tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40229257378827532612024-02-07T00:12:09.515-08:00MindframeRobb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-69284543643691065202019-05-09T12:27:00.002-07:002019-05-09T12:27:55.801-07:00Who Are You: Does Personality Change as We Age?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you the same “you” that you were twenty years ago? Thirty? Forty? What about fifty years ago? While science still struggles to quantify, measure, and categorize personality, some have a different question: how stable is personality in the first place? Do the high school version of yourself and the retiree version of yourself still have some common immutable core?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/personality-aging-9714/">It depends how you look at it</a>, says a paper by lead author Rodica Damian of University of Houston and her co-authors Marion Spengler of the University of Tuebingen in Germany, Brent W. Roberts of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and UH grad student Andreea Sutu. The <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspp0000210">paper </a>in question goes by the catchy title “Sixteen going on sixty-six: A longitudinal study of personality stability and change across 50 years.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Damian and her colleagues compared the results for 1,795 U.S. adults who had taken a personality test as teenagers and then again, five decades years later. The team found that yes, there is a definite shift in traits over time, trending in roughly the same direction: with age, subjects became more conscientious, more stable, and more agreeable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be clear, there were exceptions, with some developing “maladaptive” traits, but overall, people seemed to become more steady and mellow. (Or at least, more steady and mellow they were as teens—whether or not your adolescent self is the most useful personality data point is another question altogether.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, it’s not that we become the same as we approach retirement. Differences remain—as compared to each other. In other words, your less-than-responsible high school buddy has grown more conscientious compared with their high school self, but compared with others of their age group, they could still certainly remain a bit of a bust-out. (Gender seems to make no difference in how these qualities develop.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is great news, in a way: we do mature, in ways that might sometimes render us unrecognizable to ourselves, but to our peers, you’ll probably still retain that special combination of traits that makes you yourself. It’s simply all relative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br />Clever Title Pendinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16075818036575277078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-53268759595952019662019-05-02T14:46:00.000-07:002019-05-02T14:46:28.389-07:00Medicinal Music: Stroke Recovery<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week, we talked about a study suggesting that listening
to a Bach sonata boosts the effectiveness of a painkiller. Today, it’s more
good news for music fans: we’ll be looking at how the simple activity of
listening to songs helps those recovering from a stroke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The connection between the nebulously defined “music therapy”
and stroke recovery is nothing new. In 2008, Finnish music therapist Anita
Forsblom teamed up with Teppo Särkämö of the University of Helsinki for <a href="https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/131/3/866/318687">an experiment</a>
involving 60 stroke patients. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One third were asked to listen to music every day, another third was assigned daily
audio book consumption, and the final third served as the control group. Both
the music group and the audio book group got to choose what they’d listen to,
and all three groups otherwise received standard stroke rehabilitation care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To measure their relative progress, the subjects were tasked
with filling out a wide range of cognitive tests and a mood assessment at one
week, three months, and six months into the experiment. Of the 54 individuals
who completed the experiment, the music group scored significantly better on
the cognitive tasks, showing better concentration and memory, as well as less
confusion and depression. And of course, this is especially good news
considering that this form of therapy is basically free, has no evident side
effects, and is considered an enjoyable activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Still, that was one trial performed more than ten years ago.
How well does it hold up? Recently, researchers in the UK recruited 72 stroke survivors from acute stroke
units, once again randomly dividing them into three groups. One group listened
to audiobooks, one group listened to music, and one group combined music-listening
with some basic mindfulness training. Once again, all the subjects could choose
their own audiobooks or music. All three groups were told to listen for an hour
a day for an eight-week period following their release from the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/music-mindful-stoke-rehabilitation-12082/">The study</a> measured each person’s cognitive abilities and
mood immediately after the stroke, and at three and six months later. The
patient was also interviewed at the end of the eight-week listening period, for
personal impressions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In interviews, the mindfulness and music group reported that
the exercises helped with concentration and mood, while both music groups said listening
to music helped stimulate memories of the past. The higher reported mood of the
mindfulness and music patients didn’t actually hold true across the later assessment
tests, but both groups who listened to music scored better than the audiobook
people with regards to recovering memory functions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“We’re very keen to investigate the potential benefit of
mindful music listening in a larger study,” says Professor and lead investigator
Jonathan Evans. “We also want to examine whether music listening – with or
without mindfulness – could be used even earlier, in inpatient hospital
settings.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">www.bestmindframe.com</a><span style="color: #757575;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br />Clever Title Pendinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16075818036575277078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-35806337615591057142019-04-25T13:28:00.000-07:002019-04-25T13:28:01.097-07:00The Best Painkiller Isn't What You Think It Is<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we say that listening to the right song makes us feel
better, usually we mean it in terms of emotions. However, </span><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/music-pain-therapy-10962/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a new study</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> from the
University of Utah Health suggests that combining certain painkillers with
certain music boosts the pain-fighting effect of the medication a measurable
amount. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This recent bit of research was conducted specifically on
models recreating two types of pain: inflammatory and post-surgical. (Nerve
pain, or neuropathic pain, was not addressed.) Low doses of four medications
were explored: ibuprofen, cannabidiol, levetiracetam, and NAX 5055. As for
music, the researchers went with one artist only, while the control groups were
given one of the four drugs and subjected to white noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What music would you choose for optimal painkilling effect?
The experimenters went with Mozart. (Interestingly, the phrase “Mozart therapy”
already exists, referring to the beneficial effect ol’ Amadeus can have on
patients with epilepsy. For instance, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29763803"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a 2018 study</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of 45 children found that
when the young patients were exposed to Mozart’s Sonata for two pianos in D
major, their rate of epileptic discharges decreased significantly—even compared
with other, non-Mozart music.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even those familiar with the outcome of “Mozart therapy”
might have been surprised at just how dramatic the results were. The
music-and-ibuprofen cocktail proved especially potent, reducing pain responses
in the inflammatory model by 93%, as compared to ibuprofen alone. However, the
other combinations had their advantages: pairing music with cannabidiol reduced
swelling in the inflammatory pain model by 21%. Meanwhile, in the surgical pain
model, just listening to music alone cut down on pain responses by 77%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s possible that this approach will allow us to cut down
on dosage levels where pain medications are concerned. This is great news. For
one thing, in high doses, these drugs can cause adverse reactions, including
toxicity. Just to speculate for a moment, given how sensitive elderly peoples’
systems are to painkillers, it could also be a huge step forward in elder pain
management.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are some definite shortcomings of this particular
trial. For instance, it was conducted on mice only, and mice hear at different
frequencies than we do, which could affect the results. (Although if you were
worried that only the classiest of classical music buffs would show favorable
pain-management reactions to Mozart, that doesn’t seem to be the case; mice
aren’t renowned for their sophistication.) Certainly, further exploration is
needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Still, the next time you’re recovering from inflammation or
surgery, it’s worth a try. Take your meds, cue up a sonata, and let the healing
begin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-45701903086257606262019-04-22T15:29:00.002-07:002019-04-22T15:30:16.822-07:00The Happiness Hack<div align="left">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGL_EsK7s9sw4jSHZEMMjXGep9IVzd2IMN9M6JuKzVZW4Kq2WbqXvL13M4ClQCLkiavwxcy4OeShjA-RzbTvrMINUmIhHawik0gw6Cyxy58TE861vf3dCpLWaxfdKtB2D1mNOViZT0l8/s1600/happy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGL_EsK7s9sw4jSHZEMMjXGep9IVzd2IMN9M6JuKzVZW4Kq2WbqXvL13M4ClQCLkiavwxcy4OeShjA-RzbTvrMINUmIhHawik0gw6Cyxy58TE861vf3dCpLWaxfdKtB2D1mNOViZT0l8/s640/happy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happiness: it’s something we all want, and in one way or
another, most of us spend our lives attempting to pursue it. Multiple
industries are devoted to our quest for increased joy. Now, a team of
researchers at Iowa State University have <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/psychology-strategy-improve-mood-happiness-10944/">carefully studied</a> several mental
strategies designed to make us happier. Their goal is to give us the low-down
on the best way to lift a bad mood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The contenders? Loving-kindness, interconnectedness, and
downward social comparison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Loving-kindness involves sincerely wishing for other people
to be happy. Interconnectedness means meditating on the ties that we all share—for
example, universal hopes and dreams. Downward social comparison occurs when you
focus on how you are better off than others around you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To test the effectiveness of these various thought patterns,
the team—led by Professor Douglas Gentile, Senior Lecturer Dawn Sweet, and grad
student Lanmiao He—had college students walk around the building for 12 minutes.
Some of the students were assigned one of the three strategies to apply to the other
people they saw, while a control group was instead told to focus just on the
appearance of any passers-by. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
students also filled out a survey before and after, measuring their anxiety,
happiness, stress, empathy, and connectedness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Previous studies had found that downward social comparison
was a reliable method for upping your own happiness, but now the happiness
waters have been muddied a bit, because this new study seems to demonstrate that
comparing oneself to others doesn’t benefit one’s mood, when evaluated next to
the control group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Instead, the clear winner was loving-kindness, which gave
students a boost in joy, caring, and connectedness, and a decrease in anxiety. The
interconnectedness group did also experience an increase in empathy and
connectedness, but loving-kindness saw the biggest rise in happiness. This held
true regardless of the personalities of the students involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the next time you’re feeling blue, give yourself 12
minutes to walk around the block and extend well-wishes to everyone you see. It’ll
do you good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s1600/brainapps.png" imageanchor="1" style="background: none; color: #2196f3; display: inline-block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; outline: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="896" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s200/brainapps.png" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" width="176" /></a></span></span></span></div>
Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-69524621584817008912019-03-25T13:41:00.002-07:002019-04-22T15:26:49.503-07:00The Anti-Alzheimer's Diet, Part 2<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZdW7BKylvXOw0kOo1y0-k3rSzxngLdVuyoTHkdPmCvL7QaWbvSd7q-Y6Lp55omwlz1tvlHUEMO95UqerPQvuhdaYUgMDbzsenRU1UgEgBaITflhoPuxvPQsvQkTYd-kPhLoF1flapRU/s1600/nuts%2521+for+brains%2521.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZdW7BKylvXOw0kOo1y0-k3rSzxngLdVuyoTHkdPmCvL7QaWbvSd7q-Y6Lp55omwlz1tvlHUEMO95UqerPQvuhdaYUgMDbzsenRU1UgEgBaITflhoPuxvPQsvQkTYd-kPhLoF1flapRU/s640/nuts%2521+for+brains%2521.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While there is no one fool-proof diet guaranteed to guard
against age-related cognitive decline, a series of recent studies have found a
possible link between consuming certain foods and remaining sharper for longer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Nuts<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve known for a while that nuts are beneficial for the
brain. Yes, they’re high in fat, but the brain actually needs some fat to run
properly—as long as it’s the right kind. Walnuts, for instance, are a good source
of those all-important omega-3 fatty acids you’ve heard so much about, the ones
that help repair the cell membranes around neurons. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Even if walnuts are not your favorite, though, it’s still
worth grabbing a fistful of those crunchy legumes. Nuts <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-brain-foods#section8">also provide Vitamin E</a>,
which protects cells—including neurons—from free radical damage. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
They’re also linked with heart health, and better circulation means a better
supply of blood for the brain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">What’s the result of these benefits? In <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4105147/">a 2014 study</a> of 16,010
women over the age of 70, those who averaged five servings of nuts a week
performed noticeably better on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status
(TICS). </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Essentially, it was the equivalent of being two years younger.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And more recently, <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/nut-consumption-brain-health-10920/">a 2019 study</a> surveying 4822 Chinese
adults age 55 and older found that eating more than 10 grams of nuts a day—about
2 teaspoons—had a positive association with improved mental function. This
included not just memory but reasoning and thinking. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
Perhaps not surprisingly, the most common nut consumed was the humble peanut.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Mushrooms<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Already a walnut fan, and wondering what else you can do for
your gray matter? Consider incorporating more mushrooms into your diet. A team from
the Yong Loo Ling School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore
<a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/cognitive-decline-mushrooms-10885/">has discovered</a> a possible link between regular consumption of cooked mushrooms
and lower chances of developing mild cognitive impairment. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
(“Mild cognitive impairment,” or MCI, is the term for the bridge between the
normal memory decline we experience as we age, and actual dementia.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking at over 600 Singapore residents over the age of 60,
the scientists found that those who ate two portions of mushrooms a week had a
50% lower chance of developing MCI. Granted, the study defined a single portion
as 2/3 of a cup cooked mushrooms, which is an awful lot of fungi—just sprinkling
a few mushroom slices over a pizza won’t cut it. On the plus side, even incorporating
a small portion of cooked mushrooms just once a week showed results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And luckily, the varieties referenced in the study included
types you can easily find at your local grocery store: oyster, shitake, and
white button mushrooms.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-23287598792736833032019-03-07T13:11:00.001-08:002019-03-07T13:11:23.079-08:00The Anti-Alzheimer's Diet<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mb-jK-zBDFpjLkxGJm1Gn6U_oGI5Wpq1LYdeS_7la3DKnWOmVq8GdiskMW3gQAJ6B-Pi7jFHOxgClD9wSdwFT9hhYwgarMPeMycIy3y7UpQD3RqwWQIYxM2UM0o7fwGEu65lLmOpngs/s1600/greentea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mb-jK-zBDFpjLkxGJm1Gn6U_oGI5Wpq1LYdeS_7la3DKnWOmVq8GdiskMW3gQAJ6B-Pi7jFHOxgClD9wSdwFT9hhYwgarMPeMycIy3y7UpQD3RqwWQIYxM2UM0o7fwGEu65lLmOpngs/s640/greentea.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It's the healthiest thing I can think of to
drink," <a href="https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea#1">says</a> Dr. Christopher Ochner, nutrition research scientist at Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What trendy advance in food technology is Ochner talking about? Plain green
tea, which has been regularly consumed in China for over a thousand years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Google “green tea health benefits” and you’ll find a lengthy
list of dubious New Age-y claims, suggesting that regular consumption might
help with everything from cancer to belly fat. However, <a href="https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea#1">research</a> demonstrates
that green tea improves blood flow and lowers cholesterol, in the process lowering
blood pressure and decreasing risk of congestive heart failure. It does also
seem to stabilize blood sugar for people with diabetes. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and there’s the brain benefits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Multiple recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5477123/">studies</a> have suggested that consuming a
compound found in green tea—EGCG, or epigallocatechin-3-gallate—reduces the
formation of amyloid beta proteins, which occurs when certain larger proteins
break down. These amyloid beta proteins accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s
patients, and are believed to clog up the works and help bring on the disease. Inflammation
is also thought to play a role in dementia, and green tea is known for its anti-inflammatory
properties. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With no calories or sugar of its own, you can feel free to
guzzle basically as much green tea as you’d like—as long as you drink it in the
morning, before the caffeine can interfere with your sleep patterns. If straight
green tea is too bitter for you, check out your local hippie grocery store to
experiment with different blends. (And of course, check any pre-bottled tea for
added ingredients, including sugar.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, what to pair with your mug of green tea?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How about carrots?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the EGCG <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190306133414.htm">studies</a> also examined the effects of a substance
called ferulic acid, found in, among other foods, carrots. Mice bred to show
symptoms of Alzheimer’s were fed either ECGC, ferulic acid, both, or neither.
The mice fed both regained their ability to navigate a Y-shaped maze as well as
a healthy mouse. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, as with any mouse study, we have to take the
findings with a certain grain of salt. Mice aren’t people. Still, in the
meantime while we wait for human trials, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/carrots">increasing your carrot count can’t hurt</a>; they’re loaded with fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin K, potassium and
antioxidants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And if munching on some raw carrots feels too
much like eating rabbit food, check out this easy, tasty <a href="https://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/03/carrot-apple-ginger-soup/">carrot-ginger soup</a> that’s perfect
for a gray day. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-14964157518517075372019-02-28T13:20:00.000-08:002019-02-28T13:20:14.223-08:00New Robotics Solve an Old Riddle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsugh77Vpz3DIW2c6DkJ28yMS494kmWAjhlDDhG146Bm5IBiWJoTis3yN2VeLidnVSClVG-83M3RFUcqyXmG_FuI6MdbwLP-X27cDI_-tZNs2v1jqyuw0etwCtH9Vv3wUoKOCzaHQ8R9U/s1600/touch.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsugh77Vpz3DIW2c6DkJ28yMS494kmWAjhlDDhG146Bm5IBiWJoTis3yN2VeLidnVSClVG-83M3RFUcqyXmG_FuI6MdbwLP-X27cDI_-tZNs2v1jqyuw0etwCtH9Vv3wUoKOCzaHQ8R9U/s640/touch.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It turns out your teachers were being a little hasty when they
said there are only five senses. For instance, there’s proprioception, which is
essentially the brain’s ability to take stock of where your limbs are in
relation to the rest of your body, without seeing or touching anything. Even
floating in a pool with your eyes shut, you don’t have to check to know where
your arms and legs are.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This, of course, gets a bit complicated when you lose an arm
or leg. In 80% of patients, the result, at least for a little while, is a
condition called phantom limb syndrome: a burning or tingling perceived in the
area of the former extremity, which scientists theorize may be the nerve
endings attempting to make sense of the sudden disconnect. Previously, we wrote
about <a href="https://www.bestmindframe.com/blog/search/phantom%2520limb">an experimental phantom limb treatment involving a VR headset</a>. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, now <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/sense-prosthetic-hand-10792/">a new solution may be on the horizon</a>, created
by EPFL, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and the A. Gemelli
University Polyclinic in Rome. They’ve developed a prosthetic hand, but far
from being a simple facsimile of a palm and five fingers, it is instead a complex
piece of robotics designed to stimulate the nerves of the user’s stump. It’s
the result of ten years of research—and it shows. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Current robotic prosthetics on the market allow the user to
control their new hand using the remaining muscles of the forearm. That said,
the only feedback the user gets is visual. If the user wants to pick something
up, the only way to get the sensory information of “I’m touching this item, now
I’m holding it,” is to watch it happen. That disconnect can make it harder for
the user to integrate the prothesis as part of their body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Research groups have been studying how to give amputees that
all-important tactile feedback, but this recent study represents another big
step forward. Not only does this new “intraneural stimulation” approach allow
for tactile feedback, but positional feedback as well, meaning these are
prosthetics that will provide the all-important sense of proprioception for
that hand. “The brain has no problem combining this information, and patients
can process both types in real time with excellent results,” Silvestro Micera
told the press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This process doesn’t happen overnight. Electrodes are placed
on the amputee’s stump, and the patient must then go through a special course
to train their brains to convert electrical pulses into the sense of touching
something, or moving the hand through space. Although trials so far have been
very limited, thus far, two amputees were able to regain proprioception of the
hand, and to determine the size and shape of objects touched with slightly over
75% accuracy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No headset required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s1600/brainapps.png" imageanchor="1" style="background: none; color: #2196f3; display: inline-block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; outline: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="896" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s200/brainapps.png" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" width="176" /></a></span></span></span></div>
Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-41930759793018189862019-02-21T13:02:00.002-08:002019-02-21T13:02:27.247-08:00Bamboozled! How Disguises Fool Us
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0jML6vOQwgintZBbPwl8h5pC_x3gikxJ51n7RLuO8egLQAD1bmmK6BrQE_VJZo7-HkkTka4xuXW37xJhmuKMpYtQDcoS_xnMzIwFoTol6rt31R7AjfO8ZrV7XdHgP2d9oHyJ7zp9Vfs/s1600/disguise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="500" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0jML6vOQwgintZBbPwl8h5pC_x3gikxJ51n7RLuO8egLQAD1bmmK6BrQE_VJZo7-HkkTka4xuXW37xJhmuKMpYtQDcoS_xnMzIwFoTol6rt31R7AjfO8ZrV7XdHgP2d9oHyJ7zp9Vfs/s640/disguise.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point, it’s well-trod territory: why couldn’t star
reporter Lois Lane recognize that her nerdy coworker Clark Kent was also
Superman? How could simply changing one’s clothes, slipping off a pair of
glasses, and brushing one’s hair fool a grown adult? Who could fall for such
surface-level changes in appearance?<br />
<br />
Well. Plenty of people, as it turns out. Researchers at the University of York
and University of Huddersfield recently<a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/effective-disguises-10768/"> led an experiment</a> testing the average
person’s ability to recognize disguised faces in photos. Models were given
resources to change their hair, facial hair, and makeup, but were not allowed to
wear common spy movie props like hats or sunglasses, since these are banned in
most security settings. To sweeten the pot, a cash reward was offered to the
model who could fool the most people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was, it turned out, steep competition. The models fooled
participants about 30% of the time. In fact, subjects could only reliably see
through a disguise if it was being worn by someone they knew in real life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This last detail was not itself so surprising; when you look
at a stranger, you tend to identify them by surface-level traits: the
red-haired woman, the bearded man, that fellow in the newsroom with the
glasses. However, once you get to know someone, your facial reading software
gets more advanced, so to speak. You start to know the shape of a person’s nose
and the configuration of their cheekbones, the set of their mouth and the line
of their chin, what study co-author Rob Jenkins calls “internal facial features,”
which are, he notes, “much harder to alter.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s the reason that when your friend gets a really dramatic
haircut, you’re not left completely mystified, asking helplessly, “Who are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The researchers also looked at two different types of
disguises: impersonation and evasion. Impersonation, just as it sounds,
involves trying to look like a specific other person. For instance, trying to
match the photo on a stolen ID. Evasion disguises are simply an attempt to look
unlike your usual appearance, which might come in handy if your face ever shows
up on a wanted poster. The study found that evasion disguises are generally
more effective. This makes sense, because when your only goal is to change your
appearance, you have a great many more tools at your disposal: haircuts,
curlers, straightening irons, makeup, and yes, even glasses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This may help to explain why con artists so often get away
with obscuring their true identities, even if it doesn’t shed much light on Superman’s
very lightweight deception abilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next step for the researchers is to see if computer
recognition can be equally fooled. Meanwhile, the next step for Lois Lane is to
wonder why she still can’t identify the face of a man she sees every workday
when he doesn’t even bother with a blond wig or a fake mustache.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-6521099578808218962019-02-18T13:59:00.001-08:002019-02-18T13:59:51.276-08:00In a Heartbeat<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRZLjdfS53OUHwZX10wg4wlGwvw8O3NyZQJpoCcwFvKNVlWsiPyxcCJWF7YbN1bulo8vZkrCj2CI-ie8WsEPTEYHIiy-P6TOTTBdYBhrGSKvfGlSo74Ghv6605hZhq1nKGAEoXVobV0o/s1600/spiiiiders.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="500" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRZLjdfS53OUHwZX10wg4wlGwvw8O3NyZQJpoCcwFvKNVlWsiPyxcCJWF7YbN1bulo8vZkrCj2CI-ie8WsEPTEYHIiy-P6TOTTBdYBhrGSKvfGlSo74Ghv6605hZhq1nKGAEoXVobV0o/s640/spiiiiders.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some amount of fear is healthy. As <a href="https://www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/377515477/fearless">a 2015 episode</a> of NPR’s
<em>Invisibilia</em> illustrates, that rare person born with no fear suffers some unique
setbacks. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
Still, given the millions of people around the world with anxiety disorders
and/or post-traumatic stress disorders, it’s easy to see the ways that
experiencing too much fear, or experiencing it at the wrong times, can
adversely affect day to day life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s where the Cardiac Control for Fear in Brain (CCFB)
studies come in. Led by Professor Sarah Garfinkel of the University of Sussex,
in Brighton, UK, the goals are lofty. “Imagine what might be possible if you
can turn fear on and off,” begins <a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/108306/factsheet/en">their fact sheet</a> on the website for the
European Research Council. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The concept behind CCFB is rooted in research demonstrating
that the brain is better at appropriately processing “fear stimuli” just after
the heart has made a beat. This can be harnessed in, for example, exposure
therapy, which works best when the fear response is maximized in a safe
environment. In other words, if a person with a fear of dogs is undergoing
exposure therapy, confronting them with an image of a dog during the patient’s
heartbeat will produce better results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a recent trial, Professor Garfinkel’s team applied the
principle to people suffering arachnophobia by showing patients images of
spiders in sync with the person’s heartbeat. The arachnophobes experienced
noticeable results after just four half-hour sessions—a considerably shorter
period than it would take to make similar progress in traditional exposure
therapy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These ideas also could potentially have an impact far
greater than simply helping individuals cope with phobias. Consider the role of
fear when it comes to police deciding whether to shoot a suspect. Many U.S. news
stories have demonstrated cases in which officers shot unarmed African American
men, seemingly swayed by fear induced by racial bias. This has wide-reaching
consequences; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/police-shootings-black-mental-health.html">a study</a> in Britain’s prominent medical journal <em>The Lancet</em> found
that such shootings negatively affect the mental health of the statewide African
American population. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Professor Garfinkel’s team assembled a group of white subjects
and asked them to make split-second decisions—to shoot or not to shoot—based on
images of black or white people, each holding either a gun or a cell phone. <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/fear-memory-heartbeat-10757/">The results</a> showed that the white people were more likely to “shoot” an unarmed
black person if that image coincided with a heartbeat. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is difficult to know how to apply these findings to the
emotionally fraught world of on-duty police officers, and many activists would
probably argue that racial sensitivity training makes for a better long-term
investment, with greater overall impact on community health. Still, the link
between fearful thoughts and beating hearts is a fascinating one, and one that may
yet produce surprising—and helpful--findings.</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-35466937875867297642019-02-07T15:30:00.001-08:002019-02-07T15:30:58.718-08:00Change Your Food, Change Your Mood?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmbp47KBByE17AoVZI4DiRGuBdDWRLHa060a0EhSgdJR88lb-q7NioVsVZa_o-vpBcTpg-lbB2MT3Wz96Ch7GmCO94XAZ2GUcS6e6OB18im31PdTdMieIvc3Fa4_7t_KgTTAuktv3Mh0/s1600/healthy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmbp47KBByE17AoVZI4DiRGuBdDWRLHa060a0EhSgdJR88lb-q7NioVsVZa_o-vpBcTpg-lbB2MT3Wz96Ch7GmCO94XAZ2GUcS6e6OB18im31PdTdMieIvc3Fa4_7t_KgTTAuktv3Mh0/s640/healthy.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’re looking to bring a change in your psychological
state, the answer may be as simple as adjusting your eating habits. So, which
diet are we promoting today? Any of them, basically.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dr Joseph Firth, an Honorary Research fellow at The
University of Manchester and Research Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute
at Western Sydney University, led <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-diet-10691/">a recent meta-study</a>. It checked 16 randomized
studies encompassing 45,826 people, most of whom had non-clinical depression.
In other words, they were bummed out, but not in a way that had been diagnosed
as medical. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each of the 16 studies examined the effects of making various
positive dietary changes—less fat, more nutrients, and so on—combined with
physical exercise. The surprising thing was that diet-wise, there was no clear
winner. Each eating system resulted in improved mental health, even for people
who weren’t starting out with diagnosed depression—and this held especially
true for women.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s heartening news, even if it presents a challenge for individual
diet marketers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><<Which healthy
eating approach you buy into has less effect than that you buy into one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bottom line is that, for whatever reason,
cutting out the fast food and refined sugars leads to increased happiness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, food and emotion are tied together in myriad ways,
and while it’s tempting to draw a tidy conclusion from this meta-analysis, even
the researchers involved say that further study is needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does loading up on junk food directly affect your brain
chemistry, or does the social stigma surrounding “pigging out” result in
lowered mood? (Does the nutrition change affect women more because of how their
brains are set up, or simply how much more they are taught to value healthy
eating and physical appearance?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does taking the time to eat a diet of nutrient-rich foods
simply lead to a slower, more contemplative lifestyle?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For that matter, one of the causes of depression can be
feelings of reduced control. Would following through on any self-improvement
plan produce similar results?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Still, while we wait for all the data to come in, it wouldn’t
hurt. So the next time you’re feeling low, consider some alternative to eating
your feelings: listening to your favorite song, rewatching your favorite movie,
partaking in some activity you enjoy, or even putting on headphones and going
out for a walk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Something to chew on…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-68590295883815910262019-02-01T11:41:00.000-08:002019-02-01T11:41:07.545-08:00Take 9 Hours and Call Me in the Morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc73efNZQ2KgWhTenfrMywKLwhkW8ePqWdSqkAjHjcbmZ-Jh-D2_CjSWxhztJxLJvZiwph1xJG52eU_CZ2Fir7r34fvF7112frDNG9uM1sQNSR162QEdQ2CvxiVfeLkxyu7QglNJjScXg/s1600/sleeping.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc73efNZQ2KgWhTenfrMywKLwhkW8ePqWdSqkAjHjcbmZ-Jh-D2_CjSWxhztJxLJvZiwph1xJG52eU_CZ2Fir7r34fvF7112frDNG9uM1sQNSR162QEdQ2CvxiVfeLkxyu7QglNJjScXg/s640/sleeping.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sleep: we all know it’s important. We all know we should be getting
7 to 9 hours a night. And yet one in five U.S. adults regularly fails to hit
that target. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdrowsydriving/index.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">one in twenty-five adults admits to having fallen asleep while driving withinthe last thirty days</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s bad news to everyone on the road, but sleep
deprivation can come back to bite you even if you aren’t literally dozing off
at the wheel. For instance, the next time you stub your toe. A new study from
the University of Berkeley, California shows that sleep deprivation doesn’t
just make you more likely to get in an accident—it </span><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/sleep-pain-10648/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">actually makes the injuriesfrom those accidents hurt worse</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How do you safely study pain in humans, especially given
that everyone has a different pain threshold (and even doctors tend to
underestimate the pain experienced by some groups, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/well/live/when-doctors-downplay-womens-health-concerns.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">including women as a whole</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)?
First, researchers applied heat to the legs of healthy students after a full
night’s sleep while recording brain activity in an fMRI scanner. Students rated
their personal level of discomfort on a scale of one to ten as the temperature
gradually increased. On average, students said that things got dicey around 111
degrees Fahrenheit. This provided a baseline pain sensitivity for each
participant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next, the researchers repeated the procedure after a night
where the student had been unable to sleep. This time, the subjects felt the
pain noticeably sooner, around 107 degrees. However, the story doesn’t end
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By comparing the brain imaging, the scientists were able to
demonstrate that the sleep-deprived brain showed increased activity in the
somatosensory cortex and less activation in the nucleus accumbens and insular
cortex. This suggests that the brain’s natural pain-managing mechanisms weren’t
functioning as well, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems that a good night’s sleep is key to pain management—a
bitter irony for anyone with chronic pain issues who’s ever attempted some
peaceful shut-eye. In fact, it seems that those in pain are stuck in something
of a vicious cycle: discomfort keeps you awake, and keeping you awake leads to
more discomfort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“If poor sleep intensifies our sensitivity to pain, as this
study demonstrates, then sleep must be placed much closer to the center of
patient care, especially in hospital wards,” notes Matthew Walker, professor of
neuroscience and psychology, and author of this study. While this research
complicates our understanding of chronic pain, it does provide a way forward
for the medical profession. Perhaps someday soon, hospitals will look a little
more like luxury hotels, with dim lighting, comfortable beds, and restful
music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the meantime, if you’re finding yourself nodding off in
your car, it’s time to double your resolve to get more sleep at night—really,
it will be better for everyone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s1600/brainapps.png" imageanchor="1" style="background: none; color: #2196f3; display: inline-block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; outline: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="896" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s200/brainapps.png" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" width="176" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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</div>
Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-62157279497396556402019-01-17T14:29:00.000-08:002019-01-17T14:29:03.276-08:00The Hop on Pop Revolution
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3onLrWs-_S3ovy91cWotpRy5hYaUiq-vlO1HM0ImNkna_AGoqlPiz2oxsicK4Fei5IM6vJ2aK_7Q2Ilsehp-Cwp7EnECd8Zg4DQnR8Az2DcPmdWIp92lDHnX9YESnkc4Q52QBiq3tIeU/s1600/reading.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3onLrWs-_S3ovy91cWotpRy5hYaUiq-vlO1HM0ImNkna_AGoqlPiz2oxsicK4Fei5IM6vJ2aK_7Q2Ilsehp-Cwp7EnECd8Zg4DQnR8Az2DcPmdWIp92lDHnX9YESnkc4Q52QBiq3tIeU/s640/reading.jpeg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reading to a toddler-aged child does more than just get them
to sit still for a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Led by James Law, Professor of Speech and Language Sciences
in Newcastle University’s School of Education, Communication and Language
Sciences, researchers found something interesting. According to a new study, when
parents and other caregivers routinely read with small children, the result is
a language advantage of eight months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The researchers carefully reviewed sixteen reading intervention
studies from the past 40 years, conducted in the USA, South Africa, Canada, Israel,
and China. Some children were read to by a parent; some were read to by another
caregiver. Some were read to from books; some were shown electronic readers. The
average age of the child involved was 39 months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The goal was to examine the effects on receptive language
(the ability to understand words), expressive language (the ability to translate
thoughts into words), and pre-reading skills (the ability to see how words are
structured.) In each category, these children experienced an improvement.
However, the most dramatic changes occurred in receptive language, resulting in
a lead of eight months over other children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One group of toddlers showed slightly more benefit than the
rest: the socially disadvantaged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eight months is a huge gap when talking about preschoolers. It’s
the difference between not being ready for elementary school, or acing
kindergarten. Malcolm Gladwell’s book <em>The Outliers </em>would argue that this early
bump could determine a child’s entire academic destiny: a student labeled as
smart early on will garner more attention from parents and teachers, thus
leading to a feedback loop that can last beyond college. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s true that some of Gladwell’s conclusions have drawn criticism
from journalists. However, it is hard to deny that a child entering school with
an eight-month lead will have a considerably easier time of things. And Professor
Law himself notes, “This ability to understand information is predictive of
later social and educational difficulties. And research suggests it is these
language skills which are hardest to change.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As politicians and educators continue to debate educational
reform, it seems hard to believe that the solution could be as simple as
promoting programs where parents and caregivers read, say, <em>Hop On Pop</em> to a
three-year-old. No doubt a comprehensive solution must include a number of
other steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still, this research suggests that one thing shouldn’t be
controversial: if you are parent or caregiver to a small child, it’s time to
practice your best Dr. Seuss voices…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s1600/brainapps.png" imageanchor="1" style="background: none; color: #2196f3; display: inline-block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; outline: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="896" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s200/brainapps.png" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" width="176" /></a></span></span></span></div>
Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-32877222745967772902018-12-20T12:13:00.002-08:002018-12-20T12:13:16.126-08:00Depressed? Check Your Gut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFJlQb0DCakEPjGiCR5QFoeDyTs8l5H5xiLhm59igFMnhV1gAEoEFWkxiPFzhQH351pnDQwNGO5NAvO90pPi1iC53IbjumPuan1T9fU5pdkMhTgG7HWxB3bbfkQIs017nqwe0OiOB6yg/s1600/depresh.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFJlQb0DCakEPjGiCR5QFoeDyTs8l5H5xiLhm59igFMnhV1gAEoEFWkxiPFzhQH351pnDQwNGO5NAvO90pPi1iC53IbjumPuan1T9fU5pdkMhTgG7HWxB3bbfkQIs017nqwe0OiOB6yg/s640/depresh.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As if depressed or anxious people needed another thing to worry
about, <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-anxiety-health-10356/">a new study from UC San Francisco</a> suggests that depression and anxiety
may be as bad for the health as smoking or obesity. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First author Dr. Andrea Niles and senior author Dr. Aoife
O’Donovan of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and the San Francisco VA Medical
Center examined the records of 15,000 adults over four years. Of that sample,
16% were found to be noticeably depressed or anxious. Compared to their non-depressed,
non-anxious counterparts, those 16% of respondents were 65% more likely to have
a heart condition, 64% more likely to have had a stroke, 50% more likely to
have high blood pressure, and a whopping 87% more likely to have arthritis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(They were not found to be at greater risk for cancer, but that’s
not much of a silver lining, considering.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clearly, depression and anxiety are not a simple bad mood,
or a weakness of character, but a serious medical condition. Clearly, something
must be done. But where do we start?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to all the conventional wisdom—therapy,
meditation, sleep, exercise, medication—scientists have found a relatively new
lead: the gut. Researchers at Northeastern University believe they’ve found<a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/bacteria-clinical-depression-10323/"> a key link</a> between mood disorders and the tiny, teeming world of the gut
microbiome. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, Phillip Strandwitz and Professor Kim Lewis of Northeastern
worked with a team at Weill Medical College to gather fecal samples and brain scans
from people with clinical depression. In examining the data, they saw that
individuals with certain brain patterns associated with depression also had fewer
gut bacteria of the genus Bacteroides. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are about 100 trillion bacteria in the human digestive
tract, of many different varieties; why were they keeping an eye on Bacteroides?
Strandwitz and Lewis had previously discovered that Bacteroides produces a neurotransmitter
called gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA for short. GABA interrupts signals
being sent from your nerves, preventing your brain from getting overstimulated.
The result is a calm, peaceful feeling—basically the opposite of depression or
anxiety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“If you have low levels of these GABA-producing bacteria,
that is associated with brain signatures of depression. It’s a pretty strong
correlation,” Lewis told Neuroscience News. “That opens up the intriguing
possibility of treating depression with GABA-producing bacteria.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If that sounds wild, keep in mind that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835">separate human trials</a>
have shown that consuming probiotics (live beneficial bacteria and/or yeasts)
can decrease depressive symptoms to a similar degree as Citalopram or Diazepam,
two commonly prescribed antidepressants. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if you’re feeling consistently down or consistently stressed, you might want
to reach for yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi—your gut, brain, and body will thank
you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-77749130894052770682018-12-13T15:23:00.004-08:002018-12-13T15:23:56.528-08:00Meet the Monkeys at the Forefront of Discovery<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MD1K605rDSGH7mKdRJ-zAuQpYt8leYwDJs_bI4i28QlTUQOtejWeOjxW7JJIW93hbz0O56X8oYmmcaz6LpJnhtqs1CUnNhbknUwjb-vxyjuZDmFEhlsvDGKnfqv9v-bmmsVHAcvM2Kw/s1600/marmoset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="747" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MD1K605rDSGH7mKdRJ-zAuQpYt8leYwDJs_bI4i28QlTUQOtejWeOjxW7JJIW93hbz0O56X8oYmmcaz6LpJnhtqs1CUnNhbknUwjb-vxyjuZDmFEhlsvDGKnfqv9v-bmmsVHAcvM2Kw/s640/marmoset.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Science news is full of what certainly sound like promising
new studies featuring lab mice or lab rats as the test subjects. New treatments
are assessed, and psychological truths are mined. Reading about this research, it’s
easy to feel like we are witnessing the first steps of something big, something
impactful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, you are not a mouse (we assume). If you have ever
read a conclusion from a mouse behavior study and wondered at the exact
practical implications to your life, it turns out you had a pretty good point.
For instance, <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/preclinical-research-make-mouse-studies-work-1.14913">more than 80% of medical treatments</a> tested on animals—usually
mice—fail when tested on people. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mice are cheap, easy to genetically modify, and we share 99%
of our genes, but that one percent holds some crucial differences, especially
when it comes to neuroscience research. For example, mice lack a dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex, which is involved with human learning, memory, and cognition. It’s hard
to model, let’s say, a mental illness, by manipulating a mouse’s brain chemistry;
mouse behavior and human behavior are just too different. “Rodents are
basically solitary, nocturnal and olfactory and we're social, diurnal and
visual,” <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth.4036">says Steven Hyman</a>, former director of the US National Institute of
Mental Health. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enter the common marmoset. Originally hailing from northern
Brazil, these small monkeys (they generally weigh less than a pound each) <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/10/why-are-us-neuroscientists-are-clamoring-marmosets">are increasingly sought after in the neuroscience world</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
Why? There’s a number of reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Marmosets display a number of human-like traits. For one
thing, they’re extremely social. They communicate with a wide variety of vocal
sounds and postures, they raise young in stable family units, and they learn by
patterning behavior. While most primates interpret eye contact as a threat,
marmosets seem to hold each other’s gazes <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth.4036">simply to parse social signals</a>.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
And, like all primates, they have a dorsolateral
cortex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a practical level, marmosets present a number of
improvements over another possible lab monkey, the rhesus macaque. They’re
smaller, easier to maintain, and they both reproduce and grow faster. (There’s
also the handy fact that marmosets, <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/4/1/98-0117_article">unlike the rhesus macaque</a>, are not carriers
for hepatitis B.) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
They typically give birth to twins, which is just plain convenient when it
comes to running studies. Also, their brain surface is smoother than a macaque’s,
making imaging studies easier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And in 2009, scientists successfully produced a transgenic
marmoset, which glowed green under ultraviolet light due to implanted jellyfish
genes. One of the main advantages of mice as a test subject is how easy they
are to genetically modify. While marmosets are certainly harder to manipulate
on this level, it is possible in at least some circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, there are some complications. Marmosets are hard
to train, and there are certainly still some major differences between them and
us. An international agreement with Brazil keeps export rates low. There are also
some potential ethical issues when it comes to, say, reproducing the effects of
depression in a previously healthy monkey’s brain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Still, it’s time to take notice of the common marmoset. The
next big scientific breakthrough might be waiting in a monkey’s brain.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-19810373582588791732018-11-29T20:41:00.003-08:002018-11-29T20:41:43.346-08:00Grey Matters<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvyut-ujqRiw6GCCCQBUrfDXTLHRP8ALJYM1Jh2mY_Cl82u5Gi_hy55x17fdvEgFEdP2iv1sQGg28wSt3jQ5LEdiF-r6R34fvc6sDbBLmbodj2CRcM7CfI79CdpXEHPA08WCn7_EF4HQ/s1600/football.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="501" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvyut-ujqRiw6GCCCQBUrfDXTLHRP8ALJYM1Jh2mY_Cl82u5Gi_hy55x17fdvEgFEdP2iv1sQGg28wSt3jQ5LEdiF-r6R34fvc6sDbBLmbodj2CRcM7CfI79CdpXEHPA08WCn7_EF4HQ/s640/football.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parents of teenagers won’t run out of things to worry over
any time soon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A </span><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/01/14/dangers-that-young-people-face-a-look-at-the-data/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2016 Pew Research Center</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> report surveyed Americans with
children under 18 and found that 60% of these parents worry about their child
getting bullied, while 54% fear their child might at some point suffer from
anxiety or depression, and a full 50% of responding parents fret over the
possibility of their child getting kidnapped. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, here’s one danger the concerned parents might not
have considered: high school football. Researchers with the University of
California, Berkeley, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill recently finished examining the impact of full-contact football on
the adolescent brain, and </span><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/highschool-football-brain-10229/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the results</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> are well, troubling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Using a new kind of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called diffusion
kurtosis, the scientists scanned the brains of 16 high school football players,
all between the age of 15 and 17. The young brains were scanned before and
after playing a season of football—with helmets, and without any impacts severe
enough to merit a concussion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The result was observable changes in the organization of grey
matter before and after the season. Thanks to accelerometers mounted in the
teens’ helmets during play, the researchers were able to demonstrate that these
brain changes lined up with the number and position of the head bonkings each
player received. The most commonly impacted—and thus affected—areas were the
front and back of the cerebral cortex, which pertain to memory, attention and
cognition, as well as the more central thalamus and putamen, which are integral
to relaying sensory information and coordinating movement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This news comes at a time of rising awareness of the long-term
damage caused by head injuries. More and more, the evidence seems to suggest
that repeated blows to the head, even ones that don’t cause concussions, can
lead to cognitive decline as well as neurological disorders. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Formerly known as dementia pugilistica or "punch drunk
syndrome", chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative
disease that was first observed in boxers in the 1920’s. As you might guess
from the name, it is thought to result from repeated head trauma. Its symptoms
include loss of memory, mood disorders, and eventually motor impairment. At
present, the only way to conclusively diagnose someone with CTE is to wait
until they die and perform an autopsy of their brain, checking for buildup of disease-causing
tau protein. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past few years, CTE made headlines as report after
report emerged suggesting that various NFL players exhibited symptoms. </span><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2645104"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A 2017 study</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in the <em>Journal of the American Medical Association</em> found that, of a
sample of 111 deceased NFL players, 110 showed signs of CTE. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be fair, the 16 teenage subjects of the experiment all
took tests before and after the season to measure their cognitive function, and
the results didn’t demonstrate any brain damage. Also, it’s unclear how much
lasting effect these changes would have on a growing brain, and 16 is not a
large enough sample size from which to draw lasting conclusions. Still, it’s
enough to make a nervous parent consider signing their kid up for chess club
instead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-77297564530385697172018-11-23T14:57:00.002-08:002018-11-23T18:29:05.005-08:00Placebo Power<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaoFXTPBXB1STE3tGmmpLsvwr25GbJacy6hwbf0y4FY3R1Z6NTe2KKi9F5gCRuQldUcvCc7OvuxDwDkoaW6v_vV3ZfuowbiFi6ByzSPKleacFkZXo8k_QhsqsG8hElyXTd6LA5WLte4A/s1600/placebo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaoFXTPBXB1STE3tGmmpLsvwr25GbJacy6hwbf0y4FY3R1Z6NTe2KKi9F5gCRuQldUcvCc7OvuxDwDkoaW6v_vV3ZfuowbiFi6ByzSPKleacFkZXo8k_QhsqsG8hElyXTd6LA5WLte4A/s640/placebo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Imagine that scientists have discovered a painkiller that is
incredibly cheap to make, has no dangerous side effects, and performs at a
level comparable to—or even better than—90% of drugs developed in the United
States. You might find yourself wanting to reach for a bottle the next time you
sprain your back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s just one problem: the medication doesn’t, in the traditional
sense, work. It’s a sugar pill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Placebo effect has been a known entity since at least
the days of Ben Franklin, when French King Louis XVI tasked </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/magazine/placebo-effect-medicine.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an elite panel of scientists and thinkers—Franklin included</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—with debunking claims made by Mesmerists.
For instance, that a properly trained Mesmerist could cure people’s afflictions
by manipulating an invisible force called “animal magnetism.” Patients did seem
to respond to the treatments, sometimes crying out or even falling unconscious,
and at least some reported positive results. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, the commission ultimately found that none of the
Mesmerist practices could be successfully replicated if the patient was
blindfolded. The afflicted person had to observe their treatment firsthand, strongly
implying that whatever the Mesmerists were doing, it seemed to operate on the
patients’ minds and not on their bodies. As the panel concluded, “the
imagination singly produces all the effects attributed to the magnetism.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, placebos are not a mere con perpetrated on the gullible.
In 1955, Dr. Henry Beecher analyzed 15 studies and found that </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/535S14a"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">one third of patients</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
showed significant response to a placebo, regardless of the ailment.
Some studies have shown that placebos </span><a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323066.php"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">can affect blood pressure</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.
Placebos</span><a href="http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/just-sugar-pill-placebo-effect-real/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> can also trigger production</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of a body’s natural endorphins, chemical
cousins to drugs like morphine, and can lead to greater release and uptake of dopamine,
a neurotransmitter which dulls sensitivity to pain. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s at play here? Leading placebo researcher Ted Kaptchuk
believes the secret to a placebo is the biochemical effects of a patient’s <em>expectation</em>
of getting better. The placebo acts on the mind, and the mind acts on the body.
