EconTalk

Patrick House and Itzhak Fried on the Brain's Mysteries

May 1, 2023

01:07:41

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Episode guests

Patrick House

Itzhak Fried

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Episode notes

Introduction

2min

The Effects of Electrical Stimulation on Language and Cognitive Function

3min

The Meaning of Lobotomy

3min

The Power of Laughing

3min

The Importance of Humor in Addiction

1min

The Importance of Context in Neuroscience

5min

The Importance of Memory in Neuroscience

2min

The Inverse Correlation Between the Longevity of the Paper and the Interesting of the Research

2min

The Puzzle and the Hot Moment

2min

10.

The Power of After-the-Fact Reasons

4min

11.

The Effects of Emotions on the Brain

2min

12.

The Importance of Free Will

4min

13.

The Importance of Guilt

3min

14.

The Importance of Humor

2min

15.

The Evolution of Consciousness

5min

16.

The Difference Between Physics and Biology

5min

17.

How Much Information Can You Really Get From the Brain?

3min

18.

The Limits of Free Will

4min

19.

The Hard Problem of Consciousness

3min

20.

The Importance of Mental Imagery

5min

21.

The Limits of Consciousness

4min

While operating on a 16-year-old girl who suffered from severe seizures, neurosurgeon Itzhak Fried stumbled on the region of the brain that makes us laugh. To neuroscientist Patrick House, Fried's ability to produce laughter surgically raises deep and disconcerting questions about how the brain works. Join Fried, House, and EconTalk's Russ Roberts for a live broadcast from Jerusalem's Shalem College that is a sequel of sorts to House's earlier appearance on EconTalk. House and Fried discuss the mystery of consciousness and try to square the biological bases for emotions with the circle of our humanity.