Yawn for Good Health?
Dogs yawn before attacking, Olympic athletes yawn before performing, and fish yawn before they change activities. Evidence even exists that yawning helps individuals on military assignment perform their tasks with greater accuracy and ease. Several recent brain-scan studies have shown that yawning evokes a unique neural activity in the areas of the brain that are directly involved in generating so... posted on Dec 01 2009, 6,193 reads

The Power of the Mind Body Connection
Matthew Sanford was only thirteen when a car accident that killed his father and sister left him paralyzed for life. "I left my childhood behind and began a new life. The doctors led me to ignore my lower body, to focus only on what was left. I would become a powerful upper torso and willfully drag my paralyzed body through life. For twelve years, I did this (...) but something was missing. It was... posted on Nov 22 2009, 4,959 reads

No Vacation Nation
Last year, fewer than half of all Americans took a week off or less for vacation. Compared with the five weeks of paid vacation Europeans get, Americans seem woefully overworked and under-rested. Doctors have been researching the ill effects of too much work, and some claim that a lack of vacation can have real health consequences. Dr. Sarah Speck calls the stress from too much work the new tob... posted on Nov 15 2009, 5,866 reads

Taking In The Good
Much as your body is built from the foods you eat, your mind is built from the experiences you have. The flow of experience gradually sculpts your brain, thus shaping your mind. Some of the results can be explicitly recalled: This is what I did last summer; that is how I felt when I was in love. But most of them remain forever unconscious. This is called implicit memory, and it helps form your exp... posted on Nov 07 2009, 7,501 reads

The Burden of Genius
Elizabeth Gilbert's book "Eat, Pray, Love" was so successful that everyone worried if she'd ever be able to repeat that creative performance. The concern led Gilbert to investigate how past cultures and societies handled creative strokes of genius, and she discovered a rather curious insight from ancient Greek and Roman cultures -- that people aren't geniuses, but rather they have a genius. Funny,... posted on Nov 02 2009, 6,361 reads

The Smell of Virtue
People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to a soon-to-be published study led by a Brigham Young University professor. The research found a dramatic improvement in ethical behavior with just a few spritzes of citrus-scented Windex.... posted on Oct 29 2009, 3,567 reads

Questioning Self-Discipline
If there is one character trait whose benefits are endorsed by traditional and progressive educators alike, it may well be self-discipline. Just about everyone wants students to override their unconstructive impulses, resist temptation, and do what needs to be done. The only question is how best to accomplish this. Author and scholar Alfie Kohn further explores what he sees as the troubling theory... posted on Oct 27 2009, 6,316 reads

This Is Your Brain On Happiness
"Happiness can't be reduced to a few agreeable sensations. Rather, it is a way of being and of experiencing the world -- a profound fulfillment that suffuses every moment and endures despite inevitable setbacks." Matthieu Ricard, often referred to as 'The Happiest Man in the World" takes a deeper look at the complex relationship between our minds and happiness.... posted on Oct 20 2009, 19,356 reads

Prisoners Reach Out to Zen
"I try to focus on the space between two thoughts, because it prevents me from getting lost," says Kenneth Brown, a man who discovered meditation and yoga teachings three months into his sentence. Brown is not alone. While there are no statistics on the number of inmates engaging in meditation practices, such programs are sprouting up across the country. In an environment ripe with violence and... posted on Oct 14 2009, 3,249 reads

Master the Art of Listening
No wonder listening is an undervalued art. Research shows that we speak at a rate of about 125 words per minute, yet we have the capacity to listen to approximately 400 words per minute. So what are we doing with that extra space in our minds when someone else is talking? Are we really listening? This article offers seven pointers on how to sharpen our ability as listeners.... posted on Oct 06 2009, 47,828 reads