More than 4% of people have some form of synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes senses to link and merge. People with synesthesia may taste words, hear colors, or see calendar dates arrayed in physical space. Dr. Julia Simner, a professor of neuropsychology at the University of Sussex in the U.K., discusses the many forms of synesthesia, how synes ... Show More
Aug 20
Why numeracy counts in everyday life, with Ellen Peters, PhD
From deciding whether to buy a house to weighing the risks and benefits of taking a new medication, many important life decisions hinge on understanding numbers, statistics and probability. Ellen Peters, PhD, author of “Innumeracy in the Wild: Misunderstanding and Misusing Number ... Show More
35m 22s
Aug 13
Encore - How science can help you change your behavior for the better, with Katy Milkman, PhD
What can you learn from the science of behavior change that can help you make the changes you want to see in your life? Katy Milkman, PhD, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where Y ... Show More
43m 42s
Aug 6
Encore -- Why we choose to suffer, with Paul Bloom, PhD
Why do people like to watch scary movies or listen to sad songs? Why do we run marathons and raise children, even though both of those pursuits come with struggle and pain? Paul Bloom, PhD, discusses why suffering is linked to meaning in life, the connection between pleasure and ... Show More
23m 18s
Jan 2021
Seeing Sounds, Tasting Names: The world of synesthesia
Synesthesia is a neurological condition where one sensory experience gets combined with another, meaning someone might hear sounds when they eat, or see colors when they listen to music. So what exactly is synesthesia? And what’s it like to go through life with these unique senso ... Show More
31m 5s
Dec 2022
When You Hear Colors and Taste Shapes
For the past couple of months, we’ve explored the senses and how each one affects our health and well-being. In our last episode of this season, we examine a trait known as synesthesia – in which the senses intertwine, like seeing colors when you hear music or tasting flavor when ... Show More
24m 28s
Jan 2023
Synesthesia: The 6th Sense
In 1812, a physician by the name of Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs was writing about the nature of albinism, having had the condition himself. Color was a recurring topic in his analysis of albinism and as such, in discussing his own experience, he mentioned that “colored ideas” appea ... Show More
13m 2s
Dec 2023
The Mystery of Synesthesia (Letters, Numbers, Colors, Sounds, Perception, Psychic)
When you see a written word, do you also see colors in your mind? Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli explore the mystery of synesthesia where colors, sounds, letters, and numbers can all mix together in perception. What is synesthesia? Who has it? And what is responsible for it?
The p ... Show More
1h 40m
Jul 2021
The Science of Neurogenesis - Brant Cortright, Ph.D. - Brain
The bad news is there are toxins in our environment that can negatively impact our brain function, but the good news is we can heal the brain physically and psychologically with lifestyle changes. Clinical psychologist, Brant Cortright, Ph.D., sheds light on the processes of neur ... Show More
1h 6m