The Brain Blown Podcast

Most of us stopped playing long before we realized it — and it turns out, that might be costing us more than we know. In this episode, we're diving into the neuroscience of play: what it actually is (hint: it's not about the activity), why it's as fundamental to our biology as sleep and food, and what happens to our brains — and our lives — when we don't get enough of it. From dopamine and neuroplasticity to why boredom might actually be good for your kids, we're making the case that play isn't just for children. It's one of the most powerful tools we have for resilience, joy, and mental wellness — at any age.
>> ⁠⁠Support the Brain Blown on Patreon⁠⁠
>> Have questions, stories, or topics you want us to cover? Email us at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠.
>> Learn more at ⁠⁠www.brainblownpodcast.com

Resources:
The Importance of Pleasure in Play — Bruce Perry
Selected Principles of Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience — Kenneth L. Davis & Christian Montag
Yes, We Need a Neuroscience of Play — Phillip Stevens Jr.
Neuroscience and the Magic of Play Therapy — Anne L. Stewart, Thomas A. Field & Lennis G. Echterling
Neuroscience, Early Childhood Education and Play: We Are Doing It Right! — Stephen Rushton
Neuroscience and Learning Through Play: A Review of the Evidence — Liu, Solis, Jensen, Hopkins, Neale, Zosh, Pasek & Whitebread
Adult Play: A Neuroscientific and Psychoanalytic Perspective — Ellen Park Psy.D.
In Search of the Neurobiological Substrates for Social Playfulness in Mammalian Brains — Stephen M. Siviy & Jaak Panksepp
The Playful Mediator, Moderator, or Outcome? — Shen & Masek
Risky Play in Children's Emotion Regulation, Social Functioning, and Physical Health — Sandseter, Kleppe & Kennair
National Institute for Play — Dr. Stuart Brown

We’ve engineered a life that minimizes effort. Food arrives. Work happens from chairs. Entertainment comes to us. But the brain didn’t evolve for efficiency — it evolved for interaction. This episode looks at the neuroscience behind movement and why it may be more foundational to how we think and feel than we realize.
Due to technical difficulties, this episode is audio-only. We hope to resume video next episode, but we’ll keep you posted.
>> ⁠Support the Brain Blown on Patreon⁠
>> Have questions, stories, or topics you want us to cover? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.
>> Learn more at ⁠www.brainblownpodcast.com

Episodes Referenced:
Phantom Limbs (S2, Mini 1)
Motivation (Season 2, Mini 2)
Long-Term Decisions (Season 3, Mini 2)

REFERENCES:
A New Dynamic Model of the Cortico-Basal Ganglia Loop — Atsushi Nambu
A Computational Neuroanatomy for Motor Control — Reza Shadmehr & John W. Krakauer
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons — Sam Kean
Exercise-Induced Neuroplasticity: A Mechanistic Model and Prospects for Promoting Plasticity — El-Sayes, Harasym, Turco, Locke & Nelson
Movement: How the Brain Communicates with the World — Andrew B. Schwartz
Impact of Physical Activity and Exercise on the Epigenome in Skeletal Muscle and Effects on Systemic Metabolism — Julio Plaza-Díaz et al.
Recent Advances in the Study of the Neurobiological Mechanisms Behind the Effects of Physical Activity on Mood, Resilience and Emotional Disorders — Chong Chen & Shin Nakagawa

A lot of us aren’t just tired—we’re worn down. In a world that keeps demanding more attention, more productivity, and more endurance, our nervous systems are struggling to keep up. This episode kicks off our season on wellness by starting at the most basic place recovery happens: sleep.

You can also watch the very first Brain Blown Podcast episode on video on our YouTube channel!
>> Support the Brain Blown on Patreon
>> Have questions, stories, or topics you want us to cover? Email us at [email protected].
>> Learn more at www.brainblownpodcast.com

REFERENCES:
Falup‑Pecurariu, C., Diaconu, Ș., Țînț, D., & Falup‑Pecurariu, O. — Neurobiology of Sleep (Review)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Lee, A. E., Ancoli-Israel, S., Eyler, L. T., Tu, X. M., Palmer, B. W., Irwin, M. R., & Jeste, D. V. — Sleep Disturbances and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Schizophrenia: Focus on Sex Differences

Pocivavsek, A., & Rowland, L. M. — Basic Neuroscience Illuminates Causal Relationship Between Sleep and Memory: Translating to Schizophrenia

Peever, J., & Fuller, P. M. — Neuroscience: A Distributed Neural Network Controls REM Sleep

Aulsebrook, A. E., Jones, T. M., Rattenborg, N. C., Roth II, T. C., & Lesku, J. A. — Sleep Ecophysiology: Integrating Neuroscience and Ecology

Simon, K. C., Nadel, L., & Payne, J. D. — The Functions of Sleep: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

Urry, E., & Landolt, H.-P. — Adenosine, Caffeine, and Performance: From Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep to Sleep Pharmacogenetics

Kay, D. B., & Buysse, D. J. — Hyperarousal and Beyond: New Insights into the Pathophysiology of Insomnia Disorder through Functional Neuroimaging Studies

Zielinski, M. R., McKenna, J. T., & McCarle, R. W. — Functions and Mechanisms of Sleep

Marques, D. R., Gomes, A. A., Caetano, G., & Castelo-Branco, M. — Insomnia Disorder and Brain’s Default-Mode Network

Last episode, we dug into how people lose their sense of safety and control when something — or someone — hijacks it.
This week, we’re picking up the story from there: what it takes to rebuild.
What does it look like to find your footing after an experience that knocks you off course?
Why do some people regain a sense of agency faster than others?
And what does real resilience look like when you're living it, not just talking about it?

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES
Hunter, Gray & McEwen — The Neuroscience of Resilience

Elsevier B.V. — Neuroscience of Resilience for Mental Health

Baratta, Seligman & Maier — From Helplessness to Controllability: Toward a Neuroscience of Resilience

Ruth Feldman — What Is Resilience: An Affiliative Neuroscience Approach

Alex Iantaffi — https://www.alexiantaffi.com/

If you think you’d never be pulled into a cult, that belief itself is part of the danger. In this episode, we explore why the brain is far more influenceable—and more predictable—than most of us want to believe.
We take a closer look at what happens when belonging, something we’re biologically wired to seek, becomes a pathway into harm. Together, we examine how group dynamics, stress, and relationship patterns can quietly shift a person’s behavior and sense of self. Laine brings research and real-world examples that show just how thin the line can be between healthy connection and unhealthy devotion.

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES
Cults: A Natural Disaster—Looking at Cult Involvement Through a Trauma Lens
Shelly Rosen

Pedagogical, Neuropsychological and Social Conditions of Shaping the Identity of Cult Group Followers
Mariusz Gajew