Neuroscience
Insights into the biological foundations of consciousness and the human experience.
Level 1
Virtual avatars rewire body perception and ease trauma through brain plasticity
When people use virtual reality (VR) to embody avatars, such as taller, younger, or more muscular versions of themselves, their…
We create a false self in early life to meet external expectations and cope with childhood experiences – James Hollis
James Hollis explores the psychological and spiritual upheaval of midlife as a necessary and meaningful rite of passage. Drawing from…
Learning a second language early strengthens brain connections and efficiency
Learning a second language is linked to a more efficient brain network. A research team reports that people who speak…
Psychological abuse leaves real trauma effects
Psychological abuse and coercive control are linked to PTSD, depression, and measurable trauma-related brain changes. The evidence is strong, but it does not show identical or permanent damage in every survivor.
Learning multiple new skills can produce test scores comparable to adults 30 years younger
Older adults who learn multiple new skills simultaneously can achieve cognitive performance similar to adults 30 years younger. A UC Riverside study found that 3 months of intensive learning improved memory, attention, and cognitive control, with gains maintained up to one year later.
Level 2
Your brain responds differently to love for a child, a partner, or a pet
A Finnish team used fMRI while 55 adults in relationships with children heard short stories about love toward a partner, a child, friends, strangers, pets, or nature, then held each feeling during a brief imagery period. Interpersonal love engaged social-cognition regions more than pet-only or nature love; during imagery, parental love showed striatum and thalamus activation not reported for the other love types; pet owners differed from non-owners on pet trials. Results reflect one cohort, culture, and task design.
Neuroplasticity and aging: your brain can still change
Neuroplasticity and aging show the brain can still change in adult life. Practice, challenge, and attention help, but plasticity is not magic.
Being open to new things helps creativity and learning, and may keep the brain healthier with age
Openness is a personality trait that means seeking and enjoying new and unfamiliar things. Research in psychology and neuroscience links…
Ultra-processed foods trigger addiction-like behavior in one in seven adults
A broad review of 281 studies from 36 countries concludes that some ultra-processed foods (UPFs), such as soft drinks, ice-cream…
The best way to quiet your mind: reduce multitasking
Multitasking creates cognitive fatigue and reduces focus. Research shows task switching incurs measurable costs, and phone interruptions fragment attention. Reducing multitasking and creating distance from devices helps quiet the mind and improve concentration.
Exploring more new places is linked to higher happiness
Most people cycle through a small set of familiar places. Research in human mobility suggests that, at any given time,…
Level 3
Cannabis use may alter how your genes work
Epigenetic study reveals DNA methylation changes linked to marijuana use A genome-wide study in middle-aged adults found significant DNA methylation…
A larger-than-usual brain network may raise the risk of depression
A new study has identified that the frontostriatal salience network, a brain region tied to reward processing and external stimuli…
Scientists find brain network twice as large in depressed people
Scientists have discovered that the salience network, a set of brain regions that decides what you focus on and how…
Early speech pattern changes linked to cognitive decline
Aging affects word retrieval due to processing speed decline Research suggests that word-finding difficulties in aging are mainly due to…
The brain’s remarkable ability to rewire after 40
Age-related changes in brain network connectivity and cognitive decline A systematic review of resting-state functional brain networks across the adult…
Higher cognitive ability is statistically linked to more liberal views
Genetic predictors of intelligence linked to liberal political beliefs A study investigated the relationship between intelligence and political beliefs using…