That Brain of Yours: The Glitch and the Function

Think you consciously make your decisions?Your brain already decided, seconds ago.In this episode, we uncover the strange way decisions really happen. You’ll learn how your unconscious mind makes choices before you’re aware of them, why your “rational” brain often acts more like a spokesperson than a decision-maker, and how emotions, habits, and subtle environmental cues quietly steer your behavior.That gut feeling? It’s not magic. It’s rapid, unconscious processing doing the heavy lifting, while your conscious mind rushes in afterward to explain it.You’re not broken.You’re just less in control than you think.🧠 Awareness doesn’t start decisions, it explains them.

Why do emotional moments stay crystal clear, while ordinary days vanish?Because your brain was built to remember what felt important.In this episode, we explore why emotion supercharges memory. You’ll learn how the amygdala flags intense experiences for long-term storage, how stress hormones lock memories in place, and why your brain treats emotional events like survival-critical information.This wiring helped our ancestors stay alive, but today it means breakups, arguments, and powerful moments get preserved in vivid detail, while routine days fade away.Your memory isn’t selective by accident.It’s emotional by design.🧠 What you feel decides what you remember.

Why does music sometimes give you chills?Because your brain is getting rewarded for being surprised, beautifully.In this episode, we break down the neuroscience behind musical frisson: that wave of goosebumps when a song hits just right. You’ll learn how your brain predicts what comes next in music, why unexpected changes trigger dopamine release, and how your nervous system reacts as if something deeply meaningful is happening.We’ll also explore why not everyone gets chills, and how stronger connections between sound and emotion mean some brains are literally wired to feel music more intensely.Those shivers aren’t random.They’re your brain saying, this matters.🧠 When sound, surprise, and emotion align, your brain lights up.

Ever notice how hard it is to stay angry while smiling?That’s not willpower, it’s neuroscience.In this episode, we explore the facial feedback effect and how your facial muscles actively shape your emotions. You’ll learn why smiling sends signals straight to your brain’s emotion centers, how it dampens anger responses, and why your face and brain are locked in a constant feedback loop.A forced smile won’t magically solve what made you angry, but it can interrupt the emotional surge long enough to regain control and think clearly.Your face doesn’t just show how you feel.Sometimes, it decides it.🧠 Change the signal, change the state.

Why does your face look… wrong in the morning?It’s not your imagination, it’s physics and neuroscience teaming up.In this episode, we explore the real reason your morning face looks puffy and unfamiliar. You’ll learn how gravity redistributes fluid while you sleep, why your face swells overnight, and how your brain holds onto a “default” version of your own face that doesn’t match what you see in the mirror at 7 a.m.That uncanny “is that really me?” feeling isn’t insecurity, it’s your brain comparing reality to an outdated internal model.Give it an hour, let gravity do its thing, and your face and your brain will catch up.🧠 Morning mirrors aren’t honest. Science is.

Why does crying leave you exhausted, but strangely relieved?Because it’s not emotional weakness. It’s biology.In this episode, we unpack the neuroscience of crying and why it actually helps you feel better. You’ll learn how emotional tears differ from reflex tears, how crying activates your body’s calming system, and why your brain releases natural painkillers in the process.Crying acts like a pressure valve for emotional overload, releasing tension, lowering stress, and helping your nervous system reset. Suppressing it doesn’t make you stronger; it keeps stress trapped in the body.That post-cry relief isn’t “just in your head.” It’s your brain doing exactly what it evolved to do.🧠 Sometimes the healthiest response is letting it out.

Ever feel like someone’s watching you, when no one’s there?You’re not imagining it. Your brain is doing its job.In this episode, we explore the neuroscience behind that eerie sense of being watched. You’ll learn how ultra-fast brain circuits evolved to detect eyes and faces, why your peripheral vision is especially jumpy, and why your brain prefers false alarms over missed threats.This hypervigilance helped your ancestors survive, but in a modern world, it sometimes misfires, turning shadows and patterns into imagined gazes.Your brain isn’t paranoid. It’s ancient. And it would rather be wrong than risk you not making it home.🧠 Fear isn’t failure, it’s leftover survival software.

How can you hear your name in a noisy room, while missing everything else?Your brain is listening even when you think it isn’t.In this episode, we break down the neuroscience behind the cocktail party effect and what it reveals about attention. You’ll learn how your brain processes multiple sound streams at once, why certain sounds instantly cut through the noise, and how an ancient brain system constantly scans for what matters most.Your name isn’t just a sound, it’s wired to identity, emotion, and survival. That’s why it gets fast-tracked straight into your awareness.Once you understand this, you’ll realize: your brain hears far more than you think, it just chooses what’s worth interrupting you for.🧠 Attention isn’t broken. It’s selective.

What if part of what you’re seeing right now… isn’t real?It’s not a glitch in your eyes, it’s a feature of your brain.In this episode, we uncover the strange truth about your visual blind spots and how your brain quietly fills them in without asking permission. Even though each eye has a sizable hole in its vision, you never see it, because your visual system seamlessly invents what should be there.You’ll learn why your brain doesn’t passively record reality, how expectations shape what you see, and why vision is more like a best guess than a live feed.Once you understand this, you’ll never look at “seeing” the same way again.🧠 Reality, reconstructed, one blind spot at a time.

Why does a fun weekend vanish, but a boring meeting feels endless?Because your brain doesn’t track time, it rebuilds it from memory. In this episode, we explore the neuroscience behind why time flies when you’re having fun and crawls when you’re bored. You’ll learn how attention stretches or compresses time in the moment, why routine days disappear in hindsight, and why childhood felt endlessly long. The surprising takeaway? If you want life to feel longer, you don’t need more hours, you need more novelty. Simple brain science. Real-life insight. Practical ways to make time slow down again, without touching a clock. 🧠 Listen if you’ve ever wondered where the years went.

Why do names disappear from your brain seconds after you hear them?It’s not bad memory—it’s bad attention.In this episode, we break down the real neuroscience behind why you forget names instantly. While someone is introducing themselves, your brain is busy managing first impressions, planning responses, and scanning for social threats. The result? The name never even makes it into memory.You’ll learn why faces are remembered automatically but names aren’t, why your brain needs about eight seconds of focused attention to store new information, and simple, practical tricks that actually make names stick.If you’ve ever felt embarrassed asking someone for their name again, this episode will change how you think about memory—and how you use it.

Ever tried to tickle yourself and failed miserably? It’s not your technique, it’s your brain. Explore the surprising science behind why you can't tickle yourself. It turns out your brain is actually sabotaging you! We dive into how the cerebellum predicts exactly what's coming. When you try to tickle yourself, the cerebellum sends a signal that cancels out the sensation before you even feel it, eliminating the crucial surprise element required for tickling. Learn why this system is so vital: this prediction mechanism is crucial for survival, helping your brain instantly distinguish between your own touch and someone else's, keeping you focused on unexpected touch from the outside world.