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Incredible Mind

Michelle Cross Smith

How do you tap into your unique intelligence? On Incredible Mind, host Michelle Cross Smith interviews neuroscientists, psychologists, doctors, artists, and others, getting insight into the workings of the brain and simple ways to engage your natural brilliance.

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11 episodes
weekly
Avg 36 min
English

Episodes 11

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S1 · E11
Thursday · 35 min
Neuroarchitecture: Vasiliki Meletaki
Ready to change how you see the space around you? In this Season 1 closer for Incredible Mind, Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics post-doc researcher Vasiliki Meletaki explains neuroaesthetics from the perspective of architecture and nature. In this conversation, we revisit the aesthetic triad, explore the three psychological dimensions of architecture and design, and learn how we can apply these insights in the real world. You’ll be surprised how this information changes your awareness of the built environment! Episode Guide 0:00 Intro 2:03 Architecture, nature, and the Aesthetic Triad 9:30 Impact of personal experience on our perception of spaces 11:17 Philadelphia’s unique architecture 14:54 What people generally like or dislike in building design 16:08 Coherence, fascination and hominess 22:24 Biophilia and nature 29:33 Applying neuroarchitecture to improve quality of life 31:58 The nuance of research results and how to use them 34:24 Conclusion
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S1 · E10
September 17 · 33 min
Made of Clay: Simon van der Ven
What does it mean to be an artist in today’s world? How do you practice your art and survive? This episode features Simon van der Ven, ceramicist and owner of van der Ven Studios. Siem walks us through the life of an artist-craftsman, the ceramic process, and what it means to follow a deep calling to create. If you know an aspiring artist, you’ll want to share this with them! Episode Guide 0:00 Intro 1:45 Sim’s journey to ceramics 6:08 Clay wants to be itself 09:38 Ceramics, humanity & philosophy 14:34 The ceramic-making process 18:30 Workflow strategies during repetitive processes 24:16 What is a professional artist, really? 25:53 Potter-Artist or Artist-Potter 32:14 Conclusion
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S1 · E9
September 10 · 35 min
The Invisible Art: Product Design with Cathy Bergstrom
You interact with the human-made world every day, from apps and login accounts to furniture and supermarket checkouts. Behind all these things is a designer, crafting the product with your experience in mind. In this episode we hear from Cathy Bergstrom, a Director of Product Design with deep knowledge of the process. If you want to learn how products are born, this episode is for you! Episode Guide 00:00 Intro 02:18 What is product design? 06:55 Product design vs. UX design 07:50 Elements of good design: Apple Notes 11:00 Cathy’s journey to product design 12:50 The product design process 17:38 How new products are born: Amazon Prime 22:51 Defining the problem 27:52 Great design: familiarity or novelty? 30:40 Alternate use: Segway 32:23 Cathy’s final thoughts on product design 34:36 Conclusion
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S1 · E8
September 3 · 35 min
Leap of Faith: Second Chance Dance with Alyssa Bowser
Alyssa Bowser’s Second Chance Dance offers true dance education to adults, providing both novices and experienced dancers the opportunity to learn and move in community with others. In this episode, Alyssa shares the unexpected way Second Chance Dance (SCD) came to be, why dance matters, and how people travel across state lines to fulfill their heart’s desire to practice ballet, modern, tap and other genres. You’ll leave this conversation inspired! Episode Guide 0:00 Intro 01:34 Meet Second Chance Dance (SCD) 03:11 The origins of SCD 07:06 Recitals and their Impact at SCD 10:49 Michelle’s transcendent recital experience 13:27 Learning dance- emotional, mental, and physical work 16:55 Choreography 22:56 Experience of dancer versus audience 24:53 SCD as its own living entity and how to maintain its heart 30:01 Juggling community mission with dance education 32:01 Alyssa says: answer the call 34:50 Credits
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S1 · E7
August 27 · 46 min
You Can Create: Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
What would you like to create? Creative ideas come in many forms, from a screenplay to a new cookie recipe. While emotions can keep us from getting started or completing our work, we can harness our emotions to overcome a variety of creative challenges. In this episode, we hear from Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, author and Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Zorana’s book, The Creativity Choice is an insightful and inspirational guide to getting us through the emotional and cognitive hurdles we face as creative beings. Episode Guide 0:00 Introduction 02:15 Why Zorana wrote The Creativity Choice 04:39 Uncertainty is part of creativity 05:26 Defining creativity 07:56 Big C, little C and pro C creativity 11:37 Creativity in unexpected places 14:57 Making your creative idea happen 18:43 Exploration of the idea and willingness to change 21:04 Expanding or refining your idea 26:26 Challenges of the creative process 32:36 Dealing with blocks 34:22 Harnessing our emotions 38:41 The Power of frustration 42:30 Creativity is social- strong and weak ties 45:24 Conclusion
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S1 · E6
August 20 · 34 min
The Neuroscience of Musical Narratives: Itamar Jalon
