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Human Behavior

The Sinner Interview: Star Bill Pullman on Last Night’s Finale and More – GQ

The first season of USAs mystery-thriller The Sinner told the story of a seemingly normal woman, played by Jessica Biel, who snaps and stabs a random person to death. Its only through the dogged detective work of Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) that the exonerating truth behind the violent crime comes to lightand that truth is as much of a release for audiences at home as it is for the characters on-screen.

Each season has dived deeper into Ambroses psyche, revealing the complexities in the somewhat broken yet endlessly empathetic detective, all the while inviting viewers to peer into the brink alongside him. Season 2 explored his troubled childhood as it connected to a deadly poisoning at a cult in New Yorks Hudson Valley, pitting Pullman against Carrie Coon's cult ringleader with questionable intentions. Season 3, which aired its finale last night, twists the knife deeper into Ambroses vulnerability, as the murder suspect (Matt Bomer) is able to weaponize Ambroses empathy against him.

Over the course of three seasons, Pullmans Ambrose has fully become the shows main character, a grounding force whos tasked with solving a strange new crime each season. Amidst the shows twists and turns, Pullman wasnt necessarily expecting that the biggest would be his rise to prominence (I wasnt needy. I wasnt like Wow, its going to be about me, Pullman says).

Pullman, who is perhaps best known for uniting mankind against an alien invasion in 1996s Independence Day, intentionally doesnt cut quite as confident a figure in The Sinner. As Ambrose, hes somewhat squirrelly, and always seems as though hes debating whether or not he should say... well, anything at all. At times, given all his hangups and mannerisms, Ambrose is a bit frustrating to watch, but the detectives peculiar way of inserting himself into bizarre crimes results in a deeper experience than your average cop procedural. Season 3especially its finaletakes The Sinner to some very upsetting places, but Pullman says he finds catharsis in the darkness, with the ultimate humanist message underneath.

I think its been gratifying to see, even in these times, that people are following a dark story, Pullman says. I was thinking This could be terrible for people who are watching, to watch something this gritty. But its almost like [having] strange, disturbing dreams that allow them to exorcise their own sort of demons when watching.

GQ spoke with Pullman about The Sinner, developing a character over time, and turning to another of his famous roles for some pertinent advice.

GQ: What do you think makes The Sinner different from other crime shows on TV?

Bill Pullman: Theres quite a bit more use of guns on other shows. Even when guns come out on The Sinner, theres not a lot of gunplayshooting at people and ducking and running around, shooting back, you know. Its more about watching all the nuances of human behavior and how it can present in ways where you cant draw conclusions at first glance.

How did you make Ambrose more than just another Difficult Manbecause there are certainly no shortage of characters like that on TV?

Thats a good way to summarize it. He is a difficult man. Hes somebody who is clearly not the macho, Im gonna fight crime and expose bad guys kind of thing. He does have a lot of empathy for people; thats surprising, because he can seem so isolated. You can see all the ways in which he doesnt look like the kind of cop who would be successful. Hes a loner, he has a lot of stubbornness, and even the fact that hes still doing it when most people would get out of it. He hasnt finished what he senses is his compelling interest in still being a detective.

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The Sinner Interview: Star Bill Pullman on Last Night's Finale and More - GQ

Human Behavior

His Nickname is Dr. Disaster and at Some Point You May Need Him – Yahoo Finance

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2020 / "Crises are in the eye of the beholder" says Dr. Joshua Klapow, a clinical psychologist . And that's in part how he got the nickname Dr. Disaster.

Crises come in all shapes sizes and degree of impact. For some it's the down turn of their company in a struggling economy, for others it's a relationship on the rocks. Sometimes crises affect many hundreds or thousands, natural disasters, mass shootings, terrorist attacks. Sometimes they can even be global like a pandemic. In any of these scenarios the psychological and emotional toll on individuals can be devastating. Communities, cities, states, nations can suffer from global distress, a sense of helplessness, and difficulty making decisions and choices that can help them carry on. In any crisis what people do or don't do and how they do or don't do it determines in some cases whether they survive or not, and in all cases whether they thrive or not.

So where can we turn? Where should we turn? Dr. Josh believes that at the heart of every crisis is human distress that needs guidance to see it through. And for years, Dr. Josh has served that role to individuals, companies, cities, states and even nations. And that's how he came by the nickname Dr. Disaster. From his presence across media outlets when "disaster strikes".

As he says "Unfortunately I have taken on this nickname. When bad things happen you will often see me on television, hear from me on radio or read my words in print. The good news is that when bad things happen to you, your company, your city or state, you can count on me to be there with the tools, and the experience to help people tap into their psychological resiliency and work through a crisis. So I guess Dr. Disaster isn't that bad after all".

Dr. Josh has been working for decades with people in a variety of crisis situations: A CEO in the middle of a contested divorce trying to compartmentalize the stress divorce while maintaining the functioning of a multimillion-dollar business. An elite athlete who has just seen their season end due to a catastrophic injury and now must face the transition to a next life chapter. A start up company that fell on a tough economy and now is faced with massive downsizing while looking after their employees well being. A multibillion-dollar company that is struggling with the retention of high performing individuals who are leaving in droves because of a punitive management culture. Or maybe it's a tornado, or hurricane or earthquake that has decimated a city or state. Or a global pandemic that has struck fear in the hearts of frankly the world. Dr. Josh is usually there. It may be for a one on one series of consultations out of the media's eye. It may be as an advisor helping leadership making tough decisions about layoffs. You may see him on television; hear him on the radio, read his quotes in print as he tries to get the messages out to the masses.

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Dr. Josh is there to help people navigate . He explains:

"In times of crises, big or small, at the individual level or global, as a general rule we, humans experience levels of distress that impact every aspect of our functioning. Crises change the way we think, the way we process information, the way we `function. Having the right tools to reduce our anxiety, focus our concentration, regulate our autonomic nervous system is critical. Even then, when people are undergoing prolonged stressful situations, they need someone who can point out the cognitive errors, the irrational beliefs, and the self-defeating actions that come with being under immense pressure. I see it at the individual level but I also see it at the group and population level. A distressed management team makes human resource decisions that often are focused on relieving their own distress but not focused on maximizing the productivity or longevity of their employees. A distressed community engages in a series of actions typically aimed at reducing individual anxiety but not looking at the interconnectedness of their interactions. Crisis does bring out the best in some people but it also brings our weakest psychological characteristics to the forefront. My job is to help guide people through the crisis of their lives. "

While having significant life and/or business experience is a great backdrop to helping people, it doesn't formally prepare a person to manage the intense emotions, the erratic decisions, the fear, anxiety and at times irrational behavior that happens when people are experiencing a life crisis. Understanding how stress, anxiety, perceived danger, escape preferences, cognitive biases and psychophysiological deregulation impact every aspect of an individuals life is critical to help them navigate crisis situations.. There are many untrained or poorly trained individuals in the marketplace providing high-priced services to people and organizations in very high profile, high scrutiny, and high-pressured positions. Watching this happen in everyone from start-up CEOs to executives in publicly traded organizations to professional athletes and entertainers to entire communities is what motivated Dr. Josh Klapow to step in.

Joshua Klapow, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has a specialization in behavioral medicine and disaster mental health. He trained at UCLA and UC San Diego and spent nearly 20 years researching the role of human behavior in health, well being and the impact of disaster and crisis on human functioning as an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has taught hundreds of graduate students and professionals the principles of psychological first aid, disaster communication and psychosocial crisis managing. He has served as a behavioral science consultant for individuals and organizations across the country as well as the World Health Organization. He has spent his entire career trying to help people thrive in situations where there are significant challenges to their physical and mental health and overall well being.

"My clinical training was specifically focused on helping people change their lives during times of challenge, strife and crisis. It was also designed to help people understand how situations and environmental settings either helped people to thrive or served as a barrier. My training was designed to help people navigate the life changes in front of them and to help people design businesses and systems of care that were much more person centered." Dr. Josh says.

Dr. Josh's traditional research and clinical work have been supplemented by a collaboration with media outlets to provide the public with the psychological first aid tools during times of crisis. From 9/11 to the variety of mass shootings, to SARS, to tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, the financial crisis of 2008, plane crashes, Ebola, and COVID-19. His passion to get the message out to help people navigate fear anxiety, distress, and frustration have resulted in products such as "The Preparedness Minute", A CDC funded series of videos that have been disseminated to public health organizations and first responders across the country help people prepare and cope with national disasters. He has been called on by media outlets across the country after natural disasters, mass shootings, and disease outbreaks to help address the social and psychological impact these events have on people. From multiple appearances on The Weather Channel, to the BBC, NBC Weekend News and local affiliates across the country. To digital outlets ranging from the HuffPost, Buzzfeed, Elite Daily, Men's Health, Today.com, US News and World Report and more. Dr. Josh has been a media partner and a psychological first aid expert for nearly two decades.

He has also worked extremely closely with the business community to address the human resource impact of difficult and life changing scenarios. He has consulted on continuity planning, employee engagement, crisis communication, executive impairment, leadership transition, and psychological first aid for organizations ranging from startups to multibillion-dollar public companies. His unique expertise as a public health academician and a clinical psychologist allows him to shift from focus on the individual to groups and populations as is needed. Sophisticated technology and a deep understanding of psychology and behavioral science.

This blend of expertise in behavioral science, disaster preparedness, crisis communication and business along with his presence in the national media has positioned Dr. Josh as a sought after resource for companies and individuals across the US helping them leverage psychology and behavioral science in crisis situations. He is called on to help people survive and thrive when high levels of pressure and stress are present. He has become a public and private "go to" for those who need his input in any crisis situation or capacity.

"I know that crises will vary greatly in terms of how many people are impacted. I also know that in crisis situations there is a need for guidance that is not always delivered in a traditional "mental health" format. People need messages that are being delivered via the media, companies need guidance to make the best decisions possible for their employees, individuals need to know there is someone on the other end of a call, video conference, or text that can offer psychological tools and resources immediately to help make critical decisions. I am not a physician or an economist. My role is to know as much as is possible about how to navigate the psychological, cognitive, emotional and behavioral challenges that arise before, during and after a crisis situation. My role is to be there to make sure that you as an individual, a company or a community or nation have the right strategies to work with the impact of humans in a state of distress.

I serve as a trusted "psychological correspondent" for media outlets nationally and internationally and I work with businesses and individuals to help them bring behavioral science and psychology to the forefront of their organizations and their personal lives in the context of crises and disasters. I am here to consult and coach, to develop and support. I am here when you need an individual who can help you or your company thrive in times of crisis, change, decision making or growth. I deeply understand human behavior and I have lived the real-life experiences. Look, in my opinion it comes down to this, if you need to understand how thoughts, emotions and behaviors impact your life during some of the most critical situations and times. If you need to understand that in the context of your company, or the life of others around you, it is important that you get it right, you have to go with someone who has training and experience. Be careful, because intuition, and experience with life strife is not what you want if you need someone to help you get it right. A high level of specific training and experience is critical, because your life is critical. I've worked my whole career to prepare me to help. And I'm here to help." Dr. Josh says.

For Dr. Josh, mindset is critical because you must be willing to look at a crisis situation that may have everyone around you deregulated, distressed and convinced there are no options or their options are the only options. Being able to sit in periods of crisis and guide people through he array of emotions and actions without getting pulled down in is a skill that has to be honed and refined if you are to be at the forefront of crisis management. You have to trust your training and trust that in the middle of chaos you can hold steady as a voice of reason.

"My advice for those who are trying to help in crisis and disaster situations is to make sure you check yourself first. Do you have the tools to be strong, to know when you are exceeding your bandwidth, to join with individuals, organizational, communities while keeping yourself psychological strong. If you haven't had this kind of training you run the risk of becoming a psychological liability versus as n asset. Dr. Josh advises.

Dr. Josh is admant about pushing the message that psychological well being is a science, with specific tools an methods that ere desperately needed for individuals and groups during times of strife. He will also tell you that the larger the crisis, the more people it impacts and the longer the duration the more we need to rely not just on being tough, but rely on the assets that come with specific and targeted experience and credentials in psychology, behavioral science and human performance

"If you are someone who is experiencing a personal life crisis, an organization that is trying to navigate a crisis or a community that is trying to contain a crisis. I have the training and understanding to help you. If you are in a high-pressure situation and need to make sure that you are getting the most out of your own psychological, emotional, behavioral and physiological resources, I can guide you through. ." Dr. Josh states.

To learn more about Dr. Josh's work or how you can reach out, go here.

CONTACT:

Paula Henderson202-539-7664phendersonnews@gmail.com

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His Nickname is Dr. Disaster and at Some Point You May Need Him - Yahoo Finance

Human Behavior

19:48 Armenia’s ex-president addresses Artsakh voters ahead of presidential elections – Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am

YEREVAN. The timing of nationwide regular elections in Artsakh coincided with a world full of serious challenges and threats, where preserving peoples health and saving lives is an absolute priority for all states and nations, Armenias ex-president and hero of Artsakh Serzh Sargsyan said in his address to the people of Artsakh ahead of the presidential elections.

The understanding of security, safety, effective governance, even simple human behavior, caring for one another, and public relations are changing day by day or new perceptions are being formed in the world. Some see it as a new war, some as the worst crisis in modern human history, others see it as a serious threat to their national security with state borders being closed, the highest red level of epidemic danger declared, and so on.

Yes, saving human lives and effectively managing states in a crisis is the most important thing for everyone at this stage, and then the challenging post-crisis era comes to offset the economic losses and provide dignified living standards for citizens.

Artsakhs authorities will hopefully consider the situation realistically and will give an accurate assessment of emerging threats and make decisions that will not endanger the lives of their citizens. I am confident that my comrades in arms, including those in power are well aware of the value of human life.

Please be vigilant, take care of yourself and your families, those in need of care. Please take care of your health and life. This is also a life-and-death struggle, just like in the war that we won together with dignity many years ago. Living in dignity for Artsakh first and foremost meant self-determination of its own destiny on its own land, for which we had so much to pay.

About three decades ago as a result of our righteous struggle, we won the right to live freely and in dignity at the cost of the lives of thousands of our brothers and sisters.

Our years-long negotiations on the international recognition of Artsakhs right to self-determination were based on the results of your international standards-compliant national and local elections.

I used to urge visitors and foreign organizations interested in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue to visit Artsakh and see how Artsakh was building on its achievements based on universal values, democratic society and the idea of nation-state.

My honorable compatriots,

Whatever the decision of the Artsakh leadership these days to hold elections, whatever the situation may be, they will once again become evidence of your free will, which will continue to be a powerful battleground in the negotiation process.

Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, and the election of the President of the Republic and the National Assembly should make this claim undeniable.

Reaffirm your will to build a strong, prosperous, nation-state based on universal human and Christian values.

Dear people of Artsakh, never allow a political struggle to undermine public solidarity, break the spirit of your unity and weaken your vigilance! The danger of war is as real today as it was three decades ago.

The rapidly evolving world, the instances of overt demonstration of force, wars that violate international humanitarian law and the apparently deadly epidemic sound a serious security alarm for us.

Elect the one who can best provide for your security, the one who is able to take the hardest test, and has proved it by his own example and heroism, capable of managing the country, presenting you confidently and honorably and expressing your will, your creative mind and potential to serve the cause of Artsakhs empowerment and prosperity.

Form a parliament with wide political representation and pluralism and make the process of a free, independent, democratic Artsakh irreversible.

I believe that our collective power, with the trinity of Armenia, Artsakh, and the Diaspora, is capable of making our nation-wide ideas and goals come true, and that the newly elected authorities of Artsakh will support and abide by this idea.

May God protect and save Artsakh and our people!

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19:48 Armenia's ex-president addresses Artsakh voters ahead of presidential elections - Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am

Human Behavior

The Fascist Spirit of the Pandemic Might Kill More People Than COVID-19 – PanAm Post

Journalists who pretend to be prosecutors of morality and people who condemn their neighbors on social media. Some of the embarrassing images from the days of the coronavirus pandemic (EFE).

Spanish The Argentine government literally shut down the country. Borders are closed. Businesses (except those that provide food, medicines, or essential services) are closed. Even people (with a few exceptions) are not allowed to walk on the streets. The country is under total quarantine.

The debate on the economic viability of these measures or the basis of the positions that divide liberals on the issue will be discussed another time. But if the state has already embarked on this path, some things do not make any sense and are dangerous in these circumstances.

I am referring to the embarrassing attitude displayed by many people. Although the authorities are already sticking to the plan to the T, some people have dedicated themselves to being moral prosecutors and pro bono police officers. A kind of parallel pandemic of fascism that does nothing but exposes frustrations and resentment.

It should be noted that the government has already made telephone lines available to the public so that people can communicate with and report those who violate the security measures. But it seems that this private and anonymous measure is not enough for many. People are incomprehensibly using social media to wreck those who behave in a way that could be reckless. Each post brings to light the worst: prejudice based on religion, nationality, or social class. At the same time, insults such as chetos for those who travel abroad and villeros for those who do not stay in their humble places are proliferating. It is all against all in a merciless war.

Lets not deceive ourselves. A concern for public health is not at the root of this attitude. Instead, it is the satisfaction of the morbidity of people who have found the pandemic an excuse for a dangerous catharsis. Videos of outraged people behaving in an authoritarian manner are constantly going viral amid a climate that seems to bring out the worst in us. A recurring scene is that of journalists mistreating people who have allegedly committed an offense even though the reckless ones in question are already in the hands of the security forces. They dig up dirt while there is a large audience ready to consume it. They all want blood.

These attitudes are, unfortunately, deeply rooted in human behavior. Today, they highlight many customs that were seen in authoritarian processes throughout history. It is evident that this is a virus that is still alive even though it is asymptomatic most of the time.

Precautionary measures have already been taken, everyone knows what they have to do, and the Argentine government has chosen the hard way to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. If a person feels that a neighbor is behaving irresponsibly and dangerously, they have the tools to notify the authorities, and that is it. But witch hunts and public posting on social media are not going to get us anywhere better in this difficult situation.

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The Fascist Spirit of the Pandemic Might Kill More People Than COVID-19 - PanAm Post

Human Behavior

The Climate Crisis Will Be Just as Shockingly Abrupt – The New Republic

As with the pandemic, responses to climate change have often emphasized individual actiontraveling less, eating more sustainably, switching to more efficient energy sources. But both crises require the kind of large-scale structural interventions produced by national and international policies, like designing more sustainable infrastructure and transportation and alternate work arrangements, as well as creating emergency responses and strengthening social safety nets for the most vulnerable. Thats not to mention governments regulatory role. We need stronger regulations, Otto said.

With national governments and the European Union rolling out subsidy programs for industries hit hard by the virus, Otto proposes attaching sustainable strings to this aid. For instance, the aviation industry is strongly dependent on fossil fuels, she said. Why not ask them for plans [on] how to decrease the emissions within, like, 50 percent within the next 10 years and maybe become carbon neutral by 2050 or so? I think this could be used as an incentive to encourage companies to make plans [for] how they want to achieve carbon neutrality. Otto argues against re-creating the systems countries had before the pandemic. If we dont build a more resilient system right now, we will, in a way, lose this opportunity, she said. In addition, investments in green initiatives, like renewable energy, could boost the economy.

The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the way we live, work, and interact in a matter of weeks. It has also shown that governments are ableand in many cases are expectedto take swift, significant action on crises. Under these extraordinary circumstances, there can be quite decisive action from governance and policy that changes the way were all living day to day, Lenton said. It is possible to change large-scale patterns of human behavior, pretty quickly.

The question is whether governments, and voters, can appreciate the true urgency of the task. In reality, the climate crisis cannot be solved incrementally, Lenton said, because its taken too long to spur action: Many warming-related changes are already underway. Global greenhouse gas emissions must be dramatically reduced and eventually eliminated. If were going to avoid the worst of bad climate tipping points, then were going to need to find some positive tipping points in society and ourselves to transform the way we livein a generationto a more sustainable but also perhaps a more flourishing kind of future, Lenton said.

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The Climate Crisis Will Be Just as Shockingly Abrupt - The New Republic

Human Behavior

How culture affects the spread of pandemics like COVID-19 – Futurity: Research News

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You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license.

Events such as the 1918 influenza pandemic and the resurgence of measles in the US and Western Europe can help researchers understand how culture influences the current spread of COVID-19 worldwide.

Carolyn Orbann, an associate teaching professor of health science in the School of Health Professions at the University of Missouri, studies how cultural behavior can play a role in the spread of infectious diseases.

Here, Orbann shares her insight on how cultural behaviors influence the spread of infectious diseases in human populations, including why this can help us understand the current spread of the COVID-19 virus and why the choice to go on spring break during a pandemic is a complex decision:

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How culture affects the spread of pandemics like COVID-19 - Futurity: Research News

Neuroscience

Pop Culture, Neuroscience, And COVID-19 – KPBS

Many people are turning to movies as distraction while sheltering at home. Neuroscientist Eric Leonardis suggests a couple of films that can be used to look at the coronavirus pandemic from a social dimension.

Aired: March 26, 2020 | Transcript

Many people are turning to movies as a distraction while sheltering at home. Neuroscientist Eric Leonardis suggests a couple of films that can be used to look at the coronavirus pandemic from a social dimension.

Leonardis is an instructor of cognitive science at UC San Diego and his field of expertise is as an emotion researcher.

"I study how humans and animals understand each other's emotional state by using multi-sensory cues from our social counterparts," Leonardis explained. "My research is broadly concerned with how the brain gives rise to emotion and social interactions and how emotions like panic and fear can spread through a population of humans and animals. So I won't be speaking necessarily about the biological aspects of COIVD-19 of these films, but instead the social dimensions and how language and emotions can spread through a population as well as viruses."

Leonardis is compiling a list of pandemic films for people to watch and I will be discussing the full list with him next week on my Cinema Junkie podcast. But here he highlights two of those films: John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982) and Bruce McDonald's "Pontypool" (2008).

In the case of "The Thing," in which a shape-shifting parasitic alien can assume the appearance of its hosts, the inability to determine who is infected reflects current anxieties about how people can have the coronavirus and not show any signs of infection. In the movie, that leads to intense paranoia and anxiety.

"This inability to be able to tell what it is, this uncertainty or this ambiguity gives rise to these negative emotions that these people are experiencing," Leonardis said. "So this paranoia is very palpable in these cases."

A less well-known film that Leonardis recommends is "Pontypool," in which an infection is spread through language. For Leonardis this raises the intriguing notion that viruses need not necessarily be biological entities, that there are other types of entities that can spread in the same types of ways, as through words or emotions.

In the film, a doctor named Mendez starts to figure out what's going and concludes: "It's in words, not all words. Not all speaking, but in some. Some words are infected and it spreads out when the contaminated word is spoken. We are witnessing the emergence of a new arrangement for life and our language is its host ... if the bug enters us, it does not enter us by making contact with our eardrum. No, it enters us when we hear a word and understand it, understand it's when the word is understood that the virus takes hold and it copies itself in our understanding."

So it is a disease that infects the brain not in a biological way, but a cognitive one. And each person is susceptible to a different word as the point of infection.

"I think the fact that every brain is unique is a really important thing to me and the fact that there are words that you can say to certain people that can elicit widely different responses than others. So I guess the thing that really comes to mind with this point is that it kind of opens up to something like ideology," Leonardis said. "It's like if you hear the right sentence, it could radicalize you. It could make you join a crowd that's going to be in a mass panic and hysteria. I guess so. The way that I want to sort of analyze this part of the film and relate it to the current situation is that words actually have a huge impact on the way that people respond and the language that public officials use to describe what's going on can spread. And in this case, I think what we see is a lot of American leadership using a lot of racist and xenophobic rhetoric, using words like 'Chinese virus' or 'Wuhan virus.' And I think that that could lead to something like mass scale scapegoating of these others that have invaded our population. This is very classic 20th-century genocide speak. And I would say that racial discourse and language like this can spread just as in such a way. So it's like racial discourse in language like this can spread just like a virus and it can be just as if not more deadly."

"The Thing" is streaming on multiple services but "Pontypool" appears to only be available on iTunes.

Listen for my Cinema Junkie podcast next week with the full list of Leonardis' pandemic films.

Satisfy your celluloid addiction with the Cinema Junkie podcast, where you can mainline film 24/7. This film and entertainment series is run by KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando.

So if you need a film fix, want to hear what filmmakers have to say about their work, or just want to know what's worth seeing this weekend, then you've come to the right place

Beth Accomando Arts & Culture Reporter

I cover arts and culture, from Comic-Con to opera, from pop entertainment to fine art, from zombies to Shakespeare. I am interested in going behind the scenes to explore the creative process; seeing how pop culture reflects social issues; and providing a context for art and entertainment.

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Pop Culture, Neuroscience, And COVID-19 - KPBS

Neuroscience

Cognition Therapeutics Announces Change in Leadership – BioSpace

NEW YORK, March 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Cognition Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage neuroscience company focused on the protection and restoration of synaptic function in Alzheimers disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders, today announced that Kenneth I. Moch has stepped down as president and chief executive officer to assume an advisory role. Lisa Ricciardi has transitioned from her position on the Cognition Board of Directors to become acting chief executive officer. Mr. Moch will continue to support the company as an advisor and consultant for at least the next year.

Throughout his tenure, Ken made significant progress repositioning Cognition in the very competitive and challenging Alzheimers disease space and expanding the management team to support the progress of CT1812, our lead candidate for Alzheimers disease, stated Ms. Ricciardi. As a Board member, I supported Mr. Mochs efforts and as acting CEO Ill remain committed to these endeavors. Our goal is to continue to advance the Companys pipeline of neurological disease candidates while broadening our financial prospects. Mr. Mochs counsel and the dedication of the Cognition leadership team will be crucial as we continue to pursue this mission.

It has been an honor to work with the Cognition team to address the societal tsunami of Alzheimer's disease and to help patients in need, stated Mr. Moch. I look forward to continuing to support the Company and its exciting science as CT1812 progresses towards its key clinical endpoints during 2020 and beyond.

Robert Gailus, Board chairman added, Ms. Ricciardi has substantial experience consulting with and leading biotechnology companies in all stages of development. During her career she has leveraged her networks on Wall Street and in the biopharmaceutical industry to negotiate impactful financial and business development transactions. As a Board member, Ms. Ricciardi has been deeply involved in the evolution of Cognitions business strategy. Her continued commitment and leadership in this time of transition will be invaluable.

Ms. Ricciardi has broad experience in leadership roles at start-ups and established biopharmaceutical firms. Before her appointment as acting CEO, Ms. Ricciardi served as an advisor at M.M. Dillon, a boutique life-sciences investment bank, working on transactions with pharmaand biopharma companies. Earlier, she was CEO of Suono Bio, a biotech company founded on technology licensed from MIT, which she led through a Series A fundraising. During her career in senior corporate and business development positions at Foundation Medicine, Medco and Pfizer, she oversaw the $1.03 billion agreement between Foundation Medicine and Roche, the $29 billion acquisition of Medco by Express Scripts, and numerous small to multi-billion-dollar licensing and development deals for assets at both early and late stages of development. As an entrepreneur in residence at Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Ms. Ricciardi provided marketing and commercialization expertise to portfolio companies, and identified and evaluated potential investments.

About Cognition Therapeutics, Inc.

Cognition Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapeutics that address the toxic oligomeric proteins that cause synapse degeneration and trigger neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers disease.

Cognitions lead candidate, CT1812 (Elayta), is a novel first-in-class, orally available small molecule that has shown the potential in initial clinical studies to normalize protein trafficking and lipid metabolism pathways that are disrupted in Alzheimers disease and to allow the protection and restoration of synapses. CT1812 is currently being tested for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimers disease in four Phase 2 clinical studies: SPARC (Synaptic Protection for Alzheimers Restoration of Cognition); SNAP (AO Displacement from Synapses on Neurons in Alzheimers Patients); SHINE (Synaptic Health and Improvement of Neurological Function with Elayta) and SEQUEL (Study of EEG Quantification with Elayta). These studies are supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging of the NIH. CT1812 has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. FDA.

The Company maintains corporate and clinical operations in New York, NY and its laboratory and research facilities in Pittsburgh, PA.

CT1812 and Cognitions other pipeline candidates were identified using the companys disease-relevant screening and novel chemistry platforms. Additional information about Cognition and its product candidates may be found online at http://www.cogrx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the development and commercialization of Cognitions products, the potential benefits and attributes of such products, and Cognitions expectations regarding its prospects. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements These statements are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results may vary. Cognition undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

CT1812 (Elayta) is an investigational product and neither its use nor the tradename has been approved by the FDA.

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Cognition Therapeutics Announces Change in Leadership - BioSpace

Neuroscience

Intel + Cornell Pioneering Work in the Science of Smell – insideBIGDATA

Nature Machine Intelligence published a joint paper from researchers at Intel Labs and Cornell University demonstrating the ability of Intels neuromorphic test chip, Loihi, to learn and recognize 10 hazardous chemicals, even in the presence of significant noise and occlusion. The work demonstrates how neuromorphic computing could be used to detect smells that are precursors to explosives, narcotics and more.

Loihi learned each new odor from a single example without disrupting the previously learned smells, requiring up to 3000x fewer training samples per class compared to a deep learning solution and demonstrating superior recognition accuracy. The research shows how the self-learning, low-power, and brain-like properties of neuromorphic chips combined with algorithms derived from neuroscience could be the answer to creating electronic nose systems that recognize odors under real-world conditions more effectively than conventional solutions.

We are developing neural algorithms on Loihi that mimic what happens in your brain when you smell something, said Nabil Imam, senior research scientist in Intels Neuromorphic Computing Lab. This work is a prime example of contemporary research at the crossroads of neuroscience and artificial intelligence and demonstrates Loihis potential to provide important sensing capabilities that could benefit various industries.

Intel Labs is driving computer-science research that contributes to a third generation of AI. Key focus areas include neuromorphic computing, which is concerned with emulating the neural structure and operation of the human brain, as well as probabilistic computing, which createsalgorithmic approaches to dealing with the uncertainty, ambiguity, and contradiction in the natural world.

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Intel + Cornell Pioneering Work in the Science of Smell - insideBIGDATA

Neuroscience

How Neuroscientists Are Helping Brands Create More Effective Ads – Built In

If you see a close-up shot of hands in an advertisement and think, Hey, this company really gets me, youre not alone. And its not that youreobsessed with hands.

According to consumer neuroscience research conducted by Mindshare, a global media agency, close-ups of hands resonate with people on a subconscious level butthere is a limit to how close the camera can get.

We found that using close-up shots of hands is an incredibly powerful way to connect with viewers, but this effect backfires when hand images are too closely cropped to the point where they no longer connect to a body, said James Kelly, a data scientist and co-lead of the Mindshare NeuroLab. We call this the amputated limb effect.

