On this episode of Staying Alive, hosts Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally invite neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Heather Berlin to discuss the neural basis of improvisation, making novel associations to keep your brain healthy and active, and her forthcoming book about the science of impulse control and the effects of fame on the brain. Plus Adam and Dr. Heather compare De Niro stories, we meet silent third host Donny The Plant, and Dr. Heather shows Gabrus where she lives on his Long Island tattoo.
Follow Dr. Heather @heather_berlin on Insta
Listen to the Science Of Perception Box podcast HERE
Full video episodes available HERE
Check out Staying Alive merch at siriusxmstore.com/stayingalive
Tickets for our live show at The Bell House in New York on Tues, August 5th HERE
Streaming tickets coming soon!
This episode was recorded April 2, 2025 at SiriusXM studios in New York City
Special thanks to Jared O’Connell
Staying Alive is produced by Devon Torrey Bryant and Anne Harris
Engineered and edited by Devon Torrey Bryant, who also wrote the music
Associate producer and video editor is Maddie McCann
Executive produced by Jon Gabrus, Adam Pally, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Bernie Kaminski, and Rich Korson
Keywords for this episode: neuroplasticity, Edinburgh Fringe, spontaneous creativity, freestyle rap, brain activation, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, flow state, Donny, checking in, Chuck Darwin, executive function, first responders, Sonic The Hedgehog, Rosebud Baker, dopamine, Robert De Niro, Sigmund Freud,Béarnaise, Dirty Grandpa, marshmallow test, The Waterboy, yoga, Siri
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com