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Cognitive
“Sleep On It” to Boost Your Creativity
January 7, 2018
So it’s not that successful writers have more creative ideas than the rest of us. They just do a better job of listening to their inner mule when it starts talking. But what do you do if your inner mule just isn’t cooperating? Each day this week I will post a new tip (based on psychological science research, of course!) that should spur your inner mule into action. And keep in mind these tips are not just limited to generating creative writing ideas, they help spur creativity for any kind...
January 7, 2018
So it’s not that successful writers have more creative ideas than the rest of us. They just do a better job of listening to their inner mule when it starts talking. But what do you do if your inner mule just isn’t cooperating? Each day this week I will post a new tip (based on psychological science research, of course!) that should spur your inner mule into action. And keep in mind these tips are not just limited to generating creative writing ideas, they help spur creativity for any kind...
Research on How Self-Control Works Could Help You Stick with New Year’s Resolutions
January 3, 2018
Many of us have already decided that things will be different in 2018. We’ll eat better, get more exercise, save more money, or finally get around to decluttering those closets. But by the time February rolls around, most of us – perhaps as many as 80 percentof the Americans who make New Year’s resolutions – will have already given up. Why does our self-control falter, so often leaving us to revert to our old ways? The answer to this question has consequences beyond our waistlines...
January 3, 2018
Many of us have already decided that things will be different in 2018. We’ll eat better, get more exercise, save more money, or finally get around to decluttering those closets. But by the time February rolls around, most of us – perhaps as many as 80 percentof the Americans who make New Year’s resolutions – will have already given up. Why does our self-control falter, so often leaving us to revert to our old ways? The answer to this question has consequences beyond our waistlines...
How to Be Healthier, Happier and More Productive: It’s All in the Timing
January 1, 2018
When is the best time to exercise or do creative work? Research on the science of timing has answers You’re probably getting ready to make a few New Year’s resolutions, solemn promises to yourself to behave better in 2018. You might have pondered how you’re going to accomplish those goals, who could help you and why you need to change. But if you’re like most people—and social science suggests that you and I are like most people—you’ve neglected a question that could help you actually...
January 1, 2018
When is the best time to exercise or do creative work? Research on the science of timing has answers You’re probably getting ready to make a few New Year’s resolutions, solemn promises to yourself to behave better in 2018. You might have pondered how you’re going to accomplish those goals, who could help you and why you need to change. But if you’re like most people—and social science suggests that you and I are like most people—you’ve neglected a question that could help you actually...
The Best Exercise To Quickly Improve Memory
January 1, 2018
Each exercise session was only 20-minutes long. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise provide a considerable boost to memory, new research finds. The study showed that healthy young adults increased their memory performance in a relatively short period of time. Each exercise session was only 20-minutes long, during which they did short bouts of intense exercise. Those with the greatest fitness gains saw increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
January 1, 2018
Each exercise session was only 20-minutes long. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise provide a considerable boost to memory, new research finds. The study showed that healthy young adults increased their memory performance in a relatively short period of time. Each exercise session was only 20-minutes long, during which they did short bouts of intense exercise. Those with the greatest fitness gains saw increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
Wine, Beer And Liquor Trigger Different Emotions, Research Finds
December 31, 2017
Some types of alcohol make people feel aggressive and confident, others make them feel relaxed. Different types of alcohol are linked to different emotions, a new survey about alcohol finds. Liquor makes people feel more aggressive, while wine is linked to feeling relaxed. Liquor (spirits) were linked in people’s minds to feeling energetic, confident and sexy. Like wine, beer was also linked to feeling relaxed. Professor Mark Bellis, who led the study, said: “For centuries, the history...
December 31, 2017
Some types of alcohol make people feel aggressive and confident, others make them feel relaxed. Different types of alcohol are linked to different emotions, a new survey about alcohol finds. Liquor makes people feel more aggressive, while wine is linked to feeling relaxed. Liquor (spirits) were linked in people’s minds to feeling energetic, confident and sexy. Like wine, beer was also linked to feeling relaxed. Professor Mark Bellis, who led the study, said: “For centuries, the history...
Neuroplasticity In Action
December 30, 2017
This passage is excerpted from my book, “The New Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes in a Complex World.” Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change under the influence of experience and activities. Several aspects of neuroplasticity are noteworthy: neurogenesis (development of new nerve cells) and synaptogenesis (development of new contacts between nerve cells) among them. Neuroplasticity used to be thought of as a limited phenomenon, mostly restricted to the early years of life. More recently...
December 30, 2017
This passage is excerpted from my book, “The New Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes in a Complex World.” Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change under the influence of experience and activities. Several aspects of neuroplasticity are noteworthy: neurogenesis (development of new nerve cells) and synaptogenesis (development of new contacts between nerve cells) among them. Neuroplasticity used to be thought of as a limited phenomenon, mostly restricted to the early years of life. More recently...
People who think they exercise less than their peers die earlier
December 29, 2017
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical inactivity is the fourth-leading risk factor for global mortality, causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths around the world annually. Readers of this blog need no convincing that it’s important to be active every day. But is spending more time on it enough to reduce the risk of early death? Not necessarily. How we perceive this activity turns out to be just as important. We learn of this from the authors of an intriguing study in Health...
December 29, 2017
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical inactivity is the fourth-leading risk factor for global mortality, causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths around the world annually. Readers of this blog need no convincing that it’s important to be active every day. But is spending more time on it enough to reduce the risk of early death? Not necessarily. How we perceive this activity turns out to be just as important. We learn of this from the authors of an intriguing study in Health...
What is the Secret to Being More Assertive? Having Self Respect
December 28, 2017
Why are some of us more inclined than others to stick up for ourselves, not aggressively, but assertively. Assertive people let others know when they feel mistreated and they’re confident saying “no” to unwanted demands. Presumably it has to do with how see ourselves, yet past research has established that two key aspects of the self-concept – good feelings about the self (“self-liking” or “self-confidence”) and seeing oneself as competent – are not strongly related to assertive...
December 28, 2017
Why are some of us more inclined than others to stick up for ourselves, not aggressively, but assertively. Assertive people let others know when they feel mistreated and they’re confident saying “no” to unwanted demands. Presumably it has to do with how see ourselves, yet past research has established that two key aspects of the self-concept – good feelings about the self (“self-liking” or “self-confidence”) and seeing oneself as competent – are not strongly related to assertive...
Positive Parenting Gets “Under the Skin”
December 27, 2017
Adolescence is when values and relationships are formed and things happen that leave their sticky fingerprints on the life that follows. Even, it seems, in the everyday functioning of brain systems. New research published in Developmental Science shows that when teenagers have a positive relationship with their parents, then as adults their brains and bodies respond to stress in a way that helps them better engage with the world. However, the study suggests this benefit may be denied to those...
December 27, 2017
Adolescence is when values and relationships are formed and things happen that leave their sticky fingerprints on the life that follows. Even, it seems, in the everyday functioning of brain systems. New research published in Developmental Science shows that when teenagers have a positive relationship with their parents, then as adults their brains and bodies respond to stress in a way that helps them better engage with the world. However, the study suggests this benefit may be denied to those...
How Can Groups Make Good Decisions?
December 26, 2017
We all know that when we make decisions in groups, they don't always go right -- and sometimes they go very wrong. How can groups...
December 26, 2017
We all know that when we make decisions in groups, they don't always go right -- and sometimes they go very wrong. How can groups...
