Summary: Hiding deep within the human mind-or perhaps closer to its surface than many would care to know-are forces that can cause one person to assault and kill another. This program studies the primal centers of the brain and the behaviors they control in order to gain an understanding of violence. Illustrating the role of brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin as well as social conditioning that...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Pain has a clear purpose: warning the body of invasion and other dangers. But the connection between pain and the human mind is more mysterious. This program examines various types of pain and their frequently elusive neurological aspects; it also presents methods, both clinical and alternative, that help long-term sufferers cope with debilitating pain. Distinguishing between acute and chronic...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Which is more enjoyable-the satisfaction of desire, or the sensation of longing itself? This program looks at the emotional, neurological, and genetic aspects of seeking and gaining pleasure, analyzing close ties between the search for gratification and the preservation of self and species. Examining a wide range of ways to follow one's bliss-including sex, artistic creation, the consumption of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Using sophisticated 3-D animation, this program, divided into two parts, takes viewers on a journey deep into the brain to study the effects of the three substances. The first part illustrates the major functions of the brain and shows how its principal cells, the neurons, communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. In the second part, animated molecules of nicotine,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Humans may be the only species to shed tears. Does that make crying a strictly human act? This program explores the deep well of animal instinct that, shaped by eons of evolution, still informs our expression of grief, fear, anger, and even joy. Focusing on the development of distress signals in early hominid infant behavior, the program investigates differences in crying between adults and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: What happens in our brains when we think something is funny? Is laughter a form of self-defense? Can a joke be scientifically analyzed? This program studies the human response to humor from a physiological and psychological standpoint. Highlighting the importance of vocal cords in producing laughter, the program contrasts human and simian forms of humor and gives viewers an evolutionary...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Better self-control begins with an understanding of the psychological factors that affect behavior. Section one of this program focuses on the influence of brain structure, brain chemistry, and genetics on behavior; section two illustrates key concepts of psychoanalytic theory; and section three distinguishes between classical and operant conditioning. Strengths and limitations of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Anorexia. Bulimia. Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric conditions. After defining eating disorders from a clinical point of view, this three-section program explores possible underlying biological bases for eating disorders; considers sociocultural influences on young adults that equate "thin" with "good"; and questions to what extent eating disorders may...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: A child's drawing, a face, a designed object - why is something considered beautiful? And why does it seem to matter so much? In this TEDTalk, product designer Richard Seymour explores the human response to beauty and the sometimes passionate connection people form with objects that exhibit it. Seymour's close study of the way individuals react to things that move them reveals a link to primal,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
View online at AVOD
Summary: When asked to describe birth from a baby's perspective, a group of women talk about fear, elation, and other feelings-while their male counterparts summon only physical sensations. What causes such a contrast? This program explores the divergent emotional tendencies of men and women, throwing gender differences into bold relief through spontaneous theatrical exercises and expert commentary....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Whether it is due to a specific time of life or a particular style of living, hormones are believed to alter moods and erode bodily health. In this program, endocrinologist Lorraine Fitzpatrick, of the Mayo Clinic; a woman who has kept a video diary charting her monthly bouts with PMS; and a cast of teens and seniors investigate how hormones affect different stages of life, such as puberty and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: A landmark study of the facial expressions of native Papua New Guineans suggests that all human beings share six basic emotions. But what happens in the brain to trigger those emotions, and how do emotional responses differ according to age and experience? In this program, Dr. Susan Greenfield considers past attempts to explain emotions in terms of brain areas-and then asserts that the answers...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Selfish Gene is frequently misread as a biological justification for ruthless behavior. In this classic program, author Richard Dawkins sets the record straight through an exploration of selfishness and enlightened self-interest built upon evidence from the Prisoner's Dilemma game and real-world non-zero-sum social situations. "The tragedy of the commons," symbiotic behavior among animals,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Testosterone-it affects a man's strength, sex drive, desire for status, and parenting skills. It even affects how long he will live. This program explores the science behind masculinity and the central role testosterone plays in male development. At Texas A&M, Dr. Gerianne Alexander tracks the eye movements of infants and the gender-based preferences they reveal. Further links between...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: In his book The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: why is it that societies of great abundance - where individuals are offered more freedom and choice than ever before - are witnessing a near-epidemic of depression? Conventional wisdom tells us that greater choice is for the greater good, but in this TEDTalk Schwartz argues just the opposite as...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Daniel Goleman brought the concept of "EI" to prominence as an alternative to more traditional measures of IQ with his mega-best-seller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ - and since the publication of that book, conferences and academic institutes have sprung up dedicated to the idea. In this TEDTalk, Goleman explores the question of why we aren't more compassionate more of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this TEDTalk MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden shows how, by inserting genes for light-sensitive proteins into brain cells, he can selectively activate or deactivate specific neurons with fiber-optic implants. With this unprecedented level of control Boyden has managed to cure mice of analogs of PTSD as well as certain forms of blindness. On the horizon: neural prosthetics. Session host Juan...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
View online at AVOD
Summary: Is Brian's alcoholism a fate predetermined by his physiology? If so, why is Brian's sister not an alcoholic as well? In this case study, Brian, a recovering alcoholic, is examined at the social, physical, and even genetic level. Specialists compare the evidence of a specific link to alcoholism with the more generalized factors of environment and behavior. From brain scans to blood tests, this...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: What conditions of physical attraction tend to subtly speak out to members of the opposite sex? Why is there typically a fundamental difference in attitudes between men and women toward sexual relations? What physiological factors can influence men and women to stray from their partners? This program seeks to answer those and other questions as it sheds light on the mystery of sexual...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: From the womb to old age, it is believed that hormones have a powerful impact on gender and sexuality. Drawing on the research of Roger Gorski, professor of neurobiology at UCLA, and Donatella Marazzitti, of Pisa University, this program explores both the role of sex hormones and the biochemistry of love. Case studies of transgendering and a condition in which a woman's body produces an excess...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program examines arguably the most human instinct of all: the instinct to protect, which, combined with other qualities, prompts people to risk everything for the sake of others. Three gripping stories-a mother who wrestled a cougar to save her son, a soldier who braved enemy fire to rescue a comrade, and two men who helped a woman in a wheelchair escape the collapse of the World Trade...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Trying to find happiness is the search of a lifetime, and in this multi-segment ABC News program, a diverse cross-section of experts shares insights into the psychological and physiological constituents of happiness; the effects of genes, life circumstances, and intentional activities on happiness; where on Earth the most-and least-happiness is said to exist; and the story of one person who...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: As the number of obese Americans climbs to epidemic levels, the quest for ways to lose weight and keep it off is becoming ever more urgent. This program gives viewers a window into the painful human dramas of those labeled obese and the difficulty of solving weight-related problems. Information about hunger and eating, human metabolism, and psychological responses to food is balanced by stories...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: It can lead to isolation, to depression, even to violence. In this program, psychologist John Marsden investigates the devastating effect that social and romantic rejection can have on the brain, the body, and human behavior. Using the latest neuro-imaging technology, Dr. Marsden examines the links between unrequited love and physical pain; he also sheds light on why crimes of passion and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007