Super Brain13 Nov 2025

S6:E3 Self-criticism is self-harm

Why are we so much harsher on ourselves than we are on others? In this episode of Super Brain, I explore the neuroscience of self-compassion — what it is, what it isn’t, and why it’s the antidote to self-criticism.

Drawing on the work of Dr Kristin Neff and Buddhist philosophy, we’ll look at self-compassion as a three-part skill: self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connection. I’ll share research showing how self-compassion reduces stress, quiets the amygdala, and activates brain regions linked to empathy and emotional regulation.

I’ll also explain why self-criticism is a form of self-harm, and why self-compassion is a foundation for flourishing and manifesting happiness, resilience, and contentment.

As always, I’ll wrap up with my Tools in Three — simple ways you can start turning up your brain’s kindness switch today.

Each episode explores what’s really going on inside your brain when you do the things you do — from the everyday to the extraordinary — and gives you three tools for your Super Brain kit.

Sabina's books

The Neuroscience of Manifesting

Still Me

100 Days to a Younger

Brain Beating Brain Fog

Brain Gym in a Box

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Episoder(150)

S6:E12 Meet your self

Modern life can estrange us from what truly matters. We chase goals that look like success but feel hollow – and before we know it, we’re overwhelmed, reactive and disconnected from our own internal c...

5 Feb 18min

S6E11 THe Science of Serendipity

Episode Summary:Why do some people seem to attract good fortune? In this episode, I explore the neuroscience of serendipity – those chance discoveries and happy accidents that change everything. From ...

22 Jan 9min

S6E10 - The great unlearning - AI's hidden cost

In this episode, Dr Sabina Brennan explores how generative AI changes learning. She looks at why effortful thinking is the engine of mastery, how AI can create an illusion of competence and practical ...

15 Jan 22min

S6:E9 New Moment - New Choice

If New Year’s resolutions leave you inspired one day and flattened the next, it’s not a willpower problem – it’s a nervous system problem. In this episode, Sabina shares three tiny, science-backed “mi...

8 Jan 13min

S6:E8 Visualisation

Episode summaryWhat happens when you close your eyes and try to “see” something in your mind? For some people it’s a full-colour mental movie. For others it’s hazy, fleeting or completely blank. In th...

18 Des 202530min

S6:E7 Imposter Phenomenon

Have you ever walked into a room and thought, “Any minute now they’re going to realise I’ve no idea what I’m doing”?In this episode of Super Brain, psychologist and neuroscientist Sabina Brennan unpac...

11 Des 202515min

S6:E6 Brain Rot

Episode summary:“Brain rot” was named the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 – a tongue-in-cheek term for that fried feeling after too much scrolling or streaming. But what’s really going on in the brain wh...

4 Des 202511min

S6:E5 Puppy Love

pisodic-like memory• How dog ageing helps us understand human dementia• Why your dog is a genuine co-regulator of your nervous systemTools in ThreeMicro-moments matter — a glance, a rub, a kind wordSt...

27 Nov 202511min