January 2026 BONUS
PJTBonus to
Start Your Year being EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT
- How Emotions Affect Your Mental & Physical Health
- Research-backed tips on what you can do
What Falling in Love Does to YOur Brain, Body and Health
When love is in the air, you might experience some unexpected changes to your body. A romantic relationship can have intense effects.
Here are nine ways falling in love can impact your body, by Mary Daly
1. MAKES US ‘MADDENINGLY’ PREOCCUPIED
“Crazy in love” is actually a pretty apt description — especially in the early stages of a relationship. “Levels of the stress hormone cortisol increase during the initial phase of romantic love, marshaling our bodies to cope with the ‘crisis’ at hand,” according to the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute. The rising cortisol depletes the body’s serotonin — the neurotransmitter that helps to stabilize our mood. And that combination of high cortisol and low serotonin can cause us to feel like our emotions are on a roller coaster, completely immersed in all the highs and lows of our new love.”
2. SPARKS EUPHORIA
“Falling in love might cause you to become preoccupied and nervous. But it also can create a sense of euphoria in the body, thanks to the high levels of dopamine it releases. “Dopamine activates the reward circuit, helping to make love a pleasurable experience similar to the euphoria associated with use of cocaine or alcohol,” the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute says. In fact, research has shown loving relationships can be an effective antidote to substance abuse problems, as well as depression and anxiety. Plus, another chemical in the mix is oxytocin — the “love hormone” — which is released during skin-to-skin contact and heightens feelings of peace and wellbeing.”
3. BLINDS US
“Love is blind” is another phrase that science has proven somewhat accurate. “When we are engaged in romantic love, the neural machinery responsible for making critical assessments of other people, including assessments of those with whom we are romantically involved, shuts down,” according to the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute. So we experience fewer negative emotions, including “fear and social judgment.” And that’s not the only change to our eyes we might see. Research also has shown our pupils tend to dilate when we look at the object of our affection — which potentially is a side effect of all that dopamine.”
4. CHANGES OUR VOICES
“When speaking to someone we find attractive, research has shown we might subtly and subconsciously alter our voices. One study found men were more likely to lower their pitch when speaking to women they found attractive. And another study learned women spoke in a higher pitch to men they found attractive. Moreover, a study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior recorded people talking to relatively new romantic partners, as well as to close friends. They were instructed to say lines, such as “How are you?” and “What are you doing?” The researchers then played those clips for independent raters, who overwhelmingly were able to tell when a person was speaking to a romantic partner versus a friend, based on their pitch and perceived romantic interest.”
5. KILLS PAIN
“Love can hurt, but sometimes it also can relieve pain. A 2010 study recruited participants who were in the first nine months of a romantic relationship to complete three tasks with periods of inflicted pain. During the first task, they viewed a photo of their romantic partner. For the second, they viewed photos of “an equally attractive and familiar acquaintance.” And for the third task, they took part in a word-association distraction technique that already had been demonstrated to reduce pain. As a result, both the romantic partner and distraction tasks significantly reduced the participants’ pain. And the partner task showed activation in the participants’ brains’ rewards center, suggesting “that the activation of neural reward systems via non-pharmacologic means can reduce the experience of pain,” according to the study.”
6. PREVENTS COLDS
“You might be lovesick, but a healthy relationship can keep you just that — healthy. According to a study from Carnegie Mellon University, greater social support — and especially frequent hugs — can reduce a person’s chances of getting an infection. Participants were interviewed to learn about their support systems, and then they were exposed to the common cold virus. Those who had more supportive relationships in their lives (and received more frequent hugs) experienced greater protection against the virus. Although this effect doesn’t necessarily have to come from a romantic partner, the researchers highlighted hugs because they denote a more intimate relationship.”
7. INCREASES CREATIVITY
“Love and lust can mean two very different things when it comes to your creativity. According to Psychology Today, a 2009 study asked one group of participants to imagine a long walk with their romantic partner and another group to imagine a scenario involving casual sex with an attractive person. A control group imagined a solo walk. The researchers then gave the participants creative insight problems, as well as analytical problems, from the GRE. “They found that those primed with thoughts of love had the highest levels of creative insights (those primed with lust had the lowest), whereas those primed with thoughts of lust had the highest levels of analytical thinking (those primed with love had the lowest),” Psychology Today says. The idea is that love enhances our long-term, holistic thinking while lust puts us in the present, concentrating on concrete details.”
8. BOOSTS HEART HEALTH
“Falling in love can make your heart happy in more ways than one. According to a study on relationships and cardiovascular health, brief, warm physical contact between partners is able to lower your blood pressure and heart rate, even in stressful situations. And another study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found people in happy marriages were associated with lower blood pressure, stress and rates of depression, as well as greater life satisfaction. But the study did point out that single people had better health than those in unhappy marriages — showing happiness and support is the key.”
9. SPEEDS HEALING
“Love both can prevent health issues and heal them, research has shown. One study found married adults who had heart surgery were more than three times as likely to survive the next three months compared to single adults. Prior to their surgeries, researchers interviewed the participants and found the married adults tended to have a more positive outlook, especially when it came to managing any pain and discomfort.”
“And another study on wound healing recruited 37 couples to receive small blisters on their forearms. Then, the couples went through a structured social interaction task. The researchers found that the wounds on the couples who interacted more positively healed much faster than the wounds on the couples who engaged in negative communication — again showing what a loving connection can do for your life.”
This post originally appeared on
“Spark”, How Raising Your Heart Rate Changes Your Brain
Which of these responses to EXERCISE do you use?
- I love to exercise.
- I hate to exercise but I do it.
- I should exercise but I don’t.
- Exercise?????
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey, M.D., and Eric Hagerman, explains the strong evidence that aerobic exercise doesn’t just change our body IT CHANGES OUR BRAINS.
Music makes it fun!
This particular journey through the mind-body connection is fascinating, presenting research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from decreasing or avoiding depression, Alzheimer’s, addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder, menopause, even aggression. Exercise changes neurotransmitters so you pay attention more easily, learn and keep yourself calm. Exercise at the very least:
- Helps you beat stress,
- Raises your mood
- Reduces memory loss
- Helps you become smarter
The book details the kinds of exercise best for different conditions (such as cancer, depression, even diabetes). There is fascinating information I had not read about like: BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor) and why you want more of and how to get it. New focus on variable heart rate .
SPARK explores comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It may change the way you think about your exercise routine —or lack of . . .
Your feet don’t have to touch ground. Ride!
Learn from the students in Naperville:
“The gym teachers at Naperville conducted an educational experiment called Zero Hour P.E. where they scheduled time to work out before class using treadmills and other exercise equipment where you are only competing against yourself to improve. This program not only turned their 19,000 students into the fittest in the nation but also, in some categories, the smartest in the world.”
“Academically, Naperville High School is currently in the top 10 in the state–despite the fact that they spend less money per pupil than other high schools in their district.” Alan Freishtat
Click HERE for more about the Naperville experiment in exercise:
Peek at October PeggyJudyTime Newsletter Special Gracie Edition
You send us dogs to daycare, dress us up in clothes, (SO EMBARRASSING) bring us on vacations and speak to us like a baby. Want to make it up to us dogs . . . .
Take us for a Walk
5, 30 or 60 minutes is all we ask (even 5 minutes is good for you too)
It doesn’t matter how much time you have available. And I’m backing this us with studies which impresses P&J
licks, Gracie
5-minute walk
Even a short walk counts towards the NHS guideline of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week for adults.
According to a 2016 study, five minutes of treadmill walking boosts blood flow, reduces cardiovascular risk, enhances cognitive performance, gives you an energy lift, lowers your blood pressure and blood sugar levels especially after a meal.
“Mentally, stepping outside into green spaces for as little as five minutes lowers cortisol levels and stimulates the production of happy hormones.”
15-minute walk
A 2019 study, which found that one hour of walking each week (equating to 12 minutes each weekday): enhances flexibility by loosening up muscles and joints, strengthens your legs and core, alleviates joint symptoms, reduces stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins and serotonin while lowering cortisol levels, contributes to a lower internal inflammation which decreases our risk of long-term illnesses”, and helps regulate your circadian rhythm.
“Studies have also shown that people who walk for 15 minutes or more consistently tend to sleep longer and have a better quality of sleep.”
30-minute walk
Compared with a 15-minute walk, a 30-minute walk is more effective at: lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease, reducing risk of type 2 diabetes and insomnia, and helps build muscle “particularly in the legs and core. It also improves bone density and lowers your chance of osteoporosis”, “It improves joint mobility and flexibility, which may help prevent stiffness and reduce the risk of injury” and lessens symptoms of anxiety and depression by triggering the release of endorphins, natural mood boosters that help relieve stress, supports cognitive function, helping to enhance memory, focus and overall mental clarity,”
45-minute walk
Walking at a brisk pace for 45 minutes means your heart rate is elevated for longer, providing even greater benefits in terms of cardiovascular health, disease prevention and sleep.
Getting your limbs moving for this length of time helps to “strengthen muscles and improve joint health through promoting the circulation of synovial fluid to nourish our joints and reduce stiffness”,
As well as generating a greater increase in endorphins, 45 minutes of walking outdoors can boost our vitamin D intake, even with a bit of cloud cover. “That has a part to play in improving your immune system,” .
60-minute walk
Dedicating a full hour to walking amplifies the benefits of shorter walks for both body and mind.
