The Science of Leadership (Udemy.com)
Leadership, management techniques and communication skills based on research from neuroscience to social psychology
Created by: Gregory Caremans
Last updated November 2022
Our take
Based on the ratings of 14,096 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in November 2022. No course pays to be reviewed.
Gregory Caremans, founder of Brain Academy, built this as a bridge between behavioral science and day-to-day management. It runs about 3 hours across 35 lectures and six sections: how the brain works, genetic programming, prior experience, and environment. It is aimed at managers in charge of a team, though the requirements say only a keen interest in human behavior is needed. With over 50,000 students, it is a short, popular entry point rather than a full leadership program.
Reviewers mostly find his explanations clear. Several say the diagrams and workplace examples make the concepts easy to follow, and one says it helped them think about how people react to change. Of 14,096 ratings, about 7,300 are five stars and about 5,100 are four. The complaints are consistent. The three-star reviews call the delivery dry, with long stretches and no breaks, and one says it is more scientific than practical. Another reviewer asks for bigger images and fonts.
The last update was November 2022, so nothing here is fresh, though the subject is not tied to software and ages slowly. At 3 hours, it asks for little time. It suits a manager who wants the why behind motivation and bias, then decides what to try with the team. Anyone wanting a practical playbook of exercises should look at a more hands-on leadership course. We would call it a solid, thoughtful primer with a dry delivery.
Pros
- Diagrams and workplace examples make the brain-science ideas easy to follow, reviewers say
- Short at about 3 hours, with 35 lectures split into six clear sections
- Covers change, hiring, bias and team motivation, not just self-awareness
- Rated 4.6, and about 12,400 of 14,096 ratings are four or five stars
Cons
- Delivery is dry, with long stretches and few breaks, according to the three-star reviews
- More science than hands-on practice, as one reviewer put it, so applying it is up to the learner
- Last updated November 2022, and one reviewer wants bigger images and fonts
The concepts were explained clearly, and the real-world examples made them easy to relate to. It offered a fresh perspective on how leaders can better understand and support their teams.
Listed as All Levels, but really for people already leading a team. No psychology background is needed.
What you will learn
- Discover a groundbreaking model of Leadership that will help me manage myself and others
- Recognize how our genetic programming influences our behavior and how to deal with that in ourselves and in others
- Connect with my team: Learn the distinction between lasting and temporary motivations. Find out an easy way to figure out what truly motivates them.
- Effectively engage problematic behavior born out of cognitive biases and subconscious belief systems
- Improve hiring protocols by recognizing potential pitfalls
- Improve coaching skills through powerful communication tools
- Learn how to fire up engagement in my team, buy using two secret ingredients
- Learn how to deal with issues such as workaholism, bullying, sexism, racism, ...
- Learn how to switch to my prefrontal brain and gain self-control, adaptation, willpower, focus, but also creativity and problem solving abilities .
- Generate trust, create a solid team, and boost performance
- Improve change processes, meetings and brainstorming sessions
- Boost loyalty and stop my people to go to the competition
- And much more ...
Course content
6 sections · 35 lectures · 3.1 hours of video 5 quizzes, 1 practice test, 3 articles
- 1Introduction 1 free preview2 lectures · 6 min
- 2Our Brain 1 free preview6 lectures · 1 quiz · 41 min
- 3our Genetic Programming 1 free preview7 lectures · 1 quiz · 44 min
- 4Our prior experience 1 free preview10 lectures · 1 quiz · 54 min
- 5Our Environment/context 1 free preview6 lectures · 1 quiz · 32 min
- 6Conclusion4 lectures · 1 quiz · 8 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Managers in charge of a team
- Managers looking for tools and insights to manage their team
- Professionals who want to improve on their people skills
- Professionals who want to learn more about human behavior
What you need before you start
- A keen interest in human behavior is the only real prerequisite for this course
- No previous knowledge required - I will take you step by step through the different concepts, models and brainstructures presented in the course
- No specific materials are needed for this course. Taking notes is recommended
How it compares
Against the other 230 rated Udemy courses in Leadership & Management on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 69% of them
- Reviews14,096#17 of 231 by number of reviews
- Length3.1 hourslonger than 67% of them
- Last updatedNovember 2022earlier than 79% of them
Course Description
CPE Accredited course (Continuing Professional Education)
If you are a manager or entrepreneur in charge of a team, this course is for you.
This course has the ambition to build a bridge between a century of science and 21st century managers. A bridge between how our brain works and how to use that knowledge to improve our communication and leadership abilities.
To understand how and why Leadership works, we first need to understand what triggers us. We’ll be diving deep into our subconscious motivational processes. We’ll have a look at our brain, call it our ‘hardware’ and the subconscious programs running in it, that’s basically our software.
So expect tools, concrete and simple tools that you will be able to use right away with your team and colleagues. In the end, the aim of this course is to open the way for a new understanding of motivation and communication, towards a new, highly effective and sustainable model for leadership in this 21st century.
But most of all, by the end of this course, my aim is that you, as a manager, as a leader, will have understood what a crucial role you play in your team and in its success. And that you will be able to leverage that knowledge and guide your team to a new level of collaboration and engagement.
