What is Fear? Memory, Emotion & the Malleability of the Mind | Daniela Schiller

6 snips

Sep 14, 2025

In a fascinating conversation, Daniela Schiller, a leading neuroscientist and director of the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at Mount Sinai, delves into the malleability of memory and emotion. She discusses how fear memories form in the brain and the flexibility of emotional responses, emphasizing that our experiences are not hardwired. Schiller highlights ethical concerns around modifying traumatic memories and introduces the concept of the Human Affectome. The discussion also spans consciousness, social navigation, and the integration of neuroscience with philosophy.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Fear As Predictive Preparation

Fear triggers the brain to identify relevant threats and enter a preparatory, predictive mode.
This prepares the organism to act before direct encounter by using learned predictive cues.

INSIGHT

Emotion Is Flexible, Not Fixed

Emotional responses evolved from reflexes into flexible, updateable behaviors.
Flexibility prevents every experience from permanently altering behavior and supports adaptive updating.

INSIGHT

Treat Emotions As Computations

Emotional behavior can be modeled as algorithmic processes the brain computes.
Computational models help isolate learning components and generate precise predictions.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

What if our memories weren’t fixed, but flexible? And what if the key to understanding fear, emotion, and consciousness lies in how the brain constantly reshapes experience?In this episode of Mind-Body Solution, Dr Tevin Naidu speaks with Prof Daniela Schiller, a world-renowned neuroscientist, and director of the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at Mount Sinai. Prof Schiller’s groundbreaking work explores how we form, change, and even reimagine emotional memories, from the neuroscience of fear to the dynamic nature of consciousness and identity. Together, we dive into:- How fear memories are formed in the brain- Why emotional responses are flexible, not hardwired- The ethics of modifying traumatic memories- Social navigation: how the brain maps human relationships- The Human Affectome: a bold framework linking emotion and consciousness- Can machines ever be conscious? Free will, probabilities, and neuroscience- Memory as liberation: how to live with multiple stories of the selfProf Schiller is not only a world-leading neuroscientist with work published in Nature, Neuron, Nature Neuroscience, and PNAS, she’s also a Fulbright Fellow, Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow, two-time Moth StorySLAM winner, and drummer for the rock band "The Amygdaloids".TIMESTAMPS:(0:00) – Introduction: Daniela Schiller on the Science of Emotion & Memory(0:39) – From Animal Models to Human Fear Studies: Schiller’s Journey(2:00) – What Happens in the Brain When a Fear Memory is Formed?(3:15) – Flexibility of Emotional Responses: Why Fear Is Not Hardwired(4:51) – Computational Psychiatry & the Brain as an Algorithmic System(6:00) – From Circuits to Consciousness: Can Neuroscience Explain Subjective Experience?(7:11) – The Human Affectome: A Framework Linking Emotion and Consciousness(9:13) – What Is Consciousness? Felt Experience as the Core of Mind(11:04) – Social Navigation: Mapping Human Relationships in the Brain(14:02) – How Social Media Distorts Real Interaction and Social Space(18:15) – Ethics of Modifying Traumatic Memories: Liberation or Risk?(21:27) – Are Emotions Brain Events, Bodily Events, or Psychological Phenomena?(23:16) – The 4E Approach: Embedded, Embodied, Enactive, and Extended Cognition(24:00) – Bringing Philosophy Into Neuroscience: The Human Affectome Project(27:03) – Exciting Advances: Intracranial Recordings, VR, and Naturalistic Neuroscience(33:11) – Can Artificial Intelligence or Machines Ever Be Conscious?(36:26) – Free Will and Probabilities: Neuroscience Meets Philosophy(41:12) – Overcoming Fear as Liberation: Redefining Memory and Identity(46:09) – Living With Multiple Stories: Memory, Authenticity, and Self-Creation(1:02:24) – Future Directions: Reconsolidation, Social Space, and the Human AffectomeEPISODE LINKS:- Daniela' Website: https://profiles.mountsinai.org/daniela-schiller- Daniela's Lab: https://labs.neuroscience.mssm.edu/project/schiller-lab/- Daniela's Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/daniela.schiller.2/bibliography/public/CONNECT:- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com - Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution- YouTube: https://youtube.com/mindbodysolution- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu=============================Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.