The Matt Walker Podcast
The Matt Walker Podcast is all about sleep, the brain, and the body. Matt is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of the book, Why We Sleep and has given a few TED talks. Matt is an awkward British nerd who adores science and the communication of science to the public.
The Matt Walker Podcast
Latest Episodes
#159 - Why Thinking Makes You Tired
Why do you feel drained after sitting at a desk all day? Matt explores the unsettled science of mental fatigue. Popular ideas like running out of brain glucose are debunked. Instead of an empty fuel tank, the culprit may be a "full ashtray."...
#158 - 10 Small Brain Quirks
From the "stopped clock illusion" to "cute aggression," Matt explores ten everyday brain quirks and proves these oddities are actually signs of a healthy mind. He groups them into categories of prediction, filtering, internal wiring, and mem...
#157 - Sleep Walking and Talking
Matt examines the world of parasomnias this week, focusing on sleepwalking and sleep talking. Dispelling the myth that sleep is a simple on/off switch, he explains how these behaviors reveal a brain that is simultaneously awake and asleep. R...