Category Archives: Pop Culture

October 13

Pop Culture Psychology: What Your Favorite Superhero Can Say About You

posted by

[En espagñol] It’s October and the leaves are turning – Halloween is creeping up, and it’s time to start thinking about your costume. Vampires and zombies are always popular, but you’ve probably noticed a trend in the last few years: superheroes are where it’s at. We love our pop culture characters, and from Luke Cage […]

»»
December 15

What’s Your Damage, Yoda?

posted by

Even if you haven’t seen the Star Wars films (yes, those people do exist and yes, it’s rude to yell at them until they watch them), you probably know three key things about Jedi Master Yoda: he’s small, he’s green, and he talks funny. Specifically, he switches around the order of some of his words; […]

»»
December 14

Real Jedi Mind Tricks: The Psychology of Mind Control

posted by

[En Español] Welcome, my young padawans, to Star Wars week. Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out THIS Friday, and the neurds on our team decided that it was a perfect opportunity to do one of our favorite things: connect neuroscience with pop culture! First up: real-world Jedi Mind Tricks. In Star Wars: A New […]

»»
October 31

Interview with a Zombie: Dr. Bradley Voytek and the Neuroscience of Everyone’s Favorite Monster

posted by

‘Tis the season to be spooky – here’s a bonus NeuWrite post in the spirit of the holiday! At last spring’s UCSD Neuroscience Program Retreat, we had the pleasure of hearing new faculty member, Dr. Bradley Voytek, give a talk about Consciousness Deficit Hypoactivity Disorder (CDHD). If the medical term sounds unfamiliar, maybe you know […]

»»
From www.oliversacks.com September 10

Remembering Oliver Sacks

posted by

To celebrate the life and work of Dr. Oliver Sacks, the man who inspired many of us to study the brain, some of the members of NeuWriteSD have chosen a favorite piece or two to share and speak about.   Though I’ve been reading his words for over a decade now, Oliver Sacks’ final piece […]

»»
August 06

The Appeal of a Limitless Mind

posted by

Editor’s Note: With the much-anticipated debut of the Limitless TV show closing in, it’s clear that cameos of Bradley Cooper (and animated sequences of NEURONS FIRING!!!) will be spicing up the Fall TV lineup. From the trailer, it looks like the show will be just as exciting and scientifically questionable as the movie—giving NeuWrite the perfect opportunity to re-post our original musings on Limitless, […]

»»
March 05

“Mind Change”: Does Technology Really Harm Our Brains? A NeuWrite Reads Special Report

posted by

When I was growing up, there was this idea that the things we did on the Internet were part of a life separate from the one in the “real world” (most literally seen in the online game “Second Life”).  The people you met and the things you did weren’t really part of you and the […]

»»
From www.huffingtonpost.com February 11

Add A Little Romance (Novel) To This Valentine’s Day- Part 2!

posted by

One of my favorite things about reading today’s romance novels (and if you see me reading my Kindle, there’s at least a 75% chance I’m reading one) is that women are no longer confined to the role of society belle or ditzy beauty.  Heroines are becoming just that- women who kick ass mentally as well […]

»»
January 08

“Every Science Story is a Detective Story”

posted by

This week, UCSD, the Kavli Foundation, and the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind hosted a visit from the amazing actor Alan Alda and fellows from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science,.  In addition to a public lecture and workshops for senior faculty and selected postdoctoral scholars, Mr. Alda was kind enough to take […]

»»
October 30

Analyze your zombie walk

posted by

Imagine a zombie costume.   You probably see – pale, bloody makeup, ripped clothes, dead-eyed stare. All of that preparation, however, would not be convincing if the zombie were to just move around normally. In fact “Walking Dead” special effects artist/director Greg Nicotero teaches a school on how to lumber around like a zombie for […]

»»