What We Get Wrong About the Brain: Neurobiologist Gina Rippon on Myths, Gender & Neurodiversity

In part one of this two-part conversation, neurobiologist and author of The Gendered Brain and The Lost Girls of Autism - recently awarded the British Psychological Society’s Popular Science Book Prize - Gina Rippon joins Ben to unpack what we really know, and don’t know, about the human brain.

From left-brain/right-brain myths to the rise of gendered brain science, Gina explains why many of the ideas we’ve grown up with simply don’t stand up to scrutiny. Drawing on decades of research, she explores how brains change across the lifespan, how experience actively shapes neural pathways, and why no two brains - neurodivergent or not - are ever the same.

They dive into alpha rhythms, brain plasticity, ageing, and the cultural bias baked into neuroscience, including why the idea of distinctly “male” and “female” brains has caused more confusion than clarity.

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Host: Ben Branson

Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné

Video Editor: James Scriven

Social Media Manager: Charlie Young

Music: Jackson Greenberg

Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller

00:00 Introduction

00:57 Why Gina Rippon Became Obsessed With the Brain

2:54 What Science Really Knows About the Neurodivergent Brain

7:18 Brain Waves Explained: Alpha Rhythms & Neurodivergence

10:24 Debunking Common Myths About the Neurodivergent Brain

12:00 Left Brain vs Right Brain: Does It Actually Exist?

17:14 The Best Analogy for How Brains Really Work

18:17 Why London Taxi Drivers’ Brains Change

19:30 How the Brain Changes With Age

21:46 Brain Plasticity, Careers & Learning Over Time

23:27 Why Every Brain Is Different And Neurodiversity

26:45 Gender Bias in Neuroscience: “Neuro Trash” Research

27:53 Is There Such a Thing as a Male or Female Brain?

35:18 The Real Impact of Gendered Brain Science

40:56 Neurodivergence, Gender & Brain Differences Explained

44:07 Moving Beyond Gendered Brains to Human Brains

45:22 What Are Thoughts, Really?

48:40 Why Gina Decided To Write “The Lost Girls of Autism”

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Gina Rippon https://www.ginarippon.com/

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