Fooling people is not, it seems, even a necessary ingredient. In 2010, Kaptchuk
conducted a trial where IBS sufferers were given sugar pills—and told upfront
they were only receiving placebos. 59% of these patients still reported
experiencing noticeable relief from symptoms, a definite improvement from the
35% rate in the no-treatment group, and indeed better than most IBS drugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The ritual surrounding treatment seems to carry its own
power. As <em>The New York Times Magazine</em> summarized Kaptchuk’s position, “the
placebo effect is a biological response to an act of caring; that somehow the
encounter itself calls forth healing and that the more intense and focused it
is, the more healing it evokes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What does this all mean to the consumer? For now, it seems
like a good idea to make sure you find a doctor with an excellent, and convincing
bedside manner. And when it comes time to dose up, summon up the Tinkerbell
method: try to harness your belief.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-77227150197969900432018-11-02T12:06:00.002-07:002018-11-02T12:06:32.259-07:00Strolling Towards a Better Brain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7AiOeW9z_0YNgBaNqJDYgu9RnGmnTA2HaopYuWZcT6anZ_-ykyDwmbfb7jwgZHLbyhglwT6S-NL-nHqCGQfRHUG3zZiy_35RhmmlYhsgp2DoEsSmofUSZlTO4JmvxxUgnmRd9nlMzU0/s1600/walk.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="524" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7AiOeW9z_0YNgBaNqJDYgu9RnGmnTA2HaopYuWZcT6anZ_-ykyDwmbfb7jwgZHLbyhglwT6S-NL-nHqCGQfRHUG3zZiy_35RhmmlYhsgp2DoEsSmofUSZlTO4JmvxxUgnmRd9nlMzU0/s640/walk.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You already know that exercise is good for you. You may
already know that exercise is good for your mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For instance, you may have encountered studies which show how
half an hour of vigorous exercise gives you a boost in brain-derived
neurotropic growth factor or BDNF, what’s sometimes referred to as “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201606/is-why-aerobic-exercise-is-miracle-gro-your-brain">miracle-gro for the brain</a>.” </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
That’s not the kind of nickname that comes casually; BDNF stimulates the
production of new brain cells and increases your neuroplasticity, which allows
the components of your brain to work more smoothly with each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A 2016 study published in the <em>Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease</em>
found that the top quartile of older individuals who kept active retained
noticeably more grey matter than the others, specifically in areas related to
memory and higher-level thinking. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
And those with more grey matter were also shown to be 50% less likely to
develop Alzheimer’s or other memory problems over the next five years. “If we
want to live a long time but also keep our memories, our basic selves, intact,
keep moving,” Dr. Cyrus Raji <a href="https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/07/sweat-smart/">told the <em>New York Times</em></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, at the word “exercise” you are probably picturing a
hard, tiring, sweaty workout—the kind of thing that can be hard to fit into an
average day in your already-hectic life. Could a brief relaxed walk make any
difference? And what result would one single ten-minute chunk of walking have on
your brain? Recently, <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/115/41/10487">a joint study</a> between researchers at University of
California, Irvine, and the University of Tsukuba in Japan set out to
answer these questions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scientists invited 36 healthy young students to the lab. On
one occasion, the volunteers were instructed to sit still on an exercise bike
for ten minutes; in another instance, they were told to lightly pedal for the
same period of time. This created an extremely mild form of exercise, less
strenuous than a brisk walk. The subjects then took a difficult, image-based
memory test. When they had used the bike before, they scored significantly
better. Interestingly, the bike use made the most positive difference when the
memory test was at its hardest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The researchers then replicated this procedure, only this
time, the student volunteers took the memory test from within an MRI machine. Thanks
to MRI scans, the researchers were able to observe that the post-pedaling brain
worked differently, with portions of the brain related to learning lighting up
in a more coordinated fashion. This suggests that the light, gentle exercise
still managed to noticeably improve the connection between disparate parts of
the brain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So even on days where a 5k is beyond you, it’s highly worth
it to lace up those walking shoes for a quick ten-minute after-dinner amble.
Your memory will thank you.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-34266009808241781942018-10-25T14:23:00.004-07:002018-10-25T14:23:49.265-07:00Never See a Bat the Same Way Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pG_xS_M6uqhRrLCb4Mdu_hoLqMrO474a5Vf4v37_gbA-APuoCJ_P6i6YZaVxEhPyFGcpVQKwynS8papzZWxFYMHPAX9rJdXKDQEshymmMR1f6lY_nqostNo1XhngSyeWNGSZ8XmUdNk/s1600/BAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pG_xS_M6uqhRrLCb4Mdu_hoLqMrO474a5Vf4v37_gbA-APuoCJ_P6i6YZaVxEhPyFGcpVQKwynS8papzZWxFYMHPAX9rJdXKDQEshymmMR1f6lY_nqostNo1XhngSyeWNGSZ8XmUdNk/s640/BAT.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Halloween approaches, let’s pause for a moment to consider
a common piece of creepy iconography in Western culture: the bat. Associated as
they are with darkness, caves, leathery skin stretched over bony wing bones—and
yes, in the case of the vampire bat, blood-sucking—it’s no wonder they’ve
become a symbol of all things spooky. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet, there’s more to these humble non-rodents than thrills
and chills. Scientists hope their brains might hold the key to a human mystery:
just how do we track the relative position of people around us?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily, "A bat's hippocampus is very similar to a
human's,” Professor Nachum Ulanovsky of the Weizmann Institute of Science in
Israel <a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-02-human-brain.html#jCp">told Phys.org</a>. “The
hippocampus is very important for things like spatial and social memory."
And while bats are not the smartest member of the animal kingdom—they don’t
have the tool use of elephants or the trickery of corvids—they are highly
social creatures, as well as famously good navigators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How social are these nocturnal fliers? In a 2015 piece for <<The
New Yorker, bat biologist Merlin Tuttle <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-joy-of-bats">likens bat societies to those of primates</a>. “Like humans, they share food and information,
adopt orphans, and practice reciprocal altruism,” he notes. In other words,
bats are more likely to extend their generosity to those who have been helpful
in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracking these complex social equations takes work, especially
because a large colony can easily contain hundreds of bats. So, how do these
simple mammals keep track of the relative positions of their colony mates?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ulanovsky’s team attached tiny wireless recording devices
and electrodes to the heads of Egyptian fruit bats and divided the bats into
pairs: a “teacher” bat and a lower-on-the-bat-hierarchy “student.” The student
first observed the teacher randomly flying from a perch to a food source and
then back again. After an average of about 13 seconds, the student bat would
follow suit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the student bats made the flight, it activated their
place cells, specialized neurons concerning one’s relative physical position in
space. However, just watching a teacher bat navigate the room also lit up about
18% of the student bat’s hippocampus. The pattern was distinctly different from
when a student bat observed physical objects moving through space. Indeed, the bat
hippocampus was shown to have a separate area for marking the paths of objects,
versus marking the paths of other bats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the bat hippocampus has so much overlap with a human’s,
this could have impact for us as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-01-social-cells-brain.html#jCp">Said Ulanovsky,</a></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
"These findings suggest that the 'place' part of the hippocampus is not
just involved in navigating the physical landscape. It plays an important role
in navigating the social landscape, as well."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-36655776152634773662018-10-18T12:41:00.002-07:002018-10-25T14:21:53.169-07:00Fighting Loneliness with "Likes"<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylvanWPvJtbWjWD4EOakZjaR7cgxV0ZOQJaoHixhhvuFSqrWb1bofapWsQjpsmS-RGBdMge3A4cgUoRDQTmqGy4W7DzG7d9fp1iOPJwDpOM6eMOz7BWzNWKXvxQreoohcVxaFvYPUFgg/s1600/socmed.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="482" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylvanWPvJtbWjWD4EOakZjaR7cgxV0ZOQJaoHixhhvuFSqrWb1bofapWsQjpsmS-RGBdMge3A4cgUoRDQTmqGy4W7DzG7d9fp1iOPJwDpOM6eMOz7BWzNWKXvxQreoohcVxaFvYPUFgg/s640/socmed.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Studies show that senior citizens are more connected to the
web than ever before. <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/05/17/technology-use-among-seniors/">According to the Pew Research Group</a>, smartphone ownership
among those 65 and older has increased by 24 percentage points since just 2013,
and more than a third of this group use social media.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">And that’s potentially a good thing,
says <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/social-media-pain-depression-10036/">new research</a> from the University of Michigan. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now, we’re all familiar with the complaints against social
media. It shortens attention spans. It decreases face-to-face social skills. We
don’t notice the world around us when all we do is stare at our phones all day.
We are becoming a nation of screen-obsessed zombies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, there’s a flip side to that Facebook habit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As Western society has moved away from a family model in
which elders continue living with their offspring, isolation has increasingly become
standard for those living in their golden years. Friends and spouses die, seniors
relocate to nursing homes or other care facilities far from their original
communities, and chronic pain renders in-person socializing harder than ever.
