Intense Studying Will Harm Workouts

 

A frequent thing you’ll hear in the gym is ”mind over body” – meaning that when the body is exhausted, the mind can keep it going for longer than you think it can. It’s a remarkable feat, and readers that frequently go to gym can attest that they can keep going with motivation in an all-time high despite exhaustion if they can just get the right mindset to do so.

Scientists have recently found out, though, that this only applies in this case, and that the inverse, “body over mind” would not work. If you tire your brain, your body might just follow as well. With enough mental exertion, you might just lessen endurance and performance in the gym, leading to shorter workouts, even if your body’s still got a lot of energy to eat through.

There’s been a lot of information and research regarding the effects of physical exercise on the brain and cognitive processes, but no one has really observed how too much thinking might affect physical performance.

In a joint experiment conducted by researchers from the UK and France, researchers tired the brains of their volunteer participants by demanding video games and tested their physical capabilities after. Fatigue is a condition that is usually focused more concerning on bodily fatigue, however, it also occurs in the nervous system.

At one session, the participants were in front of a computer screen for as long as 90 minutes, playing the mentally challenging video game that was designed to tire them out. After their time playing the game, the men were then exercised on their legs by means of a specialized one-legged ergometer where they had to keep going until they reached exhaustion.

After a few days, they were allowed to take the exercise test again, this time without the mentally challenging game beforehand. The results weighed in and showed that the participants burned out up to 15% faster when they were also mentally exhausted, many times before even reaching muscle fatigue.

Interestingly, their maximum force output was not any different, only their endurance. They were able to produce the same force in exertion, but failed to produce the same force for a long period of time. Simply put, exercise feels harder when tired, so you quit earlier, although your muscles are still fresh and good to go.

These findings have some serious applications on how we combine workouts and intense thinking sessions in our day. For example, that you would tire out faster if you went to the gym after work, than you would if you went in the morning. Similarly, it might not be a good idea to balance you finances before you go on a marathon. Whatever you can take from this, it is pretty compelling and at the same time, amazing.

Watching TV Rots Your Child’s Developing Brain

 

One of the most controversial topics of debate among soon-to-be mothers, new mothers, and already existing mothers are whether there is any effects, positive or negative, to allowing your child time on the television. I, myself, was part of the TV generation, watching TV as I grew up – the likes of Barney the Dinosaur and Sesame Street would come to mind. There wasn’t a day in my childhood that I wouldn’t be watching TV. Whether this had any effect on me or not, I’m already passed the point to care. However – brace yourselves – the American Academy of Pediatrics claim that there are no “educational television” programs for children under the age of 2.

For a long time, the American Academy of Pediatrics has urged parents not to allow their young children any “TV time.” Apparently, this is due to the fact that there have not been enough studies conducted that report the effects of television on a child’s developing brain. They cautioned that due to this, there might be some detrimental effects that we are not aware of. However, great advances in technology has now rendered such studies possible, and now, we have an answer.

To this, recent research from the AAP has surfaced concerning the TV’s effects on young children, typically under the age of 2. Their experiment involved exposing babies in the ages of 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months to television. What they did was they played an “educational video” made for babies normally, and then in reverse. While they watched the videos, the researchers observed their brains and measured to see any differences indicating how the babies reacted to the video.

The results came out soon, and it was shown that only the older babies actually reacted to and cared on whether the video was played forward or backward, which meant that the younger babies didn’t even had the brain capacity to process what was happening on the TV. With them not being able to process anything, there would be no educational benefits or learning involved.

So how is this harming learning development in children? Well, when they’re so focused on TV, there is no actual learning involved, while parents could be better spending their time with their children, interacting with them, which helps language and social skills development by leaps. The loss of this opportunity for development proposes that babies that had more social interaction while in the development stage have much more developed brains.

In this age, though, it isn’t possible to completely eliminate TV due to the fact that it permeates us greatly. However, what we should do is that we should certainly limit the amount of time we allow our children to be watching television, and additionally, not rely simply on “educational videos” when we could be assisting this development more effectively and efficiently ourselves.

The Internet’s Effects on the Brain: Part 3

 

Continued from Part 2        

In the technological era where everyone is always connected, how is the internet affecting us and our brains? Are there slight dangers to being constantly online, or are there some deep, dark things that we’re just unaware about? Follow our three-part article to get this exclusive information.

