Psychologyspeaking topic
Mirror neurons: why do we flinch when we watch someone else get hurt? Could brain cells that fire as if we were performing the action ourselves be the foundation of empathy?
— Rizzolatti, mirror neurons
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- At bottom God is nothing other than an exalted father.
- Memory consolidation: why does a new memory become permanent not at the moment of learning but hours or even days later? What does it physically mean for knowledge to 'settle in'?
- Loss aversion: why does losing a hundred dollars hurt more than winning a hundred dollars feels good? How does this asymmetry shape the way we take risks?
- Linguistic determinism: if a language has no word for a concept, can its speakers still think it? When you learn a word that names a feeling, do you start feeling it more clearly?
- How does anyone stay disciplined for years rather than days?