On Humans18 Sep 2023

Encore | How Love Synchronises Our Brains ~ Ruth Feldman

How literally can we be in "synch" with someone?

Very literally, said my guest in episode 3. Originally titled “A Musical Biology of Love”, this was a fascinating episode with jazz musician and neuroscientist Ruth Feldman. We recorded the episode one year ago, almost to the day. I have thought a lot about it ever since. So here it is again, with remastered audio and a new introduction. Original show notes are below. Enjoy!

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Can biology expand our appreciation of love? What is the relationship between jazz and neuroscience? What does it mean to be in "synch" with someone?

Ruth Feldman is a professor of neuroscience at Reichman University, Israel, with a joint appointment at the Yale Child Story Centre. A jazz musician before being a neuroscientist, Feldman combines musical ideas of synchrony into her research on the neurobiology of attachment, bonding, and love.

Ilari and Professor Feldman discuss topics such as:

Why study the biology of love
What happens in the brain when we love
Brain-to-brain synchrony: How love (and friendship) can synchronize our brains with each other
Oxytocin with loved ones, strangers, and enemies
Post-partum depression
Parental love in gay dads
Females and males as primary caregivers
The relationship between brain-to-brain synchrony and oxytocin
Empathy within and beyond group boundaries with Israeli and Palestinian youth
Attachment theory, attachment problems, and ways to overcome them

Technical terms mentioned

Oxytocin
Brain oscillations (i.e. brain waves)
EEG (a method to study brain oscillations)
Neuropeptide
⁠Kangaroo care⁠ (after premature birth)

Names mentioned

Wallace Stevens (American poet)
Emmanuel Levinas (French philosopher)
John Bowlby (founder of the attachment theory)

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