Schauer Thoughts

• How To Be Creative: Divergent Thinking (Pt. 2)!

  Prepare to get meta, I’m going to walk you through my creative, divergent thinking process while explaining the neuroscience of creativity and divergent thinking! We do need our brains and bodies to be in sync for this to be meaningful, illuminating, give you (and I) an “aha!” moment. Please note, divergent thinking means you think in a way that is not typical or standard, so I apologize if I’m hard to follow, however it is necessary to illustrate the point I’m making. I want you to know that you don’t have to understand every single detail, however you should focus on the actual “route” my mind is taking - the “figure 8.” Thank you so much to The Allen Institute for inviting me to Neuroscience 2025 in San Diego, I am beyond grateful and appreciative for the experience. I encourage everyone to check out their website, as well as their mission, because science (and creativity) truly are for everyone. The Allen Institute: https://alleninstitute.org/  New Book Club Information: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-book-for-143088045  Resources: This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas  Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us - Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross Horror in Architecture: The Reanimated Edition - Joshua Comaroff + One Ker-Shing Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad) - Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, PhD This is the book I recommended on arousal state splitting off into excitement or anxiety. A neurocomputational model of creative process https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452 Functional Fixedness: When We Stick to What We Know https://nesslabs.com/functional-fixedness This is not the Time Magazine article but it also covers functional fixedness and how it impacts creativity Sensorimotor experience and verb-category mapping in human sensory, motor and parietal neurons https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945217301491 Mental time travel, language, and evolution https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393219302441 Isometric Handgrip Exercise Speeds Working Memory Responses in Younger and Older Adults https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10238670/ This article does include hand exercises for younger adults, most however are focused on improving working memory for older populations Analogy: Definition, Examples, and Usage https://www.grammarly.com/blog/literary-devices/analogy/ Learning from the Double Diamond: How Divergent and Convergent Thinking Can Improve Collaboration and Problem-Solving in Museums https://www.aam-us.org/2024/04/05/learning-from-the-double-diamond-how-divergent-and-convergent-thinking-can-improve-collaboration-and-problem-solving-in-museums/ On the emergence of interdisciplinary scientific fields: (how) does it relate to science convergence? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000751 A Global Map of Science Based on the ISI Subject Categories https://www.leydesdorff.net/map06/texts/index.htm The Brain Science of Elusive ‘Aha! Moments’ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-elusive-brain-science-of-aha-moments/ Recommended Books: The Geometry of Grief - Michael Frame The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra  The Gentrification of the Mind - Sarah Schulman  On the Art and Craft of Doing Science - Kenneth Catania  The Meaning of Proofs: Mathematics as Storytelling - Gabriele Lolli The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan  The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know - Shawn Coyne  When Narcissism Comes to Church - Chuck DeGroat Humour - Terry Eagleton The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone - Philip Fernbach & Steven A. Sloman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• How To Be Creative! Pt. 1

