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Rumour Has It, Gossip Isn’t Always Negative
Tittle-tattle, scuttlebutt, dishing the dirt, spilling the tea: Whatever you call it. there's no doubt gossip can be seductive. Gossip has long had a bad reputation and gossipers have been seen as untrustworthy. But does gossip have another function? And can it play a more positive role in our lives?
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Exhaustion At Work Can Lead to Difficulty Controlling Emotions, Scientists Say
If a hard day in the office leaves you crabby and uncooperative, you may have an excuse: scientists say exercising self-restraint can exhaust parts of the brain related to decision-making and impulse control, leaving you less able to manage your behaviour towards others. ... Michael Inzlicht, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the study, urged caution noting most of the behavioural results did not show significant effects, while the connection between brain and behaviour was not strong. “These are interesting results and are consistent with a commonsense view of fatigue,” he said.
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Why Humans Cry
... Why some people cry more than others Much of that difference is likely to be the result of societal pressures and gender norms, experts say. Consider the fact that little boys and girls cry about the same amount, said Jonathan Rottenberg, a professor of psychology at Cornell University. Only over time does a tearful gender gap start to emerge. Part of the reason may be that society largely teaches boys the importance of being tough. “Boys might inhibit their crying for fear of violating a gender stereotype,” Dr. Rottenberg said.
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Too Many Connections? How Aging Impacts Memory and Recall
How does the brain’s memory function change as we grow older? What recent discoveries are helping us understand these changes better? In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum welcomes Karen Campbell of Brock
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Stressed? Writing Down a To-Do List Might Help
If you ever struggle to get to sleep, you might find that one of the things that keeps you awake is worrying about just how much you have to do the following day, especially if there are tasks that you've started, but not yet completed. ... In fact, when Michael Scullin, director of the Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory at Baylor University in the US asked one group of volunteers to write a list just before bed of everything they'd achieved that day, and a second group to write a to-do list, all about the tasks they had to do complete tomorrow and in the next few days, it was this second group who subsequently fell asleep more quickly.
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Buy Happiness—by Giving Your Money Away
Next time you’re feeling stressed, try giving some money away. Generosity is a powerful drug even in small doses. Donations to a worthy cause or acts of kindness to friends give your mind and body a boost. Yes, the side effects of a charitable act may include a better mood, lower blood pressure and a longer life, according to studies from brain scientists and economists. You might experience a spike in serotonin and dopamine, hormones associated with happiness, and a drop in cortisol, researchers say. ...
