When we're doing "nothing" fMRIs show the brain is active in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (MPFC), Dorsal Medial PFC, and Lateral Temporal lobe -- these are the areas correlated to thinking about oneself, and analyzing others' intentions and actions. Our…
"The function of the mind is to dream twenty-four hours a day. The waking dream has a material structure. In sleep, the dream also seems to have a structure. While awake, our mind is affected by cycles of energy through…
Our prefrontal cortex regulates attention and thoughts with vast amounts of neural connections and a system of arousal and neurotransmitters. If we take no action, our default system may favor excessive stress response and disease. Science proved that focused attention…
In order for our brains to learn, encode, and stamp experiences into lasting memories, we must engage in a delicate balance or dance between chemical and neurological activity. One sensitive coupling is the relationship between dopamine and norepinephrine in the…
In studies done in 2010 at North Dakota State University it was shown that individuals who were more creative were better able to down or up-regulate their cognitive control system based on the situation. This is called cognitive flexibility. To…
Professor Kristin Neff of the University of Texas is considered a leading researcher in the field of self-compassion. Her research is showing that those who cultivate self-compassion by exercising gentle and non-judgmental self-talk bounce back more quickly during crisis. The…
Your sleep patterns could be contributing to an exhaustion in your prefrontal cortex and a strong propensity to over eat. When your prefrontal cortex is exhausted it's much more difficult to regulate emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. In recent studies published…
This is a controversial subject with some science noting that multi-tasking improves cognitive abilities, and other science saying it impairs it. Mindfulness practices note that by paying focused attention and being in the present moment, we can be at peace…
Recent neuroscience is showing that the more we move into fear and threat response, the more we exercise and strengthen the neural pathways around the limbic brain which is our fight -or-flight center. We also end up shrinking or pruning…
Your cortices, like muscles, grow with use. So if you use your limbic brain to function mostly--in fear and threat--you strengthen that part of the brain so it dominates. If you use your prefrontal cortex mostly--for higher level thought like…
