Sense of Mind Andrew Cooper-Sansone

Thoughts may be the most important content of our mental lives. Thoughts are unobservable and seemingly intangible, yet they determine what we do and therefore how our lives go. In this episode, I explore the neuroscience of human thinking.


This livestream was originally aired live only for Patreon supporters of Sense of Mind. If you'd like to get access to future livestreams as well as exclusive blog posts, go to https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind.



Timestamps:

00:00 What are thoughts?

03:20 The neuroscience of thought is young

04:00 Externally and Internally Generated Thought

06:45 The role of attention in thought

07:17 Spontaneous thought

09:35 External thought and the frontoparietal control system

11:20 Internal thought and the default mode network (DMN)

13:30 Social cognition and the DMN

17:10 Spatial working memory, vivid detailed thought, and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)

19:50 The context dependent nature of thought

22:15 The salience network as a switch between DMN and FPN

26:20 The potential role of hippocampal sharp wave ripples in spontaneous thought

28:46 Sensory systems in thought

29:35 Working memory in thinking (and corticostriatal memory gating)

32:14 Valuation, the anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, & ventral striatum

34:05 Language and human thinking

37:28 Feelings and other influences on thought

39:44 What do you think?


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Sources:

Smallwood, J., Turnbull, A., Wang, H. T., Ho, N. S., Poerio, G. L., Karapanagiotidis, T., ... & Jefferies, E. (2021). The neural correlates of ongoing conscious thought. Iscience, 24(3).

Kucyi, A., Kam, J. W., Andrews-Hanna, J. R., Christoff, K., & Whitfield-Gabrieli, S. (2023). Recent advances in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought: implications for mental health. Nature mental health, 1(11), 827-840.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support

In this episode of The Social Brain, we discuss human brain evolution and development, and what we've learned from our research into these topics.

The first half of this episode is available for everyone, but if you want to see the whole episode, sign up for The Social Brain's Patreon page at the Premium tier: https://www.patreon.com/thesocialbrain

(Please note that this is separate from Sense of Mind's Patreon page, because Taylor and I share the revenue from The Social Brain's page.)


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Please support this channel by signing up for Sense of Mind's Patreon and get bonus content every month: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind
You'll get:

- Exclusive videos

- Access to exclusive monthly livestreams

- Written (blog post) versions of all new videos, including this one!


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Don't forget to subscribe to this channel: @senseofmindshow

And check out the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sense-of-mind/id1603691298

Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind

Follow Sense of Mind on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sense.ofmind/


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Intro and outro music credits:
Floating by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Subscribe button animation credit:
https://www.vecteezy.com/video/8873599-subscribe-and-reminder-button-animation-on-black-channel-animated-background-click-internet-media-online-social-stream-streaming-video-views-youtube


All other images are property of Andrew Cooper-Sansone and Taylor Guthrie


#neuroscience #brainevolution #evolution


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support

Resilience is not just about how your brain withstands adversity, but also how it becomes stronger as a result. This is a deep dive into the neuroscience of resilience and science-based strategies for how to build resilience.


If you want to get exclusive videos, blog posts, and livestreams AND help me keep creating videos like this one, please sign up for Sense of Mind's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind


Sources:

I want to make sure to credit a 2020 review article called "An affective neuroscience model of boosting resilience in adults" by Golnaz Tabibnia published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. However, there were 39 other sources used for this video (too many to fit into this description!) so if you'd like to see a full list of sources used for this video, click here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dS3C5TxZZGFO8GD6PxRDaJ9biNPLwPPr7nU2Mj-erhA/edit?usp=sharing


Chapters:

00:00 From failure to success

00:33 Step 1: Control Negative Emotions

01:04 The Brain’s “Distress” System

03:22 Interoception and emotion

04:35 How the brain regulates negative emotions

05:38 Emotion Regulation Strategies

06:55 Learned Helplessness

10:10 Step 2: Enhance Your Mindset

10:50 The Dopamine System

11:42 The Mesolimbic Dopamine Pathway

12:20 The Mesocortical Dopamine Pathway

12:44 The Nigrostriatal Pathway

13:32 Reward, Stress, Pleasure, Dopamine, and Opioids

15:46 Broaden and Build Theory (& Positive Psychology)

17:03 Positive Psychology and Optimism

18:28 The Looking Forward Tool

19:41 Gratitude Journaling

19:59 Three Good Things Exercise

20:59 Sense of Purpose and Resilience

21:40 How to Cultivate a Sense of Purpose

24:03 Growth Mindset and the Brain

26:52 Step 3: Improve Your Health

27:12 Exercise, Resilience, and the Brain

29:48 Sleep, Resilience, and the Brain

32:20 Cognitive Flexibility and Resilience


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All graphics and images obtained from scientific articles have been credited in the video and/or in the above list of references.