According to a 2024 study, if the least active people walked for an extra hour every day, they could live for 11 more years.
https://apple.news/AvuT85jzvSkKbKk7GUFE_Mw
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Peek at the September PeggyJudyTime newsletter
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Curious to the Max
Music For Focus
Studies have confirmed that listening to classical music enhances one’s ability to manipulate shapes and solve spatial puzzles. The absence of words in the music may be one factor, as songs that contain lyrics have been found to be a distraction when you’re trying to focus.
It might seem strange . . .
Listening to music composed for video games can be a great tool to help you focus. Every element of a video game is designed to create an enhanced gaming experience, and the music has been composed specifically to help you focus on your task without being distracted by a cacophony of sounds.
This music generally has no lyrics and is fairly fast paced to keep you moving forward.
Some research suggests that it’s not the type of music that’s important in helping you stay focused and productive,
but the tempo of that music. Music with 50 to 80 beats per minute can enhance and stimulate creativity and
learning. 50- to 80-beat range puts the brain into an “alpha state.
What’s an alpha state? If you’ve ever listened to music that you’re familiar with, only to find yourself deep in thought
and not really hearing the music at all, this is an alpha state induced by music.
You’re tuning out while being tuned in.
How to find the beat
Find songs you’re familiar with and set at 50 to 80 beats per minute:
Use a guide to count the number of “beats” in the first 15 seconds of a song
Then multiply that number by four.
Here’s a playlist of songs in that range, including these popular tunes:
“Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake
“Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley
“The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars
“Chasing Pavements” by Adele
Comment
Peek at May PeggyJudyTime newsletter
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Here’s an excerpt from our Monthly PJTNewsletter. It’s an unabashed attempt to get you to send us your e-mail and subscribe! We don’t have an fancy “subscribe” forms or buttons but have made it easy. Just email us at [email protected] with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. We’ll do the rest.
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Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and
How it Changes Everything
(with liberal editing by P&J so it won’t mess your mind with details)
“Have you ever rolled your eyes at someone talking about manifestation?
Unlike the vague “think positive thoughts” advice that floods social media, Jame’s Doty’s* approach bridges the gap between mystical manifestation and cognitive neuroscience.
The Science Behind the “Magic”
“We can now speak about manifestation in terms of cognitive neuroscience and the function of large-scale brain networks.”
“Value tagging”
This is your brain’s method for deciding what gets deeply imprinted in your subconscious. When you visualize goals while experiencing positive emotions, your brain’s reward system gets activated, making those goals more likely to materialize
Here’s an example of how it can work:. Each day
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Write down your intentions
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Visualize new experiences that reinforce how these intentions may play out.
“Having clear intentions makes you spot opportunities that might have been missed before. “It’s like turning on a flashlight in a dim room – suddenly, you see what was there all along. This heightened level of consciousness can help you make better decisions that align with your envisioned destiny. It also guides you to say “no” to things that do not align with my intentions”
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Keep visual reminders in your home or workspace
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Maintain a separate journal just for tracking these intentions and the “coincidences” that follow
Doty outlines a practical approach to manifestation:
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“Manifesting is essentially the process of intentionally embedding thoughts and images of the life we desire into the subconscious.”
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“We can now speak about manifestation in terms of cognitive neuroscience and the function of large-scale brain networks.”
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“To manifest consciously, we must learn how to reclaim and direct the power of our attention and understand the physiological mechanisms that allow us to direct that attention, as well as the obstacles and false beliefs that limit our power to do so.”
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“The way our goals get embedded is through a process called value tagging, the brain’s way of deciding what is significant enough to be imprinted at the deepest levels of the subconscious.”
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“When we practice visualization, we conjure powerful positive emotions, and these cue the selective attention system to tag the goals we desire as highly valuable and associate them with our reward system.
*James Doty M.D. is a Stanford neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, compassion researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, NY Times bestselling author and philanthropist.Doty grounds us in the practices that change our brain structures: attention, meditation, visualization, and compassion. This mind magic allows us to move through the world in ways that help us see clearly—reclaiming our agency, realizing our dreams, and reaching out to help others along the path.
“Where previous works about manifestation have focused narrowly on outward success and individual benefit, Mind Magic delivers an openhearted call to make manifestation part of a deeper contribution to healing the problems we face today.”
PeggyJudyTime Newsletter preview
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| You can subscribe by emailing us at peggyjudytime@gmail with “subscribe” in the subject line we will mind . . . jus say’n visit our site at https://www.peggyjudytime.comCopyright (C) 2025, Peggy Arndt, Judy Westerfield, PeggyJudyTime. All rights reserved. |
PeggyJudyTime bonus
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Do One thing differently while taking a walk: a Peak at the PeggyJudyTime newsletter
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Benefits of Watching TV in Bed: a peek at the December PeggyJudyTime Newsletter
Here is part of the December PeggyJudyTime Newsletter
Benefits from Watching TV in Bed . . . who knew?
Conditioning:
TV in bed is itself a conditioned inducement to falling asleep. You’ve probably heard not to never have a TV in the bedroom. Yet some people are conditioned rely on it to fall asleep.
Content:
Now that TV is on demand, you can carefully curate what you watch. So if you find yourself worrying or ruminating something soothing to focus on can drown out your default thoughts.
Companionship:
Loneliness is harmful to sleep. Stories and their characters can be your companions late at night.
Soothing sound:
Half-listening to the TV at minimal volume to fall asleep can be comforting . . . hearing the drone of human voices the way others are comforted by rain sounds.
Pleasure, rest and autonomy:
It can feel good to have some time for oneself in the comfort of bed at the end of a long day and choosing your own unique interests.
General Guidelines for watching TV in bed
Conditioning:
- Enjoy most of your TV time in another room, coming to bed to watch just a little more once you start to feel drowsy.
- If bed and only bed will do, change up the environment for sleep vs. wakeful time. For example, watch TV on the side of the bed opposite the one you normally sleep on. Move to your side of the bed when you start to feel drowsy.
Content:
- Choose your content thoughtfully. Switch programs if images and/or sounds are loud, violent, argumentative or simply stimulating even if you enjoy the program.
Biological rhythm:
- If you can enjoy non-screen-based activities instead of TV beginning two hours before sleep, that’s optimal. See whether you can find time to enjoy your shows earlier.
- If you absolutely prefer TV while in bed lower the TV’s brightness. Keep screens at a distance from your face.
- Avoid watching TV to get back to sleep in the middle of the night.
- Put the TV on a timer so that it shuts itself off and doesn’t keep waking you up.
Companionship and soothing sound:
- Audiobooks or listening to podcasts could substitute for watching TV if you need sound or companionship to fall asleep but want to avoid screens.
Lisa Strauss, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in the Boston area. She specializes in sleep disorders.
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WHY Being Scared is Thrilling: a peek at the PeggyJudyTime October newsletter
Wheeeee!
WHY Being Scared is Thrilling
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PeggyJudyTime News – “Hare’s” March!
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Another month of tech frrrrrrrrrrustrrrrrrrration . . . Here’s the PJTNewsletter you were going to get in your e-mail . . . our expectations are firm, it’s our time-line that is flexible!* |
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March 2023 Down the rabbit hole with the March Hare (not to mention Peggy ‘n Judy). *Note: All RED copy denotes our personal opinions & commentary, based on decades of real world experience and/or delusions. “The March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won’t be raving mad – at least not so mad as it was in March.”Alice, hypothesizes, Through the Looking Glass |
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What’s Up? We get mail (er . . . e-mail)! Here’s a pithy commentary on our February PJTNewsletter (if you were a hare late and missed it click HERE Tom Thomas’ Takeaways and Cautionary Tail (hey! remember , , , we’ve got a rabbit theme going . . . .) and we quote . . . “Thanks for the newest, grandest, bestest animal and baking edition of PJT News.
By the way, are you gals on the mailing list for info about Camelback High 60th reunion this fall? Thanks for the Loverly letter,” TT (Thanks Tom for the Loverly e-mail! . . . and referring to us as “gals”, You Betcha!) |
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“Like the character’s friend, the Hatter, the March Hare feels compelled to always behave as though it is tea-time because the Hatter supposedly “murdered the time” whilst singing for the Queen of Hearts. Sir John Tenniel‘s illustration also shows him with straw on his head, a common way to depict madness in Victorian times.” What do YOU think? Although the information we present in our PJTnewletters and site are often punctuated with a wink and a smile, we hope you will think about much of what we offer on a deeper level. We believe that we are all connected in this world – “As above, so below; as below, so above”– in ways often unseen, unappreciated and unknown. The March Hare’s perception of “tea-time” is perhaps a reflection of eternity and his “madness” a reminder we are both rational and irrational beings. |
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(Hare-Brained Idea? We think not) How to strengthen your muscle just by thinking about exercising it! “For 12 weeks (five minutes a day, five days per week) a team of 30 healthy young adults imagined either using the muscle of their little finger or of their elbow flexor. Dr. Vinoth Ranganathan and his team asked the participants to think as strongly as they could about moving the muscle being tested, to make the imaginary movement as real as they could.” Compared to a control group – that did no imaginary exercises and showed no strength gains:– The little-finger group increased their pinky muscle strength by 35%.– The other group increased elbow strength by 13.4%.
