
Permission for Imperfection — Habenula Part 2: What Your Brain Does Differently When You’re Allowed to Be Wrong
From StefanieFaye by Stefanie Faye
April 14, 2026
About this episode
This episode explores how the habenula in the brain influences our response to disappointment and the concept of allowing oneself to be wrong.
What happens after we stumble depends on what our brain was aiming for before we started.   In a previous article, we met the habenula — the structure that registers lower-than-expected rewards (disappointment) and socio-evaluative threat, and begins to close... READ MORE The post Permission for Imperfection — Habenula Part 2: What Your Brain Does Differently When You’re Allowed to Be Wrong appeared first on StefanieFaye .
People in this episode
Host: Stefanie Faye
Topics covered
- brain function
- imperfection
- mental health
- self-acceptance
- neuroscience
Keywords
- habenula
- disappointment
- socio-evaluative threat
- mental processes
- self improvement
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Permission for Imperfection — Habenula Part 2: What Your Brain Does Differently When You’re Allowed to Be Wrong
More episodes of StefanieFaye
- Neuroscience as the language that makes “possible” real · June 12, 2026
- Humans call this stubbornness. the brain calls it something else · June 11, 2026
- why ‘being chased by a tiger’ is not a good enough metaphor: our anxious, social nervous system · June 10, 2026
- Vibrational Availability: Resilience as a different kind of listening · June 9, 2026
- The order of operations between you and AI · June 8, 2026
- “Fine is not a feeling”: how naming feelings with nuance changes the brain · June 5, 2026
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the StefanieFaye podcast page.