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POPSSmell the Roses (or Coffee)!
Who hasn't taken a trip down memory lane with a mere whiff of a familiar scent? Whether it's the woodsy smell of some old furniture that reminds you of your wonderful time in grade school, or a particular cologne that fills you with the bittersweet memories of an old lover, scents have a powerful way of stopping us in our tracks and at times filling us up with rather intense emotions--both good or bad. Yes, it's not just the information that we recall with a scent, but more importantly the emotions that go along with the memory. According to the following article, scents go straight to the limbic system in the brain, the very place our emotions are triggered. Is it any wonder why aromatherapy is so effective in calming nerves and revitalizing one's energy? Of course, it helps that when we smell something pleasant, we take in slower, deeper breaths--often the very action that soothes us and clears our mind. So take your time when you wake up tomorrow and smell the rich, texture
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POPSIs Wisdom in the Brain? Wisdom for centuries has been a religious or philosophical concept that varies somewhat by culture. But Jeste tells ScientificAmerican.com that there is reason to believe that it's rooted in neurobiology.
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POPSSource of wisdom discovered in the human brain Wisdom is knowing what you know as well as what you don't know. Wisdom is not simply knowing what to do, but doing it. Many people, without invitation, offer their "words of wisdom." A wise person realizes when it is not their time or place to do so. Wisdom is not undermining a person for their weaknesses, but appreciating their strengths, different from yours.
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POPSDeep brain stimulation induces vivid memories In addition, this incident reaffirms a suspicion I’ve had about the brain and its ability to store memories. I’ve often thought that the brain does an excellent job recording and storing memories, but that our recall mechanisms are disturbingly weak and highly selective. Our long-term associations with memories are frequently diminished (e.g. some of our more painful memories are often exaggerated, distorted or suppressed). What this incident with DBS suggests is that our memories are beautifully preserved in our brains. We just lack the recall linkages and cognitive mechanisms to bring those memories back in any kind of detail. Our memories are accessed as fleeting bits of information instead of linear experiences.
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POPSThe Nose, an Emotional Time Machine Importantly, the olfactory cortex is embedded within the brain’s limbic system and amygdala, where emotions are born and emotional memories stored. That’s why smells, feelings and memories become so easily and intimately entangled
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POPSMen And Women Respond Differently To Stress The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is reporting research that shows that different parts of the brain are activated in males and females when confronted with a stressful situation. The researchers examined the activity of participant's brains using fMRI while exposed to stress.
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POPSThe Hidden Force of Fragrance Keep smiling... Keep smelling... I just wanted to say that... To read the full article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/rss/pto-20071118-000006.html
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POPS Vagus Nerve Stimulation Lifts Depression The amazing vagus nerve runs through the body and is involved in everything from sneezing to orgasm. As a relayer of signals from the brain to the rest of the body and back, it plays a key part in emotional and feeling states.
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POPSClues to Why We Dream at All ... In a recent paper in Psychological Bulletin, Dr. Nielsen and Dr. Levin proposed that dreaming served to create what they call “fear extinction memories,” the brain’s way of scrambling, detoxifying and finally discarding old fearful memories, the better to move on and make synaptic space for any novel threats that may show up at the door. “The brain learns quickly what to be afraid of,” Dr. Nielsen said. “But if there isn’t a check on the process, we’d fear things in adulthood we feared in childhood.” Ordinary bad dreams rarely recapitulate unpleasant events from real life but instead cannibalize them for props and spare parts, and through that reinvention, Dr. Nielsen explained, the fears are defanged. “A bad dream that doesn’t lead to awakening is successful in dealing with intense emotion,” he said. “It’s disturbing, but there is some kind of resolution to the extent we don’t wake up.” ...
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POPSdopamine: the drive of the body dopamine is released in the brain each time we are pleasantly surprised. It is also released in the brain by sigarets, chocolate, sex, etc... It makes the body active, and helps reach your interests - Paul Ekman's book about the formula for happiness has a lot of in-depth research about this too.
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POPSdepression and dreaming link very interesting article, these are just quick snippets. even if you have never been seriously down it's good to know. stay preventative people!! :)
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