Things start becoming addictive when we start chasing the want and not the like.

Yes, you want something... but are you enjoying it for the sake of enjoyment... or are you numbing something you don't want to feel instead?

Following our full episode, the Neuroscience of Pleasure, this mini episode shines a giant light on our nervous system and its key role in managing pleasure and avoiding addiction.

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES The Neuroscience of Happiness and Pleasure by Morten L Kringelbach and Kent C. Berridge

Neuroscience of Affect: Brain mechanisms of pleasure and displeasure -- Kent C. Berridge and Morten L. Kringelbach

The Neuroscience of Pleasure and Happiness By Luciano Marinelli

A neuroscience perspective on pleasure and pain -- Dan-Mikael Ellingsen, Morten Kringlebach, and Siri Leknes

The balance of pleasure and pain is on an ever-swinging scale. (Cause they use the same receptors!)

And encouraging others' pleasure enters us onto a whole new playing field.

Following our full episode, the Neuroscience of Pleasure, this mini episode starts to steer us away from our own experiences of pleasure, and towards how our feelings (and actions) can affect others.

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For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES The Neuroscience of Happiness and Pleasure by Morten L Kringelbach and Kent C. Berridge

Neuroscience of Affect: Brain mechanisms of pleasure and displeasure -- Kent C. Berridge and Morten L. Kringelbach

The Neuroscience of Pleasure and Happiness By Luciano Marinelli

A neuroscience perspective on pleasure and pain -- Dan-Mikael Ellingsen, Morten Kringlebach, and Siri Leknes

If dopamine isn't pleasure (like we all think it is)...

Then what is pleasure?

Following our full episode, the Neuroscience of Pleasure, this mini episode dives more into dopamine's role while also highlighting a key neurotransmitter that doesn't get enough attention and might be the key to truly enjoying life's pleasures.

Lastly, we look at some common pleasures - sex, food, etc. - and discuss how to enjoy them to the fullest.

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For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES The Neuroscience of Happiness and Pleasure by Morten L Kringelbach and Kent C. Berridge

Neuroscience of Affect: Brain mechanisms of pleasure and displeasure -- Kent C. Berridge and Morten L. Kringelbach

The Neuroscience of Pleasure and Happiness By Luciano Marinelli

A neuroscience perspective on pleasure and pain -- Dan-Mikael Ellingsen, Morten Kringlebach, and Siri Leknes

Pleasure is what drives us to do anything and everything in life.

So how does our brain decide what we enjoy?

What does too much pleasure look like, and how can we make sure the pleasures we pursue in life are healthy?

Tune in to learn more, and look out for a few more mini-episodes along this topic next month.

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For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES The Neuroscience of Happiness and Pleasure by Morten L Kringelbach and Kent C. Berridge Neuroscience of Affect: Brain mechanisms of pleasure and displeasure -- Kent C. Berridge and Morten L. Kringelbach The Neuroscience of Pleasure and Happiness By Luciano Marinelli A neuroscience perspective on pleasure and pain -- Dan-Mikael Ellingsen, Morten Kringlebach, and Siri Leknes

In January we learned about the Neuroscience of Decision Making, and in this episode, we're taking a closer look at long-term decisions.

So... how's that New Year's resolution coming along?

Is it feeling like a wishful dream these days? Or maybe you've fallen off the wagon so many times, it seems easier to quit than keep at it?

Your brain likes to make sticking to long-term decisions (like resolutions) feel as difficult as it seems... but what if there are ways to "cheat the system" and trick your brain to almost guarantee success in the long run?

Give this mini-episode a listen to find some encouragement from your brain to keep going, along with useful suggestions to make it easier to reach your goals. _______________________________________________________

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

P.S. Like our new cover art? Just as this podcast continues to develop, so has our image. But we think this one may be the keeper! Stay tuned for the full image on our website -- update coming very soon.

REFERENCES

• The Behavioral Neuroscience of Motivation: An Overview of Concepts, Measures, and Translational Applications -- Eleanor H. Simpson and Peter D. Balsam
• The Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Decision Making: A Review and Conceptual Framework -- Lesley K. Fellows Montreal Neurological Institute
• The Role of Emotion in Decision Making: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective -- Nasir Naqvi, Baba Shiv and Antoine Bechara
• Decision Neuroscience New Directions in Studies of Judgment and Decision Making Alan G. Sanfey
• The Ecology of Human Fear: Survival Optimization and the Nervous System -- Dean Mobbs, Cindy C. Hagan, Tim Dalgleish , Brian Silston and Charlotte Prévost
• Human Orbitofrontal Cortex Signals Decision Outcomes to Sensory Cortex During Behavioral Adaptations -- Bin A. Wang, Maike Veismann, Abhishek Banerjee & Burkhard Pleger
• Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky

From the everyday to the extraordinary, our decisions shape the course of our lives.

So how exactly do the choices we make every day, and the people we come in contact with, change that course?

And how can knowing more about our brains lead to better decisions -- ones that we can feel confident in and that match our strengths and values?

Tune in as we uncover the secrets to better decision-making by understanding the inner workings of our brains. ______________________________________________________

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers! 

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

P.S. Like our new cover art? Just as this podcast continues to develop, so has our image. But we think this one may be the keeper! Stay tuned for the full image on our website -- update coming very soon.

REFERENCES

• The Behavioral Neuroscience of Motivation: An Overview of Concepts, Measures, and Translational Applications -- Eleanor H. Simpson and Peter D. Balsam
• The Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Decision Making: A Review and Conceptual Framework -- Lesley K. Fellows Montreal Neurological Institute
• The Role of Emotion in Decision Making: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective -- Nasir Naqvi, Baba Shiv and Antoine Bechara
• Decision Neuroscience New Directions in Studies of Judgment and Decision Making Alan G. Sanfey
• The Ecology of Human Fear: Survival Optimization and the Nervous System -- Dean Mobbs, Cindy C. Hagan, Tim Dalgleish , Brian Silston and Charlotte Prévost
• Human Orbitofrontal Cortex Signals Decision Outcomes to Sensory Cortex During Behavioral Adaptations -- Bin A. Wang,  Maike Veismann,  Abhishek Banerjee &  Burkhard Pleger

In light of our focus this season on mental health, we leave you with this tool to help ground your mind, activate your whole brain, and ease your body into a more relaxed state.

Stay tuned for Season 3 of The Brain Blown Podcast coming in the new year!

www.brainblownpodcast.com

Let's celebrate the holiday season with TWO EXTRA episodes to round out Season 2 of The Brain Blown Podcast!

Following Part 1, this last shorter episode dives back into the neuroscience of trauma and specifically examines the body's role in storing trauma.

Laine also highlights some brilliant takeaways we can all use to try and manage the stress in our lives and be prepared to take on everything life throws at us.

This will be the final episode of the season, and we look forward to bringing you more brain-blowing info in the new year!

Much Love,

Cherys & Laine

REFERENCES

• What Happened To You Bruce Perry and Oprah Windfrey
• Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Rockville (MD)
• PTSD History and Overview Matthew J. Friedman, MD, PhD
• Traumatic Stress Center of Wales
• How does your body remember trauma? Dr. Matthew Boland and Hilary L. Lebow
• Response Variation following Trauma: A Translational Neuroscience Approach to Understanding PTSD Rachel Yehuda, * and Joseph LeDoux
• Thirty-Year Study Links Neuroscience, Specific Trauma, PTSD, Image Conversion, and Language Translation Dee Spring PhD, ATR-BC, MFT
• Relational Trauma and the Developing Right Brain An Interface of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology and Neuroscience Allan N. Schore