Improv & Impulse Control (w/ Dr. Heather Berlin)

Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally

On this episode of Staying Alive, hosts Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally invite neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Heather Berlin to discuss the neural basis of improvisation, making novel associations to keep your brain healthy and active, and her forthcoming book about the science of impulse control and the effects of fame on the brain. Plus Adam and Dr. Heather compare De Niro stories, we meet silent third host Donny The Plant, and Dr. Heather shows Gabrus where she lives on his Long Island tattoo.

Follow Dr. Heather @heather_berlin on Insta

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This episode was recorded April 2, 2025 at SiriusXM studios in New York City

Special thanks to Jared O’Connell

Staying Alive is produced by Devon Torrey Bryant and Anne Harris

Engineered and edited by Devon Torrey Bryant, who also wrote the music

Associate producer and video editor is Maddie McCann

Executive produced by Jon Gabrus, Adam Pally, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Bernie Kaminski, and Rich Korson

Keywords for this episode: neuroplasticity, Edinburgh Fringe, spontaneous creativity, freestyle rap, brain activation, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, flow state, Donny, checking in, Chuck Darwin, executive function, first responders, Sonic The Hedgehog, Rosebud Baker, dopamine, Robert De Niro, Sigmund Freud,Béarnaise, Dirty Grandpa, marshmallow test, The Waterboy, yoga, Siri