What Now? with Trevor Noah

Episode: Emily McDonald (M on the Brain): Can You Rewire Your Brain?

Date: March 19, 2026

Overview

In this engaging and insightful episode, Trevor Noah sits down with neuroscientist Emily McDonald—known online as “M on the Brain”—to discuss the profound question: Can you truly rewire your brain? Together with co-host Eugene, the trio explores the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, “woo-woo” spirituality, habit formation, addiction, neuroplasticity, and the science behind personal transformation. As always, Trevor brings his unique wit and candor, making complex science accessible, practical, and deeply personal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emily’s Path to Neuroscience & Addiction Research

• Academic Journey: Emily initially set out to be a pre-med student but found her passion in neuroscience after a friend’s suggestion.
  • “I had never even heard of neuroscience at the time. It just sounded cool. So I switched my major to it immediately. Fell in love.” (06:51)
• Focus on Addiction: Personal struggles with nicotine addiction drew her to study relapse and the limitations of current addiction treatments.
  • “I took a class in undergrad about why the current treatments for relapse don't work. And they're really just putting band aids on the symptoms…” (07:43)
• Preclinical Research Defined: Emily explains the research pipeline from laboratory discovery to clinical application. (07:40–08:10)

2. Rewiring Your Brain: The Science Behind Change

• Self-Experimentation: Emily shares how she used her understanding of habit and memory to overcome her own vaping addiction by associating vaping with disgust.
  • “I taught my brain to associate it with just the feeling of disgusting...I would sit in that feeling and make sure my brain was paying attention to it.” (09:52–10:57)
• Breaking Down Habit Formation:
  • All habits, whether good or bad, are learned behaviors driven by dopamine.
  • Over time, the dopamine “reward” shifts from the action itself to anticipation and cues—explaining why ads are powerful if you’ve already experienced the product. (13:10–16:43)
  • “Your brain has learned that it’s rewarding...Your dopamine has learned to associate the picture with a reward.” (15:47)

3. Why Good Habits Feel Harder than Bad Ones

• Trevor’s Question: Why are positive habits tougher to maintain?
• Emily's Answer: Positive habits often require more conscious effort; the immediate dopamine hit is lower, and our environment is structured to cue us toward short-term, high-reward behaviors.
  • “A lot of people think that they can't focus...Really what it is, is that they have super well-practiced distraction.” (74:39)

4. Neuroscience Meets “Woo-Woo”: Bridging Science & Spirituality

• Connecting Modalities: Emily uniquely merges neuroscience with spiritual practices like visualization, meditation, and frequency therapies.
• Perception & Consciousness: Our senses are filtered and constructed by our beliefs, emotions, and memories—not simple raw input.
  • “You’re not seeing the world with your eyes...Your thoughts, emotions, memories, your beliefs, who you believe you are—all that's incorporated before the image is even put together that you see by your brain.” (24:24)
• “Rose-Colored Lenses” Explained: Positive emotional states literally make the world appear more vivid. (24:53)
• Sound Frequencies: Scientific basis for “healing” frequencies like 432Hz, shown to enhance alpha brainwaves and promote calmness. (25:49–27:21)

5. Belief, Identity, and Change: The Practical How-To

• Identity Shifting: To create lasting change, act in accordance with the version of yourself you want to become.
  • “When I visualize that part, that version of you has different habits than you do right now...She doesn’t vape.” (21:35)
• Practical Visualization: NASA and elite athletes visualize themselves overcoming problems, which “trains” the premotor cortex and changes the way you perform under stress. (88:57–91:49)
• Self-Talk as a Tool: The ongoing conversation you have with yourself directly rewires your brain—repetition creates new neural pathways.
  • “When you change the way you talk to yourself and treat yourself...that’ll change everything.” (126:20)

6. Society, Education & Unlearning

• Conditioning & Art: Art reveals our diverse perspectives. Societal mechanisms, like standardized education, may suppress individual ways of seeing and being. (67:09–68:13)
• ADHD as Adaptation: Traits considered “disorders” may have served important roles in different environments. Society often marginalizes those with divergent wiring. (71:02–72:06)

7. Reality Construction & Opportunity

• Kitten Study Analogy: Our brains filter out opportunities (jobs, relationships, experiences) we're not taught to expect or desire—change your belief, and your brain can “see” them at last.
  • “What am I not seeing because of the way I was raised, right? Like jobs, money, opportunities, a relationship, relationships especially…” (66:23)
• Visualization & Manifestation: The science behind “manifesting”—visual input, affirmations, and repeated exposure change both mindset and biology, increasing the chance you'll see and seize opportunity. (126:27)

8. Addiction: Understanding & Overcoming

• Definition: Dependence is identified by tolerance and withdrawal; the inability to stop even when wanting to. (113:31–114:16)
• Not Just Substances: Anything that boosts dopamine—work, exercise, even positive routines—can become an addiction if you develop dependence.

