Science of Perception Box

About Science of Perception Box

Join renowned scientists Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch on the Science of Perception Box, where they delve into the Perception Box—a groundbreaking concept developed by Elizabeth R. Koch, that reveals how our beliefs, biases, and neural wiring shape our reality and define how we experience the world. Through captivating conversations with expert guests like psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer, anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher, and journalist Michael Pollan, the show explores how the Perception Box expands in states of awe, curiosity, and love, and contracts during fear, anxiety, or anger. From mindfulness and romantic relationships to psychedelics and human connection, each episode uncovers transformative insights into unlocking greater awareness, fostering curiosity, and reshaping how we perceive the world. New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow the journey and redefine your reality.

Publisher

Unlikely Collaborators | Pod People

Category

health & fitness · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Dec 2024

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

19 of 19 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How to Recover From Decades of Chronic Stress

   Neuroscientist Dr. Heather Berlin interviews stress researcher Dr. Elissa Epel about mastering stress recovery and reversing chronic stress damage for cellular health.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Are Your Emotions Telling You the Truth?

   Psychologist and neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett explains to hosts Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch how our brains construct emotions, offering insights into emotional control and interpretation.

3. 

   9 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Hidden Rules Holding Society Together: Steven Pinker on Common Knowledge

   Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker discusses common knowledge's profound impact on society with hosts Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch.

4. 

   2 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Your Brain Lies to You (And That's a Good Thing): Anil Seth on Consciousness

   Neuroscientist Anil Seth explains to hosts Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch how our brain constructs reality as a controlled hallucination, offering a new perspective on consciousness.

5. 

   26 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Overcoming the Victim Mindset with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman

   Psychologist Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman interviews host Dr. Heather Berlin about overcoming learned helplessness and developing agency to achieve transformative change.

6. 

   19 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Your Body’s Operating Manual: Andrew Huberman on the Mind-Body Connection

   Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch interview Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman about unlocking the mind-body connection for peak performance and transforming your life.

7. 

   12 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Stop Trying to Fix People: Mel Robbins on the Power of Letting Go

   Best-selling author Mel Robbins and neuroscientist Dr. Heather Berlin discuss the power of the "Let Them Theory" to reclaim your life.

8. 

   5 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How Much Risk Should Kids Take?

   Clinical psychologist Dr. Camilo Ortiz interviews hosts Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch about how overprotection hinders children's confidence and resilience.

9. 

   29 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Science of Perception Box is Back with a New Season

   Neuroscientist Dr. Heather Berlin and Chief Scientist Dr. Christof Koch interview guests like Mel Robbins about how the brain constructs reality and shapes our experiences.

10. 

    13 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Psychedelics and the Placebo Effect with Dr. Boris Heifets

    Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD, discusses the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and the placebo effect in anesthesia with Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christoph Koch

11. 

    6 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Is Time Real? How Your Brain Perceives the Past with Dr. Lila Davachi

    Neuroscientist Dr. Lila Davachi explains to host Dr. Heather Berlin how the brain encodes memories, revealing why emotions shape our perception of time.

12. 

    27 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Why Your Brain Needs Awe and Wonder with Dr. Dacher Keltner

    Dr. Heather Berlin interviews Dr. Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychology professor, about the science behind awe and its benefits for mental health.

13. 

    20 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Cultivating More Childhood Wonder with Dr. Alison Gopnik

    Cognitive development expert Dr. Alison Gopnik and host Dr. Heather Berlin explore how cultivating childhood wonder through scientific approaches fosters thriving adults.

14. 

    13 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Why Did We Evolve to Feel Romantic Love? with Dr. Helen Fisher

    We long for love. We die for love. We kill for love. But why do we love? Cohosts Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christoph Koch ask this question to Helen Fisher, PhD. who dedicated her career to researching romantic love. In this episode of Science of Perception Box, we explore how the act of being in love or out of love changes how we view ourselves and the world around us.  Dr. Fisher was a biological anthropologist, Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute, and Chief Science Advisor to Match.com. She used brain scanning (fMRI) to study the neural systems associated with the sex drive, romantic love, attachment, rejection, love addiction, long-term partnership happiness, and the biological foundations of human personality. She conducted extensive research on the evolution, biology, and psychology of human sexuality, monogamy, adultery, and divorce. Dr. Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.  Dr. Christof Koch is Chief Scientist for the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation and the current Meritorious Investigator and former President of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Join us for new episodes every Thursday. Follow the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever podcasts are found.  Love the show? Write us a review on your podcast app, or tell a friend about the show.  Visit unlikelycollaborators.com for more information. Episode Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to the Science of Perception Box (02:03) - Exploring Love and Heartbreak (05:16) - The Brain Chemistry of Love (06:41) - The Evolutionary Purpose of Love (09:35) - The Complexities of Romantic Relationships (20:53) - The Impact of Rejection and Heartbreak (24:10) - The Distraction Test and Emotional Response (25:15) - Love as an Addiction (27:31) - Phases of Breakup and Emotional Recovery (31:21) - The Concept of Slow Love (33:05) - Impact of Internet on Modern Dating (38:58) - Perception Box Questions (44:57) - Final Reflections and Closing Thoughts

15. 

    6 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

    How Does Our Cultural Identity Influence Us? with Dr. Daphna Oyserman

    Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christoph Koch interview Dr. Daphna Oyserman about how cultural identity shapes our mindsets and choices, offering insights into perception.

16. 

    30 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

    A Case of Mistaken Identity with Dr. Dan Siegel

    Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christoph Koch interview Dr. Dan Siegel about the mind's interconnectedness, healing trauma, and the power of empathy.

17. 

    23 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

    How Food Affects Your Mind with Michael Pollan

    Humans have a symbiotic relationship with plants. Plants coevolved to suit our desires for nourishment, beauty, and altering consciousness. Journalist Michael Pollan has investigated the human connection to plants. This week on Science of Perception Box, Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch ask Pollan about modern trends like ultra-processed foods, industrialized agriculture, and consciousness-altering drugs from plants including caffeine, cannabis, and psychedelics.  For more than 30 years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in our minds. Pollan is the author of eight books, six of which have been New York Times bestsellers. In 2003, Pollan was appointed the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. In 2020, along with Dacher Keltner and others, he cofounded the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics.  Dr. Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.  Dr. Christof Koch is Chief Scientist for the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation and the current Meritorious Investigator and former President of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Join us for new episodes every Thursday. Follow the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever podcasts are found.  Love the show? Write us a review on your podcast app, or tell a friend about the show.  Visit unlikelycollaborators.com for more information.  Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:26 The Profound Impact of Food on Mood and Perception 04:17 Exploring Ultra-Processed Foods and Their Effects 06:45 The Psychological and Physiological Effects of Food 10:29 The Connection Between Food, Culture, and Education 17:46 Michael Pollan's Journey into Food and Agriculture 21:42 The Symbiotic Relationship Between Humans and Plants 22:55 The Human Desire to Alter Consciousness 25:15 The Transparent Experience of Coffee 25:47 Caffeine's Benefits and Drawbacks 26:38 Exploring Consciousness-Altering Substances 27:18 Psychedelics and Cultural Evolution 29:02 Creativity and Psychedelics 32:52 The Nature of Ego and Consciousness 41:11 Public vs. Private Self 45:31 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

18. 

    16 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT

    How Curiosity Quiets Anxiety with Dr. Judson Brewer

    Dr. Judson Brewer, a leading expert in mindfulness and habit-breaking, discusses how curiosity can quiet anxiety and help us understand its evolutionary benefit with Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch.

19. 

    5 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Introducing: Science of Perception Box

    Host Lex Fridman explores how Ensemble AI's Feature Enhancement technology is transforming machine learning with Ensemble co-founders Alex Reneau and Zach Albertson.

Inside a recent episode

How to Recover From Decades of Chronic Stress

Published 23 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] But then too much stress is also not great. So it's that sweet spot of where it can be motivating, but not too much where it becomes debilitating. Heather, the Yerkes-Dodson Curve has so much wisdom in it. So when we are under engaged, when we're not engaging in stress, we're really not engaging in life. We get stress sluggishness, which means we're hypersensitive to stress. We avoid it more. And it's related to faster aging, including cognitive aging. So we're saying too little stress is related. So people who report, you know, when they're monitored for several weeks, when they don't report any stressors, they actually age faster. […]

Who has been a guest on Science of Perception Box

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Elissa Epel
• Lisa Feldman Barrett
• Steven Pinker
• Anil Seth
• Scott Barry Kaufman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

162 ratings

Spotify

4.5 / 5

15 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

17

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Pitching Science of Perception Box

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting pitches.

Questions about Science of Perception Box