Where in the brain is that little something that makes top performers feel so confident in their ability? Can that confidence be developed in someone who is naturally more timid? Dr. Nate Zinsser, director of West Point's Performance Psychology Program and author of The Confident Mind, explains how a sense of mastery develops, and why butterflies in your stomach are a signal from the brain when you're about to do something great.

We all do it - put things off, tell ourselves we'll start tomorrow, and somehow still miss the deadline. But chronic procrastination isn't just a bad habit; it's self-sabotaging behavior that can derail our goals, relationships, and even our health. Psychologist Dr. Joseph Ferrari, a leading expert on procrastination, breaks down the emotional roots of procrastination, debunks the myth that we "work best under pressure," and offers science-backed strategies for change. Plus - meet one of history's most legendary procrastinators: Leonardo da Vinci. Find out how his epic delays shaped the Mona Lisa, and why some believe he never truly finished it.   Thanks for enjoying this archive episode of This Is Your Brain. For a transcript and further background information please use this link.  https://bit.ly/4uDBUgM

Nancy Jarecki's stroke could have reduced her to a statistic.  But her determination, humor and style paved a different path to recovery.  For our Season Six Finale we are recognizing Stroke Awareness Month with a very special episode of This Is Your Brain.  This is a story told by Nancy Jarecki, - a businesswoman, wife and mother - whose resilience and good humor while recovering from a serious brain aneurysm was inspiring to all of us who treated her here at New York – Presbyterian Hospital.      What follows is a dramatic, funny and heart-warming story of one woman's journey back from a life-altering experience.    For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com   For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org   

Most of us have a bad hair day or we're not happy if we have a little pimple on our face. But that's quite different from the experience of people with body dysmorphic disorder.  (BDD)  More than simple insecurity about one's appearance, BDD is a disorder in which a person's perception of their appearance becomes all-consuming and deeply distressing. Perfectly normal looking people can see themselves as horribly ugly.  Or one minor detail becomes an enormous fixation, like the patient who said they felt they were just one giant pimple with hands and feet.   In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with psychiatrist and BDD expert Dr. Katharine Phillips about how altered visual processing in the brain leads individuals to fixate on minor and often imagined flaws, while behaviors like mirror-checking and reassurance seeking reinforce the cycle of negative perception. Dr. Phillips highlights the serious mental health risks associated with this condition and discusses evidence-based treatments that have led many patients to a meaningful recovery. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com    For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org  

Imagine a world where everyone looks the same and you can't recognize one person from another – even you own child! It sounds like a frightening episode from the "Twilight Zone", but it's just every day life for people with prosopagnosia, better known as "Face Blindness".   We humans use parts of our brains to see, process and recognize faces that are different from recognizing anything else in our lives, which is not surprising when you consider how important faces are to understanding the situations we are in and the emotions of the people closest to us. In this episode, Dr. Brad Duchaine, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College and one of the world's experts on face recognition, explains how how the face blind perceive the world, the strategies they use to mange their lives, and the unfortunate people who experience the rare (and almost unpronounceable) condition of "prosopometamorphopsia." Plus, hear how "Super Recognizers" are using the opposite of face blindness to help fight crime.  For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com   For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org 

Why do we sometimes drink too much, even when we know the risks? In this episode, surgeon, author, and recovering alcoholic Dr. Charles Knowles joins us to explore the neuroscience of alcohol use and addiction. Drawing from his book "Why We Drink Too Much" and his own lived experience, Dr. Knowles describes how alcohol alters the brain's reward pathways, and how drinking problems exist on a spectrum. Through neuroscience and deeply personal insight, he speaks to alcohol's impact on mental and physical health and gives inspiration to others through sharing his own journey to recovery.    For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com   For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org 

Although memories fade, hearing declines and our bodies suffer aches and pains, there is one benefit to aging that we can actually gain with each passing  year.  It's called wisdom.  But just because someone is older, it doesn't mean they are wiser.   It takes a certain type of person to learn important lessons from their life experiences.  Dr. Dillip Jeste reveals what he has discovered after studying wisdom for decades, including the neuroscience of the wise brain, emphasizing how cultivating wisdom enhances brain health as well as offering some insights on how to develop and nurture wisdom in yourself, at any age.   In a larger view, Dr. Jeste discusses the importance of wisdom for the health of our society. For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com    For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org 

Cults and high-control groups influence beliefs and fundamentally reshape identity, decision-making, and autonomy. In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg sits down with sociologist and cult expert Dr. Janja Lalich, Professor and author of Take Back Your Life, to explore the psychology behind cults. Drawing from decades of research as well as her own personal experience of spending a decade in a political cult, she discusses how indoctrination alters a person's sense of self, why anyone can become vulnerable under the right circumstances, and the road to recovery after leaving.    For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com   For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org 

 Narcissism is a term that gets used constantly - but what does it actually mean in psychological terms, and how is it shaping our society? In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with leading expert Dr. Keith Campbell to separate myth from science.   Drawing from his book The New Science of Narcissism, Dr. Campbell explains the difference between everyday self-focused traits and the far rarer personality disorder, unpacks the two distinct expressions of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and explores how these patterns influence our relationships, leadership, parenting, and culture.  Plus, let's spend some time with the "O.G." narcissist.    For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com    For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit  https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org 

Whether it's rock and roll, classical, hip hop, or rap, most people enjoy music in one form or another.  (Even newborn babies respond to it.) But why?  What is going on in our brains when we hear our favorite tunes?   Dr. Barbara Minton,  a psychotherapist and neuroscientist, studies exactly how our brains react to various types of music, to provide targeted music therapy.  And she goes one step further.  As a musician herself, she is also creating the music, specifically designed for our brains, blending art and science to better harness its power to heal.    For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit https://thisisyourbrain.com  For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org