#947 Are Our Brains Wired Together? The Power of the Mind in Business & Beyond with Moran Cerf, Neuroscientist & Professor
If you understand this about your brain, you’ll be unstoppable.
Today, we're talking to Moran Cerf, neuroscientist and professor, about why the hidden signals shaping human behavior have more in common with ants and fish than we'd like to admit, how smell — not vision — may be the most underestimated force behind the decisions we make, why brains in the same room quietly synchronize whether their owners agree or not, and what it actually means when an alien looking down from the moon asks what the humans are building.
All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast!
To learn more about Moran's work, check out his website here.
About Moran Cerf
Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience and business.
He holds a PhD in neuroscience (Caltech), an MA in Philosophy, and a BSc in Physics (Tel-Aviv University).
In his work, Prof. Cerf helps individuals and businesses harness current knowledge about the brain to improve thinking, leadership, personal development, decision-making, and customer engagement.
His academic research uses methods from neuroscience to understand the underlying mechanisms of our psychology, behavior changes, emotion, decisions, and dreams. Prof. Cerf acclaimed research with patients undergoing brain-surgery, where the activity of individual nerve cells is recorded using electrodes implanted in the patient's brain, has garnered him one of the world experts on neural implants, brain-machine interfaces, and advanced technologies. Using this method, Prof. Cerf addresses questions such as: "How are conscious percepts formed in our brain?", "How can we control our emotions?" and “How can we create content that is more engaging and persuasive for the brain?"
Prof. Cerf held leadership positions in various industries, including cyber-security (where he worked for a decade, as a hacker), pharma, telecom, fashion, and innovations research. Currently, he is a member of the board of several tech companies and is the co-founder of ThinkAlike. He is also the founder of the non-profit B-Cube which helps companies tackle societal and leadership challenges using neuroscientific tools. He consulted to companies such as Ferrari, Viacom, TransUnion, Nielsen, Founders Pledge, and the US Government.
Prof. Cerf has mentored over 50 students, holds multiple patents, and has published 5 books and over 70 academic papers in journals such as Nature and Science, as well as popular science journals such as Scientific American Mind, Wired, New Scientist and more. His work has been portrayed in numerous media and cultural outlets such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, NPR, Time, MSNBC, Netflix Explained, PBS Nova, and dozens of others. He has been featured in venues such as the Venice Art Biennial and China's Technology association, and has contributed to magazines such as Forbes, The Atlantic, Inc., and others.
He has made much of his work accessible to the public via his talks at PopTech, TED, TEDx (‘most TEDx talks worldwide’), Google Zeitgeist, DLD, etc., gathering millions of views and a large following.
Cerf is the beneficiary of several teaching awards and grants, and was recently named one of the "40 leading professors below 40".
In line with his research on engagement, Prof. Cerf is a 4 times US National story-telling champion (at the 'Moth' competition) and a regular consultant to Hollywood films and TV shows (CBS' “Bull”, “Limitless”; USA Network's “Falling Water”, and more).
Cerf holds the Alfred P. Sloan chair at the American Film Institute (AFI), where he teaches an annual screenwriting class.
Most importantly, he is left handed..