#5: The Truth About Your Brain: Fear, Risk & What Holds Us Back — Neuroscientist Dr. Sarah Tashjian
Dr. Sarah Tashjian is a neuroscientist, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Melbourne, and one of the leading researchers on safety learning, fear, risk-taking, and adolescent brain development.Your brain is a prediction machine — constantly trying to protect you, even when you're not actually in danger. But those same protective systems can become the very reason you feel anxious, avoid risk, and hold yourself back. In this conversation, Dr Tashjian breaks down the truth about why the brain misreads danger, how safety learning shapes our confidence, and why so many people feel stuck even when nothing is wrong.Expect to learn why your brain exaggerates threat, how fear becomes “sticky,” why teenagers take more risks and why adults misinterpret those behaviours, whether you can truly “rewire your brain,” how childhood environments shape adult decision-making, why some people thrive under uncertainty while others collapse, how to build a healthier relationship with risk, and the neuroscience behind why we sabotage ourselves without realising it… and much more.-00:00 Trailer00:55 Introduction01:26 Getting into Psychology03:34 Sarah’s Time In Law04:53 Starting in Academia06:25 Sarah’s Research07:57 Are Risk Takers Made or Born?09:06 What happens in the Brain before taking a risk?10:17 What is misunderstood about risk?11:22 Building a healthier relationship with risk12:57 Uncomfortable Situations14:55 The Uncanny Valley Theory19:07 Rewiring Your Brain22:41 What is Safety Learning?25:52 Why do People Hold onto Memories28:58 Safety in Society31:56 Leaving Bad Situations 34:47 Information Overload38:08 The Importance of Failure45:50 The Adolescent vs Adult Brain54:08 How Parents Misunderstand Their Kids56:37 Healthy Safety Learning01:01:57 Final Question-Get in Touch with Me:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imraanmikayil/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imraan-mikayil-09294521a/Email: thetruthwithimraanmikayil@gmail.com-Listen to The Truth on Spotify & Apple Podcasts:Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/20xu3n2YEvCPXwnk7bJGXP?si=88f9ee46574c4f10Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-with-imraan-mikayil/id1824825907
