Lehrer

Governor David Paterson is under investigation for potentially misusing his power. A representative just resigned after allegations that he groped a male staffer. Meanwhile state government seems paralyzed in the face of a budget deadline.

New studies suggest that in matters of weight loss, will power could lose out to brainpower. Joining The Takeaway to talk about the brains behind our bulk is science contributor Jonah Lehrer and Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich.

It seems like there are two kinds of people: those who agonize over every decision and those who go with their gut. Neuroscientist Jonah Lehrer is author of the new book, How We Decide, which explores what goes on in the brain when we make a decision.

Feeling a little sheepish because you got your sister socks, and she got you a new purple iPod? Evolution can be blamed for the guilt. Jonah Lehrer gives us the dirt on why we feel the need to give as much as we receive.

A growing body of scientific work has studied how what we perceive ?- or think we perceive ?- can have less to do with reality than we think. In light of recent findings, Jonah Lehrer, editor-at-large for Seed magazine and author of ‘Proust was a Neuroscientist,’ says it’s time to radically rethink notions like ‘you get what you pay for.’