My BrainWise Coach

My BrainWise Coach
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Welcome to My BrainWise Coach — a podcast exploring the intersection of neuroscience, behavioral science, and psychology to help you live and lead better lives. Hosted by Cole Bastian and Phil Dixon, each episode connects brain science to everyday life, leadership, and relationships. You’ll gain practical insights into emotional intelligence, habits, trust, change, growth, and many other topics — all grounded in research and real human experience. 🧠 Stay curious. Stay compassionate. Stay BrainWise.

  1. The Hidden Senses Your Brain Uses to Make Every Decision (S2E21)

    1D AGO

    The Hidden Senses Your Brain Uses to Make Every Decision (S2E21)

    You were taught you have five senses. You don't. Neuroscience now recognizes at least twelve distinct sensory systems, and the ones Aristotle missed are the ones quietly running your emotional life, your decisions, and your sense of who you are. In this conversation, Phil Dixon and Cole Bastian take apart the five-sense model and rebuild it with what the research actually shows. You'll learn why "touch" isn't one sense, why your gut feelings are sensory data, and why interoception, the sense of your own internal state, is the foundation of emotional intelligence and good judgment. Covered in this episode: The history of the five-sense model from Aristotle's De Anima to modern neuroscienceCharles Bell and Charles Sherrington on the discovery of proprioceptionThe vestibular system, thermoception, and nociception explainedWhy interoception is the neurological foundation of emotion, drawing on Lisa Feldman Barrett's constructed emotion theoryAntonio Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis and what it means for decision-makingC tactile afferents, the receptors tuned specifically to caring touchWilder Penfield's cortical homunculus and what your brain's body map really looks likeChronoception, magnetoreception, and the edges of human sensingHow interoceptive awareness connects to the Personal Threat Profile (PTP)Practical ways to train interoception for better self-regulation and leadership Follow @mybrainwisecoach across all platforms and leave a five-star rating and review wherever you listen. It helps the BrainWise community grow. 00:00 The Sense You Were Never Taught 00:02 Aristotle and the Five-Sense Model 00:03 Charles Bell Discovers Proprioception 00:06 The Vestibular System and Balance 00:08 Thermoception and Temperature Sensing 00:09 Nociception Is Not Just Touch 00:11 Interoception and the Body's Internal State 00:13 Lisa Feldman Barrett on Constructed Emotion 00:14 Connecting Interoception to the PTP 00:15 Chronoception and the Sense of Time 00:17 Magnetoreception and Speculative Senses 00:18 Why Touch Is Not One Sense 00:19 C Tactile Afferents and Caring Touch 00:20 The Cortical Homunculus Body Map 00:22 Damasio's Somatic Marker Hypothesis 00:25 How to Train Interoceptive Awareness 00:26 Closing the BrainWise Field Guide

    29 min
  2. The Slot Machine in Your Pocket: How Apps Hijack Your Brain (ND2E20)

    5D AGO ·  BONUS

    The Slot Machine in Your Pocket: How Apps Hijack Your Brain (ND2E20)

    Every time you pull to refresh, swipe on a dating app, or scroll a feed that never ends, your brain is running the same circuit B.F. Skinner discovered in pigeons in the 1950s. The variable ratio reinforcement schedule is the most powerful behavioral conditioning mechanism psychology has ever identified, and it has been quietly engineered into the technology you carry in your pocket. In this conversation, you'll learn exactly how the mechanism works, why willpower is the wrong tool to fight it, and how the same neurological principle shows up in the people closest to you. Topics covered: B.F. Skinner's schedules of reinforcement and the variable ratio discoveryWolfram Schultz's dopamine research at Cambridge and why uncertain rewards trigger a larger response than certain onesThe neuroscience of the near miss in slot machine designAza Raskin on infinite scroll and the 200,000 hours of daily attention it costsFormer Facebook VP Chamath Palihapitiya's admission about dopamine-driven feedback loopsWhy dating app swipe mechanics optimize for engagement, not connectionTeasing as the oldest variable ratio schedule, and the line between play and manipulationThe dopamine deficit state, prefrontal cortex bypass, and the case for pre-commitment over willpower2025 research on social media addiction patterns in Generation Z Rate and review the show with five stars wherever you listen, and follow @mybrainwisecoach on every platform for more. 00:00 The Pigeon and the Lever 00:01 Welcome to Neuroscience Digest 00:02 Skinner's Schedules of Reinforcement 00:03 The Dopamine Anticipation Circuit 00:05 Why Uncertainty Amplifies Wanting 00:06 Inside the Slot Machine 00:07 The Near Miss as Accelerant 00:08 Your Phone Is the Lever 00:09 Infinite Scroll and Pull to Refresh 00:10 The Swipe and Dating App Design 00:11 Teasing as Variable Ratio Schedule 00:12 Playful Teasing Versus Manipulation 00:14 When Resolution Never Comes 00:15 The Positive Side of Anticipation 00:16 The Dopamine Deficit Problem 00:17 The Prefrontal Cortex Bypass 00:18 Exploitation of the Vulnerable 00:19 Field Guide: Recognize the Mechanism 00:20 Field Guide: Pre-Commit, Don't Willpower 00:21 Field Guide: Audit Your Own Behavior 00:21 Skinner's Pigeons in Our Pockets 00:22 Close and Call to Action