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Hare-raising Thoughts About Our World |
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Trees Communicate and Cooperate through a FUNGAL Web, (Is this a hare-brained idea . . .? not everyone is convinced) “The tips of tree roots are intertwined with filaments of fungus, forming a hidden underground network that seems to benefit both organisms: the filaments, known as hyphae, break down minerals from the soil that trees can then take into their roots, while the fungus gets a steady source of sugar from the trees.” “More poetically, research has hinted that these connections—known as mycorrhizal networks—can extend between trees, enabling one tree to transfer resources below ground to another.” “Some researchers even argue that trees are cooperating, with older trees passing resources to seedlings and nurturing them as a parent might.” There is even a punny popular name for the phenomenon: the “wood-wide web.” “Analysis published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, however, argues that the evidence for mycorrhizal networks facilitating tree cooperation is not as strong as the popular story would suggest.” “It’s not that relationships between trees and fungi don’t exist, says co-author Justine Karst, an ecologist who studies mycorrhizal networks at the University of Alberta. Rather, in many cases, suggestive evidence or studies with many caveats have been taken as more definitive than they really are.” “The problem with researching mycorrhizal networks is that they’re very delicate: dig up a root, and you’ve destroyed the very web of fungi and wood you wanted to study. That makes it hard to tell if a particular fungus is really connecting any two trees.” “The best way to get around the problem is to sample fungi from different locations, sequence their genetic information, and make a map of where genetically identical fungi are growing. This is a tremendous amount of work, Karst says, . . . Making these studies even more challenging is the ephemeral nature of fungal networks.” |
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“Fungi can grow as individuals after being split, says Melanie Jones, a plant biologist at the University of British Columbia and a co-author of the new analysis. Even genetic samples provide only a snapshot and can’t reveal whether the bits of fungi collected at two different trees are still actually connected. They may have been severed by part of the fungus dying or by something taking a bite out of it. “It’s a very thorny issue,” Jones says. These limitations raise questions about how widespread mycorrhizal networks are, and how long they last. It is clear that substances from one tree can end up being taken up by a neighboring tree in the forest. “The main message is that this hasn’t been tested in a forest,” Karst says. “When you see those pictures of ancient forests, big trees and they’re passing signals to each other, it just hasn’t been tested.” “For decades, a compartmentalized approach has hindered us from better understanding why forests help regulate global climate and harbor such rich biodiversity. Applying reductionist science to complex systems accelerates the exploitation and degradation of forests worldwide.” “. . . Karst believes there may still be truth to the idea that mycorrhizal networks are involved in at least some tree-to-tree networking, and better-designed experiments could get at that truth.” article by Stephanie Pappas Decide for yourself. Is this a HARE-Brained hypothosis? Click below to read entire article: |
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( . . . HUMAN Mycorrhizal Networks?) Your (hare) brain synchronizes with others during cooperative tasks“Overview of the experimental setup used to study brain synchronization during cooperative tasks*: Each pair of participants (39 pairs in total) engaged in a natural, cooperative, and creative task: the design and furnishing of a digital room in a computer game. They were allowed to communicate freely to create a room that satisfied both.”
“This emerging research field is referred to as “second-person neuroscience” and employs hyperscanning (the simultaneous recording of the activity of multiple brains) as the signature technique.” “The participants also completed the same task alone as the researchers sought to compare between-brain synchronizations (BBSs) and within-brain synchronizations (WBSs) during the individual and cooperative tasks. The social behavior that the team focused on during the tasks was eye gaze, i.e., whether the participants directed their gaze at the other’s face.” |
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‘We-mode’One of the most intriguing findings of the study was:
“According to Minagawa, these results agree with the idea that our brains work as a “two-in-one system” during certain social interactions. “Neuron populations within one brain were activated simultaneously with similar neuron populations in the other brain when the participants cooperated to complete the task, as if the two brains functioned together as a single system for creative problem-solving,” she explains. “These phenomena are consistent with the notion of a ‘we-mode,’ in which interacting agents share their minds in a collective fashion and facilitate interaction by accelerating access to the other’s cognition.” “Overall, this study provides evidence hinting at the remarkable capability of the human brain to understand and synchronize with others’ when the situation calls for it.” *Research team led by Yasuyo Minagawa of Keio University, Japan, published in Neurophotonics, Provided by SPIE |
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(For your March Hare tea party) Easy DIY slime recipe Ingredients: 1/4 cup of water 4 drops of eye contact solution Glitter or other decorations (optional) Method:
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“Laughter is Spiritual Relaxation” Baha’i World Faith
Did you know? . . . Laughter and smiling release neurochemicals that elevate immune responses. How can you be stressed when you laugh? When we laugh, we can’t help but be in the moment, and in that moment troubles are forgotten. Laughter is a wonderful antidote to anxiety.(Sliming others works too) |
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(In the event you want a cute culinary accompaniment to your slime . . . ) Pancake BunnyCenter the large round pancake on a plate. Place the ovals on top for the ears. Add two banana slices to the large round pancake for the eyes. Top each with a blueberry and place the third blueberry in the center for the nose. Place the 2 remaining small pancakes just below the nose to create the cheeks. Position a long piece of marshmallow in the center of each ear. Place the marshmallow teeth at the bottom of the large pancake so they hang over slightly. Position 3 whiskers on the outside of each cheek with the points facing outward. Or for a cheesey culinary accoutrement Rarebit Formerly Known as Welsh Rabbit Welsh rarebit, also called Welsh rabbit, a traditional British dish consisting of toasted bread topped with a savory cheddar cheese sauce that typically includes such ingredients as beer or ale, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, mustard, and paprika. If an egg is served atop the dish, it is called buck rarebit. “The origins of the name are uncertain. The earliest cited use of the term Welsh rabbit was in 1725, with the alternative form rarebit (a word that has no meaning aside from this dish) appearing in 1785. A popular legend suggests that the meat-based name for this meatless dish stems from Welsh peasants for whom cheese was a substitute for the meat they could not afford. (We think PCR – Prevention to Cruelty to Rabbits – petitioned to change the name or threatened to get PETA to sue). Whatever its origins, the dish is today a staple of British fare and a common pub food, often paired with a pint of beer or ale.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Welsh-rarebit
Add to Your Put butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, as it melts, stir in flour. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and cayenne, then whisk in beer and Worcestershire sauce. When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a broad container to set (you can refrigerate for up to a day at this point). Spread mixture thickly on toast and put under broiler until bubbly and edges of toast are crisp. Serve immediately. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1908-welsh-rarebit “What’s Up Doc?” |
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One Glitch after another . . . we don’t want you to miss out on our new site and PJT Newsletter!
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It’s TIME!
We need you to subscribe to our new site BECAUSE:
- We are phasing out CURIOUStotheMAX and MAXyourMIND
- If you don’t subscribe you will miss all our Curious Critters
- If you don’t subscribe we will miss YOU.
- You could go into protracted mourning over your loss.
- You will be bored outa your MIND, no longer being able to be titillated by intriguing Mind-body articles
Why are we doing such a DRASTIC change to our lives . . . .and yours?
- We are consolidating and down-sizing our cyber presence.
- WordPress techies are getting bored and complicating the editing process beyond our needs, not to mention our tech-abilities.
- Judy is getting bored.
- Peggy is rarely bored but up for a change.
e-mail us at PeggyJudyTime@gmail with your preferred e-mail
You won’t regret it!
YOUR GOOD NEWS! If you are reading this you are automatically subscribed. So tell a friend . . . or two or three.
What we’re UP TO
Here’s the back story . . .
Our eyes are crossed trying to figure out where we’ve put our free stuff, our book stuff, our Zazzle stuff. We toggle back and forth between CURIOUStotheMAX, MAXyourMIND and our KNEWSLetter. And during Covid, because we’ve both been isolating, this involves MILLIONS of e-mails between the two of us. (maybe not millions, but a LOT)
Our Solution – A NEW SITE!
Our new site will be dedicated to all our downloadable free PDF’s, information on our “creative creations” like books and art as well as seasonal items from our Zazzle Charity Store. We’re hoping this helps uncross our eyes and makes everything easier for us (and you) to find.
For easy access all information on the new site’s main page will not change, unlike our blogs which have new posts every week.
No worries. CURIOUStotheMAX and MAXyourMIND will continue to have scintillating, informative and mind-boggling posts with finely rendered, and heart-wrenching illustrations. And you will be able to access the posts through the site.
The site name PeggyJudyTime will match our long held
e-mail [email protected]
because we are into matching.
Stay Tuned!
Take a look at my “healthie” – “X” rated for under 75 year olds
Growing old is not for the faint of heart and I do consider myself to be healthier than many of my friends: my blood pressure is great, cholesterol and blood sugar levels perfect, lungs are strong, hearing excellent, weight good, no arthritis.
On a walk Judy asked how my ankle was doing after I sprained it. “Better”, I said. “How is your ear doing?” she asked. “The antibiotics seem to be helping,” I replied.
Is your neck still stiff? . . . . I’m going to physical therapy . . .
Our conversation made me focus on what was happening to my body:
I showed this chart to Judy who she said it made her feel better that all she has is chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia . . . .
We want to know who has the most niggling issues!
Here’s a template to indicate what’s “working” or “not working” with your health.
Send us your own “healthie”.
E-mail to [email protected]
or leave your own health “stuff” in the comments below.
(Peggy)
Sneak’a Peek – R U Outa Your Mind too?
“If the left half of the brain controls the right side of the body then only left-handed people are in their right mind.”
W. C. FIELDS (a lefty perhaps?)
There’s some research which indicates that no one part of the brain is responsible for logic but I beg to differ. The part of my brain that processes information linearly atrophied in the womb. Try as I might I simply can not remember numbers, had a difficult time in school with any subject remotely related to linear thinking and can not follow written instructions. I used to think I wasn’t very smart until I learned to blame my parents for the hard-wiring in my brain.
You can probably detect from my mixed media self-portraits if I’m in my right mind . . .
