Clipmarks | kwonsu's 'brain' clips

How to Improve Your Concentration

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:35:40 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

F = Five More Rule

There are two kinds of people -- those who have learned how to work through frustration, and those who wish they had. From now on, if you're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up -- just do FIVE MORE.

Read FIVE MORE pages. Finish FIVE MORE math problems.

O = One Think At a Time

Instead of telling it NOT to worry about another, lesser priority (which will cause your mind to think about the very thing it's not supposed to think about!), assign it a single task with start-stop time parameters.

C = Conquer Procrastination

Don't feel like concentrating? Are you putting off a task or project you're supposed to be working on? That's a form of procrastination. R. D. Clyde said, "It's amazing how long it takes to complete something we're not working on."

Clip Source: altmedicine.about.com

U = Use Your Hands as Blinkers

Picture your mind as a camera and your eyes as its aperture. Most of the time, our eyes are "taking it all in" and our brain is in "wide-angle focus."

S = See As If For the First or Last Time

Tags: how to, concentration, tips

We use only ten percent of our brains Myth?

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:18:21 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.csicop.org

Brain imaging research techniques such as PET scans (positron emission tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) clearly show that the vast majority of the brain does not lie fallow. Indeed, although certain minor functions may use only a small part of the brain at one time, any sufficiently complex set of activities or thought patterns will indeed use many parts of the brain. Just as people don't use all of their muscle groups at one time, they also don't use all of their brain at once.

If the "used" or "necessary" parts of the brain were scattered all around the organ, that would imply that much of the brain is in fact necessary. But the myth implies that the "used" part of the brain is a discrete area, and the "unused" part is like an appendix or tonsil, taking up space but essentially unnecessary.

But if all those parts of the brain are unused, removal or damage to the "unused" part of the brain should be minor or unnoticed.

Tags: myth, brain, science, neurology, medicine

Measuring the brain's 'rich switch'

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:25:16 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: physorg.com

Measuring the brain's 'rich switch'

Economists have postulated that people’s perception of the value of financial gains decreases as they become richer, but scientists have not really been able to measure this change in “marginal utility” in the laboratory… until now.

Neurobiologists Philippe Tobler, Wolfram Schultz, and colleagues have found that richer people are slower to learn to associate a stimulus with a financial reward than are poorer people, and this slower learning is reflected in slower response in the brain areas associated with reward and reward-directed learning.

While the subjects were learning, and unlearning, to associate the reward-predicting image with the coin, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the activity in their brains’ reward centers. This brain-scanning technique uses harmless radio waves and magnetic fields to measure blood flow in brain regions, which reflects brain activity.

Tags: science, research, brain, mind, marginal utility, neurobiology

Nature's Art: Photography through the Microscope

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:15:12 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Two m-plane sapphire substrates (100x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Diatom (100x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Wing scales of a Urania ripheus (Sunset Moth) (6.25x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Seed of a Clematis vitalba shrub (also known as Traveller�s Joy and Old Man�s Beard) (2x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plant (10x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Filamentous actin and microtubules (structural proteins) in mouse fibroblasts (cells) (1000x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Myrianida pachycera, a polychaete (worm) (60x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Crystallized acetaldehyde and carbon tetrabromide (7x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Surface of titanium carbide crystal (64x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Thin copper film surface (100x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Arachnoidiscus sp diatom (microscopic algae) (800x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Snowflake (35x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Crystallized caustic soda (cleaning agent), Glauber?s salt (multi-purpose chemical), and D76 (a photochemical) (40x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Crystallized acetaldehyde and methylene blue (25 x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Crystallized saccharine (25x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Cortical neurons (brain cells) of an embryonic rat (200x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) (63x)

Clip Source: www.nikonsmallworld.com

Filamentous actin and microtubules (structural proteins) in mouse fibroblasts (cells) (1000x)

Tags: photography, microscope, art, science, nature, life

Multitasking? Improve your focus

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:03:28 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.terrawellington.com

“Multitasking can be terrific when done effectively, but 95 percent of people do not do it effectively,”

“Many people think that multitasking means juggling, which begs the question: Do you really know how to juggle? Multitasking without knowing how to juggle will inevitably lead to dropping some balls.”

the fundamental problem with multitasking is that it actually increases stress because you try to hold more information in your memory than is possible. This can give you the feeling of being disorganized and can cause mistakes.

