Blog
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For Self-Compassion
Read more: For Self-CompassionGo Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges (NYT): [R]esearch suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that…
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Against Surface Smiles
Read more: Against Surface SmilesThe Claim: A Fake Smile Can be Bad for Your Health (NYT Really?) [S]cientists examined what happened when the drivers engaged in fake smiling, known as “surface acting,” and its opposite, “deep acting,” where they generated authentic smiles through positive thoughts, said an author of the study, Brent Scott, an assistant professor of management…
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Brain Power
Read more: Brain PowerPlacebo Outperforms Drug in Oxford Study (PsychCentral): Positive expectations of a treatment may be more powerful than the drug itself when it comes to getting well. According to a brain imaging study at Oxford University, volunteers who believed their medication would help actually doubled the natural physiological or biochemical effects of an opioid drug. On…
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Take a Walk, Grow Your Brain
Read more: Take a Walk, Grow Your BrainNPR Science Friday: Growing A Bigger Brain Is A Walk In The Park A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that adults who walked for 40 minutes three times a week for a year had brain growth in the hippocampus — an area of the brain associated with spatial memory.…
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Electric Muse
Read more: Electric MuseInspiration from Brain Stimulation? (PsychCentral): Are we on the verge of reality transcending science fiction with the use of brain electrodes to enhance individual creativity and expression? Doctoral student Richard Chi and Dr. Allan Snyder from the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney seem to think so. They found that participants who…