
How To Escape Your Brain's Default Mode Network | Zindel Segal and Norman Farb
From 10% Happier with Dan Harris by 10% Happier
April 20, 2026 · 1h 5m · Episode 1129
About this episode
This episode discusses how to escape the brain's default mode network through sensory practices with experts Zindel Segal and Norman Farb.
Using your senses to reduce overthinking, turn down the voice in your head, and get out of what these scientists call "the house of habit." Dr. Zindel Segal is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough and a cofounder of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. Professor Norman Farb, PhD , is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he directs the Regulatory and Affective Dynamics laboratory. Together, they are the co-authors of Better In Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life . In this episode we talk about: How the brain's default mode network is essential to our survival but also can keep us stuck in rumination and overthinking Segal and Farb's simple practice of "sense foraging" and why they say it can help break patterns and thoughts that aren't serving us The differences and the similarities between sense foraging and mindfulness Related Episodes: Depression and Anxiety: Your Old Enemies, Your Best Friends | Zindel Segal — Ten Percent Happier Gretchen Rubin on: How To Use Your Five Senses To Reduce Anxiety, Increase Creativity, and Improve…
People in this episode
Host: Dan Harris
Guests: Zindel Segal, Norman Farb
Topics covered
- default mode network
- overthinking
- mindfulness
- sense foraging
- mental health
Keywords
- default mode network
- overthinking
- sense foraging
- mindfulness
- mental health
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Toronto Scarborough, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, University of Toronto Mississauga
Books & works: Better In Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life
More episodes of 10% Happier with Dan Harris
- Are You Living a Good Life? | James Patterson and Patrick Leddin · April 29, 2026 · 60 min
- The Science of Regulating Your Nervous System | Dr. Kevin Tracey · April 27, 2026 · 1h 18m
- Feel Your Feelings, Drop the Story | Sebene Selassie · April 24, 2026 · 27 min
- How To Relax The Need To Control Everything | Rosa Lewis · April 22, 2026 · 56 min
- Trudging Through Your Own Life? Here's the Stoic Fix | Maria Semple · April 17, 2026 · 54 min
- Top 10 Neuroscience-Backed Tips for a Stronger Brain | Wendy Suzuki and Amishi Jha · April 15, 2026 · 1h 1m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 10% Happier with Dan Harris podcast page.