Minds Matter

What really is addiction—and can we actually get addicted to our phones? Dr. Keanan Joyner joins us to discuss how addiction works from both a biological and social lens. He shares insights from his lab's research on drug use, genetics, and disinhibition, and explains why substance abuse isn't just about individual choice. Ava and Beth also discuss screen use, dopamine, and what counts as “real” addiction. Plus, Dr. Joyner shares why EEG studies often exclude Black participants, and what his lab is doing to change that.

Have you ever seen a robot that looks almost human, but something feels a bit off? Did it make you feel unsettled, and maybe a bit creeped out? Dr. Yulia Vaitonytė joins us to discuss her research on this phenomenon of the uncanny valley. She unpacks the brain and perceptual cues behind this eeriness, and tells us why certain kinds of imperfections might actually help robots appear more real. Beth & Ava play a game to see if they can recognize real faces from artificially generated ones.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a ground-breaking technique that uses electrical impulses to treat conditions like epilepsy and depression through electrodes implanted in the brain. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Saurabh Sonkusare to learn about how DBS works and how it can be used in psychiatry and research. Ava and Beth discuss how DBS research findings may have implications for philosophical ideas of the self.

What comes to mind when you hear the term “objectively reasonable”? In this episode, Dr. Mikaela Spruill joins us to discuss how legal standards in criminal justice aren't as neutral as they may seem. We discuss how social stratification and lived experience influence jurors' priors, the idea of legal objectivity, and why diverse juries matter.

Have you ever wondered how the built environment effects your mood? Is it true that red rooms make you angry? This week we sit down with Dr. Isabella Bower to discuss her on research on how the built environment can impact our mental health. Dr. Bower shares how the colour and size of rooms may influence us and how we should think about designing the built environment for mental health. Beth and Ava share how they feel that space effects them.

How do our beliefs about ourselves and the world influence the way we learn and make decisions? Dr. Hayley Dorfman joins us to discuss how internal representations like sense of control shape our learning processes. We discuss the interplay between reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference, how agency beliefs impact learning from positive and negative feedback, and how these processes change across different developmental stages/

This week on Minds Matter both Ava and Beth chat with Dr. Nina Rajcic about her work using LLMs in her art practice giving us a new perspectives for thinking about AI. Dr. Rajcic talks about her work and how its meaning has changed as LLMs continue to develop. We share our thoughts about the future of AI in both tech and art.

In a very special episode, our very own Beth Fisher tells us all about optimism! Beth shares what optimism is, how her recent research shows psilocybin can boost optimism in rats, and what this might mean for humans. We also discuss how optimism shapes our engagement with the world, and if and when it can become too much of a good thing.

How do our identities shift and change over our lifetimes? Dr. Pauline Ho joins us to explore three pathways of identity formation—consolidating, cumulative, and transformative—and how each is shaped by personal histories, social contexts, and important life events. Building off her research with African American college students, Dr. Ho discusses how these pathways could extend to other groups and identities. Beth and Ava chat about meaning-making in their own identities.

The climate crisis demands urgent action, yet many people struggle to make meaningful changes. This week, we're joined by Dr. Rachit Dubey to hear about the the psychology behind climate inaction. Dr. Dubey shares insights into why humans are wired to seek rewards, leading to consumerism—a core driver of environmental issues. He breaks down how understanding these psychological patterns can help shape more effective climate policies. We learn the best ways to communicate climate change information. Beth and Ava reflect on how their own experiences have influenced their environmental concerns and actions.

The climate crisis demands urgent action, yet many people struggle to make meaningful changes. This week, we're joined by Dr. Rachit Dubey to hear about the the psychology behind climate inaction. Dr. Dubey shares insights into why humans are wired to seek rewards, leading to consumerism—a core driver of environmental issues. He breaks down how understanding these psychological patterns can help shape more effective climate policies. We learn the best ways to communicate climate change information. Beth and Ava reflect on how their own experiences have influenced their environmental concerns and actions.

How often do you find yourself pondering existential questions—like the meaning of life or what happens after we die? This week, we're joined by Dr. Telli Davoodi, to speak about her research on how both scientific and religious explanations address these questions and psychological roles they play in our lives. Dr. Davoodi also shares insights from her cross-cultural studies, exploring how children form beliefs about concepts they can't directly observe. In this moving episode, Beth and Ava open up about their own beliefs and personal experiences with finding meaning in life. Spoiler alert: Beth gets emotional!

Have you ever felt disgusted? Have you wondered what caused that feeling? This week Dr. Indra Bishnoi explains to us the science behind disgust and its relationship to nausea. She shares her research on conditioned induced nausea and chemotherapy, explaining the importance of finding a treatment to treat this disgust response. We talk about how anxiety can feelings of nausea and Beth and Ava share their own feelings on disgust.

Welcome back to season 4 of Minds Matter! We begin our season with a conversation about civic science with Andrew Grey, co-founder of BioQuisitive a civic science hub in Brunswick, Australia. Can there be ways to create research outside a university? And what does it look like to democratise science? Andrew talks about his inspiring journey to get to where he is today and we reflect non-traditional ways we can study, research, and learn.

In an age where politicians are both subjects and creators of memes, and outlets like The Daily Show shape public discourse, how is humor influencing our political engagement? Dr. Prateekshit "Kanu" Pandey shares research on humor's effects on the brain, and its differing roles across cultures, from the U.S. to India. Dr. Pandey, Ava & Beth reflect on whether humor good is for politics and civic engagement, or whether politics should remain strictly serious business.

New developments in AI are making headline news with many perspectives on what the future of AI holds. From Chat GPT to robots, there is lots of new information to take in! This week Dr. Abhilasha Ravichander answers our questions from the basics of AI to questions of AI and consciousness. She speaks to us about where the field is at now and discusses her research on hallucinations in Large Language Models and how they can help us understand how our data is being used. Ava and Beth talk about where they think the future is going.

How do behavioural and substance addictions relate to mental health? What are the risk factors for these disorders? This week Dr. Andrew Kim helps us answer these questions and discusses how we can best treat addictions and their mental heath co-morbidities. Dr Kim explains how we can use to research to train clinicians so patients can receive the best possible outcomes. Ava and Beth discuss their countries own medical systems .

What makes teenagers so keen to embrace risk? Are they chasing potential rewards, or are they just blind to potential consequences? Dr. Nina Lauharatanahirun joins us to discuss the computational and neurobiological underpinnings of risky decision-making in teens. Beth and Ava reminisce about their own adolescence.NOTE: Dr. Lauharatanahirun is recruiting PhD students for the 2024-2025 cycle with a background in neuroscience, psychology, computer science or engineering!

We hear about neuromodulators like serotonin all the time, but how do they actually work? This week Dr. Claire O'Callaghan gives us an introduction to the science of neurobiology! She discusses the roles of serotonin and noradrenaline and we learn that the systems are more complex than we may hear in popular science. Ava and Beth discuss their misconceptions around neuromodulators and Beth shares a personal noradrenaline story!

Are all inequalities perceived the same? Dr. Riana Brown joins us to discuss how different inequalities — health, economic, and belonging — differentially motivate support for collective action and social change. Dr. Brown also shares research on when and why some people might opt to tackle the root causes of inequality, such as advocating for policy changes, versus addressing its immediate consequences, like volunteering at a soup kitchen. Beth and Ava reflect on their personal experiences of participating in social change efforts.

What do the social lives of chimps and bonobos reveal about human cognition? Join us as biological anthropologist & comparative psychologist Dr. Laura Lewis tells us about the social structures of our closest living relatives & shares her research on how chimps and bonobos remember friends and foes and manage their social attention. Beth and Ava discuss how to think about the similarities and differences between humans and other great apes.

How do we store information in the brain? How do we know when one memory should end and another begin? We speak to Dr. Oded Bein who explains how we use schemas to organise information. Dr. Bein discusses how we segment our experiences to store as our memories and how these processes might be different for people with anxiety. We also give some tips to improve memory and Ava and Beth reflect on how schemas might influences their perspectives.

When something's bothering you, do you tend to suppress those emotions or sit with them? Dr. Rachel Low joins us to discuss her research on emotion regulation in individuals, relationships, and families. Learn about how parents' emotion regulation styles might spill over to their children, and how just one person suppressing their emotions in a romantic relationship can undermine relationship satisfaction. Beth and Ava talk about their own patterns of emotion regulation.

Is sexual chemistry just natural compatibility, or can it grow from effort and work? Dr. Jessica Maxwell shares her research exploring how sexual beliefs influence well-being in both long-term and casual relationships. We discuss how individual differences, like attachment styles, shape our relationship preferences, from one-night stands to long-term monogamy. Plus, stay tuned for practical tips for maintaining passion in long-term relationships!

How often do you play negative experiences over in your head? If this is a painful pattern of thinking, why would we do this? This week we talk about rumination with Dr. Rachel Bedder, she explains why we ruminate and how it is different from worry. Dr. Bedder discusses her computational model of rumination and we learn how we can apply these models in real life. Ava and Beth reflect on their own thought patterns.

How does culture shape our actions towards the environment and our responses to global crises? Dr. Kimmon Eom joins us to discuss how different cultures and socioeconomic statuses influence the willingness to engage in pro-environmental actions. He also shares work on how pandemics and fear of contagion may make even the unprejudiced support xenophobic policies. Beth and Ava have an honest conversation about their own experiences with social class.

What makes a for a good conversation? Why do we feel we 'click' with some people and not others? This week we speak to Dr. Emma Templeton about research on conversation. She discusses why gap length between two conversation partners is important into understanding our connections and why this may have different meanings between strangers and friends. Ava and Beth share how they feel about conversations with strangers, can your take a guess to who loves conversations with strangers 100% of the time?

Are we really what we eat? Research on the gut microbiome suggests we really are! This week we speak to Dr. Aya Osman who researches how the gut microbiome influences our brain and behaviour. Dr Osman explains the role of the gut microbiome in addiction and autism and how we can study these connections. We learn what foods are best for a healthy gut. Ava and Beth discuss their personal experiences with the gut microbiome with some pretty rogue stories!

One of the biggest mysteries in science is, what is consciousness? This week we speak to Dr Anil Seth about how we can study consciousness and where the field is at the moment. Dr. Seth discusses how our experience can be considered a controlled hallucination and what all this means for AI. Ava and Beth reflect on their views which somehow relates back to Terminator 2.

What happens to our memories as we age? Dr. Tarek Amer challenges the idea that memory decline is inevitable as we get older. Tune in to find out when older adults' 'sticky' memories not only aid in recollection but also enhance creativity, potentially giving them an edge over younger folks.

How do you decide to do your maths homework or play a video game? Why does maths homework feel like more effort than the video game? This week we speak with Dr. Laura Ana Bustamante about how cognitive effort effects the decisions we make. She speaks about her research relating cognitive to physical effort, how we can increase our willingness to exert effort and the relationship between anxiety and cognitive effort. Ava and Beth discuss their own approaches when it comes to effort.

When guilt strikes, how do you respond? Is it a rush to make things right or an urge to evade? Dr. Hongbo Yu is joins us to delve into the complexities of guilt, its neural bases, and the surprising role our eyes play in magnifying or mitigating those guilty feelings. Plus, Beth and Ava share some personal perspectives on eye contact.

Elle Murata is a neuroscience Ph.D. student specializing in the impact of sex hormones on the brain. When she noticed something was off with her own menstrual cycle, she found herself having to advocate for her own health to receive proper care. In this conversation, Elle shares her journey to find answers about her own health, and insights from her lab about the effects of sex hormones on our brain's functions.​

How do we tell our imagination apart from reality? Although it may seem like a simple process we often get the two confused. This week Dr. Nadine Dijkstra shares with us her research on the reality threshold and how this helps us determine what is real and what is not! Ava and Beth discuss top-down and bottom-up processes in perception and how reality can seem blurry at times.

We are back for season 3! To start off the season we talk with Dr. Julian Scheffer about his research on compassion. Dr. Scheffer tells us about the cognitive costs of compassion and how effort may effect our decision to feel compassion for others. We discuss how compassion compares to empathy and why it is beneficial to feel compassion at all!

In this episode, we explore experiences of minoritized individuals in healthcare. Dr. Kimberly Martin shares her research on COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Black Americans, and challenges the common attribution to the Tuskegee experiments, sharing research on the critical role of current experiences in shaping medical mistrust. In addition, Dr. Martin shares her personal journey of transitioning from a career as a dancer to academia.Shownotes: https://www.mindsmatterpodcast.com/your-mind-on-medical-mistrust

Do you ever wonder how often people lie on dating apps? Or how language can reveal people's lies about groups they dislike? Dr. David Markowitz joins us to share his research on the frequency and types of lies people tell. He also discusses whether and how lies, like fake news, can be detected by humans or AI. Beth and Ava share their own experiences with deception on dating apps and discuss how dehumanization is measured in research.

This week we sat down to chat with Dr. Mette Leonard Høeg who is a literary theorist and philosopher studying theories of consciousness. Dr. Høeg speaks about how we can use works of literature in the field consciousness research. We discuss everything from free will to what future societies might be imagined from different theories of consciousness!

Have racism, sexism, and homophobia reduced over time? What about ableism? Dr. Tessa Charlesworth joins us to discuss her research using big data and word embeddings to track shifting attitudes about marginalized groups over the years and decades. We explore the implications of her research on prejudice reduction strategies. Beth and Ava discuss their own experiences with stereotypes of women in STEM.

