Have you ever wondered why your brain feels like it's working against you when actually, it might just be waiting for you to understand it?
This week I'm joined by Dr. Hannah Critchlow, neuroscientist, Cambridge University researcher, and author of 21st Century Brain, and this conversation genuinely shifted something for me.
Hannah has a way of taking the science of your brain and making it feel like something you can actually use, today. Not in a "10 steps to fix yourself" way.
What we explore together:
Why does your brain fear uncertainty more than pain itself, and what does that mean for how you handle stress and change?
Did you know emotional intelligence is a bigger predictor of life satisfaction than IQ, and that it can actually be trained?
How is your gut shaping your mood, your empathy, and even how kind you are to complete strangers?
What are sleep, nutrition, and movement really doing for your brain, and why do amino acids matter so much at night?
Why is walking in nature one of the most underrated tools for emotional regulation?
What does the rise of AI relationships mean for real human connection, and what are we at risk of losing?
Why is curiosity our greatest superpower, and how do we protect it?
Love, Sarah Ann 💛
Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard: A Simple Way to Eat, Think and Feel Well: https://amzn.eu/d/0a0d1MQr
This episode is sponsored by:
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More from me:
The Great British Veg Out
How to support your gut by eating more, not less
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Reset Your Health
If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout, this is where to start!
https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r...
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https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahma...
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Timestamps
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:08 Why Our Brains Fear Uncertainty More Than Pain
00:16:01 How to Build Habits That Protect Your Brain
00:21:00 Hannah's Personal Story: PhD Burnout and Starting Over
00:28:00 What Happens to Your Brain During a Breakup
00:35:13 How to Move Forward After Loss or Grief
00:37:46 Sleep, Nutrition and Movement: The Brain's Three Pillars
00:43:09 Essential Amino Acids and Why You Can't Sleep at Night
00:46:05 What Emotional Intelligence Really Is (And Why It Beats IQ)
00:49:41 How to Train Empathy: Self-Compassion and Reading Fiction
00:52:27 Brain Synchronicity: The Science of Human Connection
00:56:13 Gut Feelings, the Vagus Nerve and Intuition
00:59:25 How a Healthy Gut Makes You More Altruistic
01:00:15 Emotional Regulation: What to Do When You Can't Switch Off
01:05:26 Why Alcohol Makes Emotional Regulation Worse 0
1:08:58 How We All See the World Differently: The Duck, The Rabbit and The Dress
01:15:44 Loneliness, Mitochondrial Health and the Cost of Disconnection
01:17:01 AI, Human Connection and What We Risk Losing
01:38:50 What the Pandemic Taught Us About Face-to-Face Connection
01:41:24 Why Collective Intelligence Is Our Greatest Superpower
01:42:07 What "Live Well Be Well" Means to Dr. Hannah Critchlow
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