
Instant Genius Podcast: The Neuroscience of Grief, with Mary-Frances O’Connor
Neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor joins us on our podcasts, Instant Genius and Instant Genius Extra.
Instant Genius is a bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. In this week's episode, we talk to neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor. She's the author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (£20, Harper Collins).
She explains the latest thinking on what happens to our brains when we experience grief and loss.
Find Instant Genius on your preferred podcast platform here: instantgenius.podlink.to/Podcast
And if that's not enough, you can hear even more from Mary-Frances on Instant Genius Extra.
On this subscription-only show, available on Apple Podcasts, we take a deeper dive into the topics covered on Instant Genius. In this episode, Mary-Frances talks about why modern science has moved on from thinking of grieving as a discrete five-stage process.
Listen to more episodes of Instant Genius:
Authors

Jason is the commissioning editor for BBC Science Focus. He holds an MSc in physics and was named Section Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2019. He has been reporting on science and technology for more than a decade. During this time, he's walked the tunnels of the Large Hadron Collider, watched Stephen Hawking deliver his Reith Lecture on Black Holes and reported on everything from simulation universes to dancing cockatoos. He looks after the magazine’s and website’s news sections and makes regular appearances on the Instant Genius Podcast.
Sponsored Deals

Spring Savings!
- Try your first 6 issues for just £9.99 when you subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine.
- Risk - free offer! Cancel at any time when you subscribe via Direct Debit.
- FREE UK delivery.
- Stay up to date with the latest developments in the worlds of science and technology.