Brain Games: Season 5

Common Sense

22min - From knowing when to cross the street to avoiding hot stoves, your brain is constantly making judgments that you likely take for granted. We chalk it up to common sense – but just how common is it? Through interactive games and mind-bending challenges, unravel your mental shortcuts and learn how to harness the power of collective thinking. Play along to understand how your common sense can either lead you astray or keep you on the right track.

Left vs. Right

22min - We all use both sides of our brains. But is there any science behind the notion that the left half or your brain is the creative side while the right half is more logical? In this episode, we’re singling out the two halves that make up the whole brain, to discover how the two sides operate, what they really control, and whether or not one side of your brain dominates the other.

Morality

22min - Have you ever wondered where your morality comes from? Is it ingrained in your brain, set by religion, or does society dictate what's deemed as right or wrong? Through a series of interactive experiments, test the strength of your moral fiber and discover how your brain makes countless moral decisions every day. Understand how outside influences like clothing, attitude, and your own evolutionary survival may sway your brain…and your morals.

Money

22min - Money is present in every corner of our lives – we earn it, spend it, manage it, and often obsess over it, but how well do we really understand it? Play along and you’ll understand why your brain gets excited when you think you’re getting a deal, why there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and how to stop paying more for less. Get ready to put your money where your mind is, on Brain Games.

Paranormal

22min - Have you ever seen a ghost? Have you ever known something was going to happen before it happened? If so, you may share a link with the paranormal...or it might just be your brain playing tricks on you. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer in the supernatural, there are things out there your brain just can’t quite explain. Through interactive games and experiments, discover how you may actually know more about the "unknown" than you think.

Memory

Memory

22min - Whether it's a blast from the past, recognizing a long lost pal, or remembering where you parked the car, your memory shapes the story of your life, and allows you to interact with the world around you without everything always seeming strange or unfamiliar. We show you what memory is, why you even have a memory – and why you keep forgetting where you put those darn keys! Play along and you'll also see why, sometimes, forgetting can actually be a good thing.

Misconceptions

22min - In this episode we’re busting some widely held myths and figuring out why the brain believes them. Everyone knows that alcohol kills brain cells, your IQ is a fixed number you’re born with, and we use only 10 percent of our brains...Right? Well, not quite. These beliefs are misconceptions perpetuated by popular opinion. This raises some questions: How much of what we think we know is actually true?

Peer Pressure

22min - If you think you have full control of your thoughts and actions – think again. It turns out the clothes you wear, the food you eat, and even the way you walk has less to do with you and more to do with everyone else. In this episode, we’ll explore whether your brain is hardwired to want to fit in. Through a series of games and experiments, we prove that the decisions that make you an individual also make you a part of the crowd.

Logic

22min - We put your problem-solving skills to the test as we lead you through a labyrinth of logic games. Every day, you use logic to get things done, from dressing for the weather, to choosing the best route to work, to deciding what to eat for dinner. Through a series of interactive games and experiments, you’ll learn about the power and the limitations of your logical abilities.

Faces

22min - Your identity is deeply rooted in your own unique face. And with over 40 muscles, your face allows you to express a near infinite number of emotions and feelings. But your brain is also highly adept at recognizing what other peoples' faces are saying to you. Discover the most important feature of your face, how staring can make you want to fight or take flight, and why looking at just parts of a face won’t always give you the whole picture.