Budiey
Since the day you were born, a one and a half kilogram slimy blob has been controlling your every fleeting thought, split-second decision and complex judgment. It takes tremendous physical endurance for the brain to process everything we hear, see, smell, touch and taste, and even the fittest of the fit cannot process all this information at once. Which is why you migth miss the spellling an grammatical errors in this sentence. Using a mere 12 watts of power, the brain creates shortcuts to fill in the gaps, leaving room for error. But like any other muscle in the body, you can improve performance with regular workouts.
[pullquote align=”right”]BRAIN GAMES Premieres Exclusively on 17 September 2013 at 10.00pm on National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553)[/pullquote]
Exploring your mind’s mad skills, BRAIN GAMES premieres on National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553) on 17 September 2013 with back-to-back episodes at 10.00pm and 10.30pm, and new episodes every Tuesday. Covering topics from visual perception to sound, creativity, lying, attractiveness and persuasion, the new series sizes up the human brain using an intricate string of mind-boggling experiments, optical illusions, brainteasers and hard science. With man-on-the-street demonstrations and viewer participation through interactive brain-busters, BRAIN GAMES offers a workout for your mind.
Guiding you through the twists and turns of your grey matter is host Jason Silva, a self-proclaimed “wonder junkie” and, according to The Atlantic, “a part-time filmmaker and full-time walking, talking TEDTalk.” At TEDGlobal in June 2012, Silva premiered a short video on “Radical Openness,” which explores the exponential rate of innovation and mankind using technology to transcend all previous limits.
Silva is joined by “The Gentleman Thief” Apollo Robbins, a deception specialist. A profile of Robbins in a January 2013 New Yorker article declared that “among his peers, he is widely considered the best in the world at what he does, which is taking things from people’s jackets, pants, purses, wrists, fingers, and necks, then returning them in amusing and mind-boggling ways.” Together, the duo will reveal the startling ways your brain works, while top experts in the fields of cognitive science, neuroscience and psychology give the “why” behind the “wow.”
“Despite all of the dazzling advances of modern technology, there is not yet a machine more powerful, amazing and mysterious than the human brain,” says Silva. “In BRAIN GAMES, we lift the veil on some of these mysteries.” Adds Robbins, “You’ll never meet a con artist as gifted in the art of deception as your own mind.”
Ever wonder why you get that tingling feeling on the back of your neck when walking down a dark alley? To address the brain’s internal tug of war between fear and rationalization, Silva enlists the help of one of New York City’s scariest haunted houses for some “Fear Factor”-like experiments with snakes, rats and roaches! But he just does not do the scaring; Silva admits that his most terrifying moment while filming the series was playing a game of Russian roulette with broken beer bottles.
If you have ever pulled into your driveway, and realized you do not remember a single detail of the drive home, then you have experienced unintentional blindness. The brain is constantly bombarded by far more information than it can handle. As a result, it stiches together small parts of what is in front of you at any given moment. Taking advantage of this loophole in the brain’s hard wiring, the BRAIN GAMES experts are able to distract viewers, pulling off baffling stunts.
Most people find it hard to believe that they would mistake a man dressed up as a cheerleader, or confuse a huge Great Dane for a miniature puppy. By altering viewers’ depth and perception cues, see how these masters of trickery transform images of Jennifer Lopez and other celebrities. BRAIN GAMES also breaks down the science of persuasion, using priming techniques to convince unsuspecting people that Texas seceded from the United States.
Get ready for lots of mind-blowing illusions, games and challenges that will make you question whether “seeing is believing.”
Mark your calendars as Brain Games premieres on 17 September 2013 with back-to-back episodes at 10.00pm and 10.30pm exclusively on National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553). And new episodes every Tuesday at the same time.
Premiere episodes include:
BRAIN GAMES: FOCUS POCUS (17th September 2013, 10.00pm)
Think your field of vision is really in focus, or that your brain is focusing on everything happening in front of you? Think you know exactly what is most important at any given moment? Think again. This episode of Brain Games puts your focus and attention to the ultimate test with a series of interactive games and fascinating experiments that reveal how your neural hard-wiring can affect what your brain chooses to focus on right now!
BRAIN GAMES: IT’S ABOUT TIME (17 September 2013, 10.30pm)
It’s what wakes you up in the morning, let’s you know when your toast is ready, and gets you to work. It’s the slim margin between winning a gold or silver medal and can be the difference between disaster and close call. For some it is measured in eons. For others, just seconds. Of course were talking about time. And this episode explores how that three-pound mass of tissue between your ears can measure something so abstract and invisible. You’ll discover why time flies when you’re having fun, and slows down when you’re in danger. Best of all, we’ll show you how to keep the years from slipping away as you get older. So pay attention. you’re just in time for Brain Games!
