(Dr. Edward F. Group) Like any part of your body, the brain can become stressed and unwell. It can also stay healthy, sharp, and clear. Your brain is an incredible machine if you think about it. That 3-pound organ contains billions of cells with trillions of connections — creating your thoughts, impulses, memories, and movements. If you nurture your brain for mental clarity, you can keep a clear, active mind. Simple exercises can help. Certain herbs can pep up your brain, as well.
Psychology
How Adverse Childhood Experiences Affect Relationships
(Renee Catt) Childhood trauma is surprisingly common and understandably painful, but healing is possible.
Yawning Cools the Brain
(Exploring your Mind) Why do we yawn? Does it have anything to do with our health? Neuroscientist Raquel Marin gives an overview of the importance and function of yawning.
Flashbulb Memories: How Emotion Influences Cognition
(Zainab Hassan) What are flashbulb memories?
The theory of flashbulb memories was proposed by Roger Brown and James Kulik in 1977 after they investigated memories of the JFK assassination. They found that people had very vivid memories of when they received the news including exactly what they were doing, the weather, and the smells in the air.
Consciousness: Predicting the Future
Consciousness: Predicting the Future
Research Shows That Time In Prison Does Not Successfully “Rehabilitate” Most Inmates
(Dr. Faye Snyder) Ignorance is so convenient. But time’s up. We all have a choice to make, and hopefully, it will be an informed one.
The Phenomenon of the Moth to a Flame — How Do We Get Stuck?
(Exploring Your Mind) The phenomenon of the moth to a flame is a metaphor about emotional dependence. It’s about how you sometimes feel attracted to the things that harm you. On the flip side, it may also lead you to fear the very thing that can free you.
How It Takes Courage to Build Healthy Relationships
(John Amodeo, PhD) The word “courage” is often reserved for entering a battlefield or facing difficult circumstances. But there’s a more subtle aspect to courage that is needed in our close relationships.
Exploration Create Positive Emotions — You Were Designed for Play
(Justin Deschamps) Simply put: you were designed for play. Within our brain, systems designed to encourage us to explore the unknown reward us for bravery in the face of uncertainty. That feeling of excitement you get when you’re about to do something you’ve been looking forward to is this mechanism of positive emotion through exploration.
Victim Mentality: Codependency, Passive Aggressiveness, and the Healing Power of Bravery
(Justin Deschamps) Victimhood is a serious problem on earth. A culture of victimhood encourages the individual to avoid self-growth—the very thing needed to overcome victimization. In the following article, the cost of maintaining victimhood is highlighted, helping one to understand that maintaining a belief you are a victim hurts yourself and others.
The Science Behind Yoga and Stress
(Dr. M Storoni MD PhD) There are two functional parts of the brain that play a key role in stress. These serve the functions of emotion and cognitive function. So I am calling them the ’emotional’ brain (amygdala and its connections and medial forebrain structures including the medial prefrontal cortex) and the ‘logical’ brain (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, other parts of the prefrontal cortex, parts of the cingulate cortex and parts of the hippocampus).
The ABCs of Human Instincts
(Exploring Your Mind) People are always talking about human instincts. Nevertheless, most people might not know what that means. This is a phrase that was borrowed from biology. It reminds us that, at the end of the day, humans are just mammals that evolved beyond the rest.
7 Realistic Ways to Look on the Bright Side—Which Don’t Feel Fake or Forced
(Margarita Tartakovsky) We tend to view looking on the bright side as silly or stupid. We see it as annoying and inauthentic. We see it as naïve and immature.
Boredom in Relationships: Why Spiritual Romance is about Self-Growth and Mutual Projects, Service to Others Love
(Justin Deschamps) Modern relationships have the same challenges as traditional ones: how do you keep things interesting and alive? The best answer is to gain an understanding of why we experience joy and bliss at all. In the following article, mainstream psychology offers insight into why we experience boredom and what can be done about it. I’ll enhance this with a deeper spiritual understanding of relationships.
The Science Behind Giving Up — Why You Should Invest Yourself in Your Daily Tasks
(Justin Deschamps) Motivation is a subject of great study in psychology. Understanding how we motivate ourselves helps us live better lives. The following article discusses a study wherein scientists sought to understand how a specific neurotransmitter (pnVTA) becomes active when a subject stops seeking a reward.