
The Neuroscience Of How To Improve Your Memory & Focus - Dr Charan Ranganath - #939
Modern Wisdom
05/10/25
•75m
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Dr. Charan Ranganath is a cognitive neuroscientist, professor, and an author.
What are memories? Our brains are shaped by countless experiences, but how exactly do we store these stories? Learn what makes some memories stick, why others fade, and how our minds handle the ones we'd rather forget. Expect to learn why memory is important, what the difference is between the experiencing self and the remembering self, How human memory works, why we remember some events so clearly and others vaguely or not at all, how we can make ourselves forget, the best memory improvement techniques, what the relationship between memory and novel experiences is, how our memories shaped by our social interactions, and much more...
Timestamps:
(00:00) Why is Memory Important? (01:23) The Experiencing Self Vs the Remembering Self (07:00) Inside the Brains of Super-Rememberers (10:23) How Does Human Memory Work? (12:11) What Predicts Whether We Will Remember Something? (22:24) Similarities Between Memory & Breathing (26:50) Why Do We Forget Things? (32:43) Fundamentals of Training Memory (36:15) Explaining Error-Driven Learning (45:29) Experiencing Things Worth Remembering (51:44) Relationship Between Emotions & Memory (57:57) Can You Learn Something If You Can’t Remember Doing it? (01:00:54) Novelty & Intensity For Memory (01:04:24) Memory & the Passage of Time (01:07:46) Myths to Dispel About Memory (01:11:03) Where to Find Charan
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Episodes You Might Enjoy:
This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberma
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Previous Episode

How Modern Parenting Got It All Wrong - Dr Paul Turke - #938
May 8, 2025
•80m
Dr Paul Turke is a pediatrician, evolutionary anthropologist, and an author.
How did humans raise kids 1,000 years ago? Today’s parenting is all routines, data-driven insights and what the latest research says. But what can ancient wisdom teach us about parenting, and where might it call our modern methods into question?
Expect to learn how child rearing might look different if parents were educated in evolutionary theory, what the evolutionary role of grandparents are, and why it matters for raising kids today, Where babies would have slept ancestrally, why toddlers wake up at night, throw food, or act out and why might those be smart behaviors, what parents should know about “normal” child development from an evolutionary view, what we can we learn from cultures that co-sleep, breastfeed longer, and parent together and much more...
Timestamps:
(00:00) Evolutionary Parenting (05:40) The Evolutionary Role of Grandparents (13:33) Why Menopause Occurs (18:22) How Modern Parenting is Encouraging Anxiety (24:56) Is Leaving Kids at Daycare Beneficial? (29:39) Sleeping Habits of Ancient Children (33:47) The Evolutionary Reason for Why Kids Act Out (37:01) Advantages of Breastfeeding (42:30) The Medicalisation of Childbirth & Childcare (51:23) How Society Could Have Avoided a Rise in Food Allergies (59:50) The Growth of Obesity in Kids (01:03:32) Are We Overusing Medication? (01:06:48) What an Evolution-Focused NICU Would Look Like (01:11:20) Risks in Misapplying Evolutionary (01:14:58) Where to Find Paul
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get 10% discount on all Gymshark’s products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10)
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Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberma
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Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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Next Episode

The Harsh Price Of Extreme Performance - Cameron Hanes - #940
May 12, 2025
•114m
Cameron Hanes is a bowhunter, ultramarathon runner, podcaster, and an author.
How should we deal with suffering? Most people do everything they can to avoid it, but a rare few seek it out. What if pain isn't just something to survive, but something that deepens our gratitude for the moments that truly matter?
Expect to learn what drives Cam to do what he does and what being “undeniable” means to him, what the biggest lesson most people learn when they first go hunting is, the hardest thing Cam has ever done physically, if hard work beats genetics and pedigree, how Cam raised his sons and and what he would do differently, how the average people can train themselves to deal better with suffering, how Cam would feel if he felt truly worth of his acheivements, and much more...
Timestamps:
(00:00) Chris & Cam’s Last Meeting (05:05) What Drives Cam’s Relentlessness? (18:13) Cam’s Reflections on Fatherhood (35:46) Why the Internet Hates Successful Men (44:52) The Record For Running a Marathon in Crocs (47:08) Seeing the Success of Cam’s Kids (51:12) Is Love or Hate a Better Motivator? (55:44) The Trap of Meaning Without Pleasure (01:12:39) Cam’s Most Difficult Physical Tests (01:21:00) Connections Between Genetics, Talent & Hard Work (01:32:17) The Downsides of Romanticising Suffering (01:43:33) How Cam Navigates Success & Stays Humble (01:52:59) Where to Find Cam
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D, and more from AG1 at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom
Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom
Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
Get the best bloodwork analysis in America at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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