Canny Minds Blog » Articles

Wisdom? It is just the brain slowing down

Jenny — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:52:46 +0000

Wisdom comes from the brain slowing down in old age making elderly people less impulsive and driven by emotion, researchers say.

American researchers carried out a series of studies on 3,000 people aged between 60 and 100 to find out what happens to the brain as it ages.

They discovered that elderly people could still learn new abilities but their brains were less dependent on “feel good” hormones making them appear less driven by emotion and impulsiveness.

This, in essence, is wisdom, the Royal College of Psychiatrists Congress in Edinburgh was told.

Porfessor Dilip Jests of the University of California, San Diego, said:

“The fact that older people are slower to respond than younger people is widely seen as a disadvantage. But that’s not always the case.

“The elderly brain is less dopamine-dependent, making people less impulsive and controllwed by emotion.”

The Daily Telegraph, Rebecca Smith, 25/06/2010

Photo courtesy of luis1988santos

IQ Test Experts

Jenny — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:55:33 +0000

A mention for a new site IQ Test Experts which is well worth a visit, featuring an IQ Test and guidance on improving your score, more articles, and brain teasers and riddles to exercise the mind.

Try www.iqtestexperts.com

Orange Prize for Fiction 2010

Jenny — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:09:56 +0000

The 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction winner has been announced with Barbara Kingsolver’s multi layered novel ‘The Lacuna’ the winning choice.

In her first novel for nine years, set in the post war Americas, Barbara Kingsolver follows the epic journey of Harrison William Shepherd, an ordinary man who attracts unwanted attention in the post war world of McCarthyist paranoia.

‘This is a tender, tragic, optimistic, sometimes depressing – but always compelling – story’ (The Independent).

Kingsolver’s command of her material counters any giddiness and ensures that the narrative grips from the start (The Times )

To buy this novel, click here

Wash your hands and wipe away doubt over tough decisions

Jenny — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:32:30 +0000

Lady Macbeth had the right idea when she compulsively washer her hands to absolve her guilt – scientists have discovered that it really does put your mind at rest.

A team of psychologists found that people who washed their hands after making an agonising choice were happier than those who didn’t.

Spike Lee, from the University of Michigan, who led the study, said that washing seemed to remove doubts about the decision. He said:

“Washing your hands can symbolically ‘wipe away’ concerns. Once you wash your hands, you no longer need to do the mental work that makes the chosen alternative look better than the rejected one”

The study, reported in the journal Science, involved students who were told they were taking part in a consumer survey of CDs. They ranked 10 CDs by preference and were then given the choice of either their fifth or sixth-ranking CD to keep. Half the participants then washed their hands. Those who did so were happier with their decision that those who didn’t. Researcher Dr Norbert Schwarz said:

“Once participants washed their hands they no longer needed to justify their choice”.

Dr Schwarz continued: “Washing can cleanse us from traces of immoral behaviour and also from traces of past decisions. This ‘clean slate’ effect may be relevant to many choices, such as choosing a partner or buying a car”.

By Richard Alleyne, Daily Telegraph

Photo courtesy of Invisible Monsters

Rough Science DVDs

Jenny — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:16:57 +0000

For one week only (the offer ends on May 14) we are offering the six Rough Science DVDs at a special price of just £12.99 each, a saving of around £5 per title on the normal price.

These programmes, made by the BBC in collaboration with the Open University between 2000-2005, were critically acclaimed when first shown on TV and are still regarded as classics of the present age. The series features four or five scientists, all of whom are specialists in their own field. In each programme( four on the DVD of Rough Science 1, six on each of Rough Science 2-6) a scientist is given a task that they must complete using the natural resources of the surrounding area together with limited supplies. The series features Kate Humble, Mike Bullivant, Kathy Sykes and a young geologist Iain Stewart.

The titles are strongly recommended to anyone interested in science at any level , combining expert information with first class entertainment.