    23 min
  3. The Neuroscience of Music: Why Your Playlist Hurts Focus (S2E20)

    MAY 10

    The Neuroscience of Music: Why Your Playlist Hurts Focus (S2E20)

    That playlist you swear is helping you concentrate? Your prefrontal cortex may be quietly working overtime to ignore it. This episode unpacks what neuroscience actually says about music, focus, and emotional regulation, and gives you a practical framework for choosing what plays in your headphones. In this conversation, you will learn: Daniel Levitin's research on how music engages the auditory cortex, cerebellum, motor cortex, limbic system, prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbensWhy dopamine, frisson, and the brain's prediction machine explain musical chillsThe "reminiscence bump" and why music from ages 13 to 25 stays neurologically wired to identity and memoryHow music shifts dopamine, serotonin, cortisol, oxytocin, and endogenous opioids, including the 60-beats-per-minute effect on the parasympathetic nervous systemHans Eysenck's cortical arousal theory and the Yerkes-Dodson curve as it applies to introverts, extroverts, and background musicWhy open plan offices wreck cognitive performance, and what intelligible speech does to attentionWill Henshall and Focus@Will on the 1-to-4 kHz voice frequency problem and why saxophone, cello, and lead guitar disrupt focusMusic-based interventions for surgical anxiety, Parkinson's gait, and Alzheimer's recognition, including the documentary Alive InsideA four-part field guide for matching music to task, personality, and ultradian rhythmIf this episode shifts how you work, follow @mybrainwisecoach and leave a five-star rating and review wherever you listen. It helps new BrainWise friends find the show. 00:00 The Confession That Started This 00:01 Why Music Reaches Everywhere in the Brain 00:04 Dopamine, Prediction, and Musical Chills 00:06 Why Teenage Music Never Lets Go 00:09 Music as Mood and Neurochemistry 00:11 Rhythm, Synchrony, and the Cerebellum 00:12 Introverts, Extroverts, and Cortical Arousal 00:14 Demanding Work Versus Repetitive Tasks 00:16 The Open Plan Office Problem 00:17 Focus@Will and the Voice Frequency Trap 00:21 Personality, Distractibility, and Playlist Choice 00:22 Music as Medicine: Surgery, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's 00:24 Why Music Survives Neurodegeneration 00:24 Your Practical Field Guide 00:27 The Ultradian Rhythm Principle 00:28 Why Music May Predate Language

    30 min
  4. Neuroscience of Productivity: Chronotype, Ultradian Rhythms & Dread (ND2E19)

    MAY 7 ·  BONUS

    Neuroscience of Productivity: Chronotype, Ultradian Rhythms & Dread (ND2E19)

    There's one task on your list you keep skipping, and your brain is paying a tax on it all day. The order in which you do your work is not just a productivity question. It's a neurological one, and getting the sequence wrong can cost you the entire morning before you even notice. In this conversation, Cole and Phil unpack the brain science of designing a day around the brain you actually have: Why the importance-urgency matrix fails the brain's threat systemDread procrastination and the Zeigarnik effect (attentional residue)Chronotypes as biology, not preference, and the fMRI evidence on cognitive peaksThe cortisol awakening response and the real post-lunch circadian troughNathaniel Kleitman's ultradian rhythm and the 90-minute basic rest-activity cycleWhat actually counts as genuine rest for the brain (and why your phone doesn't)The Personal Threat Profile (PTP) and how protection, prediction, and participation drivers shape what you avoidA five-step practical field guide for sequencing your day around your biologyIf this episode helped you think differently about your own brain, follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen, and connect with us at @mybrainwisecoach across your favorite platforms. 00:00 The Task You're Avoiding Today 00:01 Why The Urgency Matrix Fails 00:02 Brain Evaluates Threat Not Importance 00:03 Dread Procrastination And Attentional Residue 00:04 Welcome To Neuroscience Digest 00:05 Chronotypes Explained: Larks And Owls 00:06 The Genetics Of Cognitive Peaks 00:07 fMRI Evidence On Peak Performance 00:08 Cortisol Awakening Response And Circadian Rhythm 00:09 The Real Post-Lunch Slump 00:10 Kleitman And The Ultradian Rhythm 00:11 The 90-Minute Cognitive Cycle 00:12 What Genuine Rest Actually Means 00:13 Your Personal Threat Profile (PTP) 00:14 Protection, Prediction, Participation Drivers 00:16 Five-Step Practical Field Guide 00:18 Protect The Early Afternoon 00:19 Close: Stay BrainWise