“The correct way to multitask is more like bowling than juggling: one ball and then the next. You would not try to bowl with three balls at once would you?” she says. “The best multitaskers are able to focus 100% of their energy on any one task and then move on to the next one. This leads to a sense of accomplishment rather than frustration.”

Know What Can Distract You -- make a list of emergency and temporary distractions that would be okay.

Tags: multitasking, focus, brain, mind, people, life

A Secret Weapon against Anxiety

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:15:34 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.findarticles.com

We know that exercise is a stress buster. But can it help bring relief in extreme cases, such as the anxiety caused by the recent terrorist attacks? "Even within the first days of such an incident, physical activity can help significantly," says Elizabeth K. Carll, Ph.D., a Huntington, N.Y., psychologist who served as a stress and trauma expert after the first World Trade Center and the Oklahoma City bombings, the TWA flight 800 crash and the recent disasters in New York City and outside Washington, D.C. Carll recommends trying to maintain normal eating, sleeping and exercise routines after such an event. But exercise, she says, has additional benefits because it promotes increases in the brain's production of neurochemicals related to stress reduction. "The activity doesn't have to be strenuous," Carll says, "just something, like a 30-minute walk that gets the blood flowing and increases oxygen flow to your brain."

Tags: anxiety, health, stress, life, people

Brain facts

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:55:16 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.amusingfacts.com

In America, the most common mental illness is Anxiety Disorders.

It is not possible to tickle yourself. The cerebellum, a part of the brain, warns the rest of the brain that you are about to tickle yourself. Since your brain knows this, it ignores the resulting sensation.

Once a human reaches the age of 35, he/she will start losing approximately 7,000 brain cells a day. The cells will never be replaced.

Over 80% of the brain is water

People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of having a blood clot in the brain.

The human brain has about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons.

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men in the United States.

Tags: brain, helath, medicine, people, life

Improving your mental fitness

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:45:31 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: longevity.about.com

There are two basic principles to keep your brain healthy and sharp as you age: variety and curiosity.

If you can do the crossword puzzle in your sleep, it's time for you to move on to a new challenge

Curiosity about the world around you, how it works and how you can understand it will keep your brain working fast and efficiently

1) Play Games

Games are a wonderful way to tease and challenge your brain.

2) Meditation

Daily meditation is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your mind/body health.

3) Eat for Your Brain

Your brain needs you to eat healthy fats.

4) Tell Good Stories

Stories are a way that we solidify memories, interpret events and share moments.

5) Turn Off Your Television

Television can stand in the way of relationships, life and more.

6) Exercise Your Body To Exercise Your Brain

Physical exercise is great brain exercise too.

7) Read Something Different

Books are portable, free from libraries and filled with infinite interesting characters, information and facts.

Tags: brain, health, fitness, life, people, meditation

Prozac for paedophiles

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:55:18 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: news.independent.co.uk

Jailed sex offenders to get anti-depressants in controversial treatment approved by ministers. Home Secretary attacked by Met police chief over plans to move offenders out of hostels

Paedophiles and other sex offenders are to be prescribed Prozac in an attempt to prevent them reoffending, under radical plans approved by ministers.

The Independent on Sunday can today reveal that 100 prisoners in nine jails will take part in trials of the anti-depressant drug this autumn to test its use in suppressing obsessive sexual urges. An estimated 10 per cent of sex offenders could eventually be treated with the drug.

The Department of Health is also understood to be investigating the possible use of voluntary "chemical castration", which uses libido-suppressing drugs to treat sex offenders who do not respond to ordinary programmes.

How it works

Prozac stimulates the brain's production of the enzyme serotonin, which can cause loss of libido.

Tags: prozac, paedophiles, crime, law, people, life, science, health, libido, sex offenders

Increase Serotonin Levels With 5HTP

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:56:46 GMT

clipped by: drjamie03
clipper's remarks: This is a great supplement that I recommend a lot. As with pretty much every substance, it doesn't work for everyone. But I've known a lot of people who have done well with it. It's certainly cheaper than prescription drugs.

Clip Source: www.5htp.com

What is 5-HTP?
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an amino acid that is the intermediate step between tryptophan and the important brain chemical serotonin. There is a massive amount of evidence that suggests that low serotonin levels are a common consequence of modern living. The lifestyle and dietary practices of many people living in this stress-filled era results in lowered levels of serotonin within the brain. As a result, many people are overweight, crave sugar and other carbohydrates, experience bouts of depression, get frequent headaches, and have vague muscle aches and pain. All of these maladies are correctable by raising brain serotonin levels.

