Easing Brain Fatigue With a Walk in the Park
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS Scientists have known for some time that the human brain’s ability to stay calm and focused is limited and can be overwhelmed by the constant noise and hectic, jangling demands of city living, sometimes resulting in a condition informally known as brain fatigue. With brain fatigue, you are easily distracted, forgetful and mentally flighty … Read more
Color-Enhancing Glasses Let Doctors See Disease and Emotion
The ability to see the world in a broad spectrum of colors is more than just a wonderful gift—it’s a survival mechanism that humans evolved in order to identify both threats and food. But color vision also helps us read each other. Research by evolutionary neurobiologist Dr. Mark Changizi’s traces the development of color vision … Read more
The Art of Rock Balancing by Michael Grab
Michael Grab is an artist that has been ‘rock balancing‘ since 2008. Much of his recent work has been done around the Boulder, Colorado area. Grab finds the process both spiritual and therapeutic. On his site gravityglue.com, Grab explains: “The most fundamental element of balancing in a physical sense is finding some kind of ‘tripod’ for the … Read more
Staying Strong Under Stress
From time to time, I like to post reminders to myself. This past year was extremely stressful, but I’m hoping this year is better! In any case, I think the few tips below are helpful. In tough situations, with fires ablaze, certain strengths have the tendency to become weaknesses. For example, under stress, a natural and … Read more
Science, Storytelling, and “Gut Churn”: Jad Abumrad on the Secrets of Creative Success
On diving head-first into the unknown. Since 2004, Radiolab has been sparking a singular kind of magic at the intersection of science and storytelling, redefining not only public radio but also the “role of scientific culture in modern society,” to borrow Richard Feynman’s words. In this fantastic talk from The 99% Conference, Radiolab mastermind and MacArthur genius Jad Abumrad takes us behind the scenes … Read more
The Event of a Thread: Anne Hamilton’s Groundbreaking Installation Filmed and Photographed by Paul Octavious
It is one of my great regrets that I didn’t head up to New York over the last few weeks to catch Ann Hamilton’s groundbreaking installation, The Event of a Thread, at the Park Avenue Armory. Perhaps the only saving grace of not seeing it in person, or having not covered it on Colossal as coverage bounced around the … Read more
Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists
An interesting review of a book about John Cage by Maria Popova On love, liberty, and the pursuit of silence. “Good music can act as a guide to good living,”John Cage (1912-1992) once said. But what, exactly, is good music, or good living, or, for that matter, goodness itself? Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, … Read more
Why Dreams Are Vital to Emotional Health
By Dr. Andrew Weil Does insomnia cause depression? Does depression cause insomnia? Chronic insomnia is strongly associated with mood disorders, but which way does the causality run? I think it’s likely that cause-and-effect can go in either direction, but surprisingly, there is little experimental research on the connection between sleep and emotions. What there is … Read more
Why Movies Like Oscar-Winning ‘Undefeated’ Make Grown Men (and Women) Cry
The newly minted Oscar winner for best documentary, Undefeated, has left many critics gushing—with praise, but also tears. The true-life sports tale follows a struggling high school football team in a poor area of Memphis, Tennessee, whose fortunes begin to turn under the guidance of a devoted and determined coach. The emotional story has reduced folks … Read more
Thinking Outside The Box, With Our Bodies And Our Brains
A route to freer thinking? Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stroll outdoors for a photo-op at the 2011 APEC summit in Hawaii. Most of us have probably felt the rightness of a decision in our bodies as much as we have … Read more
