Gregory Berns

Last updated
Gregory Berns
BornJune 1964 (age 60)
Nationality American
Other names
  • Gregory S. Berns
  • Greg Berns
Education Princeton University (BA)
University of California, Davis (PhD)
University of California, San Diego (MD)
Occupation(s) Neuroeconomist, neuroscientist, psychiatrist and writer
SpouseKathleen Berns [1]
Relatives Michael W. Berns (father) [2]
Scientific career
Fields Neuroeconomics, psychiatry and psychology
Institutions Emory University
Website www.ccnl.emory.edu/greg/

Gregory Scott Berns (born June 1964) is an American neuroeconomist, neuroscientist, professor of psychiatry, and psychologist. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] He lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia, US. [1]

Contents

Berns holds the Distinguished Chair of Neuroeconomics in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta where he is a professor of both psychiatry and economics. He director of the Center for Neuropolicy; the author of the books Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment, Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently , [8] How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain; and has made numerous media appearances. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Life and career

Education

Berns graduated with an A.B. in physics from Princeton University in 1986 after completing a senior thesis titled "The measurement of force distributions in the foot during running." [9] In 1990 he went on to study for a Ph.D. in Biomechanical engineering, and then for an M.D. Medicine in 1994, both at the University of California. [4]

After graduating, Berns was a Research Assistant / Postdoctoral Fellow at Salk Institute for Biological Studies from 1990 to 1994; had a General Psychiatry and Medicine Internship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic from 1994 to 1995, followed by an Adult Psychiatry Residency there from 1995 to 1998. [4]

Authorship

To date, Berns has written three books. In his first book Satisfaction: the science of finding true fulfillment, published in 2005, Berns challenges the theory that people are driven to pursue pleasure and avoid pain (see pleasure principle, for example). [10] He argues instead that true satisfaction comes from novel experiences which are undergone in the process of achieving an aim, rather than the achievement itself, and this involves an active striving rather than a "passive feeling of happiness." [10] [11] [12]

Berns' second book Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently continues the theme developed in Satisfaction and the exploration of the neurological bases of human creativity. [11] It describes and investigates iconoclasts: innovative and creative people who break with the established, traditional way of thinking or of doing things; 'break' cultural icons, and manage to do what others say cannot be done. The work profiles a number of famous 'free-thinkers' such as Warren Buffett; Dale Chihuly; the Dixie Chicks; Richard Feynman; Henry Ford; Steve Jobs; Martin Luther King Jr. and Picasso. [13] [14] [15]

Berns argues that iconoclasts manage to break through three major 'mental roadblocks' which he enumerates as (a) perception (often having insights triggered through visual imagery); (b) the human fear response (fear of failure, of the unknown, and of ridicule [16] ), and (c) social skills, social intelligence and social networking abilities. Berns' work is mainly interested in successful iconoclasts, not with those who show such innovation in their 'log cabin in the woods' but do not go on to market the idea. [8]

His third book, How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain, was published in October 2013. The book describes Berns' efforts to train dogs to voluntarily undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Because MRI machines are loud and require subjects to remain still during scans, prior to Berns' work, all brain imaging conducted on living dogs was performed with the animals under sedation. The book details the techniques that Berns and his team developed to train and test two dogs, including Berns' feist Callie, to undergo the imaging procedure. It also describes a study that the team conducted using this method, which observed increases in caudate activity in response to hand signals associated with food rewards. [17] A later study replicated the procedure and results in a larger sample of dogs, and further supported the reliability of the technique. [18]

Reception

Books

Satisfaction

Berns' book Satisfaction was reviewed by Jonathan Beard in the December 2005 edition of the Scientific American Mind magazine. [19]

Writing in CNN Money's Fortune magazine, John Simons sums up the main thrust of Satisfaction by quoting Berns: "The sense of satisfaction after you've successfully handled unexpected tasks or sought out unfamiliar, physically and emotionally demanding activities is your brain's signal that you're doing what nature designed you to do." Though the reviewer found that Berns can be "somewhat professorial, Satisfaction is no plodding textbook". He noted that "nothing escapes the author's investigative eye" and concluded that "Berns's gumshoe approach to scientific theory offers its own proof that a fresh take on the familiar can be most gratifying". [12]

Iconoclast

Writing in the Winter 2009 edition of Stanford Social Innovation Review and reviewing Iconoclast, Robert J. Sternberg points to the three major mental roadblocks that people need to overcome if they wish to be iconoclasts. "First, see things differently from other people—see what others do not see. Second, conquer your fear of failure, of the unknown, and of ridicule. Third, be socially intelligent: Figure out how to interest people in your ideas and how to sell those ideas to opinion leaders." Sternburg also points out that iconoclasts' brains are wired differently. For example, the amygdala, situated within the medial temporal lobes of the brain, of the iconoclast tends to reduce their emotional reactions and fear response. [16]