9. Psychedelics, Neuroplasticity & the Default Mode Network

• Psychedelics’ Effect: Substances like psilocybin, LSD, and meditation can quiet the brain’s “default mode network,” allowing for radical shifts in self-concept, healing trauma, and changing behavior. (117:02–118:42)
• Opening the Mind: Profound experiences (through psychedelics or spiritual practices) alter perception and create new default behaviors. (121:04)
• Societal Implications: The reason psychedelics have been suppressed may be because they dissolve rigid, productivity-focused hierarchies. (121:40–123:14)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

“Your brain is an association machine. You're in a relationship with everything in your life.”
— Emily (M on the Brain), (09:48)

“You just learned a behavior, your brain has learned a behavior...It's learned to automate that behavior so that it's no longer a conscious act.”
— Emily, (12:00)

“Anything that boosts dopamine, it will drive learning ... Over time, you get the dopamine from seeing the ice cream because your brain’s anticipating a reward. That’s craving.”
— Emily, (13:49)

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
— Wayne Dyer (quoted by Eugene), (119:07)

“The person, your dream person could be right in front of you, but you won't see them because you don't believe that dating is good in your city.”
— Emily, (102:45)

“If I'm going to go get these shoes and make myself—I'm wearing my boots, you guys both said you like my boots—when you are feeling like your best self, then you actually perform better. Joy enhances your performance.”
— Emily, (86:33)

“I became unstoppable, and it didn't matter what happened. Belief in yourself improves your performance. It's a biological advantage to believe in yourself.”
— Emily, (108:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Emily’s Academic Journey, Focus on Addiction — 06:27–09:10
• How She Rewired Her Brain to Quit Vaping — 09:22–10:57
• Trevor on Bad Habits, Ice Cream & Ads — 11:05–16:43
• Why Ads Work (Personal Associations) — 17:44–18:54
• Going Cold Turkey vs Gradual Change — 18:54–19:56
• Identity Shifting & Visualization — 21:35, 88:57–91:49
• Science vs “Woo-Woo” — Connecting the Two — 22:03–28:14
• How Perception Constructs Reality (“Kitten Study”) — 24:24, 66:23
• Art as a Mirror for Individual Reality — 67:09–68:13
• On Diagnosed ADHD & Social Norms — 71:02–72:06
• Breaking the “Default Mode Network” (Psychedelics, Meditation) — 117:02–119:13
• Practical Habit Change, Positive Self-Talk — 126:27–126:50
• Emily’s Closing Advice — 124:27–126:20

Takeaways & Action Steps

• Habits Are Learned...and Rewritable: Recognize that your brain is plastic—change happens through focused repetition and by consciously associating new meanings with behaviors.
• Visualize Success, Not Just Obstacles: Use mental rehearsal to practice being your “favorite self” in moments of challenge.
• Self-Talk Matters: The way you speak to yourself sets the tone for your reality—affirmations and rewiring self-concept are vital first steps.
• Bridging Science and Spirituality Is Powerful: Practices like journaling, visualization, sound therapy, and meditation have scientific backing for their transformative power.
• Environment & Exposure: Repeated exposure to what you want—whether a neighborhood you dream of living in or roles you aspire to—helps make it familiar and achievable to your brain.
• Psychedelics & Mind Expansion: While research is still evolving, psychedelic experiences can offer radical shifts in self-concept and alleviate deep-seated trauma by disrupting default neural patterns.
• Society and Systems: Be aware that social norms and structures often condition us into restrictive patterns—seek out what works for you, not just what's “normal.”
• Start with the Inner Conversation: If you want to rewire your brain, begin by changing how you talk to yourself—affirm it, visualize it, and your brain will begin to see opportunities it was previously filtering out.

Final Words

“The first step is working on your own self concept and how you talk to yourself. Even if your external reality doesn’t change, your internal reality definitely will, and you’ll start to feel better...And that's the point of all this: to feel better.”
— Emily (M on the Brain), (124:27–126:20)

This episode is packed with laughter, stories, and deeply practical insights—a must-listen for anyone ready to harness the power of their mind for change.