Course Overview

Probe the origins of consciousness, intelligence, and more, and learn scientifically proven methods to improve your memory, boost your creativity, and keep your mind sharp. Inside your head sits the most complex object in the known universe—the human brain. This amazing organ has unique powers to make predictions about the future, form relationships with other people, adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, and so much more.

We all have a basic conception of how our brains function, but when did you last dive into the fascinating world of neuroscience to truly understand the inner workings of your mind? For decades, the field of neuroscience has been in a near-constant state of disruptive transformation, as we continually learn more about our incredible brains. Thanks to rapid advances in technology and in our understanding of the brain, today’s neuroscience research goes far beyond trying to understand how the brain works and into the search for proven ways to optimize brain performance.

In Your Best Brain, Professor John J. Medina—an award-winning scientist, New York Times best-selling author, and leading advocate for brain research—delivers 24 exciting lectures that probe the origins of consciousness, memory, emotion, attention, intelligence, and beyond. He focuses on five key areas of study in neuroscience: the brain’s physical structure and function, how it enabled us to become the planet’s apex predator; the ways in which the brain processes information and how that relates to intelligence; the intricacies of emotions and socialization, and how empathy is a vital survival mechanism; how our brains develop and change throughout our lifetimes; and how we can best use and expand our cerebral processing performance. After gaining a thorough understanding of the science behind your best brain, you’ll learn scientifically proven methods for improving your memory, boosting your creativity, and keeping your mind sharp for years to come.

Course Lectures

01: How Your Brain Works

Begin your journey with a “flight map” for your tour of the world’s most sophisticated survival organ—the human brain. Establish some common language and principles for understanding and exploring the human brain.

Duration: 35 min

02: Your Unique Thinking Abilities

What makes the human brain so different from the brains of other animals? Explore the brain’s evolutionary journey and discover the unique ability that allowed humans to not only survive in the face of change—but to thrive.

Duration: 31 min

03: Damaged Brain, Damaged Function

The brain is a physical organ whose job is to process information. And if it’s damaged, your processing can go haywire. Tour the physical structure of the brain, the three overall regions within it, and the role each part has in keeping you alive (including a look at your brain’s internal “consciousness switch”).

Duration: 31 min

04: Neuroplasticity—Your Flexible Brain

Dive deeper into the physical structure of the brain and its components. Examine the three primary types of neuron wiring, how they operate on a cellular level, and how the brain is able to create new connections and pathways.

Duration: 34 min

05: How Your Brain Uses Memory

Why are scientists so unsure of the exact definition of intelligence? Explore the challenges of measuring and quantifying intelligence, including the problem with IQ tests. Find out how researchers currently think about intelligence and the implications these ideas have on the way we design school curriculums.

Duration: 33 min

06: The Advantages of Forgetting

Discover the surprising evolutionary purpose of memory and why it has nothing to do with recalling the precise details of the past like a computer. Find out what causes our brains to forget facts and data, and why. Then, get three research-based tips to improve your memory.

Duration: 34 min

07: Creativity and Fluid Intelligence

What makes people creative? Scientists believe it may hinge on two contrasting elements: open-mindedness and deep focus. Tour the neuroscience of creativity, explore the significance of working memory in the creative process, and learn how you can boost your creative output.

Duration: 33 min

08: How Your Brain Uses Your Senses

The objective reality of the world around you and what your body senses are two very different things. Examine the three-step process the body uses to create sensations in response to outside stimuli. Then, learn a simple trick for using your senses to boost your ability to remember facts.

Duration: 32 min

09: Seeing with Your Brain—Vision

We often think of vision as being like a video camera—our eyes take a picture, and that’s what we see. But that’s not how the brain works. Uncover the complex process the brain uses to construct the hallucination that is our sense of vision.

Duration: 31 min

10: Feeling with Your Brain—Emotion

Did you know that if you see a shocking photograph, you’ll experience the emotion even before the image registers consciously in your mind? Investigate the physical process behind emotions, including the neurological “fast path” that accelerates our reaction to external threats.