The U of M study concerns that latter issue, drawing a link between loneliness,
pain, and depression.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a way, it’s a vicious cycle. A person in severe physical discomfort
will avoid social activities—leaving them with nothing to do but sit alone,
contemplating their own pain. Without the distraction of socializing, the pain becomes
harder to ignore. These two factors double over on themselves until the quality
of life is so low that depression seems almost inevitable. And one side effect
of depression? <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11281945">Decreased tolerance for pain</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, when study author Shannon Ang at the U-M Department
of Sociology and Institute for Social Research and Tuo-Yu Chen of Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore examined a sample of 3,400 Medicare
recipients, they found something interesting. Those who regularly used social
media reported a lower rate of depression. It’s not that they experienced less
pain, per se—but they did suffer less loneliness.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems that, while face-to-face is still the best way to
socialize, in circumstances where that is difficult, social media can fill an
important void. In-person conversation is good for the brain, showing real, measurable
cognitive benefits, but the researchers assert that maintaining a digital
connection may even offer some form of those positive effects as we age.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s something to keep an eye on, as each increasingly
plugged-in generation begins their own aging process. Maybe someday Instagram
and Twitter will be the domain of the elderly only, as seniors flock to “like”
each other’s newest photos of grandkids and lament the passing of those good
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-76109144211750521782018-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:002018-10-11T13:47:06.729-07:00In the War on Truth, A New Weapon<div style="text-align: center;">
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“Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it,” wrote Jonathan Swift in 1710. Variations of the saying, including the punchier "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on,” have been (<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a dataquery="#txtMediag7b" href="https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/oct/09/colin-kaepernick/nfls-colin-kaepernick-incorrectly-credits-winston-/">likely incorrectly</a></span>) attributed to everyone from Winston Churchill to Mark Twain, but the timeless truth remains: it’s amazing how <span style="font-style: italic;">catchy </span>an outright falsehood can be.</div>
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Since at least the days of the newspaper wars between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, on some level less-than-scrupulous media outlets have understood that our faster, more reactive brain systems bias us towards internalizing more emotional, good-vs-evil stories—especially when the “good” and “evil” in question align with our own prejudices.</div>
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For instance, in the late 1890’s, Hearst’s papers whipped up a frenzy of anti-Spanish sentiment, characterized by unproven claims, propaganda, and bold-faced lies. “When the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on the evening of 15 February 1898,” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a dataquery="#txtMedia24o6" href="https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/yellow-journalism-the-fake-news-of-the-19th-century/">writes <span style="font-style: italic;">The Public Domain Review</span>,</a></span> “huge headlines in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal </span>blamed Spain with no evidence at all.” The Spanish-American War soon followed.</div>
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The internet may have democratized communication, but the growing lack of gatekeepers makes it harder than ever to sort the truth from the lies—and the lies seem to be everywhere. Log into Facebook, and check the feed of your politically extremist relative (we all have one), and you’re bound to see some modern examples of “yellow journalism” pop up on your screen.</div>
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“Now, the only thing that could make this story even more insulting or outrageous were if any part of it were actually true,” deadpans popular Youtuber Shaun in his video “<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a dataquery="#txtMedia1k6p" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9qiCN7CcB8">Outrage News</a></span>.” He then proceeds to, point by point, carefully debunk a series of sensationalist claims, using only facts and reason.</div>
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Watching the truth slowly, methodically unfold is deeply satisfying, but it is time-consuming to research and refute every single bold claim you come across. Technology—be it the printing press or the internet—got us into this mess. Surely it should have the tools to get us out of it, too.</div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/ai-fake-news-detection-9962/">Good news</a></span>: researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and the Qatar Computing Research Institute (CSAIL and QCRI, respectively) have recently teamed up to bring us a new system which uses machine learning to help determine the accuracy or bias of a news story. Instead of focusing on proving or disproving individual claims, the system attempts to judge the integrity of the news source itself. After all, a group comfortable printing one lie is more likely to print another.</div>
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From analyzing just 150 articles from any given source, the system can gage the relative reliability of a news outlet, with an accuracy of roughly 65%. The system can also guess in which political direction the bias leans about 70% of the time.</div>
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News hounds take note: the system’s main tools to determine a source’s trustworthiness are the types of language used. When articles repeatedly used hyperbolic phrases and loaded, emotional terms, the source was more likely to be questionable. Outlets with a left-leaning bent stressed language of harm/care and fairness/reciprocity, while the right-leaning ledgers stressed concepts like authority and sanctity.</div>
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So the next time you come across an article that feels too outrageous to be true, remember: maybe it is.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-1832063704954668772018-10-04T18:45:00.001-07:002018-10-11T13:40:42.061-07:00The Fun Frontier<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’re not, say, a recent time traveler from the Middle Ages, by now you’ve probably heard that exercise is good for you. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you likely also know that exercise benefits the brain in a seemingly ever-expanding list of ways. Regular aerobic activity <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a dataquery="#txtMedia18xz" href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110">has been found</a></span> to increase memory, boost cognitive skills, fight depression, and slow the effects of age-related mental fog, among other things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s just one problem: it’s not necessarily a good time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the less athletic among us, mention of exercise can conjure flashbacks of high school gym class, of dodgeball injuries and rope-climbing humiliations. And while the ability to make a mad dash for it has surely saved our species on countless occasions, the body may not feel rewarded in the early days of a jogging routine. Some can rely on the rosy glow of personal satisfaction and the legendary “runner’s high” to stay on the exercise train, while others may need a bit more of an incentive to lace up those sneakers or pick up those weights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s where exergaming comes in. The term dates from 2007, but the concept has been around for decades: why not combine physical activity with technology to create a video game that actually gets you off the couch?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For instance, Dance Dance Revolution took the late nineties and early 2000’s by storm. A rhythm game played by rapidly tapping different sensors with your feet, DDR caused many a nerd to work up a sweat—and yes, dance (sort of). More recently, the Nintendo Wii console has <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a dataquery="#txtMediasf8" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258225640_Understanding_the_Nintendo_Wii_console_in_Long-term_Care_Facilities">become a fixture</a></span> in some nursing homes, helping senior citizens stay active in their twilight years. This simple device allows the user to simulate playing a variety of sports from the comfort of one’s own home, including tennis, bowling, and golf.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For anyone looking to inject a little more adrenaline into their jogging experience, the app Zombies, Run places you directly in the story of a small post-apocalyptic settlement, via audio clips that play between your running music. Through these tiny, well-acted chunks of narration, an epic story unfolds about trying to save humanity while fleeing from zombies. The clips play whether you run, walk, or even stand there, but the more you run, the more vivid and immersive the story feels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And while home Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are still in the early days, it’s easy to imagine the gamified workout possibilities. Just as exciting: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a dataquery="#txtMedia1cki" href="https://neurosciencenews.com/virtual-reality-pain-exercise-9941/">a recent study</a></span> suggests that lifting weights while engaging in a virtual reality weightlifting scenario can both decrease your perceived pain and boost your weightlifting performance. Perhaps in the future, VR headsets will be as common in gyms as treadmills. “Plug in,” we’ll say, “it’s for your health."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-14748646419465881632018-09-27T14:22:00.001-07:002018-09-27T14:22:21.548-07:00Mini Meditators: Mindfulness for Kids<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOLVCa8JYzENOGD1-ICUKfpLe3org0GnErR1qcPkv6carxai8FhliVs2OPMtQwACuDrEwpl7-mLz_LiKVgfOVIyLnNIadSAAdPcL8PmY59kEcCxs-6k9q2cqBCRF-hmCN2UhsnMSodNs/s1600/kid.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="540" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOLVCa8JYzENOGD1-ICUKfpLe3org0GnErR1qcPkv6carxai8FhliVs2OPMtQwACuDrEwpl7-mLz_LiKVgfOVIyLnNIadSAAdPcL8PmY59kEcCxs-6k9q2cqBCRF-hmCN2UhsnMSodNs/s640/kid.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For adults, the benefits of meditation are no mystery. As
<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858">the Mayo Clinic notes</a>, meditating has a whole host of upsides, from lowered
stress to increased self-awareness to reduced negative emotions to a spark of
extra creativity and intelligence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even the United States Marines—not a community known for their love of New Age-y
practices—<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/5/marines-expanding-use-of-meditation-training/">have begun using meditation training</a> to help boost decisiveness and
clear-headedness in times of conflict. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But while you make an effort to incorporate more guided
relaxation techniques into your daily routine, don’t forget about the children
in your life, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/10/18/the-many-benefits-of-meditation-for-children/#4089c9bbdbe3">writes Alice G Walton in <em>Forbes</em></a>. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether a kid needs some help calming down before things reach tantrum
territory, or strategies for not getting so stressed about homework and tests,
studies are increasingly showing that meditation can be an important aid at any
age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While we still have less overall data about the benefits of
meditation on the developing brain, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/mindfulness-for-children">David Gelles of <em>The New York Times</em></a>
argues that it is precisely this state of flux that causes meditation to have
such an outsized effect on the young and growing: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“While our brains are constantly developing throughout our
lives, connections in the prefrontal circuits are created at their fastest rate
during childhood. Mindfulness, which promotes skills that are controlled in the
prefrontal cortex, like focus and cognitive control, can therefore have a
particular impact on the development of skills including self-regulation,
judgment and patience during childhood.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And for those concerned about raising kind and compassionate
children, Walton cites a study which found that, when combined with a social-emotional
learning program, mindfulness made a greater positive difference in peer-to-peer
behavior than a standard “social responsibility” program. The mindfully trained
kids demonstrated more empathy, better perspective-taking, and improved
emotional control. They also showed lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol
than the control group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s better than a free strategy for bringing up a
generation of kinder, wiser, and more self-controlled human beings? What about
parents and children learning meditation techniques together? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Raising children is an inherently stressful activity, famously
testing one’s willpower, judgement, and resourcefulness. Now <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/parent-child-mindfulness-9914/">a study by researchersat the University of Washington</a> has found that parents who meditate effectively
expand their parenting toolkit, tapping into new reserves of consistency and
supportiveness. The children, in turn, demonstrate improved social skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if you haven’t tried meditation in your life yet, give it
a try. And if you know of a child who could stand to take a few deep breaths
and think some calm thoughts, give it a recommendation. After all, as has often
(okay, never) been said, if it’s good enough for a Marine, it’s good enough for
a kindergartener.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s1600/brainapps.png" imageanchor="1" style="background: none; color: #2196f3; display: inline-block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; outline: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="896" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNqzf0MWFejmm4XchZ2a40_LvSmSNrEfYqUgq1n8uuwX-hi2Im8ntFrLdQ21vDRw9ZN5RtkkDKoZQkTpA8VJri3LB6qLxwbSvElhsORivjy-usTZhpnbzHzYFuMvAR2mS4DDQ0UOL3cU/s200/brainapps.png" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" width="176" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-27375755144324763512018-09-20T13:31:00.002-07:002018-09-20T13:31:21.633-07:00The Personality Puzzle<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyoSMW4RRyAeX79WLliZjvcnOjfSO9vIf1VuYcasgFCXHfOUp3uV0r5TN3hK4dFPkIYJllTqD8xn5lA3yUHjgr3uF0CPViyqDTaCNHPBxfm-VhB5y5ZAIrM9NQnVJka7JqhQql1NpHAM/s1600/puzzle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="467" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyoSMW4RRyAeX79WLliZjvcnOjfSO9vIf1VuYcasgFCXHfOUp3uV0r5TN3hK4dFPkIYJllTqD8xn5lA3yUHjgr3uF0CPViyqDTaCNHPBxfm-VhB5y5ZAIrM9NQnVJka7JqhQql1NpHAM/s640/puzzle.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the days of Hippocrates, science has struggled to
quantify human personality, and group the seemingly infinite combinations of
traits into a number of discrete “types”. However, it’s difficult to design a personality-sorting
scheme that produces replicable results. In the case of the now oft-derided
Myers-Briggs, even beloved systems have earned harsh criticism from the
scientific community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, from Northwest University, <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/personality-data-9874">a new study</a> led by Luís
Amaral of the McCormick School of Engineering has crunched data from more than
1.5 million participants to devise a brand-new way to categorize personality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The subjects were a self-selecting group of internet users
willing to answer one of several different online questionnaires developed over
the years. These surveys contained between 40 and 200 questions, designed to
measure the degree to which each respondent demonstrated five widely
agreed-upon personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness,
agreeableness and conscientiousness. These data points were then plotted out,
leaving the scientists to look for clusters: the larger the cluster of similar
results, the more likely it could be argued for as a specific personality type.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The results? Drum roll, please:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to the new Northwest study, you are either “average”,
“reserved”, a “role model”, or “self-centered”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p><strong>Average</strong></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These participants scored high in neuroticism and
extroversion, but low in openness. “I would expect that the typical person
would be in this cluster,” said Martin Gerlach, the paper’s first author. More
women than men fall into this category.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Reserved<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those termed reserved scored as somewhat agreeable and conscientious,
but not open, extroverted, or neurotic. They were characterized as emotionally
stable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Role Model<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Subjects labeled role models were low in neuroticism but
high in everything else. They were more likely to be older, and more likely to
be female. “These are people who are dependable and open to new ideas,” said Amaral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Self-Centered<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there are those dubbed “self-centered,” who scored high
in extroversion, but low in openness, agreeableness, or conscientiousness.
