Science of Perception Box
Hosted by Christof Koch & Heather A. Berlin · 9 decoded episodes · newest Oct 7, 2026
Join renowned scientists Dr. Heather Berlin and Dr. Christof Koch on the Science of Perception Box, where they delve into the Perception Box—a groundbreaking concept developed by Elizabeth R. Koch, that reveals how our beliefs, biases, and neural wiring shape our reality and define how we experience the world. Through captivating conversations with expert guests like psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer, anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher, and journalist Michael Pollan, the show explores how the Perception Box expands in states of awe, curiosity, and love, and contracts during fear, anxiety, or anger. From mindfulness and romantic relationships to psychedelics and human connection, each episode uncovers transformative insights into unlocking greater awareness, fostering curiosity, and reshaping how we perceive the world. New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow the journey and redefine your reality.
Episodes 9
- Oct 7, 2026 · 43 minSam Harris challenges the self and free willThe episode connects a constructed sense of self to debates over agency, responsibility, meditation, psychedelics, and personal change.
- Sep 30, 2026 · 26 minPhysicists test whether quantum mechanics can explain consciousnessThe conversation probes whether subjective experience requires physics beyond classical brain science, with implications for artificial minds and how reality is perceived.
- Sep 23, 2026 · 46 minChronic stress narrows perception and accelerates agingThe episode connects chronic vigilance to biological wear while showing how recovery, connection, and manageable challenge can rebuild resilience.
- Sep 16, 2026 · 48 minEmotions emerge from predictions, not fixed reactionsThe episode reframes emotion as a flexible act of interpretation, suggesting that experience and practice can change how the brain responds to bodily signals.
- Sep 9, 2026 · 44 minCommon knowledge quietly coordinates society—and can destabilize itThe episode shows how shared assumptions govern politeness, markets, emergencies, and political change, while revealing when making them explicit helps or harms.
- Sep 2, 2026 · 44 minAnil Seth reframes perception as the brain’s useful fictionThe episode connects consciousness, selfhood, social beliefs, and artificial intelligence through one unsettling question: how much of reality is constructed?
- Aug 26, 2026 · 31 minAgency can turn adversity into growth—or destructionThe episode separates real victimization from a changeable victim mindset while asking how much discomfort people need to build resilience without losing their values.
- Aug 19, 2026 · 45 minHuberman links bodily inputs to brain controlThe conversation turns everyday physiology into a framework for understanding compulsions, mood, sleep, and individual risk.
- Aug 12, 2026 · 49 minLetting go can restore agency in strained relationshipsThe conversation reframes acceptance as an active boundary-setting practice rather than surrender, especially when loved ones resist change.