Schauer Thoughts

Bring your waders, this week we’re wandering into the stagnant swamp of Earth’s abject “elite.” Feel free to breathe through your mouth as we discuss AI brain rot, the “culture” of the 1%, and the longstanding tradition of offloading labor no matter the cost. Don’t worry, before we lock eyes with the ethically bankrupt and cognitively forlorn, we’ll also be discussing neuroscience, psychology, and art across cultures! So fun! I hope you enjoy these Schauer Thoughts. Links to Substack:  Research Wrapped 2025: https://substack.com/home/post/p-181291076  My 2025 Reading List: https://substack.com/home/post/p-181265928  Resources: StudyTogether & Study Stream These are the apps I was talking about when wanting to find someone else to study abstract concepts with Generative AI: the risk of cognitive atrophy https://www.polytechnique-insights.com/en/columns/neuroscience/generative-ai-the-risk-of-cognitive-atrophy/ Art Across Cultures: A Tapestry of Diverse Expressions Exploring the impact of culture on artistic perception and creation. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/non-weird-science/202406/art-across-cultures-a-tapestry-of-diverse-expressions The language of absence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18558956/#:~:text=The%20paper%20%22The%20language%20of%20absence%22%20by,tantalizing%20*%20Mental%2C%20physical%2C%20and%20sexual%20abuse ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT study https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get ready for a strange mix of holiday cheer and fear, this week we’re serving up the science and psychology of generosity with a side of lore (my lore.) Don’t worry, things will be merry and bright… eventually. I’m just joshing, but make sure to check out the links below for sources, ideas, and much more. Hope to see you in the communal shower! Link to my substack: https://substack.com/@sarahschauer Full reading list will be posted tomorrow, Dec. 10, around noon PST - it is simply too long for this caption lol. Resources: Undoing Drugs: How Harm Reduction Is Changing the Future of Drugs and Addition - Maia Szalavitz Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins - from Spices to Vices - Noah Whiteman What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice & Change - Emily Falk Give Well, Feel Great: The Science of Gift Giving and Receiving https://www.templeton.org/news/give-well-feel-great-the-science-of-gift-giving-and-receiving The Psychology Behind Perfect Gift-Giving https://swipegifts.com/blog/gift-psychology Gift Resources & Links: Scientific American’s Best Nonfiction of 2025 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-americans-best-nonfiction-of-2025/ The Scientific American Staff’s Favorite Books of 2025 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-scientific-american-staffs-favorite-books-of-2025/ Gifts for every kind of nerd https://www.morningbrew.com/stories/2025/10/24/gift-guide-nerd Craft Club https://www.craftclubco.com/pages/gift-guide?srsltid=AfmBOorxPL2GQZwm70XO8bEjQWQ03oM2MFEh4jgRFMYXqaJrtxXNtnbp Customer Stained Glass Piece https://www.etsy.com/market/custom_stained_glass Custom Vinyl Records https://www.freestyle-vinyl.com/collections Canva Magazines https://www.canva.com/magazines/ Custom Lego Figure https://www.lego.com/en-us/minifigure-factory Fibonacci Wall and Desk Clock https://www.etsy.com/listing/1576771073/fibonacci-wall-and-desk-clock-unusual Gifts for math lovers https://www.mathnasium.com/blog/great-gifts-math-lovers-2024 Educational Subscription Boxes for Kids https://www.cratejoy.com/collections/educational-subscription-boxes STEM Build Boxes https://coolsciencefinds.com/articles/stem-build-boxes Lighting for Lego Sets https://www.lightmybricks.com/blogs/learning-centre Science Art - Scientific Illustration Artworks and Wall Art https://cognitive-surplus.com/collections/wall-art Planet Bath bombs https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/planet-bath-bombs/3205 Custom Star Map from special nights - jewelry, art, etc https://www.thenightsky.com/ They have star map lockets! Library Check Out Card Bookmark - Vintage https://www.etsy.com/listing/1081591959/library-check-out-card-bookmark-vintage Custom Book Embosser https://www.etsy.com/listing/840508076/book-embosser-personalized-custom-ex?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=ex%20libris&ref=sr_gallery-1-35&sr_prefetch=1&pro=1&frs=1&pop=1&content_source=5d442138550e8a17059979d09cb92cbabcd17809%3A840508076&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=5d442138550e8a17059979d09cb92cbabcd17809:840508076&source=aw&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=us_location_buyer&utm_content=740219&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=740219&awc=6220_1764911312_c63edd94bc322514623e5c6d663ea839 Jane Eyre Embroidery Kit https://www.etsy.com/listing/1008531760/jane-eyre-embroidery-kit?