#1327 Tommy Blanchard: Decorative Neuroscience, and the Neuro-Grifters
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 20th 2026.
Dr. Tommy Blanchard is a cognitive scientist and writer with a background in neuroscience, philosophy, and computer science. Most of his research has been on animal cognition and the neuroscience of decision-making. He has also worked as an industry data scientist and currently teach data science and do scientific consulting. He writes about curiosity, understanding, and wonder through the lens of cognitive science and philosophy at Cognitive Wonderland.
In this episode, we talk about decorative neuroscience. We talk about neuro-grifters, like Andrew Hubberman. We discuss whether “dopamine addiction” is real, and whether attention spans are shrinking. We talk about how causal relationships are established in neuroscience, the kinds of information we can get from neuroimaging, and whether neuroscience could be relevant for self-help. Finally, we discuss how neuroscience should be communicated to the general public.
Time Links:
Intro
What is “decorative neuroscience”?
Neuro-grifters
Is “dopamine addiction” real?
How are causal relationships established in neuroscience?
What kind of information can we really get from neuroimaging?
Why would neuroscience be relevant for self-help?
How should neuroscience be communicated to the general public?
Follow Dr. Blanchard’s work!
Follow Dr. Blanchard’s work:
Website: https://tinyurl.com/y95fpp2j
Substack: https://tinyurl.com/bdz2r4nr
X handle: @TommyCBlanchard