How does a researcher's positionality affect their research? Why do we use the scientific methods that we do? And how do we even measure success in science? This week on the podcast we speak to Dr. Cammi Murrup-Stewart about her research on well-being for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island youth. Speaking about the First Nations Methodologies she uses, we address the big questions around the structure of scientific inquiry. Ava and Beth reflect on these questions with relation to their own research.

Why do we love to dance? What makes dance different from other movements? This week on the podcast we speak to Dr. Emily Cross about her research on the neuroscience of dance. Dr. Cross explains why we prefer to watch certain dances over others and how emotion is central to dancing. Ava and Beth discuss their aesthetic experiences with art in general, leading to very different opinions!

Is more of a good thing always better? We know this isn't the case with exercise and eating, but does the same idea apply to meditation and mindfulness? This week on the podcast Dr. Sarah Strohmaier talks about her research on 'dose' meditation. Her research found that more mindfulness isn't always the best approach. We discuss how mindfulness and meditation help reduce anxiety and stress and what brain regions are involved in these processes. Ava and Beth share their own experiences with meditation practices.

Have you ever wondered why we are drawn to characters like Tony Soprano, even though he carries out morally bad actions? One possible explanation is our moral curiosity. This week on the podcast Dr. Jordan Wylie helps us understand what moral curiosity is and why we are allured by morally ambiguous characters. Dr. Wylie also speaks to us about her research on ‘phantom rules', rules such as jay-walking that are rarely enforced, as well as how our moral values influence what we believe about harm-reduction policies. Ava and Beth discuss what they believe a ‘moral saint' to be and we find out one of our hosts is a Marvel fan!

A Minds Matter bonus episode! This week we step away from the research questions and have a chat with a Buddhist monk. Bhikkhu Sadaro (Kevin Berryman) is a Buddhist monk from the Ajahn Chah forest meditation tradition who has been practising for the last 17 years. We speak to him about everything from enlightenment, love, loss, and the self.

How do you feel about hierarchies? Dr. Sa-Kiera Hudson joins us to discuss how the answer may influence empathy and intergroup conflict. Support for hierarchies can lead not only to reduced empathy, but to increased counter-empathy for competitive groups. We further discuss what happens when hierarchies intersect and how psychology can study multiple identities (race, gender, sexual orientation) simultaneously.

Have you ever wondered why some days you order your same favourite meal whereas others you decide to try something new? How do we know when we should exploit previous choices or explore new possibilities? In this episode, Noor Sajid discusses her work on active inference, a framework that can answer this problem. Noor uses active inference to investigate many properties of our brain and behaviour, including why two brain lesions can be better than one. Ava & Beth talk through the basics of modeling and the motivations behind this scientific field.

What actually makes for good sleep? Dr. Lauren Whitehurst joins us to discuss how the brain, and crucially, the rest of the body, interact to support cognitive functions like memory consolidation and insight. Dr. Whitehurst shares how vital sleep is to overall health, and what happens when some communities systematically get less sleep than others. Beth & Ava discuss their own experiences with sleep spilling over into other facets of life.

Resilience is a word we hear all the time, but what does it actually mean to be resilient? In this episode, Dr. Lucy Hone discusses her work on resilience and well-being. Sharing her own lived experience with grief, Dr. Hone explains resilience doesn't mean being fine all the time. We discuss how we can improve our resilience along with the science behind the ideas of gratitude and learned helplessness.

Do we see things the way they really are or do our biases and motivations influence our perception? Dr Yuan Chang Leong discusses his research on how our motivations influence how we see the world. If we are biased to see the world differently to others, can we ever really understand someone with different political beliefs? We discuss why we have these biases at all and how they may help us live better lives.

One of the first and strictest gun laws passed in the United States was the Mulford act of 1967, sparked by lawmakers perceived threat of the Black Panthers. Thus, the launch of the gun restriction movement was a targeted effort to limit Black Americans' gun access. How does this history influence attitudes about guns in the U.S. today? Dr. Gerald Higginbotham discusses the importance of history as a context in which to consider present-day attitudes, and how our own perceptions of history, like how long ago we feel the Tulsa Race Massacre happened, may in turn influence our current attitudes and support for policy.

Why do some people amass have friends effortlessly while others remain isolated? Dr. Elisa Baek tells us about her work using social network analysis to examine the differences between the brains of well-connected and lonely people. Dr. Baek also shares why those with the most friends might not be the most magnetic or charismatic, but might rather be those with the strongest need to belong.