Minding the Brain
Jim Davies & Kim Hellemans
Cognitive & brain science episodes from Jim Davies & Kim Hellemans
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 16, 2025 • 32min
Brain Fog, Neurodivergence in STEM & Improving Brain Function – Q&A – #91
What is brain fog and what can you do about it? What’s Jim’s #1 recommendation for improving brain function? Do brains compensate for cognitive decline? [...]
5 snips
Jun 1, 2025 • 30min
Social Media & Mental Health with Dr. Andrea Howard, Part 1 – #90
Dr. Andrea Howard, an associate professor at Carleton University specializing in adolescent well-being, joins experts Dr. Jim Davies and Dr. Kim Hellemans to unravel the complex relationship between social media and youth mental health. They discuss psychological mechanisms behind addiction, explore social media's dual role in fostering connection and creativity, and examine the neurological impacts of features like endless scrolling. Additionally, they emphasize strategies for healthier social media engagement, highlighting the urgent need for awareness in academic settings.
May 15, 2025 • 39min
Cannabis Induced Anxiety, Healing After Alcoholism & Brain Training – Q&A – #89
Why does cannabis give some people anxiety? Can your brain heal after alcoholism? Does brain training work? Join Kim and Jim as they answer listener [...]
May 1, 2025 • 45min
Delusions with Dr. Ian Gold – #88
Dr. Ian Gold joins Minding the Brain to talk about his research on delusions. What are delusions? Is there a link between delusions and conspiracy [...]
Apr 15, 2025 • 26min
Near Death Experiences, Brain Implants & Lucid Dreaming – Q&A – #87
Are near-death experiences real? Given the uniqueness of every brain, are brain implants a plausible future technology? Can people teach themselves to lucid dream? Join [...]
Apr 1, 2025 • 28min
Cultural Effects on the Brain and Mental Disorders #86
How does culture impact our brains and the way that mental disorders manifest? How does schizophrenia look different across cultures? What about eating disorders? Can [...]
Mar 15, 2025 • 27min
Ape Brains, Evo Psych and AGI – Q&A – #85
Could LLMs like ChatGPT ever lead to AGI? Could we ever erase traumatic memories? Why do some people hate evolutionary psychology? What has neuroscience learned [...]
Mar 1, 2025 • 55min
The Evolution of Women with Cat Bohannon #84
Cat Bohannon joins Minding the Brain to talk about the evolution of women. Get ready to learn about prehistoric gynecology, sexual dimorphism in humans, why [...]
Feb 17, 2025 • 25min
Q&A: Transgender Brain Differences, the Impact of Racism on the Brain and More #83
Are the brains of transgender people different than the brains of cisgender people? Can experiencing racism cause lasting neurological damage? Can a deeper understanding of [...]
Feb 1, 2025 • 1h 9min
Psychedelics #82
Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles joins Kim to discuss psychedelics. Does microdosing work? Are psychedelics effective for treating depression? How do these substances interact with the brain? [...]