  1. The Internet causes higher suicide risks. Although, this has only been documented in teens, take heed. According to researchers from the University of Oxford in England, online time is linked to higher risks of suicide and harm to oneself in adolescents.Due the amount of cyberbullying, trolls, and a bunch of people just up to no good, it isn’t surprising that the amount of time teens spend online – particularly, very vulnerable teens – might lead to higher suicide risks. The internet can be a very dangerous place, and certain websites extremely unsuitable for teens.That isn’t to say that all young people going online will be suicidal, but some teens looking out for ways to harm themselves, or already have thoughts on suicide might find, through the internet, their means to an end. Online content might help simplify things for them, and the unaccepting society in some sites might even make this worse.

 

  1. However – the Internet boosts brain function. As bad as everything here sounds, the internet actually has good things to offer to the brain as well. Although, we’ve only listed one here, this doesn’t mean that the weights of all our points are equal. This one is pretty significant.In 2008, researchers from UCLA suggested that using Search Engines actually allows much neural stimulation and neural activity, potentially enhancing brain function – especially in elders.

“What we’ve concluded from the study is very promising. It seems that the computer technologies that we utilize today can actually have physiological effects and benefits for adults – especially in those facing potential cognitive decline. Doing a Google search, simple as it seems, actually involves complicated brain processes, which allow exercising of neurons and improved brain function.”
Dr. Gary Small,
UCLA

The MRI brain scans from the conducted research showed that the usage of search engines dramatically increased neural connectivity, allowing for very promising applications.

Whatever the case, it is impossible to separate our lives from the Internet, as we use it in almost every way. However, be safe. Be informed. That being said, we can only leave you with this:

The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”
Bill Gates

The Internet’s Effects on the Brain: Part 2

 

Continued from Part 1        

In the technological era where everyone is always connected, how is the internet affecting us and our brains? Are there slight dangers to being constantly online, or are there some deep, dark things that we’re just unaware about? Follow our three-part article to get some exclusive information.

  1. The Internet makes you an addict. Well, you brain at least. According to a research study done in London, people who are regularly on the internet have a harder time controlling their needing a “fix” of internet time being plugged-in to a computer. In the study, the researchers noted that the participants who have been cut off from internet for even just a day showed withdrawal symptoms that were similar to those seen in addicts. Those symptoms were not just physical, but included mental addictions as well.This might tie in with the fact that a majority of the people that develop internet addictions are gamers, but the researchers claim that this applies to those who spend at least an hour or more on social media websites as well. On gamers, they found that they exhibit behaviors similar to addicts as well due to the fact that they spend very long hours in MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online roleplaying games) usually creating a whole new alternate life based on that. Still, though, chronic social media users are affected with this sort of effects as well.

 

  1. The internet makes increases loneliness and jealousy. We’re met again here by the green-eyed monster, when we say that the use of social media makes you more jealous. Think about it – how many times in the past few days have you looked up your ex’s profile online. Scratch that – how many times have you done so in the past hour?In Berlin’s Humboldt University, German scientists claim that constant viewing friends’ pictures,  statuses, and other things related to them can bring up strong emotions, one of which being jealousy, and sometimes sadness. Ironically, they’ve described this as “Facebook depression.”

 

This makes sense, though. When have you gone on Facebook and felt jealous on the amount of people in love on Valentine’s Day? Or Christmas? When your friend’s been travelling the world with his girlfriend or wife, and you’re sitting on your computer at home – bitter – with your bag of Cheetos and cans of Monster by your side, you’ve got to admit you feel a bit jealous. Maybe just a little bit.

 

To be Continued …

The Internet’s Effects on the Brain: Part 1

 

The average American spends 23 hours on average on the internet. Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, email – there are countless things that we’re doing on the internet, and doing so, we’re allowing our computers take control of our everyday lives. Think about it – a lot of things that you do in everyday revolve a lot around the use of the internet. We are in the technological age, and we are the technological generation.

In this three-part article, we’ll discuss how the internet is affecting our brains.

As an author of a famous book on the internet Nicholas Carr stated,

“What the internet is, is a very elaborate interruption system. It steals away our attention, only to scramble it across the span of itself.”