.
Sneak Peak – Drawing & a blemished Life
None of us, at least no one I know, has led an unblemished life. It takes lots of mistakes & bad choices (some our own and some other’s mistakes) to learn how to live honestly and wisely . . . a truth I need to remember when I’m doing art.
Before I ever put charcoal to paper I thought that artists were born knowing how to draw. Either you were “artistic” or not. It never occurred to me that both art and life simply took practice and that like leg muscles not strong enough to hold us up after birth, art muscles needed to develop too.
It’s been over a month and I’ve not drawn or painted nuth’n – felt completely stuck, bored and unmotivated. I’ve put most of the blame for my lethargy on the classes I’ve signed up for this semester. They are all, because of Covid, “Zoomed” for 3 hours. (Two hours too long to sit and focus on a computer screen). Every class, understandably, all started with the basics – measuring, anatomy, color theory etc. (Now that I’ve taken several years worth of beginning classes the “basics” don’t amuse me and require engaging the left, logical side of my brain which atrophied in the womb ).
- I do not like to draw “precisely” and trying to capture the exact dimensions or likeness of anything stresses me out!!!!!!!.
- When I attempt “perfection” it kicks me to the curb and takes the fun out of drawing and living. I gave up long ago trying to live a life of perfection.
How to break the lethargy was my challenge. What energizes me is experimenting with the PROCESS not be focused on the “product”, reminding myself that my goal is to have fun rather than be “famous”.
So! I found a small piece of paper that was already “ruined” with color blobs smeared on it and I could just scribble and schmear finding the art muscles that had atrophied these past months.
7″ x 4-1/2″, Charcoal on paper.
Another assignment was a “pirate-man wearing a very large pirate hat with big feathers and a shirt with huge ruffles. I changed him up a bit . . .
If you noticed . . . I do not share my photo references – not because of decorum and propriety – because I like to take artistic license, create bumps and detours around the subject . . . and I figure it’s my prerogative to judge how I practice living and drawing my blemished life.
God’s Gracie- The HeART of Spirituality
I’ve not been able to write about Freddie in over one and a half years when he first had a series of seizures. He was able to be stabilized with medication but suddenly lost his vision and became increasingly disoriented. All his symptoms were indicative of a brain tumor. Even though he was stabilized, I spent the last year and a half of his life in anticipatory grief, mourning the wonderful, loving dog we had adopted. From the day we took him home Freddie was gentle, sweet spirited, almost perfect – didn’t shed, didn’t bark and liked everyone. His only “flaws” were an insatiable appetite, making sure there wasn’t a crumb on the floor and obsessively lifting his leg on plants, grass, trees and once on a Shih Tzu . . . to the horror of its owner. The Shih Tzu didn’t blink and luckily Freddie was on “empty”.
Freddie’s Bio Page, Fabulous Felted Freddie, made with love by Lyn G.
It was painful to watch his deterioration and when he no longer could enjoy doggie things we tearfully made the decision to euthanize him. To this very moment, I can’t stop crying when remembering . . .
In December 2021 we decided to look for another rescue dog to adopt – a small dog with a small appetite and small poo. In Orange County, CA, where we live, the shelters are all no-kill and we quickly found out that rescue foundations – both non-profit and for profit – “rescue” small dogs and the most adoptable from the public shelters to foster. Consequently the public shelters are full of Pit Bull mixes and Great Danes. (No disrespect to Pit Bulls and Great Danes)
“No matter how strong the measure of Divine grace, unless supplemented by personal, sustained and intelligent effort it cannot become fully effective and be of any real and abiding advantage.”
It took an inordinate amount of time, doing on-line searches and filling out many, many, MANY adoption applications. The applications were mind-bending, asking everything from the make and model of our cars, to:
- Requiring the name of a co-adopter under the age of 60 (since we were over the age of 70) who would take the dog in the case of our demise.
- Asking what would happen to the dog if there was a divorce – I answered that I got the dog, the house and the money.
- Wanting descriptions of how a destructive dog would be disciplined. I answered that the dog would sleep in the dog-house with my husband.
When we received no responses, I suspected the rescue foundation members had no sense of humor . . . . more applications with very serious answer . . . still no responses. It seemed we weren’t good candidates even though we have had 4 rescue dogs prior, our yard was fully dog-proofed and were willing to spend the $1000/year on care. Perhaps my reputation for levity had made the rounds.
After two-plus months of many applications and no responses we drove an hour and a half to the next county’s animal shelter where there were two small dogs among a throng of Bullmastiffs and Rottweilers. No applications, first-come-first-served, pay the fee and no matter what your political leanings the dog is yours.
To protect me from Covid exposure my husband went into the shelter while I waited, sans mask, in the car. He was told both small dogs were in the adjacent clinic to be spayed and one of the dogs had been adopted. He could wait until the spaying was finished to see the remaining dog but there was no guarantee that it would still be available. We paid the fee and were the proud parents of one small dog, sight unseen – only fair since the dog hadn’t seen us either – with no name, only a number.
We spent the next 4 1/2 hours in the parking lot, waiting for her recovery, reading the adoption papers and googling her FAS (Fear, anxiety, stress) scores. Her high score of teeth bared and growling were more concerning than learning she was a stray who just had a litter of puppies. She was ours. Thankfully, she was subdued after having just gone through major surgery when she joined us in the car for the 1-1/2 hour ride to her new home.
“The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of graceI which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, consider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle. The portion of some might lie in the palm of a man’s hand, the portion of others might fill a cup, and of others even a gallon-measure.” Bahá’u’lláh, The Baha’i World Faith
Cute face peering out of a large collar, VERY scruffy, parts of coat shaven in places that did not indicate grooming for a dog show, large distended nipples, a tail that curls up on her back like a pug . . . we had just adopted a 17 pound 1 year old who was no virgin. She didn’t smell good and per the post-spaying instructions there was to be no bath, no jumping for the next two weeks and wearing the collar 24/7.
The Good news:
- She’s only growled at my husband twice.
- She has completely bonded with me, like gorilla glue.
- I cut off more of her dirty hair and she doesn’t smell quite as bad.
- The collar doesn’t bother her at all
- She’s an affectionate lap dog.
The Bad News:
- She’s not house broken and is a stealth pee’er
- She wakes me up at 4:00 am
- She eats plants, preferably all the toxic ones which we’ve either removed or transplanted.
- She’s scared of anyone who don’t feed her regularly and let her sleep with them.
- We haven’t done DNA although we suspect she’s part kangaroo as she takes standing leaps onto our laps and jumped over a fence more than three times her height . . . mountain goat is a possibility too.
Our biggest struggle was choosing the appropriate name. I was partial to Schnapsie because she is a “hard licker”. My grandfather made Schnaps (a strong alcoholic drink flavored with fruit or herbs and spices) from the fruit he grew so the name was nostalgic as well as descriptive. My husband nixed Schnapsie as he was afraid people would mispronounce it, think she was a lush and give her a complex.
She is now officially Gracie Westerfield
Grace’s meanings include charm, goodness, and generosity.
(We will patiently wait for her to grow into her name)
A little tribute to Gracie Allen – (Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen was an American vaudevillian and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns)
A tiny bit of Greek goddesses (In Greek mythology, the name Grace is tied to beauty and joy.)
A small remembrance to all Gracie-dogs inspired by Karen Nichols’ beloved Gracie who passed last year.
and
A big reminder of God’s grace
“God’s grace is like the rain that cometh down from heaven: the water is not bounded by the limitations of form, yet on whatever place it poureth down, it taketh on limitations — dimensions, appearance, shape — according to the characteristics of that place. In a square pool, the water, previously unconfined, becometh a square; in a six-sided pool it becometh a hexagon, in an eight-sided pool an octagon, and so forth. The rain itself hath no geometry, no limits, no form, but it taketh on one form or another, according to the restrictions of its vessel. In the same way, the Holy Essence of the Lord God is boundless, immeasurable, but His graces and splendours become finite in the creatures, because of their limitations, wherefore the prayers of given persons will receive favourable answers in certain cases.” The Baha’i World Faith
Freddie would have loved Gracie
God’s Gracie – The HeART of Spirituality 1
I’ve not been able to write about Freddie in over one and a half years when he first had a series of seizures. He was able to be stabilized with medication but suddenly lost his vision and became increasingly disoriented. All his symptoms were indicative of a brain tumor. Even though he was stabilized, I spent the last year and a half of his life in anticipatory grief, mourning the wonderful, loving dog we had adopted. From the day we took him home Freddie was gentle, sweet spirited, almost perfect – didn’t shed, didn’t bark and liked everyone. His only “flaws” were an insatiable appetite, making sure there wasn’t a crumb on the floor and obsessively lifting his leg on plants, grass, trees and once on a Shih Tzu . . . to the horror of its owner. The Shih Tzu didn’t blink and luckily Freddie was on “empty”.
Freddie’s Bio Page, Fabulous Felted Freddie, made with love by Lyn G.
It was painful to watch his deterioration and when he no longer could enjoy doggie things we tearfully made the decision to euthanize him. To this very moment, I can’t stop crying when remembering . . .
In December 2021 we decided to look for another rescue dog to adopt – a small dog with a small appetite and small poo. In Orange County, CA, where we live, the shelters are all no-kill and we quickly found out that rescue foundations – both non-profit and for profit – “rescue” small dogs and the most adoptable from the public shelters to foster. Consequently the public shelters are full of Pit Bull mixes and Great Danes. (No disrespect to Pit Bulls and Great Danes)
“No matter how strong the measure of Divine grace, unless supplemented by personal, sustained and intelligent effort it cannot become fully effective and be of any real and abiding advantage.”
