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Part 2: Chills vs. Pills: The Future of Mental Health | Prof Nicco Reggente.
Part 2: Chills vs. Pills: The Future of Mental Health | Prof Nicco Reggente.
Show Notes
What if a simple shiver down your spine could heal depression, rewire belief, and even rival psychedelics in transforming the mind?
In Part 2 of my conversation with Professor Nicco Reggente, we dive into the most disruptive neuroscience you’ve probably never heard of: the power of aesthetic chills.
These goosebump-inducing moments, triggered by music, film, or human connection, aren’t just emotional fireworks. Nicco’s groundbreaking research shows they can:
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Restore the capacity for pleasure in patients where drugs fail
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Dissolve ego and unlock self-transcendence in ways that rival psychedelics
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Rewire maladaptive beliefs and reduce depression below clinical thresholds—sometimes in a single session
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Shape political extremes and social belonging, for better and for worse
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This is not just about goosebumps. It’s about discovering whether chills are the most democratic and accessible tool for human flourishing—and the dangerous ways they can also be weaponized in cults, polarization, and extremist movements.
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If you lead at the highest level, you cannot ignore what this means: the same nervous system mechanism that can heal can also manipulate. Understanding it may be the next frontier in leadership, influence, and human performance.
In this episode, Professor Nicco Reggente and I explore:
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Why concerts, stadiums, and shared rituals dissolve ego into collective transcendence
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The dark side: how chills can fuel extremism, brainwashing, and polarization
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New research shows liberals and conservatives experience chills differently
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How AI-driven “schema surgery” videos create one-shot breakthroughs in depression
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Why chills may restore hedonic tone (pleasure) in anhedonic patients where pharmaceuticals fail
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How chills mirror psychedelic therapies—without the risks or stigma
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Why leaders who understand chills can harness empathy, belonging, and transformation at scale
About Professor Nicco Reggente
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Research Director, Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
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Specialist in non-ordinary states, belief updating, and applied neuroscience
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Innovator in AI-driven, personalized therapeutic interventions
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Author of breakthrough studies linking chills to depression, politics, and empathy
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Published on 4 days, 1 hour ago