The Nature & Nurture Podcast

• Nature & Nurture #155: Dr. Helen Joyce - Making Sense of the Transgender Debate

  Dr. Helen Joyce is a journalist, mathematician, women’s right advocate, and author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality. In this episode, we talk about Helen’s background in mathematics and transition into journalism, and eventually the so-called gender culture war. We discuss sex differences in personality, why gender nonconformity is normal, and why the transgender debate has turned into such a contentious and politicized topic. We trace this story back to both the complex biology of sex differentiation, and postmodern philosophical problems surrounding identity, and how these decision points become difficult to enshrine into law. We discuss what social and legal norms should be surrounding protected gendered spaces, freedom of speech and pronoun use, intersex populations, libertarianism, and whether adults should be free to choose medical sex reassignment. Helen offers sound and practical advice for individuals wanting to navigate these contentious waters with an open mind, and do right by people when trying to both remain respectful to individuals struggling with gender dysphoria and not invalidate the truths of biological sex.

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• Nature & Nurture #154: Dr. Carl Marci - Protecting Your Brain From Screens

  Dr. Carl Marci is a psychiatrist, Director of the Social Neuroscience Psychotherapy Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, and author of Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age. In this episode, we discuss how social media and digital technology impact attention span and brain development, what is happening to kids in the digital age, and how advertising companies use neuroscience research to addict their users. Dr. Marci talks about his experience as both a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, and entrepreneur who has worked with digital broadcasting and technology companies. We talk about the rapid rise of mental health problems, social contagion theory, and why in-person communication is more enriching than online communication (ironically, as we speak on an online platform). Dr. Marci shares his recommendations for developing healthy screen habits and how to turn the fear of missing out into the joy of missing out on digital immersion. 

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• Nature & Nurture #153: Dr. Robin Nusslock - Neuroinflammation, Emotion, & Mindfulness

  Dr. Robin Nusslock is a neuroscientist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University. He is an expert on the interactions between the brain and the immune system, including the role of neuroinflammation in regulating positive emotion, negative emotion, and mental health. In this episode, we discuss Robin’s research on the brain and immune system in the context of diet, stress, and lifestyle choices. We discuss Robin’s research on Tibetan Buddhist monks, what monastic lifestyles reveal about mindfulness, sleep, and how the brain processes rewards and concepts of self and other. We also discuss the neurobiology of reward processing, including hedonistic vs. eudaimonic rewards, and the role of narrative and reinforcement learning in shaping the brain’s ability to delay gratification as exemplified by monastic life, religious sacrifice, and the practice of delayed gratification in pursuing an education. 

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• Nature & Nurture #152: Dr. Webb Keane - Technology, Morality, & Narrative

  Dr. Webb Keane is the George Herbert Mead Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan.  He is an expert in the anthropology of religion and ethics; semiotics and language; material culture; gifts, commodities, and money; and media. He is the author of Animals, Robots, Gods: Adventures in the Moral Imagination. In this episode we discuss Webb’s central argument that ethical dilemmas posed by interactions with non-humans and near-humans, including animals and AI, share common themes reflected in narrative and mythology cross-culturally. We discuss these findings in relation to cultural anthropology, evolutionary psychology, AI and large language models, and video games.  00:23 Exploring the Book's Themes 01:04 AI and Moral Imagination 04:51 Religious Language and AI 08:29 Human-AI Interaction 17:32 Moral Dimensions of Hunting 22:01 Animal Emotions and Morality 31:10 AI as a Moral Entity 34:45 The Fear of AI and Human Intentions 35:38 The Moral Implications of AI Decisions 38:34 Ethics and Social Interaction 41:04 Language and Perception 47:19 Cultural Differences in Language 52:48 The Intersection of Technology and Identity 59:46 Mythology and Technology in Popular Culture

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• Nature & Nurture #151: Dr. Michael Bernstein - The Placebo & Nocebo Effects

  Dr. Michael Bernstein is an experimental psychologist, Assistant Professor at Brown University Medical School, and the author of The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick. Dr. Bernstein’s research is focused on the overlap between cognitive science and medicine, studying the role of expectation in healthcare and leveraging the placebo effect to improve patient outcomes.  In this episode, we explore the mechanisms, implications, and ethical dilemmas of the placebo and nocebo effects in healthcare. Dr. Bernstein explains that the nocebo effect is essentially the opposite of the placebo effect, where negative expectations can lead to worsening symptoms. He shares examples from randomized trials and addresses ethical challenges in medical disclosure. We also discuss the impact of patient expectancy, anxiety, and media influence on symptom manifestation, along with considerations for future research and practical applications in medicine. 00:27 Understanding the Nocebo Effect 02:11 Ethical Dilemmas in Medical Disclosure 04:38 The WebMD Effect and Media Influence 08:20 Psychological Mechanisms of Nocebo and Placebo 17:28 Conditioning and Expectation in Healthcare 18:34 Evolutionary Perspectives on Placebo 23:16 Trust, Authority, and the Placebo Effect 29:04 Understanding Negativity Bias in Behavioral Economics 29:46 Environmental Factors and Nocebo Effects 31:54 Recency Bias in Medical Procedures 33:47 The Role of Cognitive Biases in Healthcare 35:46 The Placebo Effect in Surgeries 43:24 AI in Medicine: Ethical Considerations and Future Directions 51:52 Open Label Placebos and Pain Management 53:44 The Importance of Ritual in Healing 55:30 Exploring Placebo Effects in Animals

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