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Tips and Motivation
Exercise Right Before An Exam To Raise Your Score!
So it seems as if you’ve done all the preparation that you need to do on your exam checklist: you’ve incrementally studied way before, avoiding that dreaded overnighter, you’ve incorporated killer study habits, you’ve had a good night’s rest, eaten a hearty breakfast – is there anything else you can do to raise your chances of getting that elusive A? Well, according to a research done back in 2010, exercise might just boost the possibility of you getting a higher grade! Hold on a second. Yes, we know that exercise does make the brain sharper, boosting cognitive and mental function.…
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Anxiety and Stress
How to Reduce Stress When Under Pressure
Stress is truly one of the things that plague us Americans in our everyday lives. Not only that, but it can also lead to heart depression, anxiety, depression, auto-immune diseases, and a plethora of other things. In fact, a study has even been conducted on how higher stress levels are directly related to lower capacity for the brain’s cognitive processes. It lowers mental abilities. But the fact of the matter is – we’re very busy people. With deadlines around every corner, along with so many other things to do, how do we reduce stress? We need to get a grip…
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Articles
Irrational Positivity
It’s often said that whenever tackling any specific goal, that the mentality that you bring will affect how you go about doing it. If you’re feeling happy, cheerful, and optimistic, it’ll show in the quality of work that you produce. However, when you’re feeling demotivated, sad, and maybe even depressed, your quality of work suffers as well. To this, there have been quite a few neurological studies. After all, wouldn’t you rather be happy while doing work? It’s being argued that there is a neurological basis for optimism. It might just be a process that’s been hardwired into our brains…
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Articles
The Zombifying Snooze Button
Everyone’s always looking for the few more minutes of sleep every morning. Thus, the invention of the snooze button. Nothing beats being able to look at your phone, snooze your alarm, and go back to sleep with the realization that you still have another 30 minutes to sleep. There’s really no better feeling than seeing your significant other getting dressed for work. Meanwhile, you still have maybe 15 or 30 more minutes to sleep. It’s the best invention ever – until 9 minutes later, when you have to end up pressing the snooze button again. You end up having to…
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Nootropics
To Take or Not to Take: Ginkgo Biloba
Despite being one of the most popular brain supplements in the world, some people have been giving ginkgo biloba a bad name lately, like this article on Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/12915-10-ways-mind-sharp.html. Ginkgo biloba may not be the super-pill we all want it to be, but many people still think it is effective. Is it? In order to answer this, let’s divide the question into two different audiences – elderly people and young to middle aged adults. Elderly People This group of people is no stranger to ginkgo biloba. The extract of the leaves is sold in pill form and has been heavily…
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Articles
Hey, Want to Share a Brain?
As research in the fields of cognitive development and neuroscience continue to improve, things that were once thought as science fiction are getting closer to becoming reality. Already, we are able to control objects with our brains. Light can be used to control others’ brains and implant false memories. The latest story to turn from science fiction to science nonfiction is that of brain linking. Sort of like the mind meld that Spock does in Star Trek, the brain link between two lab rats has been confirmed. The brain connection possibility is being tackled by a research team at Duke University…
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Articles
Marijuana Not Causing Brain Problem?
In the past few weeks the whole nation has been flooded with countless reports claiming the effects that marijuana has on the brain. Apparently, it was reported that those who started taking marijuana in their teenage years when their brain is still developing experience lower cognitive ability in their adulthood, scoring significantly lower on cognitive tests when compared to those who started partaking in their twenties or later in life. One scientist, however, Lior Pachter claims that the research report submitted was very flawed. He admitted that he himself didn’t smoke pot or use any other drugs, and after examining…
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Articles
Death by Humor
Have you ever laughed so hard in your life that you felt like you were going to die? Laughing is undeniably a great thing, with the many health benefits it provides, such as, a stronger immune system, increased blood flow, higher intake of oxygen, and even sometimes to control sugar levels. However, there have been instances when a person was to die by laughing too hard (or too much). Yes, laughter, like most other things, should be taken in moderation. A new study conducted by researchers of the University of Birmingham and Oxford University, examined past occurrences in which laughter may have…
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Articles
Unfamiliarity Begets Improved Memory
It’s common knowledge that the brain needs to be exercised regularly with mental challenges to keep it sharp in today’s ever-changing and increasingly challenging environment. We’ve been taught from an early age to keep challenging our brain with crossword puzzles, strategic games, and the hours of studying we had to undergo come exam week. A new study, however, elaborates on how learning a new, unfamiliar skill may produce a notable boost in memory. The study, conducted by the University of Texas just last year, outlined an experiment that involved over 200 people, aged between 60 and 90, who were divided into 3…
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Anxiety and Stress
Presentation Anxiety and How to Beat It
Some of the smartest people in the world have serious issues giving presentations. If you have ever felt anxious while presenting in front of other people, you could probably pick up a tip or two from this post. Presentation anxiety has been a challenge for public speakers since the beginning of humanity. As long as humans have had a spoken language, we have had speakers lead groups of other people, mainly because of their professional presentation skills. Being able to present one’s ideas to a group and have that group agree and follow your recommendations is a skill that needs…
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