Dr. Sergio Pellis is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge and one of the world’s leading experts in the neurobiology of play.  In this episode, we discuss how play behavior across mammals relies on the same neural reward circuitry, the evolutionary origins and benefits of play, and how hormones contribute to sex differences in aggression, sexual, and play behavior. We also discuss connections between play across species and empathy, its impact on the development of social skills in children, and the impacts of social isolation on brain and cognitive development.  00:15 The Neuroscience of Play: A Historical Perspective 04:01 The Evolutionary Purpose of Play 06:37 The Role of Reward Systems in Play 15:36 The Developmental Stages of Play in Animals 27:20 The Social Functions of Play 34:29 The Neurobiology of Play and Its Impact on Brain Development 35:54 The Impact of Play on Brain Development 36:41 Exploring Sex Differences in Play 37:49 The Role of Hormones in Play Behavior 39:20 The Influence of Rearing Environment on Play 39:40 The Shift in Play Tactics at Puberty 41:23 The Complexity of Sex Differences in Play 45:14 The Impact of Social Isolation on Brain Development 46:26 The Importance of Play for Both Sexes 50:11 The Influence of Play on Executive Functions 01:00:30 The Role of Pheromones in Social Interactions 01:08:15 The Impact of Play Deprivation on Brain Development 01:10:05 The Psychological Training Aspect of Play 01:11:08 The Empathy Developed Through Animal Research

Angel Millar is a hypnotist, martial artist, and author of The Path of the Warrior-Mystic: Being a Man in an Age of Chaos. In this episode we discuss the balance between masculine and feminine traits, discipline and creativity, mind and body, and tradition and modernity. The warrior-mystic, Angel explains, represents the ideal balance between these traits, and we discuss historical examples including Greek philosopher-athletes, Japanese samurai-artists, and English knight-poets. We discuss the virtues of discipline and delayed gratification, how they apply to modern life amidst our panoplies of temptation, their relation to evolution and sexual selection, and the archetypal symbols in each of these motifs and in mythology. Lastly, we discuss Angel’s career as a hypnotist, and our formative experiences leading to our shared interests in psychology, mysticism, and traditional masculinity.  00:24 Exploring Masculinity and Spirituality 02:14 The Warrior Mystic: Balancing Masculine and Feminine 03:07 Historical Shifts in Masculinity and Femininity 03:45 Impact of World Wars on Gender Roles 06:22 The Role of Archetypal Patterns in Culture 09:30 The Power of Anticipation and Delayed Gratification 12:15 Exploring the Benefits of Meditation 15:00 The Journey into the Unknown: Sir Gawain's Story 16:32 The Role of Boredom in Creativity 18:54 The Impact of Social Media on Honesty 23:13 The Intersection of Video Games and Personal Growth 25:17 The Importance of Balance in Personal Development 28:00 The Role of Risk-Taking in Personal Growth 30:24 The Power of Diverse Interests in Innovation 33:12 The Role of Creativity in Leadership 37:52 The Role of Masculinity in Modern Culture 38:32 The Dichotomy of Gender Roles 41:03 The Symbolism of Beheading in Art 43:43 The Phoenix Motif and Its Connection to Christ 45:50 The Influence of Past on Self-Improvement 52:27 The Role of Hypnotism in Self-Improvement 57:53 The Influence of Attractiveness on Self-Improvement

Daniel Quintana is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. He leads a lab investigating biological systems that link psychological and social factors to health, with a focus on neuroendocrine systems (e.g., oxytocin) and the autonomic nervous system. His lab uses various research approaches, including intranasal oxytocin studies, large-scale genetics studies, neuroimaging, and the collection of autonomic nervous system data (e.g., heart rate variability). Learn more about Daniel’s work at: https://www.dsquintana.com/

Dr. Lee Cronin is a Professor and the Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, where he leads research on the chemical origins of life, computerized chemistry, and assembly theory. In this episode, we explore how assembly theory, analogues between chemistry and computation, the origins of life, the concepts of entropy and time, quantum mechanics, consciousness, simulation theories of the universe, and much more.  00:32 Understanding Assembly Theory 01:47 Bridging the Gap: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology 03:27 The Role of Information Processing 04:24 Complexity in Biology and Neuroscience 06:02 Applying Assembly Theory to Molecules 08:57 Exploring the Origins of Life 18:16 Entropy and Complexity 22:21 Time and Selection 32:45 Quantum Mechanics and Uncertainty Principle 37:47 Heat Death State and Space as an Emergent Property of Time 39:07 Emergence of Space and Time 41:28 Randomness, Free Will and Consciousness 42:27 Panpsychism and Consciousness 52:45 Free Energy Principle and Neuroscience 58:38 Simulation Theories and Combinatorial Explosions 01:03:15 Scientific Anarchy and Progress #Chemistry #Physics #Biology #AssemblyTheory #Consciousness #Simulation #Entropy #Time #Quantum #Selection #Evolution #FreeWill