Wikipedia images: All wikipedia images have been credited in the video and all are licensed under either CC BY 3.0

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US) or CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US)


All B-roll comes from either

https://www.storyblocks.com/ (using the appropriate purchased license) or from https://www.pexels.com/


All other images are property of Andrew Cooper-Sansone


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The adolescent brain is often characterized as an imbalanced, hormone-charged, and broken version of an adult brain. The reality, however, is much more nuanced and interesting. Adolescence is a critically important period of brain development that allows for rapid learning, social affiliation, and exploration. It's found in many species across the animal kingdom and it serves an extremely important purpose.

Join us in this episode of The Social Brain, as we discuss brain development through the lens of adolescence.



⏬ ⏬ ⏬Help us keep this show alive AND get bonus content by going to:

https://www.patreon.com/thesocialbrain



🧠 👕 ☕Want cool neuroscience gear? Check out our coffee mugs, t-shirts, stickers, and more:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC610T-s8gpOVDtAVXTZ35FQ/store

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Related Content:

- Previous Episodes of The Social Brain:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC92ipyM9i9Ilc6kpe4eer-8PVOfF-jdW

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Please support this channel by signing up for Sense of Mind's Patreon and get bonus content every month: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind

You'll get:

- Access to exclusive monthly livestreams

- Written (blog post) versions of all new videos, including this one!

--

Intro and outro music credits:

Floating by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Subscribe button animation credit:https://www.vecteezy.com/video/8873599-subscribe-and-reminder-button-animation-on-black-channel-animated-background-click-internet-media-online-social-stream-streaming-video-views-youtube


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support

Right now, you are in possession of the most complex thing in the known universe: Your brain. The question is, how could this amazingly advanced biological computer have come about through natural forces? In this episode of The Social Brain, we’re traveling hundreds of millions of years into the past to answer that question. We’ll describe in broad strokes the evolution of single celled organisms all the way to the most intelligent creatures on the planet.

#evolution #brain #neuroscience


⏬ ⏬ ⏬

Help us keep this show alive AND get bonus content by going to: https://www.patreon.com/thesocialbrain


🧠 👕 ☕Want cool neuroscience gear? Check out our coffee mugs, t-shirts, stickers, and more: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC610T-s8gpOVDtAVXTZ35FQ/store


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Related Content:


- Previous Episodes of The Social Brain: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC92ipyM9i9Ilc6kpe4eer-8PVOfF-jdW


--

Please support this channel by signing up for Sense of Mind's Patreon and get bonus content every month: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind

You'll get:

- Access to exclusive monthly livestreams

- Written (blog post) versions of all new videos, including this one!


--

Don't forget to subscribe to this channel: @senseofmindshow

And check out the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sense-of-mind/id1603691298

Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind

Follow Sense of Mind on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sense.ofmind/

--


Intro and outro music credits:
Floating by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US


Subscribe button animation credit:
https://www.vecteezy.com/video/8873599-subscribe-and-reminder-button-animation-on-black-channel-animated-background-click-internet-media-online-social-stream-streaming-video-views-youtube


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support

In this livestream, I discuss the science of habits. Habits are automatic behaviors formed through repetition, shifting from conscious actions mediated by the frontal cortex to automatic processes controlled by the basal ganglia, with minimal cognitive effort. Initially requiring deliberate thought, actions become habitual through a cue-behavior-reward loop, significantly influenced by dopamine's role in reinforcing behaviors via reward prediction. While habits can be beneficial or detrimental, understanding the neuroscience behind habit formation and the brain's neuroplasticity offers insights into changing behaviors, emphasizing the potential for modifying even ingrained habits through targeted efforts.


This livestream was originally aired live only for Patreon supporters of Sense of Mind. If you'd like to get access to future livestreams as well as exclusive blog posts, go to https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind.


Sources:


Wood, W., Mazar, A., & Neal, D. T. (2022). Habits and goals in human behavior: Separate but interacting systems. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(2), 590-605.


Malvaez, M. (2020). Neural substrates of habit. Journal of neuroscience research, 98(6), 986-997.


Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2022). Attitudes, habits, and behavior change. Annual review of psychology, 73, 327-352.


Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business (Vol. 34, No. 10). Random House.


Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Penguin.



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Please support this channel by signing up for Sense of Mind's Patreon and get bonus content every month: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind

You'll get:

- Access to exclusive monthly livestreams

- Written (blog post) versions of all new videos, including this one!


--

Don't forget to subscribe to this channel: @senseofmindshow

And check out the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sense-of-mind/id1603691298


Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/senseofmind

Follow Sense of Mind on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sense.ofmind/


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support