How are music and imagination linked? Is it possible to transmit images and even stories using music? In this episode, post-doc researcher Itamar Jalon shares the mind-expanding research happening at the Music Cognition Lab, part of Princeton University’s Neuroscience Institute. Whether you like neuroscience, music, or simply letting your mind wander, you’re going to love this conversation. Link to the research article: https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10690083 Episode Guide 0:00 Intro 1:53 Itamar describes the research project 7:05 Why the comparison data of spoken story is important 09:21 Defining Neural Patterns 16:32 Extramusical Thoughts 17:56 Areas of the brain activated by imagining musical narratives 19:29 Default Mode Network 20:06 Association cortices 22:22 How do we apply this information in our daily lives? 23:45 Attention harvesting 24:45 Boredom 27:27 Other ways to experience music 28:31 Controlled vs naturalistic studies 29:49 Shared meaning-making and conversations 33:22 Closing Remarks
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S1 · E5
August 13 · 32 min
Meet a Neurologist: Johnathan Reiner
Today’s episode explores neurology, Parkinsons’s Disease, brain science and creativity with Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a neurologist who is also an artist. Johnathan specializes in Parkinson’s Disease, so our conversation explores neurology and brain science through the Parkinson’s lens, while also delving into movement and creativity as critical to brain health. Episode Guide 0:00 Intro 1:42 What is a Neurologist? 4:39 Defining Parkinson’s Disease 8:17 Dopamine deep dive 11:04 Is Parkinson’s a male disease? 11:40 Deep Brain Stimulation DBS origins, how it works 16:57 Brain anatomy in context 23:45 Maintaining quality of life w/Parkinson’s 28:04 Creative Urges with Parkinsons 29:22 Johnathan’s Creative life 31:08 Conclusion
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S1 · E4
August 6 · 44 min
You Need to Act, Now: Thalia Goldstein
From improv classes and stage acting to cosplay conventions, renaissance fairs, and sharing skits on social media, many of us love to act. In Episode 4 of Incredible Mind, Thalia Goldstein shares fascinating and widely applicable insights from her work on the 8 Acting Habits of Mind. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in psychology and its application in the real world. To check out Thalia’s book and get a printable copy of her Acting Habits of Mind, visit https://www.thaliagoldstein.com/why-theatre-ed-matters Episode Guide 0:00 Intro 1:48 Thalia’s Journey 4:17 Defining Habits of Mind 8:02 Acting Habits of Mind Origins 12:17 Body Awareness and Control (interoception, emotion) 13:38 Release Inhibitions and be playful (creativity, divergent thinking) 15:28 Commit to Choices 17:05 Reflect and Think Metacognitively (providing feedback) 22:32 Consider Others (empathy, theory of mind, default social network) 26:37 Collaborate, the 21st century skill 29:07 Collaboration in the digital space 31:57 Emotion contagion and embodies awareness 33:37 Imagine and Envision 36:32 Bringing Acting Habits of Mind into our lives 39:51 Releasing our inhibitions to play as adults 43:57 Conclusion
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S1 · E3
July 30 · 36 min
Neuroaesthetics: Soma Chaudhuri & Vasiliki Meletaki
What is neuroaesthetics? Is it simply the study of aesthetic beauty, or can neuroaesthetics help shape a more positive experience of the world around us? This special episode takes place at the Neuroaesthetics Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, where researchers Soma Chaudhuri and Vasiliki Meletaki share their knowledge and work on this intriguing topic. Due to some technical issues, the audio quality on this episode is lower than usual. For closed captioning to support your listening, you can find this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/94TqfUKc4F4?si=3Sbcps7LdupOn1Xf Episode Guide: 0:00 Intro 1:32 Defining Neuroaesthetics 5:18 How the brain processes aesthetics 12:22 How expertise impacts aesthetic experiences 15:00 Vasiliki’s journey to neuroaesthetics 16:23 Impact of the immediate environment on our well-being 20:34 Soma’s journey to neuroaesthetics 22:31 Impressions, beauty and facial anomalies 24:57 Social categorization and the possibility of change 28:03 Human definitions of beauty 29:13 Study on art therapy projects 32:03 A word of caution on “neuro” marketing and bold research headlines 35:24 Conclusion
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S1 · E2
July 23 · 32 min
Experiencing Art: Katherine Cotter
Art is a widely accessible mood-booster, if we take the time to really look and reflect on an artist’s work. In this episode of Incredible Mind, Katherine Cotter, Associate Director of Research at the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project at U Penn’s Positive Psychology Center, explains what happens in our brains when we look at art, what is meant by everyday creativity, and how experiencing art contributes to our sense of well being. Episode Guide: 0:00 Intro 1:22 Defining Positive Psychology 3:03 Katherine’s Journey to Research 4:14 Democratization of creativity 6:45 Art and the Brain 9:24 The ways people experience art today 11:19 Making a case for museums 15:39 What is flourishing? 18:03 Public Art and well-being 22:55 Social prescriptions for art (loneliness, dementia and more) 26:34-29:11 Everyday Creativity and aesthetics 29:12 Creativity is for everyone 30:24 Getting kids to enjoy museums 31:55 Conclusion
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S1 · E1
July 13 · 35 min
Your Brain on Music: Anna Palumbo
What's happening in your brain when you listen to music? How about when you play music? Can music heal? In this inaugural episode of Incredible Mind, host Michelle Cross Smith gets you answers from Anna Palumbo, Research Manager at NYU's Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy. Episode Guide 0:00 Podcast Intro and Episode Intro 1:38 Anna introduces Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy 3:54 Playing and experiencing music during music therapy 6:05 Motivation for work and how Anna got into music therapy 9:33 Power of music + what happens in our brains when we listen to music 12:33 What's happening cognitively when we play music 14:24 About strokes and how music helps the brain heal 20:29 What's so special about improv? 25:06 Intrinsic Motivation 26:18 Tips for improv anxiety 29:41 Music, dancing and Groove 31:40 Advice from Anna 34:40 Conclusion and credits
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