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=jane+eyre+embroidery&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=uk_location_buyer&utm_content=1266099&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=1266099&awc=6091_1764911520_293ebbe0bc58c5494c72236acc01f8ad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here we are, the third and final installment on how to be more creative! What a wild and winding journey it’s been, hopefully everyone is forever changed. Just a reminder: the essence (aka timbre - a unique quality of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds) of a shower thought is a rambling (divergent) musing while in the shower - an environment where sound and heat are taking ego (fixedness) offline and allowing you to make more fluid connections. Water is also a fluid, which is a substance that can flow and take the shape of it’s container aka your body, your brain - which btw are constantly changing so best to keep a lot of things fluid, moving, lest some solids clog flow. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the neuroscience, the lateral movements, the abstractions, the improv, but most of all… I hope you dance. To the beat of your own drum.  Don’t fall in line, or do, it’s up to you! Talk again soon, toodles! Edit: I meant to say “IAF does RC circuits, not currents” - I was speaking so fast that I flubbed that. Also, second edit: for an electrical fire, always disconnect the power source first.  Third edit at the end: Delight is surprise + happiness, not happiness + sadness - I was speaking too fast.  For more information on book club, visit my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-book-for-143088045  Resources: This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance - Elise Vernon Pearlstine  Plant Lore and Legend - Ruth Binney The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan  Most Delicious Poison - Noah Whiteman The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets - Thomas R. Cech The Mind-Gut Connection - Emeran Mayer, MD On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters - Bonnie Tsui The Beauty Molecule - Nicholas Perricone, MD A neurocomputational model of creative processes  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452#bbib49 Lateral Thinking: A Textbook of Creativity https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/34623410/Lateral_thinking-libre.pdf?1409804461=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DL_AT_ERAL_T_HINKING.pdf&Expires=1764634187&Signature=gNaugtGh5fV5tq9C76US8IlQFXrqcrkaQ8UfxyvUsb~UM2YhbJJB-9PQOD4gjmHvFVaHfBNuIWsr9a~eVOHZuveFrUdxx-zZJdmh3DDxosekQ2OoHM2trx2ixYlWitsqpWY5CfobdDM0aQVICGCb00--EUfzJJq0-gIrySw388J4EI8MvqHtWJaGEIXWJx7gwpYvhfF3xTJ12GFhUK4pvrmz8qoLYTmLLjs3AwFZ-EWPRRfcCh8M6-eELduwJaTfi05edifhH6duN9qzmVUe7Nc-egIYIxcYWzIbFvwbDqseOpBDa2vD42DEZrU9eL4vW3XiYOobx6RD31QGEEvnpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA Play It As It Lies | What Does This Mean? https://cattailcrossing.ca/blog/play-it-as-it-lies-what-does-this-mean/  Improv Games for Collaboration https://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/improv-games-for-collaboration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prepare to get meta, I’m going to walk you through my creative, divergent thinking process while explaining the neuroscience of creativity and divergent thinking! We do need our brains and bodies to be in sync for this to be meaningful, illuminating, give you (and I) an “aha!” moment. Please note, divergent thinking means you think in a way that is not typical or standard, so I apologize if I’m hard to follow, however it is necessary to illustrate the point I’m making. I want you to know that you don’t have to understand every single detail, however you should focus on the actual “route” my mind is taking - the “figure 8.” Thank you so much to The Allen Institute for inviting me to Neuroscience 2025 in San Diego, I am beyond grateful and appreciative for the experience. I encourage everyone to check out their website, as well as their mission, because science (and creativity) truly are for everyone. The Allen Institute: https://alleninstitute.org/  New Book Club Information: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-book-for-143088045  Resources: This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas  Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us - Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross Horror in Architecture: The Reanimated Edition - Joshua Comaroff + One Ker-Shing Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad) - Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, PhD This is the book I recommended on arousal state splitting off into excitement or anxiety. A neurocomputational model of creative process https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452 Functional Fixedness: When We Stick to What We Know https://nesslabs.com/functional-fixedness This is not the Time Magazine article but it also covers functional fixedness and how it impacts creativity Sensorimotor experience