Dr. Mark Williams is a cognitive neuroscientist, author of The Connected Species, and one of the world’s leading experts on how we learn, connect, and perceive reality — and why modern life may be rewiring our brains in ways we don’t fully understand.

Your brain is not showing you the world as it is — it’s hallucinating a version that helps you survive. And that illusion is breaking down. Especially for children.

Expect to learn why reality itself is a convincing hallucination created by your brain, how technology is disrupting emotional development and attention in kids, why screen time is linked to lower empathy and memory, how facial expressions are learned (and what happens when they aren’t), why multitasking ruins learning, how AI could both help and harm education, why sleep is critical for memory, why writing is better than typing, and how to reimagine schools based on what the brain actually needs.

Plus — the incredible story of how Dr. Williams went from high-school dropout to MIT neuroscientist, and what it taught him about human potential.

Timestamps:

00:02:55 The Illusion of Reality: How Our Brain Constructs Perception

00:09:26 Mark Williams: A Journey from Struggles to Neuroscience

00:16:46 Reimagining Education: Connection Over Curriculum

00:20:58 The Role of AI in Education: Opportunities and Challenges

00:29:45 Neuroscience Insights: Learning, Memory, and Effective Education

00:36:16 The Role of Ancillary Learning in Neuroscience

00:37:25 Effective Learning Strategies and Common Mistakes

00:40:29 The Impact of AI on Learning

00:42:47 Engagement vs. Entertainment in Education

00:42:58 The Distraction of Mobile Devices in Classrooms

00:45:52 The Importance of Handwriting and Note-Taking

00:48:25 The Value of Effort in Learning

00:51:05 Teaching Neuroscience to Educators

00:54:51 The Importance of Social Interaction for Learning

00:57:06 Attention Spans and Mental Health Concerns

01:02:21 The Loneliness Epidemic Among Youth

01:03:39 Applying Neuroscience to Daily Life

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