Brains Explained: How Your Brain Works, Why it Works that Way, and How to Make it Work Better: How Your Brain Works, Why It Works That Way, and How to ... Fun and Educational Facts about Human Body

257 Pages·2021·55.446 MB·English

by  Alie Caldwell, Michah Caldwell

NEURO TRANSMISSIONS PRESENTS
HOW THEY WORK & WHY THEY WORK THAT WAY

NEURO TRANSMISSIONS PRESENTS
HOW THEY WORK & WHY THEY WORK THAT WAY
ALISON CALDWELL, PHD
MICAH CALDWELL, LPCC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 8

PART
ONE
HINDBRAIN: A HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
When We Say Lizard Brain . . . 14
Chapter 1:
Aristotle Say What? 26
Chapter 2:
Lessons from Some Banged-Up Brains 38
Chapter 3:
Wait . . . So, Kids Aren’t Just Tiny Adults? 54
Chapter 4:
Electrifying Tales 72
Chapter 5:
Oh, Behave! 84
Chapter 6:
Modern Era, Here We Come! 102
Chapter 7:
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5
PART
TWO
MIDBRAIN: YOUR BIOLOGICAL
AND SOCIAL BRAIN
I Can See Clearly Now! (Or Maybe Not) 116
Chapter 8:
Hear, Hear! 126
Chapter 9:
Your Brain’s Impeccable Taste (and Smell) 136
Chapter 10:
Some Touching Facts 146
Chapter 11:
That Reminds Me 160
Chapter 12:
Sweet Dreams! 163
Chapter 13:
What Is Love? (Baby Don’t Hurt Me) 168
Chapter 14:
Sad, Scared, and Self-Medicated 173
Chapter 15:
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PART
THREE
FOREBRAIN: WHERE PSYCHOLOGY
AND NEUROSCIENCE ARE GOING
Chapter 16: The Future of Clinical Treatment 116
Chapter 17: Cutting-Edge Neurotechnology 126
Chapter 18: The Cyberpunk Dystopian Future 136
Chapter 19: Boosting Your Brain 146
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INTRODUCTION
Hey there, Brainiacs! Welcome to Brains Explained
In some ways it seems inevitable that we would have ended up here, making YouTube
videos about the brain. Micah has been experimenting with filmmaking since he was in high
school, making silly music videos and producing short films with friends over a weekend.
And Alie’s always been a writer, composing poems as a teen and finishing a whole novel
during NaNoWriMo. But when we started out on our career paths as a clinical therapist
and a neuroscientist, we never imagined that our two hobbies would collide so beautifully.
In the fall of 2013, when Alie had just started her PhD program, she roped Micah
into helping her and her classmates produce a parody music video about the trials and
tribulations of graduate school. From that, a friend pointed us to an educational video
contest and urged us to apply. We had so much fun making these dang videos that we
started to think, “Hey, maybe we’re on to something here.”
At the time, neuroscience content was hard to come by—and inaccessible. Who wants
to watch a boring, hour-long lecture with bad audio? We figured the brain deserved better
treatment. And so, in late 2015, Neuro Transmissions officially launched on YouTube,
starting with a series of “intro to
neuro-science” videos that explained
the most basic concepts about the
brain, like how a neuron sends a
signal and how our senses work.
From those humble beginnings,
we’ve expanded to tackle all kinds of
ideas and topics in neuroscience and
psychology,
from the practical (like how to stop
procrastinating) to the fantastical
(like whether Luke Skywalker’s hand
could be real) .
To our surprise and delight,
people actually like this stuff we
make! Five years later, we have been
blown away by the enthusiasm and
dedication we’ve received from our
viewers. We’ve heard from adults
living with neurological conditions
who are thrilled to have a resource to
share about what’s really going on in
their brains and students studying for
university exams and teachers excited
to have something to use in class. We
have viewers in India and Switzerland
and all around the world sharing the
same love for the brain that we have.
What’s not to enjoy? Everyone
has a brain, and pretty much
everyone knows someone whose
brain works a little bit differently. It
makes sense that people want to
know more about this organ that
controls so much of our lives. Our
brainy audience has continued to grow every day—and now, with this book, maybe our
audience will grow a little bit more. Brains Explained is a new format for us, and one that
we hope will help many new brainiacs have fun while better understanding neuroscience
and psychology and how it affects their daily lives.
In the following chapters, you’ll learn about the brain from front to back and side to
side, from our distant past and on into our brilliant future. We’ll talk about how the brain,
and the ways we think about it, have evolved over time. We’ll discuss dubious medical
treatments for mental illness and futuristic new therapies to boost your brainpower. You’ll
learn how to figure out if your cat really loves you, why you need a therapist, and whether or
not those “brain games” are really worth it.
If you’re already a subscriber, thank you for coming along on this ride. Our work—and
this book—would not be possible without you. We’re so grateful that you want to hear what
we have to say, and we hope you’re excited to dig a little bit deeper into your brain. And if
you’re new here, welcome. Buckle up, because you’re about to learn all about those billions
of big, beautiful brain cells, and how they all come together to make . . . you!
– Alie & Micah Caldwell
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