It took an inordinate amount of time, doing on-line searches and filling out many, many, MANY adoption applications. The applications were mind-bending, asking everything from the make and model of our cars, to:
- Requiring the name of a co-adopter under the age of 60 (since we were over the age of 70) who would take the dog in the case of our demise.
- Asking what would happen to the dog if there was a divorce – I answered that I got the dog, the house and the money.
- Wanting descriptions of how a destructive dog would be disciplined. I answered that the dog would sleep in the dog-house with my husband.
When we received no responses, I suspected the rescue foundation members had no sense of humor . . . . more applications with very serious answer . . . still no responses. It seemed we weren’t good candidates even though we have had 4 rescue dogs prior, our yard was fully dog-proofed and were willing to spend the $1000/year on care. Perhaps my reputation for levity had made the rounds.
After two-plus months of many applications and no responses we drove an hour and a half to the next county’s animal shelter where there were two small dogs among a throng of Bullmastiffs and Rottweilers. No applications, first-come-first-served, pay the fee and no matter what your political leanings the dog is yours.
To protect me from Covid exposure my husband went into the shelter while I waited, sans mask, in the car. He was told both small dogs were in the adjacent clinic to be spayed and one of the dogs had been adopted. He could wait until the spaying was finished to see the remaining dog but there was no guarantee that it would still be available. We paid the fee and were the proud parents of one small dog, sight unseen – only fair since the dog hadn’t seen us either – with no name, only a number.
We spent the next 4 1/2 hours in the parking lot, waiting for her recovery, reading the adoption papers and googling her FAS (Fear, anxiety, stress) scores. Her high score of teeth bared and growling were more concerning than learning she was a stray who just had a litter of puppies. She was ours. Thankfully, she was subdued after having just gone through major surgery when she joined us in the car for the 1-1/2 hour ride to her new home.
“The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of graceI which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, consider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle. The portion of some might lie in the palm of a man’s hand, the portion of others might fill a cup, and of others even a gallon-measure.” Bahá’u’lláh, The Baha’i World Faith
Cute face peering out of a large collar, VERY scruffy, parts of coat shaven in places that did not indicate grooming for a dog show, large distended nipples, a tail that curls up on her back like a pug . . . we had just adopted a 17 pound 1 year old who was no virgin. She didn’t smell good and per the post-spaying instructions there was to be no bath, no jumping for the next two weeks and wearing the collar 24/7.
The Good news:
- She’s only growled at my husband twice.
- She has completely bonded with me, like gorilla glue.
- I cut off more of her dirty hair and she doesn’t smell quite as bad.
- The collar doesn’t bother her at all
- She’s an affectionate lap dog.
The Bad News:
- She’s not house broken and is a stealth pee’er
- She wakes me up at 4:00 am
- She eats plants, preferably all the toxic ones which we’ve either removed or transplanted.
- She’s scared of anyone who don’t feed her regularly and let her sleep with them.
- We haven’t done DNA although we suspect she’s part kangaroo as she takes standing leaps onto our laps and jumped over a fence more than three times her height . . . mountain goat is a possibility too.
Our biggest struggle was choosing the appropriate name. I was partial to Schnapsie because she is a “hard licker”. My grandfather made Schnaps (a strong alcoholic drink flavored with fruit or herbs and spices) from the fruit he grew so the name was nostalgic as well as descriptive. My husband nixed Schnapsie as he was afraid people would mispronounce it, think she was a lush and give her a complex.
She is now officially Gracie Westerfield
Grace’s meanings include charm, goodness, and generosity.
(We will patiently wait for her to grow into her name)
A little tribute to Gracie Allen – (Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen was an American vaudevillian and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns)
A tiny bit of Greek goddesses (In Greek mythology, the name Grace is tied to beauty and joy.)
A small remembrance to all Gracie-dogs inspired by Karen Nichols’ beloved Gracie who passed last year.
and
A big reminder of God’s grace
“God’s grace is like the rain that cometh down from heaven: the water is not bounded by the limitations of form, yet on whatever place it poureth down, it taketh on limitations — dimensions, appearance, shape — according to the characteristics of that place. In a square pool, the water, previously unconfined, becometh a square; in a six-sided pool it becometh a hexagon, in an eight-sided pool an octagon, and so forth. The rain itself hath no geometry, no limits, no form, but it taketh on one form or another, according to the restrictions of its vessel. In the same way, the Holy Essence of the Lord God is boundless, immeasurable, but His graces and splendours become finite in the creatures, because of their limitations, wherefore the prayers of given persons will receive favourable answers in certain cases.” The Baha’i World Faith
Freddie would have loved Gracie
What on earth is a “Nappuccino”?
I always have more than one book in progress: One for when I’m tired and need mindless entertainment; one for when I’m alert, is informative and grows my neuro-connections.
I found a book* that addresses both and surprised me with a tip on napping. When I was younger naps were a waste of time. Now, I appreciate the “restorative power” of catching a mid-day snooze. Here is a good recipe for a…
“Nappuccino”
Want to maximize your Nappuccinos? Here is what you do:
- Find the best time for your nap. When is your energy low point? Your mood low point? For most of us, it is about 7 hours after we wake up.
- Create your nap environment – someplace comfortable: the floor, bed, couch, bathtub (EMPTY) – definitely low lights and NO cell phone.
- Set a timer, nap 10 to 20 minutes, you will feel more alert and function better, without waking with that groggy feeling.
Here’s the kicker that surprised me:
The Nappucino
Drink a cup of coffee! That’s right, drink coffee before you nap. It takes the caffeine about 25 minutes to kick in, so you’ll get the perfect amount of napping time and then you’ll wake up with the caffeine boost. Who woulda thunk it?
There’s also evidence that habitual nappers get more from their naps than infrequent nappers. Practice makes perfect – I’m taking a Nappucino every day until I am an expert.
(PA)
*”WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing” by Daniel Pink
This post originally appeared on
For Better and Faster Learning Get Things Wrong!
Want to get your brain to learn more easily?
When we are young our brains are primed for quick and easy learning. After about age 25 this declines, and learning takes more effort. However, at all ages there are things you can do to learn more easily.
Everyone thought that once you were an adult, your brain pretty much stayed the same. Research has now shown that the brain remains “plastic” and able to change throughout life. (It is just less plastic than it was when you were a kid!)
Neuroplasticity.
Certain behaviors turn on the neurochemical cocktail of epinephrine, acetylcholine and dopamine which alert your nervous system, increase neuroplasticity and make it easier for your brain to learn.
FIRST, you need to get things wrong!
Try something new or something that has frustrated you. We often give up, when we get things wrong and give up. Based on the neurochemistry for learning when we stick with it, those very errors help us learn. Turns out that if you like making mistakes, you are optimizing learning and neuroplasticity.
Making mistakes triggers 3 neurochemicals for your brain to pay attention and figure out what change is needed to get things right.
3 neurochemicals for optimal learning:
Epinephrine for alertness
Failure signals what you are doing did not work and gets the brain to produce epinephrine.
Acetylcholine for focus
Acetylcholine is produced to give you focus to help solve and remedy the mistake
Dopamine for motivation and reward
As you keep trying to solve the errors and make progress “feel good” dopamine is released to reward you.
Try any NEW skill – motor, mental, emotional. Remember the object is to make mistakes, stumble and fail, not succeed . Focus on this anywhere from 7 to 30 minutes, and you will have an hour or so to learn something you want to learn while your brain is in this “plastic” state”.
SECOND, switch to learning something else where you want to succeed faster.
After making errors on the first task your brain will stay plastic for a while so you will have an easier time learning another skill like speaking a second language, baking bread , playing an instrument, or memorizing a speech. If you are over 25 years old you will need to do shorter bouts – about 90 minutes – of learning (one reason young people can learn relatively faster is that they have a LOT of new things to learn).
Learn to attach dopamine to process of making errors
Try to subjectively associate the experience of making errors with something good. Make failing repetitively a positive by telling yourself making errors revs up your brain’s plasticity. Make frustration the source of what is ultimately good for fast learning.
To summarize the steps to better, faster learning:
- Try a new learning experience where you will make a lot of errors for 7 to 30 minutes. Do not deliberately make mistakes as you need to learn by having to adjust and make corrections . (Motor learning is a good place to start because motor skills, like hitting a tennis ball or trying new dance steps, are observable and quantifiable.)
- During the next hour you will have increased brain plasticity to learn something you want to learn quickly and easily. I t does not have to be a motor skill, it can be learning anything, even making emotional connections.
- Keep your second learning bouts short, no longer than 90 minutes, whether once a day or 3 times a day.
- Know your own cycle and use the time of day when your focus and energy are naturally at their best. (To learn about your cycle, Click here for Mood Chart and Mood Tracker to download with instructions). Being calm and alert is optimal.
- Remind yourself why making errors is important!
Try it out and tell us how it works for you.
Andrew Huberman from Stanford explains the brain’s optimal state for learning: Below is link tor Huberman’s podcast #7 on You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3U64IXFOY
Originally posted on Max Your Mind
Want 2022 to be Lucky? DO THIS!
Catch a fish, pick some grapes, give peas a black-eyed while you are preferably DRINKING grapes, petting a pig and slurping noodles
“Some foods are just plain lucky to eat on New Year’s Eve. What associates these dishes with good fortune, exactly? That’s tough to pinpoint, but much of the answer has to do with symbolism and superstition.”
