Everywhere I look, I see signs that Halloween is fast approaching. What was once a holiday primarily for children is now a celebration targeting all of us. As a neuroscientist, I get asked what the heck is going on in our brains that we so enjoy a holiday whose hallmark is scary stuff?
Generally, work is good for the brain, especially when it is challenging, meaningful and rewarding. However, work can also be bad for the brain — when it becomes a grinding routine, leading to mental routinization and stultification. If the brain is not engaged in improvement, it loses ground to the vicissitudes of life.
Travel can bring you to a world of new things and new experiences. You’re navigating unfamiliar territory, and you’re engaging the machinery of the brain that controls your movement across the surface of the planet.
It’s summertime — even here in San Francisco.
I look around and I see my neighbors putting down their devices and heading into the great outdoors. And, that should not be just a seasonal joy; it’s actually very good for your brain any time of the year.
Becoming a father is great for a man’s brain health — starting when he first learns that a new child is expected, and then on the father’s journey throughout the development and life of the child.
It’s almost Mother’s Day, and it seems a good time to reflect on what a wonderful thing motherhood is for the brain. There are all kinds of chemical and physical changes in the brain stimulated by being a mother — starting when the child is in the womb and then throughout the development and life of the child.
It’s not easy for scientists to pinpoint the best foods for brain health. But in study after study, one essential nutrient has stood out: omega-3 fatty acids.
I enjoy hearing about or even falling for a good harmless prank — and I certainly enjoy pulling a child or two’s string, in a cheerful, happy way, just to keep them on their toes — so, April Fools’ is one of my favorite days of the year. The holiday underscores how important surprises are for our brains. Of course, one hopes those surprises will be delightful ones!
Turning our clocks ahead next weekend, will rob us all of an hour – as we are sleeping. With World Sleep Day coming up on Friday (March 13), and in honor of Brain Awareness Week that starts Monday (March 16), it seems an opportune time to talk about the hard work being done by your brain while you sleep.
It feels as though the new year has only just begun, yet most of us have already failed at our New Year’s resolutions. One researcher estimates that 80 percent of us will have given up on those well-intentioned commitments by Valentine’s Day. What’s up with that?