    19 min
  5. The Neuroscience of Political Thinking: Why Your Brain Picks a Side (S2E19)

    MAY 3

    The Neuroscience of Political Thinking: Why Your Brain Picks a Side (S2E19)

    Your brain isn't neutral when politics come up, and that's not weakness. It's wiring. In this conversation, Cole and Phil break down the neuroscience driving political polarization, why certainty feels so good to the brain, and what you can actually do to stay grounded when the world feels like it's overheating. Topics and frameworks covered in this episode: The Ladder of Inference and how mental models lock in absolute thinkingConfirmation bias and why you keep returning to the same news sourcesIngroup and outgroup bias, including how sports fandom mirrors political tribalismAttribution error and the double standard we apply to "our side" vs. "theirs"Loss aversion and why changing your political opinion feels like a personal identity threatLead-the-witness questioning in media and how it triggers amygdala-based responsesPrefrontal cortex regulation strategies for staying out of reactivityCuriosity over certainty as a conversational frameworkRobert Cialdini's reciprocity principle applied to political dialogueThe "seven-second pause" technique for slowing threat-state reactions If today's episode helped you see your own brain a little more clearly, take 30 seconds to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast app, and follow us at @mybrainwisecoach for more neuroscience you can actually use. 00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 00:01 How Absolute Thinking Takes Hold in the Brain 00:02 Lead-the-Witness Media and the Threat State Response 00:04 What Biases Actually Are: A BrainWise Framework 00:05 Confirmation Bias and Why We Seek Familiar Channels 00:06 Ingroup and Outgroup Bias: Sports, Politics, Same Brain 00:07 Attribution Error: Why We Judge Outgroups More Harshly 00:09 Loss Aversion and the Identity Cost of Changing Your Mind 00:11 Politics Activates These Biases Most Strongly 00:13 BrainWise Field Guide: What to Do with All of This 00:15 Curiosity Over Certainty in Difficult Conversations 00:18 Staying Grounded: Respect Without Agreement 00:21 Cialdini's Reciprocity Applied to Political Dialogue 00:22 Closing: Stay Curious, Stay Compassionate, Stay BrainWise

    23 min
  6. Negativity Bias: Why Your Brain Weighs Bad Heavier Than Good (ND2E18)

    APR 30 ·  BONUS

    Negativity Bias: Why Your Brain Weighs Bad Heavier Than Good (ND2E18)

    Bad sticks. Good slides off. You can name three things that went wrong this week faster than three that went right, and that asymmetry isn't a personality flaw or a bad mood. It's a measurable feature of how your brain processes information, and it's now being exploited at industrial scale by the feeds you scroll every day. In this digest, you'll learn: Roy Baumeister's 2001 review paper "Bad Is Stronger Than Good" and what it documents across relationships, learning, and social judgmentKahneman and Tversky's loss aversion finding (losses hurt roughly twice as much as equivalent gains feel good)John Gottman's five-to-one ratio in relationship researchIto and Cacioppo's 1998 EEG work on the late positive potential and negative valenceRozin and Royzman's four features of negativity bias: negative potency, steeper negative gradients, negative dominance, and negativity contagionJoseph LeDoux's research on the amygdala's fast and slow threat-detection routesVaish, Grossmann, and Woodward's developmental evidence that the bias appears in infantsRobertson et al.'s 2023 Nature Human Behaviour study on negative words and headline click-through ratesBrady et al.'s 2017 research on moral-emotional language and social diffusionA practical feed audit you can run this week in 10 minutes If this episode helps you see your own mind more clearly, leave a five-star rating, write a review, and follow @mybrainwisecoach everywhere you listen and scroll. 00:00 The Three Good Things Test 00:01 Introducing The Negativity Bias 00:02 Bad Is Stronger Than Good 00:03 Loss Aversion And The Five-To-One Ratio 00:04 EEG Evidence For Negative Attention 00:04 Four Features Of Negativity Bias 00:05 The Sewage And Wine Principle 00:06 Evolutionary Roots Of The Bias 00:07 LeDoux And The Amygdala Fast Route 00:08 Infants Already Show The Bias 00:09 Headlines Engineered For Negativity 00:10 Moral Emotion And Social Diffusion 00:11 The Algorithmic Feedback Loop 00:12 Your Feed Is Not The World 00:13 Curate The Inputs That Reach You 00:14 The 10-Minute Feed Audit 00:15 Stay Curious Stay BrainWise

    16 min
  7. The Neuroscience of Working With AI: What You Lose & Keep (S2E18)

    APR 26

    The Neuroscience of Working With AI: What You Lose & Keep (S2E18)