“It also has to do with a human tradition of eating something special, like a birthday cake, to mark the passage of time. So what will people be biting into at the top of 2021 to set them up for success? We talked to food historians Megan Elias, food writer and director of the gastronomy program at Boston University, and Linda Pelaccio, who hosts culinary radio show “A Taste of the Past,” about some of the lucky foods you’ll find on global New Year’s menus.”
Black-eyed peas and lentils
“Round foods resemble coins and money, Pelaccio says. Eat these symbolic foods, many believe, for a financially successful new year. On the contrary: Don’t eat the round foods and you could have a year of bad luck!”
“If you eat peas with greens and cornbread, then that’s even more auspicious, what with green being the color of money and cornbread calling to mind gold.“
“Black-eyed peas are served with rice in the traditional Southern U.S. dish called “Hoppin’ John” for New Year’s Eve. Or, the peas can be part of a soup. In Italy, lentils mix with pork for a lucky dish.”
12 grapes
(That’s right 12 (we said TWELVE) grapes, not 5, not 20, EXACTLY 12)
“Spaniards eat 12 grapes when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.”
“As the tradition goes, believers eat 12 grapes at midnight, one for each month of the year. According to one story, the ritual started in Spain around 1900, when a grape grower had a bumper crop, says Pelaccio, and was creative about giving away the surplus. But that history is “fuzzy” at best, she says.
“Regardless, stuffing a dozen grapes into one’s mouth is a tradition that has spread to citizens of many Latin American countries. As Elias says, people annually eat the grapes “as fast as physically possible without puking.”
Pork
“Speaking of pork, pigs have long been considered lucky.” (We prefer you PET a pig rather than eat one)
“Pigs can be rich and fat, which is what you want in a meal promoting prosperity. And, says Pelaccio, “Pigs take their snout and root forward, as opposed to digging backwards.” Forward momentum; good. “Whereas, it’s not good to eat lobsters, because they walk backwards.”‘
“A popular lucky New Year’s Day dish in Germany is pork and sauerkraut, promising as much luck as the many strands in the cabbage.”
Noodles
“Noodles are long, and that length is thought to symbolize long life and, yes, luck, Elias says.”
“In Japan, soba noodles are served on New Year’s. In China, during the Chinese New Year (or the Lunar New Year), which falls on Jan. 25 next year, people inhale so-called “longevity” noodles. It’s OK to slurp.”
(We have no objection to your eating noodles since it’s been shown noodles have no brains and thus feel no pain. Slurp away!)
Whole fish
“Eating a whole fish has become another Dec. 31 tradition across the globe. Why? Perhaps because in lean times people saved anything they could – including fish – to eat on a special occasion. Herring is a fish of choice in Eastern European countries. In Germany, those looking to obtain all lucky advantages in the new year do more than just eat an entire carp: They save fish scales in their wallets for extra good fortune.”
Pomegranate seeds
“Seeds are round and coin-like, which makes them automatically lucky by the rules we have already set forth. Pomegranates, which come from the Middle East, also make sense to eat on New Year’s because they happen to be ripe that time of year.”
“Elias adds that pomegranates have “symbolic power because they come from a land where so many religions come from.” Plus, seeds are associated with life and fertility. Another promising food, indeed.” (We recommend not putting pomegranate seeds in your pocket instead of fish scales.)
Here’s to a slurpingly SAFE, HEALTHY, if not prosperous,
New Year!
Article by Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY
A Lotl Love For The Axolotl
If you’ve been following CURIOUS you know Judy has, shall I say, an affinity for strange looking critters like the naked mole rat and the blobfish. Here’s yet one more – the Axolotl. I admit it has a rather cute face on a strange body. (Peggy)
The axolotl is found in only one lake in the world, never grows up, and occasionally takes bites of its friends.
Mask ON!
I’m stocking up with masks and it’s not about Covid. I agree it’s beneficial to see other people’s entire face while interacting, particularly to get social cues: a smile, a frown, a curl of the lip. BUT I have found that wearing a mask, besides added protection from Covid, has benefits:
- Reprieve from social expectations. I can look interested with my eyes, while my mouth grimaces. It takes a bit of practice . . .
- Be amused when no one knows what I’m really thinking – give a twinkle to my eye when the mouth is puckering. This takes even more practice to not pucker the eye.
- Avoid colds and flu that circulate.
- Hide emotions like boredom when being regaled with the same story for the 9th time.
- Saves time and money not having to put on lipstick.
- No need to worry about bad breath, mine or others
- No one can tell me to “smile” through a bad day. That’s where practicing eye twinkling comes in handy.
- Makes me anonymous which is comforting since I’m introverted by nature.
When the pandemic is finally under control and takes on the status of seasonal “flu” I’m planning to be a SITUATIONAL MASKER.
judy
Want to remember? Try taking fewer photos
“Snapping too many pictures could actually harm the brain’s ability to retain memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychological science professor at the University of California, Irvine. So you get the photo but kind of lose the memory.”
“It works in one of two ways, Loftus explains: We either offload the responsibility of remembering moments when we take pictures of them, or we’re so distracted by the process of taking a photo that we miss the moment altogether.”
“But photo-takers, don’t despair just yet. If you’re more intentional about the photos you take, they can actually help you capture that moment you’re hoping to hold onto.”
Photography “outsources” memories
That process of “offloading” our memory is aptly called the photo-taking impairment effect. How does it work?
“When people rely on technology to remember something for them, they’re essentially outsourcing their memory,” says Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University. “They know their camera is capturing that moment for them, so they don’t pay full attention to it in a way that might help them remember.” (That MIGHT explain stupid social media photo shots – they don’t care if they remember)
“Need an analogy? If you write down someone’s phone number, you’re less likely to remember it offhand because your brain tells you there’s just no need. That’s all well and good — until that slip of paper goes missing.”
“The effect was first explored in a 2013 study Henkel conducted showing that people had a harder time remembering art objects they’d seen in a museum when they took pictures of them. The study has since been replicated in 2017 and 2021.”
“Henkel’s findings are similar to those of a 2011 Science study on the “Google effect” that found that people don’t remember information as well when they know they can retrieve it later from the internet or from a device it has been saved on.” (That DOES explain why we can’t spell or calculate 2 x 4)
“As with information, when we take pictures we’re offloading the responsibility of remembering onto an external device,” says Julia Soares, an assistant psychology professor at Mississippi State University.
Attentional Disengagement or Fuss with the camera and miss the moment
“The other explanation for memory impairment when you snap that pic, Soares found, is attentional disengagement.”
“It’s what happens when we’re distracted by the process of taking a photo, says Soares: how we hold our phone, framing the photo to make sure people are smiling and the background is to our liking, ensuring the image isn’t blurry — all of which uses up cognitive skills or attentional resources that could otherwise help us encode or retain that memory.”
“Sadly, attentional disengagement is especially likely to occur during milestone moments, (or after the age of 50) says Loftus, such as when a graduate accepts a diploma or when a child blows out birthday candles. Those are times when we have the added pressure of capturing a fleeting moment and concentrating on getting it right.”
Our brains are caught up helping us take that perfect photo instead of retaining that perfect memory.
The length of exposure to a memory also impacts how well you recall it later, Loftus says. For example, a short visit to the park when you’re caught up in snapping photos of the kids the whole time isn’t likely to be a memory you retain.
“If you’re distracted, you may have a photograph to prove you were there, but your brain may not remember,” Loftus explains.
A longer visit where you’re distracted only at the beginning with one or two pictures, by contrast, is much more likely to be recorded as a memory.
How purposeful photo-taking can aid memory
There are, however, some memory-retention advantages to taking photos — when done mindfully.
“We know from many studies that photos are good memory cues,” Soares says as one example of the benefits of taking pictures, “so the story isn’t quite so simple as ‘taking photos is bad.’ “
Along with photography helping us recall memories, a 2017 study found that taking photos can actually boost our memories under certain circumstances.
The study shows that while the act of taking a photo may be distracting, the act of preparing to take a photo by focusing on visual details around us has some upsides.
Alixandra Barasch, a business professor at New York University and a co-author of the study, says that when people take the time to study what they want to take pictures of and zoom in on specific elements they’re hoping to remember, memories become more deeply embedded in the subconscious.
“Another benefit of photos is that they can help us recall moments more accurately since our memories are fallible. “The human brain is not a passive storage system. It’s both active and dynamic,” Henkel explains. “Our brains do not videotape our experiences. It constructs them based on our beliefs, attitudes and biases.”
“She says that when we remember something, it’s a memory that has been “reconstructed through the filter of new information, new experiences and new perspectives.” In that way, photos or videos help us recall moments as they really happened.”
“Memories fade and can become contaminated without a visual record backing them up,” Loftus says. “A photo is an excellent vehicle to bring you back to a moment.”
Tips: how to make photography help — not harm — your memories
- Have someone else take the photos. This is key, says Soares. Ask a friend or family member to oversee photo-taking at especially important events “so you can be fully engaged with the event itself.”
- Be intentional with the photos you’re taking. Choosing what (and WHY) we take photos of more deliberately helps too. “Research suggests that deciding what to photograph might reduce the ill effects on memory and even enhance enjoyment,” says Nathaniel Barr, a professor of creativity and creative thinking at Sheridan College.
- Focus in on details. If you immerse yourself in the details of a scene as you prepare to take a photo, that process can help anchor memories, according to New York University’s Barasch. “As we search the visual field to decide what to capture in a photo, we are more likely to commit those details to memory,” she says. As such, “taking photos can actually enhance memory for certain details in an experience.”