Essentially, these are not team players. “These are people you don’t want to
hang out with,” explains co-author William Revelle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few caveats:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On one hand, the sample size was very large, which is
excellent. A recurring gripe on this blog is scientific studies which only gather
data from, say, forty people. This leaves a data set vulnerable to distortion
from an outlier or two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, the sample was self-selecting, and
consisted of people computer-savvy enough to encounter and fill out an online
survey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Additionally, a more useful personality system would surely strive
for value-neutral language. Tell a person with high extroversion and low
openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness that they’re scientifically
considered “self-centered” and watch what happens. Are they more likely to say,
“Oh gosh, what a useful tool or self-discovery” or “What a load of garbage!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For that matter, of what practical use is a personality
index that labels most people as “average”? Think of everyone you know
particularly well; how many of them would you describe as having an “average”
personality?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, the researchers repeatedly described people as
moving from one group to another with age. For instance, teenage boys were more
likely to score as self-centered, while the likelihood of scoring that way decreased
dramatically with age, regardless of gender. If these categories remain fluid
throughout one’s life, can they truly be considered personality types at all?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this the final chapter in the book on personality, or
just another footnote? Only time can tell</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-50616940984651842162018-09-13T14:10:00.001-07:002018-09-13T14:10:08.760-07:00Bad News for Bad Tempers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RF5NAuXJ2Q6Rz-SL7FZH9BM5lpoyfz3QGtX945PtAMUcH3A92b3-HZMe-PJVfClbXJXuxTLqARfHHDKWo6eDwwX3Ckx29ozVlisgnHm5kdbrXOObIRk_4Pb3yqjoTu9w3Oqsd6gZeP4/s1600/anger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="524" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RF5NAuXJ2Q6Rz-SL7FZH9BM5lpoyfz3QGtX945PtAMUcH3A92b3-HZMe-PJVfClbXJXuxTLqARfHHDKWo6eDwwX3Ckx29ozVlisgnHm5kdbrXOObIRk_4Pb3yqjoTu9w3Oqsd6gZeP4/s640/anger.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is there someone in your life with an unusually short fuse?
Maybe you’ve witnessed a co-worker repeatedly go ballistic on the printer
whenever it runs out of ink, or maybe you’ve been unfortunate enough to have a
boss who is a yeller, trapping you in meeting after meeting full of angry
rants. Well, according to </span><a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/anger-intelligence-narcissists-9695/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a new scientific paper</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> from the University of Western
Australia, this person most likely has another, connected trait: they’re not as
smart as they think they are. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, in contrary to the age-old legend of the temperamental
genius with a stormy, high-trigger attitude, the study found that “trait-anger”
(that is, people who experience anger as a part of their everyday disposition)
is linked with narcissism, and thus an inflated sense of one’s abilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Undergraduates from Warsaw, Poland answered questions
designed to assess their trait-anger, emotional stability, and narcissism. They
were asked to rate their intelligence on a 25-point scale—and then they took an
actual intelligence test. As you could probably expect, the students who scored
high on the narcissism index were also likely to overestimate their
intellectual capabilities. To some extent, this overestimation is common; we’ve
talked in the past about </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2017/01/24/the-dunning-kruger-effect-shows-why-some-people-think-theyre-great-even-when-their-work-is-terrible/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the Dunning-Kruger effect</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, both conditions—testing positive for narcissism and
rating one’s smarts as higher than they appear to be when judged by a test—also
seemed tied to trait-anger. Why? We’re not sure yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Senior Lecturer Gilles Gignac, a co-author of the paper,
notes that trait-anger can also be fueled by anxiety. This makes
sense—constantly fretting about big and small details can wear away at one’s
patience and exaggerate the import of minor setbacks, causing self-control to
fray. “However,” he adds, “for others, there is no anxiety fueling the
frustration, nastiness, and angry outbursts. Instead, for them, it looks like
it may be narcissism.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps walking through one’s day with an overblown sense of
one’s own importance and capabilities is just as corrosive to patience. After
all, if you believe yourself to be a genius, any difference of opinion with
another person becomes an outrage—why can’t they see that you’re obviously
right? The Mayo Clinic also notes that narcissists tend to go through life
expecting “constant, excessive admiration.” If someone feels perpetually
cheated out of the praise they feel they deserve, maybe it follows they’d walk
around with a chip on their shoulder, looking for someone or something to blow
up at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do chronically angry, narcissistic people tend to
overestimate other skills or areas of knowledge as well, a la Dunning-Kruger?
Only time—and more tests—will tell.</span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022925737882753261.post-3372088493295137362018-08-28T14:57:00.001-07:002018-08-28T14:57:09.718-07:00Why the Secret to Language May Be Hiding in Your Birdcage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFL81oWNx8J83LQuDeNsaiXQ31FsKy7GdSetGB0PWTCCtad7QZXW-XC-1hhXyiUa0DRmYvLx1SKPZ-MUblLC_ukG69TERt168WyKyAh-wZMFH4Z6kiBuezZyldapHFjVzV8biJnXOi_E/s1600/birdcage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFL81oWNx8J83LQuDeNsaiXQ31FsKy7GdSetGB0PWTCCtad7QZXW-XC-1hhXyiUa0DRmYvLx1SKPZ-MUblLC_ukG69TERt168WyKyAh-wZMFH4Z6kiBuezZyldapHFjVzV8biJnXOi_E/s640/birdcage.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Bengalese finch is what happens when for 250 years,
people breed the white-rumped munia for its snowy plumage. It’s paler than its
wild counterpart, more social. And although its genetic architects (bird
breeders) weren’t selecting for singing skills, the Bengalese finch </span><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/can-these-birds-explain-how-language-first-evolved"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">has a farmore complex, varied song</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.
That last bit has some fascinating possible implications, concerning how we
developed our own unique speaking abilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The capacity for complex communication requires a wide
variety of skills. You don’t just need to be able to recognize and respond to certain
cues; in order to parse the meanings of new or unfamiliar cues, you also need
to be able to guess at the other party’s intent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is not something most wild animals have the bandwidth to
do. For instance, wild foxes and wolves can’t recognize what it means when a
person points to something. No amount of training will pass on the
understanding. However, domesticated animals are the result of many generations
of breeding that selected for sociability, among other traits. So maybe it’s no
surprise that domesticated foxes, dogs, and even formerly domesticated dogs who
have gone feral all have the capacity to learn pointing behaviors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s possible that the same might be true for the Bengalese
finch—and us. Unlike our feathered friends, our development into our present species
wasn’t masterminded by some other creature, but it has been argued that the
overall process was much the same. As selection pressures started to favor less
aggressive, more sociable individuals, communication skills naturally
increased. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It may, however, be a bit more complicated than that. Keep
in mind, the Bengalese finch was not bred for its excellent social skills, but
</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871649/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for the color of its feathers</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.
In “Self domestication and the evolution of language,” James Thomas and Simon Kirby
argue that the forces reshaping the finch’s song might be more cultural. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Bengalese finch and the white-rumped munia both pick up
their song from others of their species, learning best from an in-person (in-bird?)
demonstration. In the wild, the white-rumped munia must be constantly on its
guard, and transmitting its song accurately to its young could be a matter of
survival. Fidelity is also key when it comes to identifying other white-rumped
munia by call. But the tame Bengalese finch has adapted to a very different lifestyle,
encountering plentiful food and few threats, and leaving the bird free to get a
little creative with its vocalizations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Could early humans have developed our own language thanks to
the decreased stresses that came with living in larger groups? Did our first
languages evolve from a sort of jazz freestyle of sounds from the first
generations of proto-humans with a little time on their hands? We are a long,
long way from knowing for sure. But in the meantime, the next time you point
your dog towards a tennis ball, take a moment to thank our ancestors for their truly
impressive wolf-breeding project. From White Fang to Rover, white-rumped munia
to finch, domestication has made our lives easier and more pleasant—even if a
little tamer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Robb’s new book and <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">content at<span style="color: #757575;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bestmindframe.com/" style="background: none; color: #2196f3;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.bestmindframe.com</span></a><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Robb Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492258112165769774noreply@blogger.com0