When he published The Myth of Mental Illness in 1961, Thomas Szasz launched the first salvo in what would become a lifelong criticism of psychiatry and what he has referred to as the “therapeutic state.”  And with the recent publication of his new book, Psychiatry: The Science of Lies, Dr. Szasz demonstrates that he has not wavered a bit from his views that human behaviors are miscategorized as "mental diseases" and that psychiatry “medicalizes” human conditions and practices coercion under the guise of treatment.

In this podcast, we get a chance to hear from Dr. Szasz himself on a variety of topics including the nature of mental illness, the history of medicalizing nondiseases, and the emerging political and social forces that are currently shaping our healthcare system.  Join us in this fascinating discussion where Dr. Szasz reflects upon the impact he has made on the field of psychiatry and on the legacy he hopes to have established.

Advancements in neuroscience have enabled physicians to successfully restore the mental functioning of patients with severe cognitive, mood, and motor disorders.  But many of these same therapies can also produce significant mental gains in normal, healthy individuals.  This has created a rapidly growing demand for “smart drugs” that have the potential to greatly enhance the mental performance of people over and above what is considered normal or average.

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and one of the leading researchers in the area of human cognition and the neuroethics of brain enhancement.  Be sure to tune in as we talk about the emerging field of “cosmetic neurology” and how this could very well be the next frontier in elective medicine.

Perception is indeed reality when it comes to what we see.  And nowhere is this more apparent than during a magical act.  But beneath all the showmanship and flair, these artists are actually triggering complex neuroscientific processes which help create the seemingly impossible on stage.

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Susana Martinez-Conde of the Barrow Neurological Institute, and Founding Member and Executive Chair of the Neural Correlate Society.  Dr. Martinez-Conde is a recognized expert in the field of visual neuroscience who has been leading key research in the area of visual illusions.  Most recently, Dr. Martinez-Conde's work has been featured in Scientific American ("Magic and the Brain") and in Nature Review Neuroscience ("Attention and awareness in stage magic: turning tricks into research").  The latter was co-authored with Dr. Stephen Macknik as well as with the professional magicians Mac King, James Randi, Apollo Robbins, Teller, and John Thompson. 

Be sure to join us as we talk about the fascinating subject of human visual perception and put a spotlight on how magicians manipulate human attention and awareness to both entertain and delight us.

Confidence scams have been around since time immemorial.  And while we like to think of ourselves as intelligent and "street smart," we're still quite willing to place our complete trust in total strangers with regards to such cherished items as our time and our money.  Why is that?

In this podcast, we are delighted to once again feature Dr. Paul Zak, the founding Director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University and author of the Moral Molecule blog.  Dr. Zak and I discuss the role of the hormone oxytocin in the development of the human emotions of trust and empathy.  In addition, we talk about how con artists engage The Human Oxytocin Mediated Attachment System (THOMAS) and hijack it for the purposes of meeting their needs at our expense. 

Join us as we delve into the neuroscience of human trust and explain exactly why we are so susceptible to the machinations of these "unconditional nonreciprocators."

Very few areas areas of psychology generate such high levels of both excitement and skepticism as the study of anomalous perception, or "psi" phenomena.  And given how hype and speculation of psi phenomena have often taken the place of serious scientific examination, the skeptics are certainly justified in their criticisms.  Nevertheless, there are a few scientists who are willing to brave this area of research in an attempt to critically examine whether or not psi phenomena are measurable - or perhaps even learnable.

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Julia Mossbridge, a Visiting Scholar at the Visual Perception, Cognition, and Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University.  Dr. Mossbridge is currently examining psi phenomena from a perceptual neuroscience approach and attempting to identify types that can actually be measured and quantified. 

Join us as we review the current research in this field and discuss the areas of psi phenomena that show the most potential.

One of the most exciting areas of neuroscience involves the exploration of the biological and physiological underpinnings of human social interaction.  And as researchers discover more and more about the critical role that mirror neurons appear to play in our lives, the relatively new field of “social neuroscience” is rapidly becoming the central front from which we examine how the brain influences social behavior, and vice versa. 

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Carl Marci who is the Director of Social Neuroscience for the Psychotherapy Research Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry.  Dr. Marci is involved with some of the most advanced research that focuses on measuring and quantifying the human emotion of empathy.

Be sure to listen in on this podcast where we discuss a promising new development in the one of the hottest areas of neuroscience today. 

Back in March of 2007, we interviewed Dr. Alan Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, located here in Chicago.  Dr. Hirsch is one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of smell and taste, and we had an opportunity to discuss the complex effects that these two senses exert over our everyday lives.

We caught up with Dr. Hirsch about a month ago, and we’re very excited to report on some of the new developments at his research center.  For quite some time, Dr. Hirsch has been studying how our senses of smell and taste might have a role in regulating our food intake and our sense of satiety – or our feeling of being “full” and “satisfied.”

Join us as we visit once again with Dr. Hirsch and talk more about the science and commerce of smell and taste.

It seems as if everywhere you look there’s a new book being published or a new “expert” on the talk show circuit telling us how to find happiness in our lives.  Indeed, the “feel good” industry is flourishing and sales of self-help books and CDs that promise a more fulfilling life have never been higher.  However, few researchers have devoted their entire careers to scientifically exploring exactly what it is that promotes “subjective well-being” in humans.

In this podcast, we speak with Robert Biswas-Diener, Program Director at the Center for Applied Positive Psychology (UK) and co-author of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth.  Robert and his father Dr. Ed Diener, who collaborated on this publication, are two of the world’s foremost experts on the science of happiness.

Be sure to join us as we take an in-depth look at the components that make up true psychological wealth in humans.  The real key to having a truly happy and fulfilling life will definitely surprise you.

To many in the neuroscience community, mirror neurons represent the biggest discovery of the past twenty years.  These “smart cells,” which activate when we perform actions and when we see other people performing the same or complementary actions, seem to provide us with a common neurobiologic dynamic for our understanding of how we learn, empathize, and interact socially and culturally with other human beings at a fundamental level.  In addition, mirror neurons may also be the key to understanding and treating a variety of social interaction disorders such as autism, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Marco Iacoboni, Director of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Lab at the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  Dr. Iacoboni is currently leading some of the most advanced research on the human mirror neuron system and its role in both social behavior and social disorders. 

Be sure to listen in on this provocative interview where we discuss Dr. Iacoboni’s new book, Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others (May 2008, Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and delve into the fascinating details of one of the most exciting new areas of scientific discovery.

Personal credit card debt in the United States has doubled since 2004, and personal bankruptcies are at the highest rates ever.  And despite unprecedented levels of economic growth and wealth creation, the median American family has less than $10,000 in assets.  This begs the question, “Where has all the money gone?"

The unvarnished truth is that many Americans spend and continue to spend well beyond their means, in essence mortgaging their futures for the temporary convenience of the present.  And as the U.S. housing crisis continues to intensify, these same individuals are finding themselves in an increasingly precarious financial predicament brought on by years of unchecked consumptive habits.

In this program, we speak with Dr. Tahira K. Hira of Iowa State University.  Dr. Hira is internationally known for her research in consumer bankruptcy, consumer credit, and the social and psychological aspects of borrowing among middle and high income Americans as well as the impact of gambling and credit use on family financial well-being.

Join us in this timely and insightful conversation where we explore the key factors that influence people’s buying and borrowing behavior and help explain why people overspend in the first place.