It has been revealed that being able to speak a second language could have a significant impact on your future mental health. A recent study has indicated that bilingualism not only has the capacity to boost cognitive abilities in your youth but might also improve brain functionality in later life and could even help protect against diseases such as dementia (Bates, 2012). Continue reading
Meet Joe. After suffering from years of epilepsy, Joe underwent brain surgery to have his corpus callosum severed. The corpus callosum, also referred to as the colossal commissure, is a thick band of 200-250 million nerve fibers at the longitudinal fissure that facilitates interhemispheric communication in the brain. By having this band severed, Joe prevented the spread of epileptic seizure from one hemisphere to the other.
It’s tough to quit smoking. Indeed, it’s a battle that millions of persons face each day as they attempt to take their first steps toward a longer, healthier lifestyle. Recent research has shown that not only is smoking dangerous, but nicotine can also potentially increase the likelihood of a person becoming addicted to other drugs (such as cocaine). In a landmark study reported at Neuroscience 2011, researchers at Columbia University demonstrated “the molecular mechanisms of nicotine as a gateway drug” able to affect gene expression and prime the body for further addiction (Sukel, 2012). Continue reading
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY
What’s so fascinating about eating a marshmallow? Quite a lot as it turns out. In 1972, Stanford University’s Walter Mischel conducted one of psychology’s classic behavioral experiments on deferred gratification. Deferred gratification refers to an individual’s ability to wait in order to achieve a desired object or outcome. Continue reading
Like most fascinating phenomena, the flashed face distortion effect was discovered completely by accident. Honors student Sean Murphy had eye-aligned pictures of faces in the University of Queensland psychology lab and was playing around with them when he first noticed the grotesque faces staring back at him. When he looked at the faces individually however, they appeared normal and some were even attractive. Continue reading