- Take a few good pictures; then put down the phone. If your goal is to remember a special trip or event, Henkel says, limit the time with your camera out. “You might want to take a few pics at the beginning, then put your camera away and soak in the rest of the experience,” she says.
- Look at your photos regularly. Photos are an effective tool for memory retention only if we take the time to look at photos — which many of us don’t do, says Henkel: “We need to take the time to look at photos after the experiences and reactivate those mental representations.”
- Organize your photos into albums. Henkel says the best way to make sure you look at your photos regularly is to “make them manageable and accessible” since you are unlikely to scroll through lists of photos. Organize them in a digital album or print them out, she suggests.
CLICK ON!
Credit: Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR
BYDK* – You are like a Banana
We’re posting this in it’s entirety so you don’t think we’ve gone bananas . . . or worse yet . . . we ARE bananas.
The Interesting Thing Human Beings Have In Common With Bananas.
“Mankind is a unique beast. We have debated for years about our origins, trying to determine if we walked from the jungles or crawled from the sea. We seem to share certain traits with the good Lord’s second-most strongest warriors for Christ: the monkey. Man and monkey both share the traits of opposable thumbs, upright mobility, and our amusement at the ever-popular shiny object. For years, scientists have scoured the Earth, searching for the elusive “missing link” that will finally settle the debate about whether or not we evolved from primates or came from something much more spiritual.”
“But, a recent discovery may have challenged all the other theories and suggestions of primordial soups and genetic casserole dishes in the oven of creation, one that beats the band in how absurd it may seem, and one that may seem rather “a-peeling” to those who can believe it. Perhaps man has more in common with it’s hairy friends than we thought, though it may be what the monkey eats with which we share our closest bond.”
It’s all in our DNA
“The human model of DNA is designed of nearly 3 billion base pairs. Of those billions of pairs, blocks, and other genetic spit and glue, only a tiny amount of said materials truly belong to us. During his TED Talk, physicist and entrepreneur Riccardo Sabatini demonstrated that a printed version of your entire genetic code would occupy some 262,000 pages, with only about 500 of those pages being truly unique to mankind. That’s because large chunks of genome, or a “genetic instructions manual,” perform similar functions across the animal kingdom — essentially like universal blueprints that can be adapted to anything. This means we are genetically similar to a monkeys, cats, mice, cows and, perhaps most intriguing of all: the banana (via Business Insider).”
“No, you are not crazy. We share 40-60% of the same DNA as that thing you buy in a grocery store. Don’t worry, though, you are not going to turn brown just because someone left you atop the microwave for a few days instead of the fridge. According to Dr. Lawrence Brody (via How Stuff Works), DNA can be thought of like a blueprint for a house, and protein products as the actual house. The blueprint for a banana may be similar, but it would call for very different designs, just like how human DNA calls for different layouts and plans.”
“Though, much like the humble banana, we also have a soft, mushy inside and the innate fear of chimp attacks. It all makes sense now.”
*Bet You Didn’t Know
The HeART of Spirituality – 6 Spiritual Ways to relieve stress & anxiety
Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.
Jesus Christ
In these times of uncertainty and social isolation fear and anxiety is pervasive. These emotions neurochemically ramp up our stress response. I know, because stress had a massive impact on my health.
Decades ago I was under “professional” stress – treating clients who were angry, depressed, anxious, “social” stress – parents who were in declining health and in and out of hospital, and “physical” stress – my hormones had sent me on a peri-menopausal roller-coaster ride. I had acclimated to chronically elevated stress levels and I was spiritually bereft.
Ironically, one of my areas of “expertise” was treating clients who had chronic disease and acute illness. I knew stress was well researched and dramatically impacts our central nervous systems; brains; respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, digestive and immune systems. Stress can trigger anxiety, depression, headaches, high blood pressure, heartburn, backaches, infertility and a compromised immune system. I would half-joke that God wanted me to know, not only on an intellectual level, what my clients experienced so I might be a better psychotherapist. It wasn’t half of a joke, it was the truth.
It took me longer to learn that stress, anxiety, fear and anger impact, not only our physical & emotional well-being, but our spiritual well-being.
Spiritual solutions to our fears exist. Here are some basics:
Prayer Card Workshop, Collage
1. Recognize free-floating anxiety as well as
conscious fears.
It’s relatively easy to understand the fear of a unseen virus, anxiety over being isolated, mixed messages from authorities, unknown loss of income, our lives turned inside out.
Fear and anxiety are incompatible with spirituality. It doesn’t mean to ignore or deny what the threats are. It means to reach deep into faith and trust, that no matter how painful and difficult tests are, and believe positive change comes from crisis.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6.
Often, we don’t realize we are stressed or, like me, the levels of anxiety & fear we are unconsciously experiencing. There may be unresolved issues, unconscious, free-floating worries that we don’t acknowledge or even understand. Try to pinpoint gnawing thoughts in the back of your mind that make you feel uneasy, depressed, or unhappy. Acknowledging and facing those issues will start the process of resolving them.
Prayer Card Workshop, collage
2. Take care of yourself
This admonition is a concept and theological doctrine in Judaism, Christianity, and Sufism, Islam. “All assert that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Philosophers and theologians have debated the exact meaning of the phrase for millennia. Following Jewish tradition, scholars such as Saadia Gaon and Philo argued that being made in the Image of God does not mean that God possesses human-like features, but rather that the statement is figurative language for God bestowing special honor unto humankind, which He did not confer unto the rest of Creation.” Wikipedia
In the Baha’i tradition, which embraces the truth of ALL religions, taking care of ourselves not only involves our physical being but living, practicing all the virtues such as love, compassion, justice which God has bestowed. It is a spiritual imperative in times of extreme tests that our responses and behaviors are in keeping with spiritual virtues.
Prayer Card Workshop, collage
3. Laugh
“Laughter is Spiritual Relaxation” Baha’i World Faith
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God has a smile on His face. – Psalm 42:5
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As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul. – A Jewish Proverb
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Humor is a prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer. – Reinhold Niebuhr
Laughter is a wonderful antidote to anxiety. Laughter and smiling release neurochemicals that elevate immune responses. How can you be stressed when you laugh? When I laugh, I can’t help but be in the moment, and in that moment my troubles are forgotten:
Laughter is caused by the slackening or relaxation of the nerves. It is an ideal condition and not physical. Laughter is the visible effect of an invisible cause. For example, happiness and misery are super-sensuous phenomena. One cannot hear them with his ears or touch them with his hands. Happiness is a spiritual state. – Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West
Scientists have proven that laughter and a good sense of humor are powerful stress eradicators. They help us detach from the heaviness of life and see things from a more balanced perspective. Laughter has been shown to have a positive effect on health and mood, so allow yourself some happiness, a bit of joy and some daily laughter.
Workshop Prayer Card, collage
4. Make time for others
Connecting with others can also be a powerful stress buster, provided it happens with those who raise you up. Connection lets us give and get emotional, physical and spiritual support. Friends and family can help us navigate rough waters and see solutions we weren’t aware existed. Connection also reduces the risk of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease – it literally impacts your brain! Be sure you associate with those of like mind; spiritual, loving and non-judgmental people will lift your spirits:
The company of the ungodly increaseth sorrow, whilst fellowship with the righteous cleanseth the rust from off the heart. – Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words
We’ve had to isolate and can not physically be together but are blessed with smart phones, social media and the internet which allow us to connect in ways not available not so long ago. It’s an irony that many of us have lamented that these means of connection were keeping us apart. A reminder for me to look for the positive in all things.
Prayer Card Workshop, collage
5. Use Prayer to talk to God and
Meditation to listen to God
In the holy scriptures of every religion, prayer and meditation hold a sacred position. Turning to our Creator and stating one’s wishes creates the path to resolving issue and the consolation of our hearts.
In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. – Philippians 4:16
Prayer clears the mist and brings back peace to the Soul. – Rumi
Prayer Card Workshop, collage
6. Trust in God
Pray, meditate, and above all else, trust in God that everything will turn out right no matter how hard or scary it is.
Holding onto an OUTCOME can create anxiety, depression and frustration. Periodically, I still search for physical healing thinking I’ll be fully of energy and happy. Invariably I become more stressed and disappointment. I must remind myself that looking for the outcome I WANT isn’t necessarily the outcome I NEED. But it’s hard to let go of what I want, a struggle to find the lessons I need. I must continually remind myself to make the most of the blessings I have. This helps me to see my situation in a different light and makes it easier to reconnect to my faith & trust.
Think back to all your deepest fears and worries:
- How many came to fruition in the way you feared?
- What did you learn from those past difficult times?
- What was the good that grew in the aftermath?
“O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou sleekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord”. – Abdu’l-Baha,
Participants at one Prayer Card Workshop
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Jesus Christ
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P.S. Find more exercises, tips, techniques & HOW-TO’s to diminish anxiety, fear, stress, ways to cope with social isolation and more . . .
Click here: MAXyourMIND.
Happy Stories Sync Your Brain
Children love to be read stories. And as always, children know best. Research published in eNeuro shows . . .
Successful storytelling can synchronize brain activity between the speaker and listener, but not all stories are created equal. Sharing happy stories increases feelings of closeness and brain synchrony more than sad stories.
Researchers from East China Normal University compared how emotional stories impact interpersonal connection and communication. In the study:
- The speaker — watched happy, sad, and neutral videos and recorded themselves explaining the contents of the videos.
- The listeners — listened to the narration and rated how close they felt to the speaker afterward. Both the speaker and the listeners completed their tasks while researchers measured their brain activity with EEG.