Sternberg is of the opinion that Berns gives insufficient credit to the role played by intelligence; analytical thinking; and several aspects of creative thinking, particularly conformity arising from family and cultural background. Sternberg also feels that the author gives undue emphasis to the faculty of sight in the innovative iconoclastic process. The reviewer objects to Berns' contention that "imagination comes from the visual system", pointing out that blind people can be creative (e.g. the author and political activist Helen Keller) and that other senses may be used creatively (e.g. the composer Mozart). [16]

Overall, however, Sternberg concludes that Iconoclast is "a technically sound and inspiring book". The reviewer writes that Iconoclast "not only analyzes the nature of iconoclasm in fascinating detail, but also serves as a guide for people who feel trapped by conventional thinking and want to escape. The keys out of their prisons are in this book. It is up to these readers to use them to escape and open new doors." [16]

Academic honours and awards

Berns has won numerous academic awards during his career:

Works published

Books

Research articles

Berns' and the work of his colleagues has been featured in many academic and specialist journals:

Lectures

Interviews, appearances and media coverage

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuroscience</span> Scientific study of the nervous system

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, psychology, physics, computer science, chemistry, medicine, statistics, and mathematical modeling to understand the fundamental and emergent properties of neurons, glia and neural circuits. The understanding of the biological basis of learning, memory, behavior, perception, and consciousness has been described by Eric Kandel as the "epic challenge" of the biological sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coprolalia</span> Involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate words

Coprolalia is involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks. The word comes from the Greek κόπρος, meaning "dung, feces", and λαλιά "speech", from λαλεῖν "to talk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Nicolelis</span> Brazilian Physician (born 1961)

Miguel Ângelo Laporta Nicolelis, is a Brazilian scientist, physician and Duke School of Medicine Professor in Neuroscience at Duke University, best known for his pioneering work surrounding brain-computer interface technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angular gyrus</span> Gyrus of the parietal lobe of the brain

The angular gyrus is a region of the brain lying mainly in the posteroinferior region of the parietal lobe, occupying the posterior part of the inferior parietal lobule. It represents the Brodmann area 39.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stria terminalis</span> Band of fibres along the thalamus

The stria terminalis is a structure in the brain consisting of a band of fibers running along the lateral margin of the ventricular surface of the thalamus. Serving as a major output pathway of the amygdala, the stria terminalis runs from its centromedial division to the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Helen S. Mayberg, is an American neurologist. Mayberg is known in particular for her work delineating abnormal brain function in patients with major depression using functional neuroimaging. This work led to the first pilot study of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a reversible method of selective modulation of a specific brain circuit, for patients with treatment-resistant depression. As of August 2019, she has published 211 original peer-reviewed articles, 31 books and book chapters, and acted as principal investigator on 24 research grants. Mayberg is coinventor with Andres Lozano of “Method for Treating Depression Mood Disorders and Anxiety Disorders using Neuromodulation,” US patent 2005/0033379A1. St. Jude Medical Neuromodulation licensed her intellectual property to develop Subcallosal Cingulate Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Unipolar and Bipolar Depression for the treatment of severe depression. As of 2018, Mayberg holds positions as Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Professor, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, both at Mount Sinai Medical School, and Professor of Psychiatry, Emory University; Emory University Hospital. Since 2018, she has served as Director, Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Pendleton Read Montague, Jr. is an American neuroscientist and popular science author. He is the director of the Human Neuroimaging Lab and Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke, Virginia, where he also holds the title of the inaugural Virginia Tech Carilion Vernon Mountcastle Research Professor. Montague is also a professor in the department of physics at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia and professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAP1A</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Microtubule-associated protein 1A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MAP1A gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaak Panksepp</span> American neuroscientist (1943–2017)

Jaak Panksepp was an Estonian-American neuroscientist and psychobiologist who coined the term "affective neuroscience", the name for the field that studies the neural mechanisms of emotion. He was the Baily Endowed Chair of Animal Well-Being Science for the Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, and Emeritus Professor of the Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University. He was known in the popular press for his research on laughter in non-human animals.

Clinical neuroscience is a branch of neuroscience that focuses on the scientific study of fundamental mechanisms that underlie diseases and disorders of the brain and central nervous system. It seeks to develop new ways of conceptualizing and diagnosing such disorders and ultimately of developing novel treatments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Keysers</span> French-German neuroscientist (born 1973)

Christian Keysers is a French and German neuroscientist.

The Dehaene–Changeux model (DCM), also known as the global neuronal workspace, or global cognitive workspace model, is a part of Bernard Baars's global workspace model for consciousness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurobiological effects of physical exercise</span> Neural, cognitive, and behavioral effects of physical exercise

The neurobiological effects of physical exercise involve possible interrelated effects on brain structure, brain function, and cognition. Research in humans has demonstrated that consistent aerobic exercise may induce improvements in certain cognitive functions, neuroplasticity and behavioral plasticity; some of these long-term effects may include increased neuron growth, increased neurological activity, improved stress coping, enhanced cognitive control of behavior, improved declarative, spatial, and working memory, and structural and functional improvements in brain structures and pathways associated with cognitive control and memory. The effects of exercise on cognition may affect academic performance in children and college students, improve adult productivity, preserve cognitive function in old age, preventing or treating certain neurological disorders, and improving overall quality of life.

