Category Archives: Brain Hacking

The Power of Abstraction

I got into a discussion with someone recently about whether spending tens of thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) for a college education was really worth it. He felt that it was not, and that it was a “moral hazard” to … Continue reading

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Overcoming math (and other) anxiety

Researchers recently looked at brain activity in those who have math anxiety and those who don’t. What they found was that among those who have math anxiety, through focus and concentration they could perform just as well on test as … Continue reading

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More evidence exercise rewires the brain

In this item from NYTimes Well blog, they discuss research showing that vigorous exercise can diminish the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in ways that drugs can’t. Yet more evidence that exercise is powerful medicine for many systems in the body, … Continue reading

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Sleep, “energy” and mood

A new study using twitter to evaluate mood over the course of the day reveals that people’s mood rises in the morning, lowers in the afternoon, then rises again in the evening. Hmmm. Where have I seen that curve before? … Continue reading

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How to run faster than you can run

The world racing authorities have decided that women’s running records have to be set in women-only races. That is to keep them from being paced by generally faster men. What difference should that make? Another recent study cited in the … Continue reading

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“Debriefing” after trauma actually increases PTSD

An interesting article in Scientific American about the change in how people are helped in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event. It used to be the standard practice (and still is, unfortunately, for some psychologists) to engage in a … Continue reading

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Solving the question of free will

Interesting article in the New York Times magazine about decision fatigue. The research suggests that any decisions you make take something out of you, which is why people can be wiped out after a day of shopping or making a … Continue reading

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One way exercise might boost memory

It’s been shown for a while that exercise leads to increased production of nerve cells, and that exercise improves brain function. Tara Parker Pope writes about a study in which people were given memory tests while in an imaging machine, … Continue reading

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A fungus creates zombie ants

Here is a story that seems more like science fiction than natural science – another case in which a parasite takes over some poor creature’s brain and manipulates the host’s behavior in a way that benefits the parasite. We’ve seen … Continue reading

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How to hack a job interview

There has been a lot of research on the psychology of persuasion, largely because of its links to advertising and sales. And that research has produced some really interesting results. One of the most interesting aspects of persuasion is that … Continue reading

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