  I heard you wanted to get creative, so here is my *almost painfully*detailed breakdown of that process. If you’d like my resume when it comes to creative thinking, Google my name.  (Before appearing too self-righteous to prospective listeners, we will be discussing the fundamental use of first person and first person possessive pronouns when it comes to creativity.) This is part one to my new mini-series on how to be more creative where we’re exploring the fields of neuroscience, linguistics, metalinguistics, musculature, childhood development and much more! It’s time to brace yourself because the communal Schauer this week is loosening some pretty big knots. Resources: What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk A neurocomputational model of creative process https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001452 The Seven Functional Movement Patterns + Video Demonstrations https://www.opexfit.com/blog/seven-functional-movement-patterns Advertising: how it influences children and teenagers https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/play-learning/screen-time-media/advertising-children#:~:text=At%207%2D11%20years%2C%20children,overstate%20how%20good%20products%20are. Describing Skeletal Muscles: A Review of Muscle Attachments and Actions https://www.visiblebody.com/learn/muscular/muscle-movements#:~:text=3.,muscles%20play%20in%20each%20movement.&text=The%20prime%20mover%2C%20sometimes%20called,are%20keeping%20your%20posture%20sturdy Behavioral energetics in human locomotion: how energy use influences how we move https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11993254/ “I” versus “the author”: The power of first-person voice when writing about science https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11145200/#:~:text=Writing%20in%20the%20first%20person,that's%20something%20most%20scientists%20want.  Using “I”: The First Person in Academic Writing https://www.brandeis.edu/writing-program/resources/faculty/handouts/first-person.html Please everyone read this to understand how to apply “I” statements in academic writing OR AT LEAST when studying and trying to retain the information - there is clearly a benefit to using 3rd person, but using first person *strategically and with nuanced understanding* will make knowledge more relative and rewarding to self, as well as make concepts easier to apply. Why Metalinguistic Awareness Matters https://www.gemmlearning.com/blog/learning-issues/why-are-metalinguistic-skills-important/#:~:text=Metalinguistic%20awareness%20is%20the%20ability%20to:%20*,your%20understanding%20as%20you%20listen%20and%20read  Epithelium  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22062-epithelium  Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development https://www.verywellmind.com/kohlbergs-theory-of-moral-development-2795071 For sources from a previous podcast episode, please visit that episode for the full source list in the caption! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• How to Learn to Love Math feat. Mina Neuberg

  This week on Schauer Thoughts we have a special guest - please give a warm welcome to Mina Neuberg, CEO of WonderMath! Also, this episode is NOT an ad, I am not being paid, I just really love math and wanted to discuss learning and executive functioning with the executive putting the “fun” in functional learning. No but seriously, math is incredibly important and I appreciate y’all listening and *hopefully* expanding the communal comfort zone! Learn More About WonderMath: https://www.wondermath.com/  Where to Reach Mina: [email protected]  New Book Club Information: https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-book-for-143088045  Resources: What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice & Change - Emily Falk The Power of Fun - Catherine Price Mathematics for Human Flourishing - Francis Su Is Math Real? - Eugenia Cheng  The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone - Philip Fernbach  Neural correlates of hate https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18958169/ What Is Hate and Where Does It Live in the Brain? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-on-food/202208/what-is-hate-and-where-does-it-live-in-the-brain The premotor cortex https://www.physio-pedia.com/Premotor_Cortex#:~:text=The%20premotor%20cortex%20is%20a,of%20the%20contralateral%20hemisphere%20alone. Behavioral energetics in human locomotion: how energy use influences how we move https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11993254/  Demonstration and Pantomime in the Evolution of Teaching https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5361109/ Total Physical Response (TPR) - Teaching Method https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392376539_Total_Physical_Response_TPR Screen Apnea  https://www.npr.org/2024/06/10/1247296780/screen-apnea-why-screens-cause-shallow-breathing  Olfactory Enrichment to Improve Memory https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10405466/ What the Thalamus Does https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/2012/3/12.03.02/4#:~:text=In%20this%20way%2C%20the%20thalamus%20is%20screening,matters%20of%20value%20and%20filtering%20out%20distractions.  This is How the Brain Filters Out Unimportant Details https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201502/is-how-the-brain-filters-out-unimportant-details#:~:text=This%20%E2%80%9Creciprocal%E2%80%9D%20connectivity%20can%20be,popcorn%2C%20and%20air%20conditioning). Movement-Based Learning: Students Need to Use Their Bodies to Learn  https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2025/03/movement-based-learning-students-need-to-use-their-bodies-to-learn/  Math Has Its Own Language. How Can Students Learn to Speak It? https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/math-has-its-own-language-how-can-students-learn-to-speak-it/2024/09 Conceived linearities in mathematics education and how to disrupt them https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14794802.2025.2579307?src=#d1e125 How Did You Solve It? Metacognition in Mathematics  https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-did-you-solve-it-metacognition-in-mathematics Writing Problems in Possessive Form https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/forming-possessive/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Regular & Hypnotic Shower Thoughts

