Mysteries of the Female Brain: The Pill, Attraction, Sex, Emotions & Hormones

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Get Professional High Quality Talk Therapy at BetterHelp. 10% off your first month of therapy with this link - https://betterhelp.com/giantsshoulder (Paid Partnership by BetterHelp) Dr. Sarah McKay is a neuroscientist, author, and science communicator whose work is redefining what we know about women’s brains — from hormones and birth control to motherhood and mental health. She’s the author of The Women’s Brain Book, Baby Brain, and Brain Health for Dummies, and host of ABC’s Catalyst, where she brings neuroscience to life on screen. Check Out Sarahs Books The Women's Brain Book: The neuroscience of health, hormones and happiness: https://amzn.to/3LiixYN Baby Brain: The surprising neuroscience of how pregnancy and motherhood sculpt our brains and change our minds: https://amzn.to/47SIG9f Brain Health For Dummies: https://amzn.to/47C70uC Sarah has spent her career debunking the myths that hormones “run the show,” revealing instead how the female brain is adaptable, resilient, and constantly changing through puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Expect to learn how the pill reshapes the brain and influences attraction, why mood changes during the menstrual cycle are far more complex than we think, how pregnancy and motherhood physically rewire neural circuits for empathy and care, why “baby brain” might actually be a superpower, how men’s hormones change after fatherhood, how AI is helping scientists uncover hidden “pregnancy signatures” in the brain, and what neuroscience gets wrong — and right — about women. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction – What Men Don’t Know About Women’s Brains 03:14 Myths About Hormones and Emotion 08:29 How Scientists Actually Measure Emotion 12:26 The Constructed Nature of Feelings 17:05 PMS, Expectation, and the Power of Belief 20:18 How the Pill Changes the Brain 26:20 The Pill, Mood, and Depression Risk 33:35 Attraction, Personality, and the Hormone Myth 39:04 Are We Rewiring Evolution Through the Pill? 44:02 Maternal Instinct and the Neuroscience of Motherhood 52:16 How Pregnancy Rewires the Brain 57:26 AI, Plasticity, and the “Pregnancy Signature” 01:03:26 What Happens to the Father’s Brain 01:08:03 The Future of Women’s Brain Health ... Neuroscience Products I Swear By (Supports the Channel) Sentia Spirits: https://sentiaspirits.com/mcgloughlin4209355084 Manta Sleep Mask: Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet (Use Code GIANTSMANTA10 https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL ) Brain.FM: Music Entrainment for Focused Deep Work (30 Day Free Trial: https://www.brain.fm/giantsshoulder) Consensus.AI: https://get.consensus.app/we00d2cmjpqe Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249