The burger or the salad? The treadmill or the sofa? Spend or save? Throughout the course of a single day, choices like these test our willpower repeatedly . . . and sometimes the choices we make can leave us feeling like a failure. If you’ve ever made a vow to practice better self-control, you know […]
How Brain Training Helps Regulate Emotions
What if your doctor’s brain felt your pain – from being pricked with a needle all the way to surgery? It might be tough for them to get anything done, huh? Jean Decety, PhD, and his colleagues from the University of Chicago wanted to see whether physicians empathized with pain differently from the general population. […]
Everyday Neuroplasticity – Can Simply Paying Attention Change Our Brain?
It’s brain science – not rocket science. Although they’re built from complex mixtures of chemicals and nerve cells, our brains aren’t that difficult to change. Our everyday habits, interactions with other people, and even our diets can potentially rewire the brain. In fact, just by focusing on the words on this site, you could be […]
Lose the Gut, Improve the Mind
Many of you may have read my blog last Thursday, talking about Terry Bradshaw. Daniel Amen, MD has conducted studies on former NFL players, finding that many of the professional football players exhibited significant differences in their brain functioning that was consistent with chronic brain trauma. Many of these players were depressed and overweight when […]
The Health Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness has far-reaching health benefits. Exciting new findings in neurogenesis and neuroplasticity are now suggesting that mindfulness practice can actually change brain pathways. That’s a huge step forward because it can lead to important applications for our work. Among the many things that we know about mindfulness, research has shown that: Becoming more attuned to […]