Dr. Alex Byrne is a Professor of Philosophy at MIT and author of Trouble with Gender. In this episode, we talk about the problematic concept of gender, which is often used interchangeably to mean sex, gender identity, gender role, gender norm, or gender stereotypes. Alex and I discuss each of these, and their precise definitions in philosophy, biology, or sociology in detail. We also discuss the problem of identity and categorization in philosophy of mind and language more broadly, as a source of some of the confusion. Lastly, we discuss the nuances of defining sex and gender in intersex and transgender populations, the essentialist nature of felt gender identity, the concept of transracialism, the ethics of social and medical gender transition in children, and answer the question: What is a woman?  00:18 Understanding the 'Trouble with Gender' 02:19 Exploring the History of Gender Philosophy 05:07 The Role of Language in Defining Gender 05:46 The Complexity of Gender Terminology 10:16 The Misinterpretation of Gender Concepts 22:22 The Absurdity of Precise Definitions 41:33 The Biological Definition of Sex 58:18 The Hypothetical Cat-Dog: A Thought Experiment of Social Perception 01:02:32 Gender, Sex, and the Complexity of Identity 01:03:35 The Practical Implications of Defining Gender 01:05:51 Transgender Identity and the Question of 'Passing' 01:20:21 The Philosophical Dilemma of Pronouns and Gender Identity 01:22:33 Transracialism and the Social Construct of Identity 01:46:13 The Controversy of Autogynephilia and Gender Identity 01:53:29 The Reception and Impact of Controversial Philosophical Ideas

Dr. Wolfram Schultz is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and one of the world’s leading experts on dopamine. In this episode, we discuss the dopamine system's role in reward processing, evolutionary fitness, the functioning of dopamine neurons, the interplay between reward vs punishment, and the complexity of neurons. Dr. Schultz overviews core mechanisms of value-guided decision-making, risk-taking, addiction, the role of prediction error in shaping reinforcement learning, how these are all explained by dopamine, and the differences between dopamine and serotonin 00:18 Understanding Reward Processing in Animals 01:29 Evolutionary Role of Reward System 03:31 Complexity of Reward System and Dopamine Neurons 04:31 Differentiating Reward and Avoidance Systems 05:35 Role of Emotion in Reward Processing 08:07 Exploring Consciousness and its Measurement 08:49 Dopamine Firing in Different Scenarios 11:41 Understanding the Complexity of Neurons 18:23 Exploring the Concept of Prediction Error 27:36 Understanding the Role of Dopamine in Depression 30:52 Understanding the Role of Serotonin and Dopamine 33:55 Exploring the Concept of Metacognition 43:28 Understanding the Development of Reward System in Humans 43:59 Understanding the Reward System in Infants 45:36 The Maturation of the Reward System 46:41 The Role of Neural Connections in Reward System 47:23 The Concept of Reward Sensitivity During Adolescence 48:44 The Importance of Exploration in Reward System 54:53 The Role of Dopamine in Reward System 01:02:41 Understanding Addiction and Dopamine's Role 01:02:45 The Impact of Modern Day Environment on Reward System 01:13:04 The Role of Risk in Assessing Subjective Reward Value 01:18:06 Understanding Individual Differences in Reward Sensitivity 01:20:14 The Never-Ending Journey of Incentive Reward #Neuroscience #Dopamine #RewardProcessing #BehavioralEconomics #Addiction #RiskTaking #NatureandNurture

Dr. Camilla Nord, a neuroscientist and leader of the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab at the University of Cambridge, discusses topics such as prediction error, neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, the neuroscience of hallucinations and psychedelics, the gut microbiome's role in regulating mood, and the impact of social hierarchy on mental health and academics.

Dr. Rachel Marsh is the Irving Philips Professor of Medical Psychology in Child Psychology at Columbia University Medical Center, where she runs the Cognitive Development and Neuroimaging Lab. Dr. Marsh studies the neurodevelopment of self-regulatory control and its pathology in disorders such as OCD, eating disorders, and Tourette’s syndrome. More recently, she studies how maternal stress contributes to intergenerational transmission of regulatory deficits.

Dr. Walter Veit is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Reading and author of A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness. He is an expert in philosophy of mind, cognitive and biological sciences, applied ethics, and animal welfare. In this episode, we talk about philosophy of mind and the evolution of consciousness in animals. Walter outlines his theory of the evolution of phenomenological complexity and affective experience in animals, its similarities and differences with computational theories of consciousness outlined by past podcast guests Kevin Mitchell and Mark Solms, and the diversity of consciousness ranging from humans, to other mammals, to octopuses and fish, to plant life and single cellular organisms. We discuss how animals’ capacity for experiencing pleasure and pain contribute to sentientist morality, whether human morality is anthropocentric, and how Walter’s research informs his views on animal welfare ethics.

Dr. Ellen Langer is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and one of the pioneers of the positive psychology movement, known as the Mother of Mindfulness. Dr. Langer has won numerous awards including 3 Distinguished Scientist Award, the Staats Award for Unifying Psychology, and the Liberty Science Genius Award. She is the author of 13 books on mindfulness, including 5 on mindfulness, most recently The Mindful Body.