The Science behind the course...
I will provide a framework based on the latest insights in cognitive psychology and related fields. Within this framework I will present you studies, research and experiments on human behavior and I will show you how they apply to leadership and team management.
Behavioral sciences have gained an increased understanding of who we are as a species, what motivates us, what de-motivates us. Why we follow some people, and why we seemingly contradict ourselves so often.
The insights gained through social psychology, ethology, cognitive sciences and more recently the rapid breakthroughs in neurosciences thanks to MRI’s and advances in neuro-imagery, have given science a whole new understanding of who we are as human beings.
But then, when we look at the corporate world and management styles, there’s like this huge gap between both worlds.
Now this course, the Science of Leadership, aims to build a bridge between both. Giving managers the understanding of what drives their teams, and the tools to act upon it.
Discover a groundbreaking model - and manage yourself and others
Connect with your team - and discover what truly motivates them
Improve your coaching skills - through powerful communication tools
Fire up engagement in your team - by using two secret ingredients
Generate trust - and boost performance
Boost loyalty - and stop your people from going to your competitors
And So Much More... such as genetics, cognitive biases, subconscious belief systems, hiring protocols, sexism, bullying, change processes, brainstorming, meetings and so on ...
CPE (Continuing Professional Education)
Learning Objectives
Recognize the 3 main subconscious influencers of human behaviour
Recognize how 4 brain structures influence our decision-making process
Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations
Identify the most important brain chemicals involved in employee engagement
Identify cognitive biases negatively affecting team performance
Identify the most influential studies on how our social environment affects our behaviour
Understand the consequences of communicating in different mental modes
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Instructor Details
- 4.6 Rating
14,096 Reviews
Gregory Caremans
Hi, my name is Gregory Caremans. I'm the founder of the award-winning Brain Academy.
I have studied psychology and have a Master in communication, As the former Director of the Institute of Neurocognitivism in Brussels I have also specialized in the Neurocognitive and Behavioral Approach.
With the Brain Academy I have taught over 500.000 students on Udemy how to better understand their brain. My courses have been featured in The Economist, Entrepreneur, Mashable, CNN and more. I'm also a two times TEDx speaker. Over the last three years, I have won several awards from "Most innovative neuroscience and personal development enterprise" to "Excellence in online learning".
My aim is to make Brain Science accessible to all.
Here at Udemy most of our courses are best-sellers:
Neuroscience for Parents is the N°1 course on parenting
Master your brain is the N°1 course on Neuroscience
Meet your brain is the N°1 free personal development course
How to keep a youthful brain is the N° 1 course on Brain Training
Our Neuroplasticity course is N°1 in its category
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Reviews
By Leritz Ramasia on 6/7/2026
This was a great lesson of unpacking what contributes to me being a leader. My past experiences have a lot to do with who I am today and how I react to things or people or situations. This was an amazing platform of factual evidence of our own building blocks as leaders today and how we need to unlearn specific things about ourselves so that we can yield better results for the team, ourselves and the organisation.
By Florin Nite on 1/10/2026
This course offers a clear and engaging introduction to the science behind effective leadership, blending psychology and practical insights in a very accessible way. Gregory Caremans explains complex concepts with clarity and enthusiasm, making each lesson easy to follow and genuinely thought‑provoking. I’m halfway through and already feel that the course has strengthened my understanding of how leaders influence, motivate, and inspire others.
By Carmen Vanhee-Cranna on 11/16/2025
This course has been incredibly insightful. It has helped me reflect on my own behaviors as a leader and recognize how my reactions, attitudes, and leadership style can influence the team—both positively and negatively. Our company has been navigating a major transition, which has brought significant challenges and placed everyone under considerable stress with tight deadlines. I only wish I had taken this course sooner. It’s rare for me to finish a course feeling sorry that it’s over, but this one left me wanting more. It has truly sparked a deeper interest in the topic and a desire to continue learning. Thank you.
By Dhirendra Kumar on 8/20/2023
It is giving a better holistic picture for improving and acceping others as many traits may be a part of their DNA and enviornment. Further, the description and collection of thought of the course is very fundamental and crisp and easy to grasp for new person in this field. Enjoyed and learned a lot.. Thanks and keepit up..
By Sarah Horne on 11/15/2020
Sehr spannender Kurs. Auf jeden Fall weiterzuempfehlen.
By Jonathan Kenton on 11/15/2020
Really valuable pearls of wisdom and insight to give you the edge!
By Jacob Laurits Besenbacher Kjeldsen on 11/15/2020
the angle of neuro science on leadership is incredibly fascinating.
Made me reflect on my self as well as others.
By Paola Johns on 11/8/2020
Very interesting topic!
By Oxana Lotter on 11/8/2020
Great course! I loved it.
By Rommel C. Adalia on 11/8/2020
This course is very helpful and relevant.
By Krisinder Kaur on 11/8/2020
Gregory's lessons are always well structured and full of insights that are easy to grasp and apply.
By Muhammad Subhan Iswahyudi on 11/1/2020
Thanks Gregory. This is an excellent course.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 92 / 100












