psychology

The Interpertation of Memory

How and why we misperceive how memory works in the brain, in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Holidays: The Fountain of Youth?

For many of us, Thanksgiving means spending time with our families, carrying out traditions that we’ve practiced for years.

While it can be very stressful, messy, and challenging to spend time with family members you don’t see very often, it can also be a beautiful time of re-centering.

Traditions serve a psychological function. By repeating the same traditional activity with the same group of people over the years, we construct a chronological record of who we’ve been before – and who we are now. It’s a hidden way of staying in touch with the consistent elements of our identities, and it allows us to track ourselves as we develop and change.

Traditions give us an opportunity to become psychologically close to the person that we used to be in childhood, or adolescence – or even as recently as last year. And that’s something to be thankful for.

As always, Drs. Bob Duke and Art Markman are carving it up.

Why We Go To Extremes

From CrossFit to quilting, in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the pros and cons of going to extremes.

How To Protect Your Brain As You Age

Whether we like it or not, time marches on. And as it does, we age.

One of the most challenging realities for everyone to face in life is that we are all, inevitably, destined to grow old (if we’re lucky, that is).

Aging correlates to a steady decline of functional abilities, both physical and mental. Memory and cognition peak in our early twenties, and we begin a very slow, steady decline of those functions as we near our senior years.

After age 80, many bodily functions – including brain function – seem to have reached the average limit of their operation. So what can we do to preserve our brains for as long as possible?

You know what they say: use it or lose it. The more you think now, the more you will be able to think later, as you age. Activities that are interactive and intellectually rewarding, like having good conversations with people, are not only enjoyable – they’re also good for your brain.

The next time you spend too long talking to someone, lost in a good conversation, there’s your excuse – you were exercising your brain. And by the same token, physical activity and fitness help preserve brain function. After all, your brain is a part of your body – so you have to take care of your body to take care of your brain.

So: think a lot, move a lot, and live a lot if you want to live longer. Drs. Art Markman and Bob Duke give you more of the details.

You’re only as old as you feel: Continued activity – both physical and mental – protects you as you age.

Artificial Intelligence

The brief history of Artificial Intelligence in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Defining Intelligence

How intelligence tests were developed and why, and what they do and don’t tell us about our ability to achieve success, in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Why We Laugh At Fear

Why we respond to uncomfortable situations with humor, in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Responding To Ebola

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology behind our response to threats like Ebola.

The Psychology of Happiness

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about what goes into our ability to naturally be happy, and how we can influence our perspective to feel more positive.

Why We Get Tranfixed By Kitten Videos

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the evolutionary basis for our attraction to kitten videos, and why they’re not so bad to consume in moderation.

Brain Training Games

Demystifying the process of brain function improvement and illustrate the effectiveness of brain training programs, in this week’s show with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Procrastination

Procrastination is the all-too-familiar foe of productivity, but why do some wait until the last minute to even get a project started?

In this episode of “Two Guys on Your Head,” Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explore the psychology behind procrastination, and how we can overcome factors that might be keeping us from getting started.

How We Learn Language

How we learn language as infants and what that process can teach us about learning new languages later in life in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Constructing Memory

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explore the many aspects of how we construct memories in bits and pieces, as well as how memories function and help our species evolve.

Why Can School Be So Boring?

If you’ve seen “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” or ever been in a classroom, you know that school can sometimes be very boring. However, learning and coming up with ideas in an environment with others in our social group should be fun! So why do schools get such a bad rap?

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Robert Duke talk about some of the historical and present day factors that contribute to why school is so boring, and offer a few suggestions for a brighter future.

The Benefits of Forgiveness

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explore the psychological benefits of forgiveness. What we may think of as something trite or overrated has deep roots in our psychological well-being. It benefits us as a species to let things go.