Zitat:We wanted to test whether openness is linked to a phenomenon in visual perception called binocular rivalry. This occurs when two different images are presented to each eye simultaneously, such as a red patch to the right eye and a green patch to the left eye.

For the observer, the images seem to flip intermittently from one to the other. At one moment only the green patch is perceived, and at the next moment only the red patch – each stimulus appearing to rival the other (see illustration below).

Intriguingly, participants in binocular rivalry studies occasionally see a fused or scrambled combination of both images (see middle frame, above). These moments of ‘rivalry suppression’, when both images become consciously accessible at once, seem almost like a ‘creative’ solution to the problem presented by the two incompatible stimuli.

Across three experiments, we found that open people saw the fused or scrambled images for longer periods than the average person. Furthermore, they reported seeing this for even longer when experiencing a positive mood state similar to those that are known to boost creativity.

Zitat:Each morning, participants filled out questionnaires and conducted a computerized attention task. Irrespective of light intensity, SWL illumination significantly disrupted sleep continuity and architecture and led to greater self-reported daytime sleepiness. SWL light also altered biological rhythms, subduing the normal nocturnal decline in body temperature and dampening nocturnal melatonin secretion. Light intensity seemed to independently affect sleep as well, but to a lesser degree. Both light intensity and wavelength negatively affected morning attention. In sum, light wavelength seems to have a greater influence than light intensity on sleep and a wide-range of biological and behavioral functions. Given the widespread use of electronic devices today, our findings suggest that screen light exposure at evening may have detrimental effects on human health and performance.

Zitat:Krass. Genau das Gegenteil von dem, was der konservative Wertekanon uns die ganzen Jahre vorgesungen hat, trifft zu: Eine individuellere Gesellschaft wird nicht egoistischer sondern altruistischer.

Zitat:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24211625

Better than sleep: theta neurofeedback training accelerates memory consolidation.

Reiner M1, Rozengurt R2, Barnea A3.

Author information

Abstract

Consistent empirical results showed that both night and day sleep enhanced memory consolidation. In this study we explore processes of consolidation of memory during awake hours. Since theta oscillations have been shown to play a central role in exchange of information, we hypothesized that elevated theta during awake hours will enhance memory consolidation. We used a neurofeedback protocol, to enhance the relative power of theta or beta oscillations. Participants trained on a tapping task, were divided into three groups: neurofeedback theta; neurofeedback beta; control. We found a significant improvement in performance in the theta group, relative to the beta and control groups, immediately after neurofeedback. Performance was further improved after night sleep in all groups, with a significant advantage favoring the theta group. Theta power during training was correlated with the level of improvement, indicating a clear relationship between memory consolidation, and theta neurofeedback.

Zitat:Reading a gripping novel causes biological changes in the brain which last for days as the mind is transported into the body of the Protagonist

Zitat:Highlights


•
The relationship between intrinsic connectivity networks supporting general intelligence and nutritional status is examined.
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General intelligence is linked to favorable connective architecture in the dorsal attention network.
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High blood levels of monounsaturated fatty acids are also associated with superior general intelligence.
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These nutrients may act on connective architecture in the dorsal attention network to support general intelligence.

Zitat:Participants, who were between 20 and 55 years of age, engaged in three different types of training for three months each, totaling a nine-month study period. The first training was dubbed the “Presence” module, and was very similar to focused awareness meditation, an ancient practice that's been studied a lot in recent years. In this study, participants learned to focus their attention, bringing it back when it wandered, and to attend to the breath and to their internal body sensations.

The second training was called “Affect,” which sought to enhance empathy and compassion for others—participants learned “loving-kindness” (metta) meditation, and did work with partners, the goal of which was to enhance one’s compassion and empathy.

The last was the "Perspective" module, akin to mindfulness or open-monitoring meditation. Here, the focus was on observing one’s own thoughts non-judgmentally and enhancing understanding of the perspectives of others.

Zitat:Training in Presence was linked to enhanced thickness in the anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which are known to be strongly involved in attention. Affect training was linked to increased thickness in regions known to be involved in socially driven emotions like empathy; and Perspective training associated with changes in areas involved in understanding the mental states of others, and, interestingly, inhibiting the perspective of oneself.

Zitat:“The best way to think about our capacity to dream is that it’s an accidental byproduct of our waking cognitive abilities,” said Domhoff. “Humans have invented uses for dreams in religious and healing rituals, which speaks to how central they are to human experience. But in an evolutionary sense, they don’t serve a purpose.”

Dreams originate in the same parts of the brain now known to be most active during mind wandering, according to Domhoff. Called the “default network,” these areas become more dense and integrated between the ages of 8-15, when dreaming also becomes more frequent and dreams become more complex.

The transition to dreaming occurs in stages as we stop paying attention to the external world, according to Domhoff, whose theory integrates insights from neuroimaging studies of brain activity and the discovery of the “mind-wandering” network. First, the externally focused “central executive network” of the brain deactivates. Second, the attentional networks tamp down, including the vigilant salience network that is always poised to send “red alerts.” Finally, as sensory networks screen out stimulation, imagery networks become stronger, and the mind begins to wander intensely.

“It’s like a symphony. It’s very harmonious,” said Domhoff. “As one network deactivates, and then another, the default network begins to ascend, just like when the strings come up or the horns begin to blare. When the default network is free to roam, that’s when we dream.”

Humans spend 20 to 30 percent of their waking hours in this mind-drifting state, said Domhoff. Neurophysiologically, it’s the same process that occurs during sleep, when sleep-inducing neurochemicals provide an additional boost.

