videos

Taking in the good

Today we don't gather our own food, fight off wild animals, or live in caves. And yet, explains Dr. Rick Hanson, we're equipped with stone-aged brains. With practice, however, we can change our brains, and our lives, for the better.

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divided brain

In this new RSA Animate, renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how our 'divided brain' has profoundly altered human behaviour, culture and society. Taken from a lecture given by Iain McGilchrist as part of the RSA's free public events programme. To view the full lecture, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbUHxC.... The RSA is a charity dedicated to driving social progress and spreading world-changing ideas. 

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Neuroplasticity: Implications of Scientific Research on Meditation for Spiritual care

Richard Davidson, PhD, speaks about his research on neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change its structure and function in response to experience. 

Based on Dr. Davidson's research with longstanding meditators from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, he compares responses between the monks and non-practitioners. He also explores current research on happiness and shares his conclusion that our compassion for another human being can change their biology in an interaction.

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How it feels to have a stroke, Jill Bolte Taylor

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

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