BRAIN GAMES: MOTION COMMOTION (24 September 2013, 10.00pm)
Evolving in a world that was constantly moving, our brain had to develop a sophisticated sense of motion in order to survive. This episode of Brain Games stops to ask a deceptively simple question what really is motion? We explore the science behind how our brain detects, interprets and reacts to motion, and you’ll see how easily this hard wiring can be fooled, for better and for worse.
BRAIN GAMES: DON’T BE AFRAID (24 September 2013, 10.30pm)
When it comes to fear, we are sometimes at the mercy of our brain. But would it surprise you to know that a healthy dose of fear is actually good for you? This episode of Brain Games reveals the science behind fear and surprise, and you’ll see how fear can give you a feeling of heightened ability, why you get that tingling sensation down your spine and why you shouldn’t be afraid of being afraid.
BRAIN GAMES: SEEING IS BELIEVING (1 October 2013, 10.00pm)
Scientists have found that optical illusions are one of the best ways to get inside your head to see how your brain works. Through a series of fun, interactive games and illusions we’ll play a few tricks on your eyes to show you how your brain builds your reality. You’ll learn an easy way to turn beautiful celebrities into ugly monsters using only your mind, and how you can shrink a 6′ 4″ man to half his height. Get ready to see why you shouldn’t always believe your eyes – on Brain Games.
BRAIN GAMES: POWER OF PERSUASION (1 October 2013, 10.30pm)
Every day your brain is being manipulated by marketers, advertisers and political candidates…but did you ever wonder how they do it? This episode of Brain Games reveals the science behind the power of persuasion the tricks and techniques used every day to influence and control your decisions. You’ll be shocked to see just how simple it is to persuade you…even when you know it’s coming.
BRAIN GAMES: YOU DECIDE (8 October 2013, 10.00pm)
Think you’re in charge of your own destiny? Do you believe the decisions you make are rational? Do you consider yourself good at weighing the options? Think again. This episode of Brain Games puts your decision-making process to the ultimate test with a series of fast-paced interactive games, surprising experiments, and a team of experts to prove that the decisions you make every day are not as reliable as you think and how you can you put yourself back in the drivers seat. So get ready to choose wisely – on Brain Games!
BRAIN GAMES: USE IT OR LOSE IT (8 October 2013, 10.30pm)
The latest research says that your brain is no different than the muscles in your body – it needs exercise to stay youthful and fit. In this episode were going to put your brain to the test with a serious workout and if you play along you’ll come out with a few unexpected ways to boost your minds flexibility, concentration, and memory. So get ready to use it…or lose it on Brain Games.
BRAIN GAMES: LIAR LIAR (15 October 2013, 10.00pm)
It’s something you likely do every day. Whether it’s telling a little white lie or a serious betrayal, your brain is built to know when tweaking the truth can be beneficial. Think about how many times you’ve told a lie to spare someone’s feelings, or bent the truth to get out of plans. The truth is we’re all liars. In this episode, we’ll explore why we lie, how often we lie, and what goes on in the brain that allows us to stretch the truth in the first place. As we put you through games and experiments, you’ll discover how to pick out a fake smile and why it’s actually easier for your brain to just tell the honest truth. If you pay attention, we’ll even teach you a few tricks that can help you catch a liar. So stick around as we get to the truth about lying, on Brain Games!
BRAIN GAMES: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW (15 October 2013, 10.30pm)
We all like to think we have a good grasp of the workings of the world around us, but do we? In this episode of Brain Games we explore how you might not be as smart as you think. Bet you could explain something as basic as how a zipper works? Or correctly draw something as simple as a bicycle? If you said yes, you likely just bet wrong…but don’t worry it’s not just you! Get ready to say hello to what you don’t know, on Brain Games.
BRAIN GAMES: ILLUSION CONFUSION (22 October 2013, 10.00pm)
This is a show about your brain and how it perceives the world in 3D. Through a series of fun interactive games, you’ll learn how your brain is like a time machine that can actually “see” into the future! You’ll also learn how you share a special ability with Superman you both have X-ray vision. Get ready to see it but don’t believe it on Brain Games.
BRAIN GAMES: BATTLE OF THE SEXES (22 October 2013, 10.30pm)
Why does it seem like men are from Mars and women are from Venus? How can men and women look at the same world and see completely different things? Or solve the same problem two completely different ways? And in a head-to-head matchup of sheer brainpower who wins? This episode of Brain Games will reveal the surprising ways the male and female brain may be different and how its revealed in our behavior and abilities. Your gray matter will be tested through a series of interactive games and unexpected experiments hosted by relatable experts. So it’s time to choose sides in the ultimate battle of the sexes on Brain Games!
