We don’t need research to tell us sleep is important—we can feel it the day after a restless night or when we’ve reached our energy peak at the end of the work day. But how much is the right amount for optimal cognitive performance? What benefits, other than feeling sharp and alert, can the right… Read More
“Predictive coding is as important to neuroscience as evolution is to biology.” —Lars Muckli, neurophysiologist, University of Glasgow A few days ago, I was sitting at my desk working when I felt something cold touch my bare foot. Since I knew a cat was in the room, and the sensation felt just like a cat’s… Read More
Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” may have been written as joke, but training our mind to focus on the positive has been proven to have both physical and physiological benefits. Among other things, studies have shown that a positive attitude can help us cope with stress, improve our overall wellbeing,… Read More
The secret to making boring work memorable, according to a new study out of UC-Davis, is to harness your curiosity about something you are already motivated to learn. The study, conducted by the cognitive neuroscience department, involved giving participants a series of trivia questions. The researchers asked the participants to rate their level of curiosity… Read More
When we’re facing a deadline or getting ready to tackle a big project, the standard approach is to plan from the beginning and then work our way forward, starting with the first step and ending with our final task. In recent years, however, a method known as backwards or reverse planning has been receiving a… Read More
Researchers at MIT have found that students who take music lessons improve their language skills more than students who take supplemental reading lessons, raising the question of whether schools should place a higher value on music education. Although brain scientists have long known that musical training enhances language learning, this is one of the first… Read More