Incredible as that might seem, it simply describes our tendency to procrastinate due to the internet. However, is it possible that the internet is helping us to develop certain skills as well? Recent advances in neuroscience reveals that the internet exhibits a certain property called neuroplasticity, which means that it’s able to adapt and change depending on behavior and experience. That in mind, how is this affecting us concerning the internet? Here’s some things you need to know:

  1. The Internet might cause memory problems. One of the many uses of the internet is to Google something. Often, when asked a question we don’t know, we will resort to taking out our smartphones and looking up an answer on the internet. This type of behavior makes it so that we’re conditioned that we don’t need to remember much, due to the ease of just going online to look for an answer.On the other side of the spectrum, if you’re an avid user, it might lead to an overload of information. Even a normal session of Facebook can overload the information going that’s going in your brain, and thus, it makes it harder to store away the information into memory.According to a study from Stanford University, brains that are regularly crammed with information – IM’s to emails to YouTube videos – find it harder to pay attention and switch between tasks efficiently. Apparently, the reasoning behind this is that when there’s so much information bombarding the brain, our brains aren’t able to filter out what’s relevant and which isn’t. The inability to filter these information means that your brain is being stuffed with filler as well, which slows it down.

To be Continued… 

Can ADD be prevented?

 

A Google search on ADHD will reveal a lot of results concerning tips, cures, and ways to cope with ADD better. We’re not saying that the information out there is in any way bad or misleading. In fact, there are many great articles out there on the internet on how to deal with ADD. However, it seems as if people forget that it’s a condition, and like most conditions, it can be prevented.

It isn’t common to think about ADD as a preventable condition, but some doctors believe that it is. Although, there is no surefire way to prevent ADD, the great advances of science brings to light some suggestions brought up that may help reduce the likelihood.

First’s first – pick your life partner thoughtfully. ADD is very highly heritable, therefore, choose wisely. If you know that your partner is related to someone who has ADD, it might be a good idea to reconsider your options. We’re not saying that you should break up with them over the fact that your partner’s brother suffers from ADD, however consider the possible ramifications and whether you’re ready to take on a child that might possibly have ADD.

Don’t indulge in vices when pregnant. The use of alcohol, cigarettes, or illegal drugs might affect your child. Poor health during pregnancy highly increases the likelihood of developing ADD.

Ensure medical care is the best that it can be during the delivery. There are a number of factors that might lead to the development of ADD, and most people don’t know that poor birthing conditions can be an attributing factor. Lack of oxygen, trauma, and even infections during birth can all cause ADD.

When you finally leave the delivery room, and your child is getting older, limit electronic time. TV, computer, handheld games – or even playing Flappy Bird on your phone – can also attribute to the development of ADD. Yes, allow usage, but limit it as well. Scientists believe that a good rule of thumb is one hour a day.

That being said, when you take away electronics, put in some social interaction. According to studies, social interactions and the development of emotional connections aid the skills that limit ADD. Have some family bonding time, play catch in the backyard, or maybe even read them a book before they go to bed. All of this is not only highly beneficial in social interactions, but also allows your child to develop healthy lifestyles and confidence.

With the right amount of guidance and care, any parent can greatly minimize their child’s likelihood of developing ADD. However, this article does not serve to degrade people suffering from ADD. In fact, ADD usually comes with gifts: sharp intuitive skills, high energy, originality, creativity, warmth. This article simply tries to allow readers the most informative decision they can make in light of uncertainties.

That being said, I leave this:

Everyone is a genius. But when you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,
it will live its whole life believing that it was stupid.”
Albert Einstein

The 7 Steps to Effective Brainstorming

 

Everyone always has problems concerning of brainstorming – it’s time consuming and it’s exhausting. Why would you even want to do it? When a good idea comes, it’ll hit you, and you won’t need to think about it, right?

Well, actually, brainstorming can actually be a highly effective tool to your productivity, focus, and basically, getting the job well when done right. They key words here are obviously when done right, though. Just any sort of brainstorming isn’t going to help you if you aren’t good at it.

However, the MIT Sloan Management Review has put together a 7 step plan that you should do whenever you’re going to have a brain storming session – it’ll not only make it more effective, but also more efficient. Here they are:

  1. Define the confines of your problem and solution. Simple. Create the boundaries and rules – the maxes and the mins – for your problem and your possible solutions. This way, you won’t be wasting too much time trying to fruitlessly innovate to the point that you’re getting out of topic.
  2. Simplify your problem.  It’ll be so much easier to create solutions for a problem if you’ve simplified it already. Break it down into its main core and what you are trying to achieve. Then, if it’s still too big, break it down to even smaller parts which you can tackle incrementally. This’ll keep motivation high, and allow you energy to blast through it.
  3. Make it personal. Think about the problem as if it was your own. The more you imagine it as being your own, the more desperate you might get at finding the solution that it might just open up a whole new perspective that you’ve never thought about before.
  4. Seek 2nd opinions. If you’re really having that hard of a time, try and find as many people to consult – friends, family, acquaintances. It doesn’t really matter. See what they have to say, and what’s most vital is the fact that you get to bounce your ideas off of them. This is essential in any creative process.
  5. Take your time; have a reconvene. If you aren’t able to come up with solutions right away, don’t fret. Go home, take a breather, and think about it again after a night’s rest. Don’t pressure yourself to come up with the answer in a 1-hour brainstorming session. Let it incubate in your mind for a while. Eureka moments usually happen when you’ve been subconsciously thinking about it long enough for connections to be made.
  6. Simplify your solutions. At times, solutions might get too complicated. Simplify them down to the bare bones similar to how you did with your problem. For comparison sake, word it like a resume. Fit it in a one-page document.
  7. Test your ideas. When all has come together, before you start acting on it, perform a small-scale test first and see what the effects or repercussions are. Write those down, and keep designing tests to until you’re 110% sure your idea will work, and try it in different variations as well. Don’t forget to factor in the variables and room for deviation.

Creative People Are Liars

 

It seems as if there’s new research that suggests that dishonesty and creativity are one of the same kind. So, if you’re an extremely creative person, you might also be a chronic liar.

The new findings from Harvard Business School was published in Psychological Science. Apparently, the study suggests that there is a very small line between the two, detailed in a series of experiments. Along with some colleagues from the Marshall School of Business and the University of South Carolina, the researchers laid out a series of tests that made it easy for people to cheat. As a matter of fact, some people were even encouraged to do so.

In the first experiment conducted, the participants were tested with a set of number matrices. In these, they were instructed to find pairs of numbers that added up to 10. They were also told that they would be compensated directly proportionally to the amount that they were able to answer correctly. However, the catch was that they had to self-report, and had the ability to inflate the number that they actually got correctly. Little did they know, the researchers also monitored their actual scores for comparisons.

In another test, they the participants were given 3 words, in which they would have to come up with a fourth word that would be related to the set that was given to them. Simple as it might seem, the 3 words were not directly related to each other, or at least not obviously so. This prompted the participants to tap into their creative juices to create connections, and then come up with an answer.

The results weighed in after the experiments, and it showed that 59% of the participants had lied and inflated their scores to what it actually was. Following that, it was found that the cheaters were able to answer better and demonstrated higher creative thinking levels on the second test. The more someone inflated their score, the better they were able to do.

The study suggests that cheating might have a connection and play a hand with creative thinking and behavior. In another study, it was also found that encouraging out-of-the-box thinking also resulted in higher rates of lying. Therefore, they conclude that this is not only a one-way, but rather a two-way relationship. On top of that, they were directly related as well.

“The common saying that ‘rules are made to be broken’ is at the root of both creative
performance and dishonest behavior.”
Francesca Gina, Lead Researcher
Harvard Business School

Yearly Dental X-rays Cause Increased Likelihood of Tumors

 

How often do you go to your local dentist for your teeth cleaning? Once a year? Twice a year? Three – four times a year? Well, there’s a new study that’s come to light that might just make you think twice about your next visit.

Published in the journal Cancer – interesting already, huh – an interesting study conducted by researchers from Yale School of Medicine suggest that the X-rays on the dentist’s chair might just cause an increased likelihood for the development of tumors. Although the researchers aren’t going so far to propose that you should stop getting X-rayed altogether, they are saying that you should get them less often.

The study they conducted involved 1,433 people diagnosed with the most common form of brain tumor, intracranial meningioma. These people were also compared to a control group of 1,350 people who did not have tumors. As part of the study, the people also had to show their complete dental X-ray records to the researchers.

After thorough analysis, the researchers concluded that the majority of the patients with tumors were twice as likely to have developed those tumors as the result of an annual or biannual X-ray procedure called bitewig. In this procedure, the patient bites down on X-ray film, and a photo is taken of their upper and lower back teeth.

As well as bitewig, another procedure called panorex also apparently increased the likelihood for developing brain tumors. Similar to bitewig, panorex involved X-ray film, but this time took a panoramic shot of the teeth and everything around it.

Aside from the two above, it seems that the more often you’ve been taking these types of procedures, the higher the likelihood you have of developing a brain tumor. In addition, a long history of dental X-rays also contribute to this.

X-rays aren’t the safest procedures in the world – why do you think pregnant women aren’t allowed to have X-rays? However, X-rays aren’t all that bad. When some other options aren’t available, they’re quite necessary. Keep in mind the results of the research when you go to your next dental appointment, and remember with X-rays, it might just be “less is more.”