The brain’s plasticity is revolutionary but its evolutionary history is pretty remarkable, too. What’s amazing is that the brain has been evolving since our earliest predecessor, “Tool Maker” first appeared on the planet. But it’s only recently (during these last few minutes of our evolutionary past when neuroscience has been able to take us inside […]
Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
This is the cover story that sure caught my attention in a recent New York Times Magazine edition (9/13). And it continued with: “Is Happiness Catching? Your friends and even your friends’ friends can make you quit smoking, eat too much or get happy…a look at the emerging science of social contagion.” OK, leaving aside […]
The Neuroscience of Human Relationships
Traditional neurology views the brain as a system by itself—the body’s control center. While this is true, the human brain cannot be understood in a vacuum. It’s a social organ that might best be studied through its connection with others. Our brains are linked socially in obvious ways, of course. Take blushing, for instance – […]