Being excluded hurts. Whether it’s being the last pick for dodgeball in recess or missing an important social gathering, being left out can cause substantial emotional pain. But what can you do about it? It’s just part of life, right? That answer wasn’t good enough for Dr. Paolo Riva and his colleagues at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy. They wanted to see whether there was a way to alleviate the pain caused by exclusion. In particular, they hypothesized that specific regions of the brain might be able to “buffer” against social pain. In order to test this, they recruited…

Focusing on positive experiences is a reflex for some, but it’s a skill that all of us would be wise to adopt. Because not only can it be just plain enjoyable to mentally relive good experiences, it can actually rewire your brain. New findings keep showing us that everything we do affects our brain. But that is in both positive and negative ways. So wherever we focus our attention, we’re making lasting change, for better or worse. But Rick Hanson, PhD has a way that we can positively influence changes in the brain – and it can even extend our…

Stress is no joke. Aside from the sleepless nights and lots of tension, stress can also have a range of negative health effects. So how do you reduce stress? A team of researchers at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine started looking for answers. They gathered 18 patients who had received diagnoses of breast cancer but were not in active treatment. Arguing that this was a population of people who were under high stress, researchers randomly assigned the patients to two different groups. One group received a mindfulness-based art therapy course, while the other received an education program to…

Well, it depends. There are many foods that can benefit brain power, including foods that contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. But what about foods that might harm the brain? Well, that’s also fat . . . . . . but of a different kind. The risk in this case is of developing dementia, and this risk can vary depending on the type of fat you eat. Dr. Olivia Okereke and her colleagues at Harvard studied 6,183 women over the age of 65 and compared their fat intake with changes in their cognitive abilities. Fat consumption was determined by…

Just for a minute, imagine your brain as two characters from Star Trek. There’s Captain Kirk who is very emotional, the other is Spock who is very analytical. Now combine them (for you Star Trek fans, this may be difficult, but try). Marsha Lucas, PhD, author of Rewire Your Brain for Love, and a neuropsychologist with a special interest in interpersonal neurobiology, uses this Star Trek example to talk about the importance of brain integration for improving relationships. Click here to sign up. Brain integration is important for relationships but it can be tricky, especially because our society has a…

An article about Terry Bradshaw has just caught my attention – partly because I somewhat follow NFL football (the Patriots, Giants and Colts), but more because of it’s connection to the brain. On Monday, Bradshaw spoke out about the effect that his numerous concussions have had on his general cognitive functioning. He sustained more than six concussions over his lengthy NFL career, leaving more than one reader on Monday to reminisce about seeing him being carted off the field in a stretcher. He now has problems with his short-term memory, as well as his hand-eye coordination, and is undergoing therapy…