    You feel uneasy about AI, but you can't quite name why. Maybe you haven't started using it and worry you're falling behind. Maybe you've been using it heavily and suspect you've offloaded more than you meant to. This episode gives you the neuroscience to diagnose which one you are, and a clear protocol for what to do next. Cole and Phil cover: The predictive processing framework from Karl Friston, Andy Clark, and Chris Frith, and why fluent AI output hijacks your brain's trust predictions before you consciously evaluate the contentJoseph LeDoux's amygdala research and why AI conversations run hotter than the evidence warrants for both skeptics and power usersEvan Risko and Sam Gilbert's 2016 framework in Trends in Cognitive Sciences on productive versus degrading cognitive offloadingWhy the editing brain only stays sharp when the drafting brain stays in practicePractitioner accounts of using AI for platform development, book writing, research validation through Google Scholar, and podcast productionThe "cognitive reclamation" protocol for users who feel they've over-offloadedA six-step weekly practice covering deliberate exposure, deliberate protection, written briefs, verification layers, monthly capacity audits, and emotional self-monitoring If this episode helped you think more clearly about your relationship with AI, leave a five star rating and review wherever you listen, and follow @mybrainwisecoach across all platforms. 00:00 Why AI Raises The Floor Differently 02:00 Welcome And Episode Roadmap 04:00 Predictive Processing And AI Fluency 06:00 Why Confident Output Hijacks Trust 07:00 The Amygdala And AI Identity Threat 10:00 Risko And Gilbert Offloading Framework 12:00 Productive Versus Degrading Offload 15:00 How We Use AI For Platform Building 24:00 AI As A Book Writing Partner 29:00 The Future Of Work With AI 31:00 The Internet Comparison From 1994 34:00 AI In Podcast Prep And Editing 40:00 Two Types Of AI Unease 42:00 Advice For The Skeptic Group 46:00 Cognitive Reclamation For Heavy Users 49:00 Deliberate Exposure And Deliberate Protection 51:00 Six Practical Steps This Week 55:00 Closing Principles And Final Takeaways

    52 min
  8. Social Media's Hidden Brain Cost: What EEG Research Reveals (ND2E17)

    APR 23 ·  BONUS

    Social Media's Hidden Brain Cost: What EEG Research Reveals (ND2E17)

    Every scroll session leaves a neurological residue that most people don't know is there. A 2026 study published in Nature's Scientific Reports identified the exact psychological mechanisms connecting social media use to anxiety, poor sleep, impaired attention, and depressive symptoms — and what measurably changes when that use is reduced. What the research shows may shift the way you think about your relationship with these platforms entirely. In this episode, Cole and Phil cover: The 2026 Castillo, Roth, and Ramos study in Nature Scientific Reports on psychological pathways between social media and mental healthEEG findings on alpha wave suppression and why elevated beta and gamma activity persists after you stop scrollingFestinger's social comparison theory and how upward comparison activates threat-processing networks in the brainBrady and colleagues' research on how moral and emotional language spreads faster on social platformsThe variable reward schedule mechanism (nucleus accumbens, dopamine, infinite scroll) and its structural parallel to gambling behaviorWhy passive consumption carries a higher comparison load than interactive postingEmotional contagion susceptibility as a neurobiological variable, not a personality preferenceHow self-control improves as a consequence of reduced use, not just a prerequisite for itEvidence-based use design: designated contexts, platform differentiation, and organizational cost awareness If this episode changed how you see your own feed, leave a five-star rating and review, and follow us everywhere @mybrainwisecoach. 00:00 What This Episode Is and Is Not 00:02 Introducing the 2026 Nature Study 00:03 Study Design and Five Mediation Pathways 00:04 Alpha Wave Suppression and EEG Findings 00:05 Social Comparison and Threat Processing 00:06 Why Maladaptive Regulation Is the Path of Least Resistance 00:07 How Algorithms Select for Arousal and Outrage 00:08 Passive Consumption vs. Active Interaction 00:08 Emotional Contagion as a Neurobiological Variable 00:09 Self-Control as Resource, Not Willpower 00:10 Variable Reward Schedules and the Gambling Mechanism 00:11 Evidence-Based Use Design Over Abstinence 00:12 Phil's Key Takeaways 00:12 Cole's Key Takeaways and Close

    14 min
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About

Welcome to My BrainWise Coach — a podcast exploring the intersection of neuroscience, behavioral science, and psychology to help you live and lead better lives. Hosted by Cole Bastian and Phil Dixon, each episode connects brain science to everyday life, leadership, and relationships. You’ll gain practical insights into emotional intelligence, habits, trust, change, growth, and many other topics — all grounded in research and real human experience. 🧠 Stay curious. Stay compassionate. Stay BrainWise.

Information

  • Creator
    My BrainWise Coach
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © My BrainWise Coach
  • Show Website
    My BrainWise Coach

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