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Jonah Lehrer

Science in fiction and nonfiction

Arts, Culture & Media

Three writers discuss themes as varied as consumer electronics, neuroscience and Twitter.

The science behind making decisions

Environment

The inner workings of a baby’s brain

Environment

Debate grows over fMRI scans

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Oxytocin could play role in parenting behavior

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Our brains and New Year’s resolutions

Environment

The science behind keeping resolutions — why our brain might actually prevent us from being successful in following through.

Jonah Lehrer on How to Expand Your Imagination

In 1965, a frustrated Bob Dylan was ready to quit the music industry. Abandoning his guitar, he retreated to a cabin in Woodstock, New York.  Off the tour bus and away from the city, Dylan finally relaxed. After a few days, despite his best  intentions, he started scribbling lyrics – and he couldn’t stop. “Like a Rolling […]

The World

Studio 360 – Episode 847 – Dylan, Hamlet, Neuroscience – Proust was a Neuroscientist

Science writer Jonah Lehrer is just 26, but he’s already worked as a line cook at Le Cirque and in the lab of a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. In Proust Was a Neuroscientist, Lehrer looks at the surprising ways artists like Paul Cezanne and Walt Whitman had insights into neurological concepts that scientists have taken years to prove.

The World

Under pressure: Tiger at the Masters

Sports

Tiger Woods is the master of staying cool on the golf course. But how will he handle the added pressure of his scandalous extramarital affairs? We talk about why athletes and experts choke when the pressure is really on – and how they can avoid it.

The World

Science: A Brain’s Appetite

Conflict & Justice

New studies suggest that in matters of weight loss, will power could lose out to brainpower. Joining The Takeaway to talk about the brains behind our bulk is science contributor Jonah Lehrer and Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich.