Psychedelics: The scientific renaissance of mind-altering drugs | Sam Harris, Michael Pollan & more

Psychedelics: The scientific renaissance of mind-altering drugs Watch the newest video from Big Think: https://bigth.ink/NewVideo Learn skills from the world's top minds at Big Think Edge: https://bigth.ink/Edge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Having been repressed in the 1960s for their ties to the counterculture, psychedelics are currently experiencing a scientific resurgence. In this video, Michael Pollan, Sam Harris, Jason Silva and Ben Goertzel discuss the history of psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin, acknowledge key figures including Timothy Leary and Albert Hoffman, share what the experience of therapeutic tripping can entail, and explain why these substances are important to the future of mental health. There is a stigma surrounding psychedelic drugs that some scientists and researchers argue is undeserved. Several experiments over the past decades have shown that, when used correctly, drugs like psilocybin and LSD can have positive effects on the lives of those take them. How they work is not completely understood, but the empirical evidence shows promise in the fields of curbing depression, anxiety, obsession, and even addiction to other substances. "There's a tremendous amount of insight that can be plumbed using these various substances. There's also a lot of risks there, as with most valuable things," says artificial intelligence researcher Ben Goertzel. He and others believe that by making psychedelics illegal, modern governments are getting in the way of meaningful research and the development of "cultural institutions to guide people in really productive use of these substances." Read Michael Pollen's book "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence" at https://amzn.to/2IBvjS6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT: MICHAEL POLLAN: How do these psychedelics work? Well, the honest answer is we don't entirely know, but we know a few things. One is they fit a certain receptor site: the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. And they look a lot like serotonin if you look at the molecular models of them and, in fact, LSD fits that receptor site even better than serotonin does and it stays there longer. And that's why the LSD trip can last 12 hours. What happens after that we don't really know. It's an agonist to that receptor. So it increases its activity. And this, you know the neuroscientists say lead to a cascade of effects which is shorthand for don't really know what happens next. But one thing we do know, or we think we know, is that it appears that one particular brain network is deactivated or quieted. And that is the default mode network. This was discovered not very long ago by a researcher in England named Robin Carhart-Harris who was dosing people with psilocybin and LSD and then sliding them into an MRI machine, to take an FMRI a functional magnetic resonance image. The expectation I think was that people would see an excitation of many different networks in the brain. You know, that's what the kind of mental fireworks sort of foretold, but he was very surprised to discover that one particular network was down-regulated and that was this default mode network. So what is that? Well, it's a tightly linked set of structures connecting the prefrontal cortex to the posterior cingulate cortex, to the deeper older centers of emotion and memory. It appears to be involved in things like self-reflection, theory of mind, the ability to impute mental states to others, mental time travel, the ability to project forward in time and back, which is central to creating an identity, right? You don't have an identity without a memory and the so-called autobiographical memory, the function by which we construct the story of who we are by taking the things that happened to us and folding them into that narrative. And that appears to take place in the posterior cingulate cortex. So, you know, to the extent the ego can be said to have a location in the brain it appears to be this, the default mode network. It's active when you're doing nothing. When your mind is wandering. It can be very self-critical, it's where self-talk takes place. And that goes quiet. And when that goes quiet, the brain is sort of as one of the neuroscientists put it, let off the leash, because those ego functions, that self idea is a regulator of all mental activity and kind of, you know, the brain is a hierarchical system and the default mode network appears to be at the top. It's kind of the orchestra conductor or corporate executive. And you take that out of the picture, and suddenly you have this uprising from other parts of the brain and you have networks that don't ordinarily communicate with one another suddenly striking up... To read the full transcript, please go to https://ift.tt/3a576yT

Cyber Crime Laws! Every Internet User Must Know Laws to be Save Online - Qasim Ali Shah

https://ift.tt/2R3s86g To Get Updated with New Lectures, Sessions and Videos Fill the Form. Qasim Ali Shah discussing with Zain Ali Qureshi Cyber Law Expert about How to be Safe Online and what are Cyber Laws. Watch this complete Interview to learn more about Cyber Laws and Crimes. Qasim Ali Shah is not just a Motivational Speaker but an enthusiastic doer. He followed his passions and proved his self a Successful Entrepreneur, Inspiring Teacher, Best-Selling Author, Philanthropist and a Transformational Trainer. Follow Us On Social Media : https://ift.tt/1HAPumV https://ift.tt/3boEkpZ https://twitter.com/QasimAliShah_ https://twitter.com/qasfoundation https://ift.tt/2Wqt4p2 https://ift.tt/2Wqeei1 https://ift.tt/35QV7Ro https://ift.tt/2YTR716 https://ift.tt/2WpbS37 https://ift.tt/2Z7PwVJ

Pakistani E-Commerce Platforms - Online Selling on OLX or Daraz - Qasim Ali Shah with Saqib Azhar

https://ift.tt/2R3s86g To Get Updated with New Lectures, Sessions and Videos Fill the Form. Qasim Ali Shah is discussing with Saqib Azhar about the Future of ECommerce in Pakistan and E-Commerce Platforms in Pakistan. In this video you can learn about setting online store for Pakistani audience. Qasim Ali Shah is not just a Motivational Speaker but an enthusiastic doer. He followed his passions and proved his self a Successful Entrepreneur, Inspiring Teacher, Best-Selling Author, Philanthropist and a Transformational Trainer. Follow Us On Social Media : https://ift.tt/1HAPumV https://ift.tt/3boEkpZ https://twitter.com/QasimAliShah_ https://twitter.com/qasfoundation https://ift.tt/2Wqt4p2 https://ift.tt/2Wqeei1 https://ift.tt/35QV7Ro https://ift.tt/2YTR716 https://ift.tt/2WpbS37 https://ift.tt/2Z7PwVJ

How showing remorse can save your relationships | Amrisha Vaish | Big Think

How showing remorse can save your relationships Watch the newest video from Big Think: https://bigth.ink/NewVideo Learn skills from the world's top minds at Big Think Edge: https://bigth.ink/Edge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video was produced in partnership with John Templeton Foundation. Forgiveness as a cultural act linked to religion and philosophy dates back centuries, but studies focused on the science of apologies, morality, and relationships are fairly new. As Amrisha Vaish explains, causing harm, showing remorse, and feeling concern for others are things children pay attention to, even in their first year of life. In a series of experiments, adults ripped children's artworks and either showed remorse or showed neutrality. They found that remorse really mattered. "Here we see what [the kids] really care about is that the transgressor shows their commitment to them, to the relationship," Vaish says. "And they will seek that person out over even an in-group member." As a highly social species, cooperation is vital to humans. Learning what factors make or break those social bonds can help communities, teams, and partners work together to meet challenges and survive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMRISHA VAISH: Amrisha Vaish is an associate professor of psychology at University of Virginia, and was formerly a Dilthey Postdoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Her research focuses on the ontogenetic emergence of the moral emotions, cognitions, and behaviors that make children successful cooperators. Her other research interests include infant social referencing, children's understanding of others’ desires as an early form of theory of mind, and the development of the negativity bias. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT: AMRISHA VAISH: There's no doubt that being social, being cooperative, being what some people have called ultra co-operative is in many ways our superpower. When those relationships are ruptured in some way, due perhaps to one person causing harm to another, it's really important that we are able to repair those relationships. Forgiveness is a really critical part of that repair. NARRATOR: Social ties are the basis of every community on Earth. But those relationships are also fragile. So how do we repair them when they're strained or broken? Philosophy and religion have espoused the virtues of forgiveness for millennia, but the scientific study of forgiveness is fairly new. VAISH: My name is Amrisha Vaish, and I study how children behave cooperatively towards others and learn to be moral individuals. Causing harm, apologizing, showing remorse, feeling concerned for someone who's been harmed, all of those are things that children pay attention to very, very early on. Really in the first year already. And I think that tells us something about who we are as a species. NARRATOR: Amrisha's research involves observing different interactions between a transgressor, someone who does something hurtful, and a victim, the person hurt by the transgressor. By observing these interactions, she has been able to see what actually matters to children when they choose their friends and collaborators. And how we as adults could re-examine our priorities when it comes to maintaining these social ties. In one study, two experimenters and one child all drew pictures. Then, the experimenters ripped the child's drawing. VAISH: And one of the transgressors now shows remorse to the child. So she says, ""Oh, I've torn your picture. I didn't mean to do that. It's my fault."" And the other transgressor is neutral. So she says, ""Oh, I've torn your picture. Oh, well."" And so what we now do is ask whom they prefer. Then what we found is that by five years of age, children clearly preferred the one who had shown remorse. NARRATOR: By apologizing to the child, the transgressor demonstrated a commitment to maintaining their positive relationship. That made the child want to maintain it too. But in real life, our interactions always have more background context, such as where we grew up, where we went to school, and what social groups we align ourselves with. So how do our group identities affect our ability to choose who we associate with? VAISH: In a more recent study, we placed children in a group, either a yellow group or a green group. And then the two experimenters who came in, one of them was in the same group as the child, and the second experimenter was the out-group member. And so we had now, the same thing, everyone drew a picture and both individuals accidentally tore the child's picture. And this time both of them showed remorse. And what we... Read the full transcript at https://ift.tt/37LRZrn

Change Your Thoughts & Mindset to get Success in Life - Qasim Ali Shah

https://ift.tt/2R3s86g To Get Updated with New Lectures, Sessions and Videos Fill the Form. Qasim Ali Shah addressing students at University of Engineering and Technology UET Lahore and discussing why it is important to upgrade our thoughts. Qasim Ali Shah is not just a Motivational Speaker but an enthusiastic doer. He followed his passions and proved his self a Successful Entrepreneur, Inspiring Teacher, Best-Selling Author, Philanthropist and a Transformational Trainer. Follow Us On Social Media : https://ift.tt/1HAPumV https://ift.tt/3boEkpZ https://twitter.com/QasimAliShah_ https://twitter.com/qasfoundation https://ift.tt/2Wqt4p2 https://ift.tt/2Wqeei1 https://ift.tt/35QV7Ro https://ift.tt/2YTR716 https://ift.tt/2WpbS37 https://ift.tt/2Z7PwVJ

Dreams Are More Important - Power of Dreams & Taking Actions | Qasim Ali Shah

https://ift.tt/2R3s86g To Get Updated with New Lectures, Sessions and Videos Fill the Form. Qasim Ali Shah is not just a Motivational Speaker but an enthusiastic doer. He followed his passions and proved his self a Successful Entrepreneur, Inspiring Teacher, Best-Selling Author, Philanthropist and a Transformational Trainer. Follow Us On Social Media : https://ift.tt/1HAPumV https://ift.tt/3boEkpZ https://twitter.com/QasimAliShah_ https://twitter.com/qasfoundation https://ift.tt/2Wqt4p2 https://ift.tt/2Wqeei1 https://ift.tt/35QV7Ro https://ift.tt/2YTR716 https://ift.tt/2WpbS37 https://ift.tt/2Z7PwVJ

Human sexual desire: Is monogamy natural? | Esther Perel, Chris Ryan & more | Big Think

Human sexual desire: Is monogamy natural? Watch the newest video from Big Think: https://bigth.ink/NewVideo Learn skills from the world's top minds at Big Think Edge: https://bigth.ink/Edge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Depending on who you ask, monogamy is either essential to a successful marriage or it is unrealistic and sets couples up for failure. In this video, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, psychologist Chris Ryan, former Ashley Madison CEO Noel Biderman, and psychotherapist Esther Perel discuss the science and culture of monogamy, the role it plays in making or breaking relationships, and whether or not humans evolved to have one partner at a time. "The bottom line is, for millions of years, there were some reproductive payoffs not only to forming a pair bond but also to adultery," says Fisher, "leaving each one of us with a tremendous drive to fall in love and pair up, but also some susceptibility to cheating on the side." Read Helen Fisher's latest book "Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray" at https://amzn.to/2VGpJ3W ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT: HELEN FISHER: Monogamy is natural. Adultery is natural too. Neither are part of the supernatural. But I don't think people really understand monogamy. Mono means one, and gamy means spouse, one spouse. Polygyny, poly means many, gyny means women, many women. We are an animal that forms pair bonds. We are basically mono-gamous, monogamous. We're also adulterous, I think we've evolved what I call a dual human reproductive strategy, and we tend to be an animal that, a creature that forms a pair bond for a period of time, breaks that pair bond and forms a new pair bond. Serial monogamy and clandestine adultery. I think we've evolved these three distinctly different brain systems for mating and reproduction: sex drive, feelings of intense romantic love, and feelings of deep attachment. They're often connected to each other. You can fall in love with somebody, drives up the dopamine system, triggers the testosterone system and all of a sudden they're the sexiest person in the whole world. But they're not always well-connected, you can lie in bed at night and feel deep attachment for one person, and then swing wildly into feelings of intense romantic love for somebody else, and then swing wildly into feeling the sex drive for somebody who you've barely ever met. Which made me wonder whether millions of years ago there was something adaptive about having a partnership with one person and raising your babies and having extra relationships with other people. And it's actually relatively easy to explain—dial back a billion years, you got a man who has got a wife, a partnership and two children, and he occasionally goes over the hill and sleeps with another woman and has two children, extra children with her. He's doubled the amount of DNA he has spread into the next generation. Those children will live and pass on whatever it is in him, some of the genetics, some of the brain circuitry to be predisposed to adultery. But why would a woman be adulterous? A lot of people think that they're not as adulterous, but every time there's a man sleeping around, he's generally sleeping around with a woman, so you got to explain women too. What would a woman have gotten if she's had a partner a million years ago and two children, she slips over the hill and has sex with another man. Well, she'll get extra goods and resources, extra meat, extra protection. If her husband gets injured and dies, one of these extra lovers might come in and help her with her children, even think some of those children are his. It's an insurance policy, and she may even have an extra child and create more genetic variety in her lineage. So the bottom line is for millions of years, there were some reproductive payoffs, not only to forming a pair bond, but also to adultery, leaving each one of us with a tremendous drive to fall in love and pair up, but also some susceptibility to cheating on the side. CHRISTOPHER RYAN: We are designed by evolution to be titillated by erotic novelty, males and females. Given that evolutionary design, it's completely predictable that 10 years of the same thing, whether it's the same music or the same food or the same sex partner, is going to lead to resentment, discomfort, whatever. It's going to lead to a diminishment of passion, certainly. So we start with that, and then we add to that, the notion that we're taught that that shouldn't happen, that if it does happen, there's something wrong with you or something wrong with your relationship. And so people aren't expecting that to happen. And so they interpret that diminishment of passion as a failure. It's not your fault, it's not your partner's fault, it's the... Read the full transcript at https://ift.tt/37IH5ma