Addiction is a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. The process of developing an addiction occurs through instrumental learning, which is otherwise known as operant conditioning.

<i>Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently</i> 2008 book by Gregory Berns

Iconoclast: a Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently is a neuropsychology book written by Gregory Berns and first published in 2008 by Harvard Business Press. The text describes how iconoclasts leverage perception, imagination, fear, and social intelligence to achieve success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustavo Turecki</span> Canadian psychiatrist and academic

Gustavo Turecki is a Canadian psychiatrist, suicidologist, neuroscientist who is a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair Tier in Major Depressive Disorder and Suicide. He is the sitting Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, the Scientific Director of the Douglas Research Centre, and the Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. He works at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, where he heads both the McGill Group for Suicide Studies and the Depressive Disorders Program, and is the co-director of the Douglas Bell-Canada Brain Bank.

Nii Addy is an American neuroscientist who is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. His research considers the neurobiological basis of substance use disorders, depression, and anxiety. He has worked on various initiatives to mitigate tobacco use and addiction.

Ivanka Savic Berglund is a Serbian-Swedish neuroscientist, a professor of neurology and chief physician at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and an adjunct professor in the neurology department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Savic is best known for her neurophysiology and neuroimaging research relating to epilepsy, sex differences, sexual orientation, gender identity, brain processing of odors and pheromones, and the effects of chronic stress on the brain. Savic is a co-founder of the Stockholm Brain Institute and the editor of several medical books.

Gabriella Gobbi is an Italo-Canadian psychiatrist and neuroscientist whose research explores novel treatments for mental health disorders. Gobbi is a professor at McGill University's Department of Psychiatry and a Canada Research Chair in Therapeutics for Mental Health.

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (26 January 2000). "Princeton Alumn Weekly: Class Notes". Princeton University. Retrieved 2010-06-20.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ Rivenburg, Roy (August 16, 2022). "Remembering Michael Berns". UCI News. University of California, Irvine . Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Staff. "Gregory S. Berns". Psychology Today . Archived from the original on 2013-04-08. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff (February 20, 2020). "Gregory S. Berns: Curriculum Vitae". Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  5. 1 2 Staff. "Homepage of Gregory S. Berns". Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  6. 1 2 Keough, Dr. Kevin (1 October 2008). "Iconoclast". Psychjourney. Archived from the original (Podcast) on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  7. 1 2 Watt, Stephen (Spring 2009). "Iconoclasts: Great Minds Think Different (interview in Rotman Magazine)" (PDF). Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  8. 1 2 Staff (Fall 2008). "Iconoclast, by Gregory Berns". Harvard Business Press. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  9. ↑ Berns, Gregory S. (1986). The measurement of force distributions in the foot during running. Princeton, NJ: Department of Physics.
  10. 1 2 Staff (2008). Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment. Macmillan. ISBN   978-0805076004. Quoting Publishers Weekly .
  11. 1 2 Staff (August 2008). "Great Scholars at Emory". Emory University. Archived from the original on 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  12. 1 2 Simons, John (22 August 2005). "Book review". CNNMoney.com . Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  13. ↑ Staff (2008). Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently. Harvard Business Press. ISBN   978-1422115015.
  14. ↑ "StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 6a – An Interview with Gregory Berns, author of Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently, part 1 of 2". StrategyDriven. 20 November 2008.
  15. ↑ "StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 6b – An Interview with Gregory Berns, author of Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently, part 2 of 2". StrategyDriven. 25 November 2008.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Sternberg, Robert J. (Winter 2009). "Great Minds Think Different". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Archived from the original on 2010-06-19. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  17. ↑ Berns, G. S.; Brooks, A. M.; Spivak, M. (2012). Neuhauss, Stephan C. F (ed.). "Functional MRI in Awake Unrestrained Dogs". PLOS ONE. 7 (5): e38027. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...738027B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038027 . PMC   3350478 . PMID   22606363.
  18. ↑ Berns, G. S.; Brooks, A.; Spivak, M. (2013). Brass, Marcel (ed.). "Replicability and Heterogeneity of Awake Unrestrained Canine fMRI Responses". PLOS ONE. 8 (12): e81698. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...881698B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081698 . PMC   3852264 . PMID   24324719.
  19. ↑ Beard, Jonathan (December 2005). "Mind Reads". Scientific American Mind. Retrieved 2010-06-21. Reviews of Sweet Dreams by Daniel C. Dennett; Satisfaction by Gregory Berns; Conversations on Consciousness by Susan Blackmore; 72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell Requires a subscription to read the article.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.