#82: Dr. Loretta Breuning

How much are we like our mammalian cousins in the animal kingdom? And what can they teach us about our mental and emotional lives? Elle Russ tackles these questions in a riveting interview with Dr. Loretta Breuning, blogger, former professor, and founder of The Inner Mammal Institute, which studies how our neurochemical makeup guides our feelings and behaviors in similar ways to our non-human relatives. Dr. Breuning began studying the brain chemistry of animals because she was not convinced by prevailing theories of human motivation. When she learned that our happy brain chemicals trigger survival behaviors in animals, she retired from her career as Professor of Management at California State University, East Bay to connect the dots. Now, her books and resources have helped thousands of people worldwide to make peace with their inner mammal. Her books include Beyond Cynical: Transcend Your Mammalian Negativity; I, Mammal: Why Your Brain Links Status and Happiness; and the forthcoming Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, & Endorphin.  Her blog, Your Neurochemical Self, is hosted at PsychologyToday.com

So tune into today’s show to learn more about how you can improve your mental and emotional wellbeing through reworking the mammalian neural networks that comprise your brain!