and verb-category mapping in human sensory, motor and parietal neurons https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945217301491 Mental time travel, language, and evolution https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393219302441 Isometric Handgrip Exercise Speeds Working Memory Responses in Younger and Older Adults https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10238670/ This article does include hand exercises for younger adults, most however are focused on improving working memory for older populations Analogy: Definition, Examples, and Usage https://www.grammarly.com/blog/literary-devices/analogy/ Learning from the Double Diamond: How Divergent and Convergent Thinking Can Improve Collaboration and Problem-Solving in Museums https://www.aam-us.org/2024/04/05/learning-from-the-double-diamond-how-divergent-and-convergent-thinking-can-improve-collaboration-and-problem-solving-in-museums/ On the emergence of interdisciplinary scientific fields: (how) does it relate to science convergence? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000751 A Global Map of Science Based on the ISI Subject Categories https://www.leydesdorff.net/map06/texts/index.htm The Brain Science of Elusive ‘Aha! Moments’ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-elusive-brain-science-of-aha-moments/ Recommended Books: The Geometry of Grief - Michael Frame The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra  The Gentrification of the Mind - Sarah Schulman  On the Art and Craft of Doing Science - Kenneth Catania  The Meaning of Proofs: Mathematics as Storytelling - Gabriele Lolli The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan  The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know - Shawn Coyne  When Narcissism Comes to Church - Chuck DeGroat Humour - Terry Eagleton The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone - Philip Fernbach & Steven A. Sloman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I heard you wanted to get creative, so here is my *almost painfully*detailed breakdown of that process. If you’d like my resume when it comes to creative thinking, Google my name.  (Before appearing too self-righteous to prospective listeners, we will be discussing the fundamental use of first person and first person possessive pronouns when it comes to creativity.) This is part one to my new mini-series on how to be more creative where we’re exploring the fields of neuroscience, linguistics, metalinguistics, musculature, childhood development and much more! It’s time to brace yourself because the communal Schauer this week is loosening some pretty big knots. Resources: What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk A neurocomputational model of creative process https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452 The Seven Functional Movement Patterns + Video Demonstrations https://www.opexfit.com/blog/seven-functional-movement-patterns Advertising: how it influences children and teenagers https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/play-learning/screen-time-media/advertising-children#:~:text=At%207%2D11%20years%2C%20children,overstate%20how%20good%20products%20are. Describing Skeletal Muscles: A Review of Muscle Attachments and Actions https://www.visiblebody.com/learn/muscular/muscle-movements#:~:text=3.,muscles%20play%20in%20each%20movement.&text=The%20prime%20mover%2C%20sometimes%20called,are%20keeping%20your%20posture%20sturdy Behavioral energetics in human locomotion: how energy use influences how we move https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11993254/ “I” versus “the author”: The power of first-person voice when writing about science https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11145200/#:~:text=Writing%20in%20the%20first%20person,that's%20something%20most%20scientists%20want.  Using “I”: The First Person in Academic Writing https://www.brandeis.edu/writing-program/resources/faculty/handouts/first-person.html Please everyone read this to understand how to apply “I” statements in academic writing OR AT LEAST when studying and trying to retain the information - there is clearly a benefit to using 3rd person, but using first person *strategically and with nuanced understanding* will make knowledge more relative and rewarding to self, as well as make concepts easier to apply. Why Metalinguistic Awareness Matters https://www.gemmlearning.com/blog/learning-issues/why-are-metalinguistic-skills-important/#:~:text=Metalinguistic%20awareness%20is%20the%20ability%20to:%20*,your%20understanding%20as%20you%20listen%20and%20read  Epithelium  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22062-epithelium  Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development https://www.verywellmind.com/kohlbergs-theory-of-moral-development-2795071 For sources from a previous podcast episode, please visit that episode for the full source list in the caption! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices