TEDxTalks
Talk title: Embodied brains, social minds: How admiration inspires purposeful learning
The science of neurobiology is changing our understanding about social emotions, showing us how inspiration is intertwined with our biological survival as a species. People feel deeply moved when they hear inspirational stories about other human beings, for instance stories of hardship and tragedy overcome by virtue of hard work, determination, smarts and grit. Science is showing that when we hear these extraordinarily inspirational stories, more blood flows to our brain stem - the very part of our brain that makes our heart beat, regulates our breathing and keeps us alive. You are literally feeling inspiration on the very substrate of your own biological survival.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is a neuroscientist and human development psychologist. In her work she studies the neural, psychophysiological and psychological bases of emotion, social interaction and culture and their implications for development and schools. A former junior high school teacher, Mary Helen earned her doctorate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She is an Assistant Professor of Education at the USC's Rossier School of Education and Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute. She's also the inaugural recipient of the Award for Transforming Education through Neuroscience.
