Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman

Why do we read so much into how a robot moves, and what does that tell us about human brains? Why did our history make us so sensitive to movement? Why do we trust graceful motion? Should we make a robot 'look' at an object it’s about to pick up, even if it doesn’t need to? Is movement the original form of animal intelligence? Join Eagleman with guest Catie Cuan, a roboticist, dancer, and choreographer. Catie’s an expert on the strange social interface between humans and machines, and she’s gotten there by dancing with robots.

Why do brains generate strange thoughts sometimes? And why do some brains refuse to let go of those thoughts? Today we'll talk about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with expert Jon Hershfield, getting a view from the inside and the outside. Why do some people lock the door but go back repeatedly to check it, and still have a feeling of uncertainty that it’s locked? Why do some people wash their hands over and over and never feel that they reach a point when it’s “done”. How, for some people, are intrusive thoughts like junkmail that the brain just cant help opening? We’ll see how obsessive thoughts can get caught in loops, and how those loops might therapeutically be broken.

What if your brain got stuck in sadness and never reset? What does it feel like when joy disappears completely? Can a person love their family deeply and still want to die? What do you do when treatment after treatment fails? What if the difference between despair and recovery is electrical? How can we better recognize invisible struggles in those around us? Join Eagleman with guest Jon Nelson, a man who suffered for years under the grip of depression, and finally found a science-fiction like treatment which gave him relief.

Week 2 of Mental Health Awareness month: Anxiety is close to everyone’s experience, either because you've had it or someone close to you has. Does your brain accidentally teach itself to stay anxious by looping on the same fears? Is anxiety helping you perform better, or does it make everything harder? Is it possible to unlearn worry the same way you learned it? Join Eagleman with Dr. Jud Brewer, who suffered with anxiety as a young man... and then became a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who studies anxiety and developed a very different approach to its treatment.

What do you do when your own mind stops feeling safe? How does a person sing on stage while panicking inside? How do you catch your thoughts before they catch you? Join Eagleman with singer/songwriter Jewel to talk about mental health: the battles she’s lived, the wisdom she’s earned, and the lives she’s helping shape. This episode kicks off Mental Health Awareness month, when we’re reminded to look directly at what is typically hidden. A troubled mind with stormy weather can often remain dark; join us this month to bring some light.