Posts Tagged: ‘neurology’
Here in the U.S., we’re adrift in a constant war of political words. On one side we have political conservatives who want to own guns, build play forts out of money and drill for oil on the moon. On the other side, we have political liberals who think marijuana should be legal, hospitals free and cats afforded basic human rights.
OK, so those are exaggerations, but the exaggeration serves to drive home the fact that liberals and conservatives often come off like two separate species who just happen to share the same basic morphology. But do the differences go deeper than nurtured beliefs and values? Do liberals and conservatives have different brains?
Defeat Your Doppelgängers: Third Man Syndrome
by Robert Lamb | February 4, 2011
At first this condition might seem more the domain of helpful aliens and guardian angels than doppelgängers, but third man syndrome falls smack in the middle of our rogue’s gallery of mysterious doubles. You’ve probably heard these stories before. A mysterious stranger seemingly appears out of nowhere to help someone through extreme circumstances — and then vanishes.
Whether you wield a battle axe or a q-tip, you’re engaging in classic tool user behavior. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and I get to the heart of animal tool use. Just what is it all about and how does the brain see that blood-dripping blade or wax-coated cotton swab as a part of your body? Plus, primates aren’t the only amazing tool users out there. Prepare that brain of yours for the exploits of crows with sticks, elephants with canteens, naked mole rats with tiny masks and octopi who go all “Gilligan’s Island” on some coconuts.
Defeat Your Doppelgängers: Mirrored Self-misidentification
by Robert Lamb | January 31, 2011
We’ve looked at a few different delusional misidentification syndromes so far and sent the doppelgangers packing. But what if the mysterious stranger in your life happens to be that weirdo in the mirror?
You’ve probably seen this played out for laughs in everything from the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup” to “Shaun the Sheep.” Your reflection just doesn’t look or move quite right, so you move around till the impostor gives him or herself away. Assuming the rest of your life doesn’t resemble a slapstick farce, however, it’s probably best to seek professional help.
Defeat Your Doppelgängers: Clonal Pluralization of Self
by Robert Lamb | January 20, 2011
We all want to fit in, but at the same time we want to stand apart from the crowd. We’re thrilled when we’re the first to discover a new musical artist, but then we’re disappointed when our friends don’t jump on the bandwagon with us.
If you suffer from Clonal Pluralization of Self, however, life has an unhealthy compromise for you. This particular delusional misidentification syndrome boils down to the belief that there are many physically and psychologically identical copies of you in the world.
Defeat Your Doppelgängers: Syndrome of Subjective Doubles
by Robert Lamb | January 19, 2011
Do you frequently glimpse a stranger on the train who looks just like you? Convinced a nefarious organization deployed agents to impersonate you? The truth is you’re probably suffering from the syndrome of subjective doubles. First identified by George N. Christodoulou, the condition involves false memories of familiarity in which strangers appear to share your exact appearance.
In a 1978, Christodoulou described the case of a woman dubbed “Ms. A” The reserved 18-year-old believed that a female neighbor had gradually metamorphosed into her doppelgänger through the use of special makeup, a wig and a mask.
Defeat Your Doppelgängers: Capgras Syndrome
by Robert Lamb | January 11, 2011
It’s a new year and a new decade, so instead of focusing on those same old boring resolutions, let’s tackle the big one. It’s time to do something about that mysterious double in your life.
Perhaps it’s your own doppelgänger — you know, the guy or gal that looks JUST like you. Or is it other people’s impossible twins you keep encountering?
Together, you and I are going to crack this nut. Let’s start with the unsettling feeling that someone (or something) has replaced a loved one, friend or coworker in your life.
Blow Your Mind: Ladies Night on Earth and the Overview Effect
by Robert Lamb | December 17, 2010
I want you to look into the future, a future where men are long extinct and an all-female race of super-short humans rule the earth beside their robotic physicians. Welcome to the Y chromosome apocalypse, gentlemen.
Yes, we’ve got two exciting podcasts for you this week. In Ladies Night on Earth we discuss the inevitable extinction of males and ponder why. And since males are merely altered female why do we keep them around? Julie and I will discuss the advantages of sexual reproduction and, in a move that has been dubbed “epic man fail” on Twitter, I refuse to defend my own gender against charges that it mucked up the world. Am I right, ladies?
Think you have what it takes to endure a five-month stay in orbit? Be prepared to go through some psychological changes. According to nearly a decade of Russian observations and a 1993 report on human adaptation to long-duration space flight, you’ll probably become incredible irritable — and possibly start to feel like all humanity is interconnected in a vast web than spans the cosmos. Yes, space euphoria: it’s actually a thing, man.
The fight or flight response in the sympathetic nervous system has a fairly specific function. It arouses the individual to run, run away as fast as you can to a happy place where no one ever cries or to take a stab at beating the tar out of the aggressor. Also acceptable is taking a stab at stabbing the aggressor, which still technically falls into the fight category. There is no real third option; it’s pretty much limited to fighting or fleeing.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Sailing, Takes Me Away…To The Seychelles
- Cute Animal Tuesday: Black Vulture
- Traveling on the Orient Express
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- The Seven Deadlies: Pride Cometh Before the Brain
- Warhammer 40K: 25 Years of Orks in Space
- A Visit to the Tellus Science Museum
Stuff You Should Know
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
- Amazing Medical Conditions: Maple Syrup Urine Disorder
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
How-to Stuff
- How to Make the Most of a Gallery Crawl (When You’re on a Shoestring Budget)
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 43: Drag Queens: You Better Work!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 42: Road Trip!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 41: Celebrity Couples
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics

