We tend to think of perception as a kind of snapshot. Something appears. We register it. Then we move on.

But if you actually pay attention ,that’s not what it feels like at all.

In this episode, we explore the psychology of flow as it occurs in everyday perception.

With Season 2, we begin a new series entitled "The Unbalanced Brain". In this series we explore how perception, cognition, and culture shape the way we experience the world.

In episode 1 of this series, we explore the idea of "flow" as a new means of analyzing and evaluating music. Is the music "in flow"?

Watch the Flow Machine in action with Mozart:

https://youtu.be/0-nNV6DBde0?si=W98ThlU5vpfVAOpa

Across the series, James investigates why Western society feels increasingly fragmented and disoriented, why so many of us sense an inner imbalance, and how ancient cognitive patterns continue to influence our politics, religion, art, and collective psyche.

With immersive audio, thoughtful commentary, and a tone that feels equal parts accessible and profound, Our Country Has Become Brain Damaged tackles questions like:

• Are our cultural crises the result of natural cognitive evolution… or deliberate manipulation?
  

• How do the left and right hemispheres shape civilizations?
  

• Can creativity, intuition, and spiritual consciousness help restore our collective center?

• Why does the modern world feel more anxious, distracted, and divided than ever?

  
  

This is a show for anyone who’s ever wondered why society feels off-kilter — and what it might take to rebalance the world from the inside out.

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Episode Summary: This episode opens with a big question: Why does America feel so fragmented and disoriented? James and his co-host explore two possibilities — natural cognitive drift vs. deliberate manipulation. They unpack the left/right brain divide, educational shifts, cultural suppression of creativity, and the ruling-class incentive to maintain a left-hemisphere society. The episode ends with a call to rediscover right-brain realms: creativity, intuition, and consciousness.

In this episode, we explore the question:

What if hierarchical systems themselves are expressions of left-hemisphere dominance?

And what if patriarchy is one of the clearest, oldest examples of that architectural pattern?

Episode 4, part 3 of a 5 part mini-series. In this episode we explore one of several possibilities that may have contributed to Western cultures becoming left-brain dominant. The rigidity of left-brain dominant cultures may well lead to the demise of said cultures, such as the demise of the United States as a global power, and the gradual disintegration of the EU that we are witnessing today.

Could the left/right brain imbalance in Western society be—at least in part—genetic?

Episode 4 is a mini-series broken up over 4 parts. This is part 1 of 4, in which we recap previous episodes, summarizing the nature of left/right brain hemisphere imbalance, and its impact on the individual and society as a whole.

We then introduce some ideas as to what forces might be at play to cause a society to become left-brain dominant (such as the USA and most Western countries). Here we explore the possibility of genetic flaws and possible cultural forces, such as institutional degradation and religion.

In this episode, episode 4 part 1, we present an overview. Parts 2 through 4 will explore each factor in more detail.

In this episode we explore the connection between the active flow state, as first described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

and what we refer to as "passive flow", a state typically characterized by an abundance of alpha and theta brain wave activity.