Popular Lectures in April
The Popular Lectures series from Popular Mechanics magazine will be held at DI Telegraph on April 9, 15, 23 and 29, with each lecture starting at 7:30 p.m. DI Telegraph is located at Tverskaya Blvd. 7, with the entrance from Gazetny Pereulok, next door to the Kruzhka Café. Admission is 350 rubles and tickets will go on sale just before each lecture.
On April 9, psycho-physiologist Alexander Kaplan will explain why scientists are trying to tap into the human brain. Is it possible to replace or duplicate individual brain functions such as memory or even eyesight? Is it possible to identify the decision-making process at work and warn a person before he makes a mistake? Does the technology for reading minds and recording the information in the brain already exist, or will it only become available in the distant future?
On April 15, psychologist Sergei Mats will address the question: “What is the origin of human feelings?" Why does the psyche so easily deceive us with illusions? What role do aromas and smells play in our lives? Should we believe our eyes or our eyes more? How do blind, deaf and dumb people perceive the world? Do augmented reality devices create bright new sensations?
On April 23, psycho-physiologist Ilya Zakharov will attempt to explain why people have emotions. What is emotion? By what mechanism do they appear? How do emotions differ from feeling and mood? What determines the intensity of emotions? Do all people experience the same emotions? Can people really control their emotions, or is that just a myth? What is the connection between facial expressions and emotions? Do feel sad because we cry, or do we cry because we’re sad? What is the phenomenon that scientists call the “crowd effect" in which emotions seem to be “catching" between people?
The lecture is held in cooperation with the Praxis group of Moscow State University psychology department students who organize one-time events and long-term projects that are connected in some way with scientific and practical psychology, and also with relationships within the psychology community and its interactions with society.
On April 29, physiologist Vyacheslav Dubynin will examine the subject of “the brain and fear." Is fear always undesirable? What do we instinctively fear, and what do we learn to fear over the course of our lives? What function does pain play, and how can we weaken that effect? How are fear, stress and anxiety linked? What are the effects of chronic stress? How do tranquilizers and anxiolytics affect nerve cells? Why do we watch horror films? How is fear used to advertise consumer products?
Learn more details at popmech.ru.