  Today’s Schauer Thoughts are a little smattering of everything with hypnotic speech for desert. Nod your head ‘yes’ if that sounds like a good time, shake your head ‘no’ if that sounds like a bad time. You’ve been a lovely audience, make sure to tip your waiter, as well as visit coat check to put your clothes back on.  And once again, run this episode and related resources by your therapist or mental health provider so your sense of self can relieve oneself.  “That was a stretch.” Exactly, you get it. Resources:  How Magicians Think - Joshua Jay  Introduction To American Deaf - Thomas K. Holcomb This Is What It Sounds Like - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas A Little Book of Language - David Crystal  What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice & Change - Emily Falk The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone - Steven Sloman & Philip Fernbach  Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing? https://www.vogue.com/article/is-having-a-boyfriend-embarrassing-now What Is the Somatic Nervous System? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-somatic-nervous-system-2795866 Automatic-voluntary dissociation  https://www.medlink.com/articles/automatic-voluntary-dissociation Watch How You Nod https://www.science.org/content/article/watch-how-you-nod Imagined and real movements are controlled by the brain in the same way https://news.ki.se/imagined-and-real-movements-are-controlled-by-the-brain-in-the-same-way Chapter 8: Hypnotic Phenomena and Keeping Techniques  https://connect.springerpub.com/content/book/978-0-8261-2487-6/part/part01/chapter/ch08 Reflex Arc https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/reflex-arc#:~:text=A%20reflex%20arc%20is%20a,the%20body%20to%20a%20stimulus. The Link Between Optic and Spinal Nerves https://www.themiamiproject.org/the-link-between-optic-and-spinal-nerves/ Examples of other hypnotic speech pattern’s  https://hypnosistrainingacademy.com/milton-model-hypnotic-language-patterns-trance/?amp=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• A Refreshing Take on “Brain Rot”

  This week we’re tackling brain rot, brain fog, social media addiction, and stopping to smell the roses! Join me on a cognitive journey to the land of untapped and undervalued sensory input, the nose. Remember, this is about a harm reduction method, it alone will not “cure” you - also feel free to run absolutely all of this by a licensed medical professional and thoroughly review the resources for yourself. As always, it’s been a pleasure having you in the communal Schauer, I hope my STEAM (du-dun-tss) of consciousness (and extended research) provides some refreshing mental clarity. For more information on my book club visit: Substack: https://sarahschauer.substack.com/p/schauer-thoughts-book-club-additional?utm_source=activity_item Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/sarahschauer/membership Books: Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction - Austin Lim, PhD Attention: Beyond Mindfulness - Gay Watson Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance - Elise Vernon Pearlstine  Plant Lore and Legend: The Wisdom and Wonder of Plants and Flowers Revealed - Ruth Binney Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihály Csizkszentmihalyi Articles:  Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11939997/ The Psychological Conditioning of Brainrot  https://www.fau.edu/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/psychological_conditioning_brainrot/brainrot/ Defining brain fog across medical conditions https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166223625000177 Does Exposure to Air Pollution Cause “Brain Fog”? https://hudsonvalleypress.com/2025/08/13/does-exposure-to-air-pollution-cause-brain-fog/ Screen Apnea: What happens to our breath when we type, tap, and scroll https://www.npr.org/2024/06/10/1247296780/screen-apnea-why-screens-cause-shallow-breathing A New Reason to Stop and Smell the Roses https://www.bottomlineinc.com/health/mental-health/a-new-reason-to-stop-and-smell-the-roses/ Memory Air Research Page https://memoryair.com/pages/science Nasal Respiration Entrains Human Limbic Oscillations and Modulated Cognitive Function https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5148230/ To smell the immune system: olfaction, autoimmunity and brain involvement  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17110318/ The Connections Between smell, memory, and health https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/connections-between-smell-memory-and-health Transforming the understanding of brain immunity  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo7649 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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