Your
Mistake, My Mistake-All the Same to the Brain
Mon Apr 26, 9:28 AM ET
“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Why is it so annoying to watch someone else make a
mistake? Maybe because it affects the same areas of the brain as when a person makes
his or her own mistake, Dutch researchers said on Monday.”
I definitely get embarrassed on behalf of bad orators or performers.
If I stopped watching cartoons, would I get nasty withdrawal symptoms? 😉
Cartoons
act like cocaine
By Roger Highfield
“A search for the mind’s ‘funny bone’ has shed new light on the mysteries
of merriment, revealing that the reason humour is addictive is that it activates
‘reward centres’ in the brain.”
Another good reason to get plenty of rest:
Sleep Appears to Rescue Memories
“In a finding that backs up motherly advice to get a good night’s sleep, scientists have found that sleep apparently restores memories lost during a hectic day.”
It is not just a matter of physical recharge. Researchers say sleep can rescue memories in a biological process of storing and consolidating them deep in the brain’s circuitry. The finding is one of several conclusions made in two studies that appear today in the journal Nature.
Innocent by reason of tumor?
Frontal Lobe Tumor causes Pedophilia in a Man
Science raises questions for criminal justice system
Neurolgists at the University of Virginia reported that the removal of a frontal lobe tumor ended a male patient’s sexual behavior toward children. The patient had begun to have poor sexual impulse control several years eariler. The Tumor actually grew back once, with the sexual behaviors returning. The behaviors ceased again when the second tumor was removed.
I know some tone-deaf folks who could make use of this. I'd personally like to use it to pick up a couple instruments.
Brain machine 'improves musicianship'
"Scientists have created a technique that dramatically improves the performance of musicians. The system – called neurofeedback – trains musicians to clear their minds and produce more creative brain waves. Research, to be published in the journal Neuroreport, indicates the technique helps musicians to improve by an average of 17% – the equivalent of one grade or class of honours. Some improved by as much as 50%."