Conditions associated with low serotonin levels helped by 5-HTP

Depression
Obesity
Carbohydrate craving
Bulimia
Insomnia
Narcolepsy
Sleep apnea
Migraine headaches
Tension headaches
Chronic daily headaches
Premenstrual syndrome
Fibromyalgia

Tags: depression, supplements, serotonin

The extreme male brain: Autism

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:14:24 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The brain structure of people with autism is an "exaggeration" of the normal male brain, researchers suggest.

It has long been suggested that autistic behaviour is an exaggeration of male habits such as making lists.

They point to evidence that males generally have greater early growth of certain brain regions, and less hemispheric connectivity than females.

Boys' brains grow more quickly than girls'. In the brains of people with autism, this growth appears to occur to an even more extreme degree.

The amygdala, which plays a key role in emotional responses, is abnormally large in toddlers with autism; again an exaggeration of the typical development of the male brain.

The researchers say evidence points to exposure to male hormones, such as testosterone, before birth affecting these brain development patterns.

Male foetuses produce these hormones from their testes, and female foetuses from their adrenal glands.

So girls too could be exposed to higher than normal level of hormones.

Tags: brain, male, health, people, life

Genders really do think differently

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:27:11 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Men and women do think differently, at least where the anatomy of the brain is concerned, according to a new study.

The brain is made primarily of two different types of tissue, called gray matter and white matter. This new research reveals that men think more with their gray matter, and women think more with white. Researchers stressed that just because the two sexes think differently, this does not affect intellectual performance.

Their findings show that in general, men have nearly 6.5 times the amount of gray matter related to general intelligence compared with women, whereas women have nearly 10 times the amount of white matter related to intelligence compared to men.

"These findings suggest that human evolution has created two different types of brains designed for equally intelligent behavior," said Haier, adding that, "by pinpointing these gender-based intelligence areas, the study has the potential to aid research on dementia and other cognitive-impairment diseases in the brain."

Tags: brain, men, women, people, life, think, thoughts

77 tips on learning faster,deeper,and better

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:22:33 GMT

clipped by: rhymonde

Clip Source: lifehacker.com

Make your brain absorb information more fully with this list of 77 (!) learning hacks from the Online Education Database. A few of my favorites:

Eat a light lunch. Heavy lunches have a tendency to make people drowsy.
Take a break. Change phyical or mental perspective to lighten the invisible stress that can sometimes occur when you sit in one place too long, focused on learning.
Take a bath or shower. Both activities loosen you up, making your mind more receptive to recognizing brilliant ideas.

Tags: tips, how-to, life, gtd, learning, tricks

Why are emotions important

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 01:33:50 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: eqi.org

Here are a few of the reasons our emotions are important in our lives. By the way, the first few chapters of Goleman's 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, have a good presentation on evolution and emotions.

Survival

Nature developed our emotions over millions of years of evolution. As a result, our emotions have the potential to serve us today as a delicate and sophisticated internal guidance system

Decision Making

Boundary Setting

When we feel uncomfortable with a person's behavior, our emotions alert us.

Communication

Our emotions help us communicate with others. Our facial expressions, for example, can convey a wide range of emotions.

Happiness

Studies show that when a person's emotional connections are severed in the brain, he can not make even simple decisions.

The better we can identify our emotions, the easier it will be to determine what is needed to be happy.

Unity

Beliefs divide us. Emotions unite us.

Tags: emotions, people, life, spirituality

How to improve your memory - Techniques

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 03:48:31 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.mindtools.com

Memory Improvement Tools

Introduction to Memory Techniques

Remembering a Simple List - The Link Method and Story Method

Remembering Ordered Lists - The Number/Rhyme Mnemonic

Remembering Ordered Lists - The Number/Shape Mnemonic

Remembering Middle Length Lists - The Alphabet Technique

Remembering Long Lists - The Journey System

Remembering Grouped Information - The Roman Room System

Remembering Very Long Numbers - The Major System

Using Concept Maps to Remember Structured Information

Memory Games - Have fun while you improve your memory

How to... Learn a Foreign Language

How to... Remember Information for Exams

How to... Remember People's Names

How to... Remember Lists and Long Numbers

Other Memory Tools - Reviewed... - Our reviews of other important memory resources

Download this section of Mind Tools in PDF format to read and print at your leisure

Tags: memory, brain, science, health, people, life