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
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
Learn To Listen To What Your Body Is Saying
I enjoy reading articles that recommend I get a massage… Our bodies hold all of the information we need to function at our best, but too often we ignore their messages and plow ahead with what our minds tell us. Because most of us are taught from an early age to focus on external demands, … Read more
The Self-Healing Benefits of Meditation
By Susan Piver We all know that regular, moderate exercise is good for us. But imagine what it would be like if all you did was exercise: if you ran, walked, jumped, or lifted 24 hours a day. After only a very short while, exercise actually wouldn’t be that good for you because without rest, exercise becomes … Read more
A Healthy Information Diet: The Case for Conscious Consumption
“You are a mashup of what you let into your life,” artist Austin Kleon recently proclaimed. This encapsulates the founding philosophy behindBrain Pickings – a filtration mechanism that lets into your life things that are interesting, meaningful, creatively and intellectually stimulating, memorable. Naturally, I was thrilled for the release of Clay Johnson’s The Information Diet: A Case … Read more
Musical therapy is making breakthroughs
Over the summer I participated in a workshop held for art and music therapists. It was there that I knew for sure that I could only work within the realm of passive therapy. I would be useless otherwise, since I cried at every story that was told that day – it was heart wrenching, yet … Read more
Beautiful Eyes
Besides eyes being called the gateway to the soul, eyes are intrinsically beautiful to look at up close. They seem like a world into themselves…and I know if you know me you’ll laugh, but they’re very mandala-esque. I’ve been tempted to use these (and other images) to test out an animation I have in mind. … Read more
The Dirtiest Dozen
What’s the dirtiest thing you touch in the course of a normal day? If you’ve been to a gas station, the pump handle would probably top the list of the filthiest surface you encountered. A new survey from Kimberly-Clark found that 71 percent of gas pump handles tested in six U.S. cities were contaminated with … Read more
Sitting and Cancer Risk
Even if you exercise a little every day, spending the rest of your time sitting may sabotage the positive effects of your morning run or evening walk. Findings from the emerging field of “sedentary behavior research” suggest that the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise may not be enough physical activity for continued good health. … Read more
8 Reasons to Meditate
Meditation is simply directed concentration, and involves learning to focus your awareness and direct it onto an object: your breath, a phrase or word repeated silently, a memorized inspirational passage or an image in the mind’s eye. The physical and psychological benefits of meditation are numerous and include: Helping lower blood pressure Decreasing heart and … Read more