The NeuroLab is Mindshares in-house consumer neuroscience research facility, located in the companys New York office. Consumer neuroscience, also known as neuromarketing, seeks to augment traditional market research studies with physiological and neural data. The goal is to see if a persons responses in a survey or focus group match up with the signals sent by their subconscious and body.

Consumer neuroscience is a relatively new field dating back to the mid-1990s, when Gerald Zaltman, a Harvard marketing professor, used images to access the subconscious thoughts consumers had about brands. In the early 2000s, neuroscientists in Texas recreated the Pepsi Challenge using a functional MRI, or fMRI, which scans how the brain responds to physical sensations, while California researchers used an fMRI scan to observe how the brain reacts when shown different movies.

A long list of companies offer neuromarketing services to brands, ranging from established market research giants like Nielsen, which formed its consumer neuroscience division in 2011, to startups like New York-based Spark Neuro, which launched in 2017 and has raised $13.5 million in funding.

Companies like Hulu, Paramount and Universal work with Spark Neuro to learn where people zone out during movie trailers and what types of ads generate the most emotional engagement. The startup tracks brain and sweat-gland activity, along with facial expressions and eye movement, and says its algorithms can crunch more than6,000 data points per second.

While Mindshare is a relative newcomer to consumer neuroscience the NeuroLab opened in the summer of 2019 the company said itsseeing early returns from its work. Kelly and Arafel Buzan, a neuroscientist and the labs other co-lead, spoke with Built In about the equipment the lab uses, the insights theyve uncovered and how the demand for consumer neuroscience is growing.

What technology does the NeuroLab use, and how exactly does brain and physiological data determine how a person feels about an ad?

Buzan: We aim to circumvent self-report bias and provide more accurate and lucid insights into how consumers engage with and think about brands. Electroencephalogram, or EEG caps, record second-by-second changes in electrical activity in various regions of the cortex.High-definition EEG data allows us to observe changes in emotional valence which indicates how much someone likes or dislikes something memory encoding, attention and cognitive load, while consumers engage with different media channels.

Biometrics, including galvanic skin response and heart-rate variability, are used to measure emotional intensity and arousal response elicited by specific features of a stimulus, such as an ad, a UX experience or packaging.

Kelly: Were very excited about a few upcoming projects that will allow us to tap into additional neuro tools specifically, eye tracking. The NeuroLab is in the process of partnering with Mindshares advanced analytics teams to link neuro data to other data streams, which could create more predictive models for sales projections.

How does the data gathered by your team make an impact on the ad campaigns Mindshares clients run?

Buzan: For one client, we measured eight audio ads, all in context and across multiple groups, to identify which words, voices, musical elements and emotions were driving attention and key brand emotions. Then, we created a neuro audio blueprint, which they are using to inform future creative. Weve worked with a number of our clients to build neuro-audio blueprints to craft attention-grabbing audio creative and track the impact of audio on brand perceptions.

In one study, we found that Gen Z responds neurologically the same to 15- and 30-second social media ads, whereas older generations respond better to longer ad spots.

In addition to learning that people like ads featuring close-ups of hands, what other insights have NeuroLab researchers uncovered?

Kelly: In one study, we found that Gen Z responds neurologically the same to 15- and 30-second social media ads, whereas older generations respond better to longer ad spots. In a recent study, we quantified the brand value of reaching the LGBTQ+ community in authentic media environments, and why LGBTQ+ publications and content are crucial spaces for brands to support.In another study, we found that a client needed to change their contextual targeting strategy by seeking a different type of consumer emotion in media buys.

James, as a data scientist, does working with neurological data present a unique challenge for you and your team?

Kelly: Computational neuroscience is a rapidly emerging field that requires a bottom-up comprehension of both neuroscience and data science to surmount. To address this, the NeuroLab has a suite of proprietary tools for collecting, analyzing and visualizing neurological data, and were developing more. From an agency perspective, were excited by the opportunity to integrate our data even further with existing information. We believe that over the next five years, diversity will outstand quantity in the data hierarchy. Were working on leveraging neurocognitive metrics to build upon data sourced from more traditional streams.

How do you think consumer neuroscience will evolve in the next five years?

Buzan: We expect brands toengage more heavily with scalable neuroscience solutions, such as implicit association testing, to more accurately understand the ability of their media and advertising to influence brand perceptions. By leaning into consumer neuroscience and understanding the consumer at the level of the subconscious, brands can create more impactful, relevant and authentic advertising with less overall spend waste.

From Neuromarketing to Conversational Audio Ads

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How Neuroscientists Are Helping Brands Create More Effective Ads - Built In