. Maya and David also discuss the power of curiosity and how it can aid us in moments of profound suffering.
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out this episode from the archive: “The Life-Changing Diagnosis.”
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