Is AI Making Us Dumber?

Decades ago, we sat down for the news on TV. Now the news is pushed upon us through our phones, 24-hour streaming news channels and even at the gas pump. We scroll from one video to the next. Dr. Roxane Cohen Silver, a distinguished professor of psychology, public health, and medicine at the University of California, Irvine, has spent 40 years studying how our brains respond to never-ending loops of bad news. Her national studies of 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombings, and the COVID-19 pandemic turned up a startling finding: people who took in four to six hours a day of bombing coverage could end up more distressed than people who were actually there.  So why can't we look away? Silver says the more graphic imagery we take in, the more we worry … and the more we worry, the more we're pulled toward the next story. She discusses the impact of today's eyewitness videos delivered to us with no editor deciding what we see, and the simple habits she uses to stay informed without drowning. She reminds us that we can look away. Cutting back even a little may help.

What if you could fly inside your own brain before surgery? Welcome to Medical Minis, a new segment on This Is Your Brain. Many of you have written asking about the surgeries Dr. Stieg performs, the patients he cares for, and the experiences and technologies that have shaped him. Your curiosity inspired a new addition to the show: short segments that take you behind the scenes of neurosurgery and into the operating room. We'll explore the tools and technologies we use, the decisions we face, and the human stories at the heart of our work. In this Medical Mini, Dr. Phil Stieg talks with patient advocate Danielle Collins and Stefannie MacDonald, Head of Product Management at Surgical Theater. Danielle was in a workout class when a ruptured AVM in her temporal lobe hit her with a sudden, severe headache. In the hospital, a VR headset let her see her own brain in 3D while her surgeon walked her through the operation step by step. MacDonald explains how Surgical Theater turns CT and MRI scans into a patient-specific model, why surgeons rehearse each case before they operate, and why a person always checks the images. Danielle also talks about recovery, fear and living with intention. "I was able to fly inside of my brain." Surgical Theater - https://surgicaltheater.com

Could you read your own MRI? Welcome to Medical Minis, a new segment on This Is Your Brain. Many of you have written asking about the surgeries Dr. Stieg performs, the patients he cares for, and the experiences and technologies that have shaped him. Your curiosity inspired a new addition to the show: short segments that take you behind the scenes of neurosurgery and into the operating room. We'll explore the tools and technologies we use, the decisions we face, and the human stories at the heart of our work. In this Medical Mini, Dr. Phil Stieg talks with Todd Goldberg, Chief Business Officer of Avatar Medical, about turning MRI and CT scans into personal 3D models. Scans were designed by and for radiologists: black and white, flipped left to right, and read slice by slice. Goldberg explains why a 3D model still needs a doctor to walk the patient through it, why a better scan makes a better model, and the questions Avatar asked more than 100 patients after consultations at five institutions. He also shares a family emergency from years ago, before tools like this were in the room, and why clearer images would have brought comfort even if the medical decision stayed the same. "Actually having clarity on things is comfort. It does matter." Avatar Medical - https://www.avatarmedical.ai

What if every monitor in the operating room sat right in front of the surgeon's eyes? Welcome to Medical Minis, a new segment on This Is Your Brain. Many of you have written asking about the surgeries Dr. Stieg performs, the patients he cares for, and the experiences and technologies that have shaped him. Your curiosity inspired a new addition to the show: short segments that take you behind the scenes of neurosurgery and into the operating room. We'll explore the tools and technologies we use, the decisions we face, and the human stories at the heart of our work. In this first Medical Mini, Dr. Phil Stieg talks with Jamie Lockwood, CEO of HMDmd, about a head-mounted display that moves the operating room's screens from 8 to 12 feet away to right in front of the surgeon's eyes. Operating rooms are packed with stacked monitors and machines that don't talk to each other, and some cases run 8 to 10 hours. Lockwood explains how HMDmd adapted display technology from military aviation, including the F-35, to give surgeons 3D visualization without losing sight of the patient. "You cannot be disconnected from your patient at any given time." HMDmd - https://hmdmd.com

  Some people who say they are addicted to porn barely use it at all. So what is really going on? Psychologist Dr. Joshua Grubbs has an answer: moral incongruence. When our behavior clashes with our values, shame can feel exactly like addiction.  "When we're trying to regulate natural biological drives, it gets messy and complicated.  Dr. Phil Stieg and Dr. Grubbs explore where the clinical line really falls and why the wrong label can make things worse.   Dr. Grubbs shares the one question to ask about any habit you cannot shake.   https://psych.unm.edu/people/faculty/profile/joshua-grubbs.html

 Why do some people bounce back from setbacks while others feel powerless to change their circumstances? Dr. Martin Seligman, founder of positive psychology and author of Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress, joins Dr. Phil Stieg to explore how optimism, resilience, and our belief in our ability to shape the future influence everything from mental health to human progress.  He explains the neuroscience of learned helplessness, why positive thinking alone isn't enough, and how we can train our brains to overcome pessimism and regain a sense of control. Discover practical strategies for breaking free from negative thought patterns, building resilience, and creating a more fulfilling life.

 Do you scroll on your phone for hours but then quit a meaty news story in 15 seconds? Maybe your attention span isn't the problem!   Dr. Ronald Yaros thinks the way to get people to pay attention is better content delivery that's designed to work with their busy lives.   Find out what actually captures and keeps our attention... and why.    

Every time AI answers for you, part of your brain may switch off. Theoretical neuroscientist Dr. Vivienne Ming explains why, including a striking claim about GPS use and Alzheimer's risk.  Dr. Ming shares her own fix for using AI. She calls it the nemesis prompt, a technique for turning AI into your harshest critic instead of your biggest fan.  Vivienne joins Dr. Stieg to unpack what it actually takes to come out of the AI age sharper, not dumber.

For 17 years, the Unabomber skillfully eluded investigators, leaving behind no fingerprints, DNA, or usable forensic evidence but in the end it was his own words that gave him away.  Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with retired FBI criminal profiler James Fitzgerald, a pioneer of forensic linguistics whose analysis of Ted Kaczynski's writings helped crack one of the most notorious investigations in FBI history. Fitzgerald reveals how investigators constructed a personality profile from the bomber's writings, identified the unusual turn of phrase that became a "linguistic smoking gun," and used patterns in language and behavior to identify this notoriously elusive criminal mind.  Plus, an exclusive glimpse into a family's traumatic moment when they discover their relative is a serial bomber. ### Archival audio courtesy of Videos For Change Productions Excerpt from documentary in progress "Life Or Death" featuring David Kaczynski and Linda Patrik,  Producers Mike Camoin and John Carlson. 

Can't remember the fourth item on your grocery list? Nelson Dellis, a professional "memory athlete," can remember 100 things or more (though he still may forget the butter). Hear how Dellis learned to memorize lists so long that he became a five-time USA Memory Champion, and how you can use some of his strategies to improve your own memory. Dellis explains how he uses tricks like the "memory palace" and mnemonic devices to recall lengthy lists with perfect accuracy. In an era when cell phones are making memory superfluous, you can regain some of those lost skills by using his techniques. Plus… those rare folks who can never forget a day in their lives. https://www.nelsondellis.com/  Click here for a transcript and further information on this episode.