(Science Daily) The researchers recruited healthy older participants to two groups according to their history of tea drinking frequency and investigated both functional and structural networks to reveal the role of tea drinking on brain organization.
neuroscience
New Baby Smell: How Newborn Babies’ Head Odor Facilitates Bonding
(Neuroscience News) A team led by Kobe University Professor Mamiko Ozaki (Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science) has become the first to identify the chemical makeup of the odors produced by newborn babies’ heads. The results shed more light on the olfactory importance of newborns’ heads in mother-baby and kin recognition. They also developed a non-invasive and stress-free method of sampling these odors directly from heads of the babies.
Study Identifies Psychology of Attraction to Religious Deities and Super-Heroes
(Neuroscience News) A new psychological study published by University of Otago researchers has addressed centuries-old questions about how and why supernatural beings are worshipped.
Babies Born by C-Section Have Different Gut Bacteria
(Neuroscience) Babies born by cesarean section have a reduced level of “good” gut bacteria and an increased number of pathogens linked to hospital environments, according to research co-led by UCL that is the most comprehensive study of the baby microbiome to date.
Disappointment and Your Brain – Why It Hurts
(Exploring Your Mind) The pain in your brain after a disappointment is real. Our brain processes such experiences as events that undermine our balance and well-being. Hence, the pain appears and the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin or dopamine decrease.
How People With Psychopathic Traits Control Their ‘Dark Impulses’
(Science Daily) How do people with psychopathic traits control their ‘dark impulses?’ A team of researchers are finding answers in levels of gray matter density in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in the regulation of emotions, including fear and anger.
‘Superagers’ Over 80 Have the Memory and Brain Connectivity of Twenty-Somethings
(Neuroscience News) Research published in the journal Cerebral Cortex has shown that stronger functional connectivity—that is, communication among neurons in various networks of the brain—is linked to youthful memory in older adults. Those with superior memories—called superagers—have the strongest connectivity.
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.
Need a Mental Break? Avoid Your Cellphone
(Neuroscience) Using a cellphone to take a break during mentally challenging tasks does not allow the brain to recharge effectively and may result in poorer performance, Rutgers researchers found.
Impulsive Behavior Linked to Sleep and Screen Time
(Neuroscience) A paper published today in Pediatrics suggests that children and youth who do not sleep enough and use screens more than recommended are more likely to act impulsively and make poorer decisions. The findings come from the globally recognized Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group (HALO) at the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa.
Cultural Value Systems: Male Values Informed by Female Choice — Social Exclusion Fuels Extremism
(Justin Deschamps) The following neuroscience study analyzed the effect of social exclusion on young men, specifically looking for what effect “sacred values and isolation” had. In my view, the finding suggests that unlike what many anti-male proponents suggest, men are biologically programmed to protect aspects of society deemed sacred. Comprehending why men are driven to defend their values with violence reveals insights that we can use to better shape society for all people.
How We Perceive Vibrations and Frequency Through Touch
(Neuroscience) Researchers have demonstrated a universal decoding system in humans that determines how we perceive vibrations of different frequencies through touch.
Recursive Language and Modern Imagination Were Acquired Simultaneously 70,000 Years Ago
(Neuroscience) A genetic mutation that slowed down the development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in two or more children may have triggered a cascade of events leading to acquisition of recursive language and modern imagination 70,000 years ago.
Optimistic People Sleep Better and Longer
(Neuroscience) More than 3,500 people ages 32-51 were included in the study sample. The participants included people in Birmingham, Alabama; Oakland, California; Chicago; and Minneapolis.
Science Discovers Two Types of Intuition, How Can You Learn to Master Each for a Fulfilled Life?
(Justin Deschamps) Intuition, gut-feelings, or what some call “psychic downloads” are well acknowledged by science. Humans naturally experience what seems like automatic and magical insights, things that often guide our decisions or our conclusions about the world. But unlike what many think, intuition isn’t some unexplained magical power, it has roots in acknowledged science.