Life, Death & the Neuroscience of Your Unique Experience | Dr. David Linden

This podcast episode delves into the connection between time perception, mortality, and gratitude. The speaker explores how our ability to anticipate the future influences our religious beliefs and how religion is a universal aspect of human culture. They also reflect on how impending death heightens our appreciation for time and increases our attention to insignificant details. The speaker draws a parallel between slowed perception and high frame rate photography, emphasizing the significance of fully living in each moment. They emphasize the importance of agency in sharing our experiences and making a positive impact on others. The episode concludes by highlighting the speaker's endeavor to merge scientific understanding with personal experiences to better understand the intricacies of our nervous system and the profundity of life and death. Overall, the episode urges listeners to cherish every moment, prioritize meaningful connections, and embrace the opportunity to leave a positive mark on the world. Anti-commonsence 1. The suggestion that the human brain's need to predict the future is the reason for the universality of religion across different cultures goes against the idea that religious beliefs arise from cultural, historical, and social factors that vary across societies. 2. The comparison between slowing down perception and shooting at high frame rates may not accurately represent the subjective experience of time perception and the impact of impending death.