PBS_Braincraft

The scientific reasons you're into your bae.

Neuroscience is being used in Hollywood to measure and predict audience reactions. Could your brain direct an Oscar winner?

Do you know brain facts from fiction?

A look at some awesome people behind discoveries in psychology, neuroscience and biology.

This is Lois. He lives in St. Lois, Missouri, with a disproportionate number of other people named Louis. We’re unconsciously attracted to people, places, and things that resemble ourselves. And it affects our life in some pretty bizarre ways. In one study, researchers analyzed the public records of 66 million Americans and found that people are disproportionately likely to live in places whose names resemble their own. Just like St. Lois and it’s Louises, Jacksonville is inhabited by more Jacks, Philadelphia by Philips and Virginia Beach by Virginias. While some gravitate towards these places, it is also possible that parents living in Georgia are more likely to name their children George or Georgia. The researchers also found that people are more likely to live in cities that names began with their <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zho0-hilarious-huge-dog-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">birthday</a> numbers. Interesting facts! If you were born on the second of the month, you would live in Two Harbors, Minnesota. The third? Three Oaks, Michigan. Also, people were more likely to choose careers whose labels whose labels resemble their names. Dennis or Denise are over presented among dentist. Laurie, Lawrence, and Lauren among lawyers. The researchers called this effect of unconscious self-love “Implicit Egotism”. And it doesn’t stop there. A recent study of undergraduate students found that when you work in a group, sharing initials with other members of the group increases the overall quality of your group work. Bizarrely the study was authored by three researches named Polman, Pollmann, and Poehlman. We write our name thousands of times throughout our lives, so the more we are merely exposed to something like those letters the more we like it. And finally, there’s a scientific explanation about why Susie sells <a href="https://rumble.com/v45r2i-gaza-artist-fights-unemployment-by-selling-sea-shell-artworks.html" target="_blank">sea shells</a> by the sea shore!

The trillions of bacteria in your gut have more of a relationship <a href="https://rumble.com/v4eeep-our-brain-takes-shortcuts-all-the-time-how-to-communicate-like-a-mind-reade.html" target="_blank">with your brain</a> than you may realize. Not the one in your head but the ‘second brain’ as it is called. The second brain isn't really a brain at all. It's more of a 'brain' that happens to live in our stomach and helps regulate an amazing number of feelings and emotions. Known as the enteric nervous system, this is the mechanism behind all those ‘I'm going with my gut on this’, ‘I'm having a gut reaction’ - phrases that have become so much a part of our everyday parlance. You probably already know that we have a whole lot of neurons - nerve cells that form the basis of our central and peripheral nervous systems - in our spine, but did you know that we have the same number lining the long tube of our gut? The complex make-up of our gut means it's able to create intense cravings - why do I suddenly need a cheeseburger immediately? - without even communicating with <a href="https://rumble.com/v4luxe-its-good-for-your-brain-to-know-random-stuff.html" target="_blank">our actual brain</a>. And it's not just the neurons packed into our stomach that pretty much tell us what to do, the buzzing microcosm inside is also busy exerting its influence. Called the microbiome, this colony of bacteria is determined by many factors, such as how old you are, where you live, what you eat, and even how stressed-out you are, and it can communicate with our central nervous system to control everything from how anxious you are about a particular task, to how likely you are to approach things with positivity. Watch the video to find out what's actually going on down there, and if you happen to be craving chicken nuggets dipped in Sprite, you now know what part of you is to blame.

Being a human isn’t an easy task. We often focus only on our exterior shell, but we forget about the wonders hidden on the inside. The human body is more complex than a computer. It is made out of tiny particles that form the cells that later form the tissues and organs to create the perfection that is the human organism. But in reality, we’re not all that perfect. What makes us different than just a random plastic object is that every second in our body there are a million of things happening all at once. Deep within our cells, the nucleus communicates with other organelles to keep the cell functioning. On a higher level, cells communicate with the ones surrounding them, organs communicate between themselves via blood and above everything else, the brain communicates with each and every particle in the body through hormones. Hormones give the orders to move a muscle, create a new cell, to <a href="https://rumble.com/v3noad-how-exercise-improves-your-mental-health.html" target="_blank">feel happy and to feel sad</a>. It is constantly happening, so the brain has devised a few shortcuts based on experience. Basically, what this means is that if something happens, we jump to the conclusion based on what our <a href="https://rumble.com/v3bet9-3-techniques-to-train-your-brain-like-a-mental-athlete.html" target="_blank">brain</a> tells us that has happened before and is the norm. But what if that’s not the case? What if those shortcuts lead us to misinterpret situations and make faulty decisions? Take a look at this video to understand why the human mind is imperfect.

Are you easily fooled? Why we fall for April Fool's Pranks.

It's my 50th episode! I'm celebrating by answering your questions about disgust, boredom, salty tears and BrainCraft.

Some ideas about the brain that seem weird now–They also shaped modern neuroscience.

Even the simplest video games can impact the structure of our brains!

This is a game! It’s called the Ultimatum Game and there is a big pot of money. But, you have to split the pot! You need to decide how you want to split the pot – think 80/20 or 50/50 and suggest that! If agreed, you will both get the share. If rejected, no one gets the money. What do you do? This game has been used in a lot in tests of fairness. And things like your brain or electric stimulations of certain brain regions affect how people decide to split the pot, and if others accepted their offer they will split it. In one study, participants were given a pill of amino acids or placebo, and then they played The Ultimate <a href="https://rumble.com/v3537v-check-out-this-clever-japanese-board-game..html" target="_blank">Game</a>. Those who had the amino acid pill rejected unfair offers in 80% of the cases, and those who took the placebo, rejected unfair offers 65 % of the time. The amino acid pill didn’t include tryptophan, the amino acid necessary to synthesize serotonin, a chemical that plays a role in regulating emotions during social decision-making. So reduced serotonin resulted in more resentment towards the offer, making the responders less likely to accept. Another study bent the rules of The Ultimatum Game. When the participants first split the pot, they are offered 10-25% of the value to their partner. Then The Ultimatum Game became electrifying. Some participants received electrical stimulations that increased activity in a <a href="https://rumble.com/v32vhg-quiz-nothing-will-test-your-brain-more-than-these-riddles-good-scores.html" target="_blank">brain</a> area though to control fairness. It’s kind of mind-blowing that our sense of fairness and inequity can be manipulated by drugs and electrical stimulations. But… can you really win The Ultimatum Game? How would you split the pot?

Sometimes things get a little weird in fMRI machines.

The curious case of a man who lost his memory, but could still learn things.

The *mind-blowing* story of Phineas Gage, a man who survived with a hole in his brain – and what we learnt from him.

Can you see what I see? Let me know if you were tricked by these illusions!

Is more choice really better than less?

Put your observation skills to the test.

Do you trust your ears?

Can we define beauty?

Social connection is a craving we sometimes can't deny.

Join AsapSCIENCE for a deeper look at defining insanity.

Try to solve this famous thought experiment.

Can Mary learn anything in the Knowledge Argument?

The 1998 film can impact people in quite bizarre ways.