Awake or asleep, as the default network ascends, the power of the brain’s imagery network transitions us from mind wandering to what researchers call “embodied simulation,” during which vivid imagery can make dreamers feel a part of the action.

Zitat:Bei der Studie wurden fast 300 Probanden verschiedene Aussagen vorgelegt – darunter auch einige von der oben genannten Website. Die Testpersonen sollten dann auf einer Skala von eins bis fünf die Tiefgründigkeit der Zitate einschätzen und die Sätze in eine der drei vorgegebenen Kategorien (tiefgründig, Bullshit und banal) einordnen. Zusätzlich wurden die Teilnehmer auch noch Tests unterzogen, bei denen die kognitiven Fähigkeiten und die Persönlichkeit bestimmt wurden.
So legte man den Probanden zum Beispiel folgende Aussage vor: "Hidden meaning transforms unparalleled abstract beauty." [Ein versteckter Sinn verändert unvergleichliche, abstrakte Schönheit]

Bei denjenigen, die diesen Satz nicht in die Kategorie Bullshit einordneten, sondern als tiefsinnig ansahen, wurde dann auch eine niedrigere Intelligenz, weniger Bereitschaft zum reflektierenden Denken sowie ein Hang zu verschwörerischem und übersinnlichem Gedankengut festgestellt.

Zitat:The ReSource Project consisted of three 3-month training modules, each focusing on a different competency. The first module trained mindfulness-based attention and interoception. Participants were instructed in classical meditation techniques similar to those taught in the 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR), which requires one to focus attention on the breath (Breathing Meditation), on sensations in different parts of the body (Body Scan), or on visual or auditory cues in the environment. Both exercises were practised in solitude.

Training in the second module focused on socio-affective competencies, such as compassion, gratitude, and dealing with difficult emotions. In addition to classical meditation exercises, participants learnt a new technique requiring them to practise each day for 10 minutes in pairs. These partner exercises, or so-called "contemplative dyads," were characterised by a focused exchange of every-day life affective experiences aiming to train gratitude, dealing with difficult emotions, and empathic listening.

In the third module, participants trained socio-cognitive abilities, such as metacognition and perspective-taking on aspects of themselves and on the minds of others. Again, besides classical meditation exercises, this module also offered dyadic practices focusing on improving perspective-taking abilities. In pairs, participants learnt to mentally take the perspective of an "inner part" or aspect of their personality. Examples of inner parts were the "worried mother," the "curious child," or the "inner judge."

Zitat:"Even though brain plasticity in general has long been studied in neuroscience, until now little was known about the plasticity of the social brain. Our results provide impressive evidence for brain plasticity in adults through brief and concentrated daily mental practice, leading to an increase in social intelligence.

Zitat:"We discovered that in participants subjected to a psychosocial stress test, the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol was diminished by up to 51%. However, this reduced stress sensitivity was dependent on the types of previously trained mental practice,"

[...]

"Only the two modules focusing on social competencies significantly reduced cortisol release after a social stressor. We speculate that the cortisol stress response was affected particularly by the dyadic exercises practised in the social modules.

Zitat:Social scientists say conservative political views can be fueled by fear.
•A new study suggests that making people feel safe from harm can change their stance on hot-button social issues.
•The new research gives insight into the role of the unconscious mind in the voting booth.

Zitat:Researchers have taken brain images of people with different political leanings and found that those who self-identify as conservative have larger and more active right amygdalas, an area of the brain associated with the expression and processing of fear. A 2011 study looked at MRI scans of self-described conservative young adults and found they had more grey matter volume in the right amygdala than their liberal counterparts. In 2013, another team of scientists expanded that research to show that conservatives generally have more activity in their right amygdala when taking risks than liberals do.

Zitat:Ninety hours of playing action games led to hippocampal atrophy in response learners, while 90 hours of playing 3D games led to increased grey matter within the hippocampal memory system of all participants.”

Zitat:A new study by researchers at Loma Linda University Health has found that eating nuts on a regular basis strengthens brainwave frequencies associated with cognition, healing, learning, memory and other key brain functions. An abstract of the study -- which was presented in the nutrition section of the Experimental Biology 2017 meetings in San Diego, California, and published in the FASEB Journal.

In the study titled "Nuts and brain: Effects of eating nuts on changing electroencephalograph brainwaves," researchers found that some nuts stimulated some brain frequencies more than others. Pistachios, for instance, produced the greatest gamma wave response, which is critical for enhancing cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep. Peanuts, which are actually legumes, but were still part of the study, produced the highest delta response, which is associated with healthy immunity, natural healing, and deep sleep.

Zitat:Prior studies have demonstrated that nuts benefit the body in several significant ways: protecting the heart, fighting cancer, reducing inflammation and slowing the aging process. But Berk said he believes too little research has focused on how they affect the brain.

Zitat:Intelligence test scores and educational duration are positively correlated. This correlation can be interpreted in two ways: students with greater propensity for intelligence go on to complete more education, or a longer education increases intelligence. We meta-analysed three categories of quasi-experimental studies of educational effects on intelligence: those estimating education-intelligence associations after controlling for earlier intelligence, those using compulsory schooling policy changes as instrumental variables, and those using regression-discontinuity designs on school-entry age cutoffs. Across 142 effect sizes from 42 datasets involving over 600,000 participants, we found consistent evidence for beneficial effects of education on cognitive abilities, of approximately 1 to 5 IQ points for an additional year of education. Moderator analyses indicated that the effects persisted across the lifespan, and were present on all broad categories of cognitive ability studied. Education appears to be the most consistent, robust, and durable method yet to be identified for raising intelligence.