Duration: 33 min

11: How Emotion Drives Attention

Your senses bombard your brain with far more information than it can possibly handle at one time. How does your brain prioritize all of the input? Examine the brain’s ability to act as a “central executive,” and see how it uses emotion like post-it notes to decide what is important.

Duration: 32 min

12: Pleasure and Your Brain

Explore the brain’s “pleasure highway” with a tour of what drives the sensation of pleasure in our brains, and understand how video games and other substances hijack this process to create addictions. Then, learn how to harness your brain’s craving for pleasure to break nearly any habit.

Duration: 33 min

13: What Makes You Happy

Is happiness sustainable? What makes some people happier than others, despite similar life circumstances? Explore the stories of two lottery winners, one who crashed and another who thrived. Discover two key areas you can focus on to create a happier life.

Duration: 34 min

14: How Your Brain Manages Stress

Though stress is usually considered negative, research reveals it is our perceived inability to control stress that does most of the damage. Unravel how the brain responds to stress on a neurological and chemical level, and survey what neuroscience research has to say about how to reduce stress in your life by learning to control it.

Duration: 31 min

15: Your Social Brain

The social nature of human beings is an evolutionary advantage that put us at the top of the food chain. But our social abilities have the potential for painful or dangerous consequences. Reflect on the joys and risks of relating to others. Consider what a recent business school experiment uncovered about how you can more easily resolve conflicts.

Duration: 31 min

16: How Infant Brains Work

The human brain is not fully functional until adulthood. From birth, an infant’s brain is constantly making new connections as it experiences the world. Explore the development stages of an infant from a neuroscientific perspective, including what science recommends to ensure that your kids eat their veggies.

Duration: 32 min

17: How Adolescent Brains Work

Peer into the often-mysterious behavior of a teenager. Why do they take the risks they do? What makes them rebellious? Why are they so moody? Get seven practical tips for relating better to teenagers, whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, mentor, or coach.

Duration: 33 min

18: Sex and Your Brain

Dive into the evolutionary roles of sex, arousal, and promiscuity. Discover the fascinating biological and cultural differences between men and women when it comes to sex. Peer inside an enlightening study involving monkeys, naked men on the beach, and naked women doing aerobics.

Duration: 31 min

19: How Your Brain Ages

For many, aging brings memory loss, decreased focus, and mental fogginess. Yet some people seem to be just as sharp at 100 years old as they were at 40. Discover what science has demonstrated about why some age more gracefully than others, and what you can do to keep your mind sharp as you grow older.

Duration: 29 min

20: How Your Brain Copes with Grief

Why do we grieve the loss of loved ones? Is there an evolutionary reason for it? And why does grief leave some people devastated while others move on quickly? Explore these questions and more. Also, learn strategies from brain science for dealing with—and helping others deal with—the pain of great loss.

Duration: 30 min

21: How Self-Control Works

Discover the origins of self-control in your brain. Explore what the research has to say about its role in helping you succeed in life, handle tough situations, and thrive in society. Examine an evolutionary explanation for cases of impaired self-control like ADHD.

Duration: 32 min

22: The Power of Exercise

Decades of research point to exercise as a key for strengthening your brain. Find out how regular movement drastically improves cognitive performance, combats depression, and can even cut the risk of dementia in half. See just how much exercise you need to start seeing these benefits (it’s less than you might think).

Duration: 33 min

23: Improving Your Memory

Want to improve your memory? Learn what scientific research indicates is useful for improving memory—and more importantly, what popular beliefs have been debunked. Discover how you can use diet, social interaction, and even certain kinds of video games to increase your ability to remember events and details.

Duration: 33 min

24: Why Your Brain Needs Sleep

You’ve probably noticed how poor sleep can hinder your ability to think and focus. But why exactly is sleep so important? How does it contribute to a healthy brain? Uncover answers to these questions and more, and get four science-backed tips for sleeping better.

Duration: 33 min