“Sharing happy stories produced better recall in the listeners, as well as higher ratings of interpersonal closeness. The increased closeness was linked to increased synchrony between the brain activity of the speaker and listener, particularly in the frontal and left temporoparietal cortices. These regions are involved in emotional processing and theory of mind, respectively.Brain synchrony could become a measure of successful connection and communication.”
Our books have happy endings. Perhaps we were syncing our brains with yours?
Click here for “The Pulling, Climbing, Falling Down Tale of Maui and His Back Legs” on Amazon
Click here for “The Real Tale of Little Red Riding Hood & the Wolf” on Amazon
Bird Brains are We
During Covid Isolation Bird watching has become one of the few activities that are relatively safe wether done outside or looking out your windows. We are discovering that “bird-brains” are complex and not stupid!
Play behaviour may be an important driver in the evolution of large brains in a number of species, including humans.
Have you ever seen magpies play-fighting with one another, or rolling around in high spirits? Or an apostlebird running at full speed with a stick in its beak, chased by a troop of other apostlebirds? Well, such play behaviour may be associated with a larger brain and a longer life.
For the past 50 years, international animal cognition research has often related the use of tools such as rocks and sticks to cognitive abilities in animals. But my research on Australian native birds, published in Scientific Reports, casts doubt on long-held assumptions about the links between large brains and tool use.
No significant association between tool use and brain mass.
However, very clear differences in relative brain mass emerged when birds showing play behaviour were compared to those that didn’t play. In particular, birds that played with others (known as social play) had the largest brain mass, relative to body size, and even the longest lifespans.”
Tool use in birds
Tool use has been studied in a wider range of species than play behaviour. Some internationally famous Australian examples include:
- The black-breasted buzzard releasing rocks from their beaks to crack emu eggs
- The black kite picking up burning embers and twigs and dropping them on dry grass areas to start a fire. The bird then feasts on fleeing or injured insects and vertebrates
- Palm cockatoos that drum with a stick.
According to a classic theory known as the “technical intelligence hypothesis”, humans and other animals developed large brains because circumstances forced them into ever more sophisticated tool use.
What is bird play?
picture borrowed from “The Real Tale of Little Red Riding Hood & the Wolf
Play behaviour usually occurs in juveniles but in some species it extends into adulthood. Play behaviour occurs in species which tend to have
- Long juvenile periods,
- Long-term support from parents
- Grow up in stable social groups.
Play behaviour is usually subdivided into three categories: solo play, object play and social play.
Solo play: this may involve a single bird running, skipping, jumping, ducking, rolling, hanging, swinging, dancing, sliding and snow-romping. Solo play is the most widespread form of play, common among parrots, magpies, and some pigeon species.
Object play: this involves objects of any kind, including sticks, stones and small household items. Object players might carry a stick or stone or even just a leaf around, drop it, then pick it up again and run with it.
Object players are not as numerous as solo players but still widespread across species. Click here to read a lovely description of a kookaburra absorbed in playing with a stone.
Social play: involves two or more individuals. Social play is so far the rarest category. It might involve one bird holding an object in its beak and the others chasing it. Published cases are largely limited to parrots and corvids, and are known in magpies and ravens.
White-winged choughs are known to play a game in which two youngsters simultaneously grab a small stick or a bunch of grass, then each tries to wrest it from the other.
It turns out these categories are meaningful when used to analyse a potential link to brain mass. Information on brain weight/mass in Australian birds has been available only since an important study in 2014. It identified brain volumes and body sizes of all Australian bird species, enabling researchers to link these biological data to behavioural data.
A surprising link
My study involved 77 native Australian bird species for which full data sets were available. The results were more than surprising. In the samples used, tool use seems to confer no advantage whatsoever in terms of brain size or life expectancy: no matter whether a species showed tool using or not, relative brain masses were not different. However the results showed, rather dramatically, that brain size and forms of play are associated.
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Solo players had slightly larger brains than non-players
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Object players had larger brains again
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Social players had by far the largest average brain size relative to body weight.
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Non players had the lowest average brain size
These results are by no means confined to parrots, but are found in songbirds and other orders. Whether this holds for birds globally is not yet known. However, since parrots and songbirds first evolved in Australia, then spread to the rest of the world, the results may indeed hold for birds outside Australia. More research will be needed.
Which came first the brain or the play?
Play resulting in large brains or large brains triggering play behaviour – is not known. But whichever way one looks at it, playing socially or even just playing at all, is related to a bigger brain and a long life.
So what does all this mean for human brain evolution? It may be a long shot, but the stages of development in humans and birds seem to have some similarities and this may be significant.
Offspring in humans, as in great apes and other primates, also develop slowly, have protracted childhoods and play extensively as do a surprising number of Australian native birds. It may mean playing together offers more than just passing the time. It could be an evolutionary driver for intelligence, and even for a long life.
Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour, University of New England
Fed Up with Facebook
Personal note from Judy: I’ve decided to completely delete my facebook accounts. The lack of social responsibility and focus on greed is something I no longer wish to support in any way.
If you want to continue to see what I’m “up to” please subscribe to the blogs Peggy and I share:
MAXyourMIND http://PeggyArndt.com– and CURIOUStotheMAX http://judithwesterfield.com.
If you don’t like blogs, e-mail us at [email protected] to be put on our mailing list for our once a month CURIOUS KNEWSletter.
We often include links for FREE PDF’s and periodically curious things, fun things, helpful things, scientific things. You never know what our monthly focus will be because we (read Judy) doesn’t plan ahead . . . much to Peggy’s chagrin as she is charged with all the illustrations. The one thing you CAN count on is our KnewsLetter will appear in your e-mail sometime during the month.
Here’s a sample of of KNEWS where we repeated one of our favorite quickie stress relievers we first featured here on MAXyourMIND:
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What to do (and NOT to do) to survive a disaster
Ay Yi Yiii Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
- In 2011 there was an earthquake in Japan. People risked their lives to . . . save bottles of alcohol.
- In 2017 a plane caught on fire at an airport in Denver. People fleeing from the plane . . . stopped to take selfies.
- In Dubai when a plane was on fire . . . people tried to collect their bags.
People argue while their ship is sinking, stand on the beach as a tsunami approaches. In fact 80-90% of people will respond to a crisis in ways that decrease rather than increase their safety. They may be in a deadly situation, but do not act fast enough to save themselves.
In most disasters, people wait–they do not panic, they do not stampede . . . they wait
There is a failure to adapt–especially in unfamiliar environments like a burning plane or sinking ship. Especially in a stressful situation, more thought about what to do is needed, but the situation moves faster than our ability to adapt to what is a new experience.
What to avoid doing (easier said than done):
1. FREEZING
One of the natural responses to danger is to freeze. (Psychologists now add “freeze” to fight or flight.) Your brain stops you, even though you have plenty of adrenaline.
It isn’t intelligence that matters–in emergency situations your thinking brain can shut down. You enter a fight or flight situation-or you freeze.
2. INABILITY TO THINK.
We use our working memory to make quick decisions. (When faced with a new, first time disaster there is no working memory.)
Disasters happen fast (plane manufacturers must show that a plane can be evacuated in 90 seconds-because the risk of the cabin being consumed by the fire increases sharply after this). But our brains do not work that fast most of the time in part because we need to invent a new strategy
- The speed at which we can go through our options is limited and usually slower than the unfolding crisis.
- The brain is flooded with dopamine (a feel good chemical) which also triggers the release of more hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. in a disaster as the body prepares for the disaster.
- Then to make matters worse for figuring out what to do next . . . the prefrontal cortex (where we think things over) shuts down because of cortisol & adrenaline.
3. Having TUNNEL VISION
In a crisis, it is unlikely that most people can respond creatively about the problem. Instead, what we do is keep using the same solution over and over, even without good results.
Tunnel vision is also seen in people with permanent damaged to their prefrontal cortex. So the brain’s stress response of shutting down this region might be to blame for inflexible thinking in moments of crisis.
4. Staying STUCK IN ROUTINE
James Goff, a specialist in disaster and emergency management at the University of Hawaii has seen shocking reactions to disaster. People will risk their life to retrieve their wallet. It seems crazy, but it is common. This refers to continuing with everyday routines when faced with a crisis. He says,
“Being in a situation where your life is in danger increases your emotional arousal, and high arousal causes people to limit the number of alternatives they consider. That can be bad when trying to determine a course of action, since you may never consider the option most likely to result in escaping safely.”
5. DENIAL
“Invariably over 50% of the population do it, they go down to the sea to watch the tsunami,” says Goff. “They act as if nothing untoward is happening.” Denial usually happens because:
- We don’t see the situation as dangerous, or
- We don’t want to see it as dangerous.
- We are not good at calculating risk.
- We rely on our feelings, and sometimes reassure ourselves we will be OK. (Cancer patients wait four months on average before seeing a doctor. On 9/11 people who survived and were on the upper floors of New York World Trade Center waited an average of five minutes after the attacks before they started to evacuate.)
Why can’t we turn these reflexes off?
In everyday life, our brains are reliant on familiarity. Mindlessly getting our bag when the plane lands helps free up mental space to focus on new stuff we need to attend to.
In an emergency, adjusting to the new situation may be more than our brains can handle–so we keep doing what we have done before.
WHAT TO DO:
HAVE A PLAN AND PRACTICE “What if?”
If we can’t rely on our instincts, what can we do?
The best way is to replace automatic but not helpful reactions with ones that could save your life by practicing. You have to practice and practice until the survival technique is the dominant behavior. It’s a bit hard to practice for a tsunami but you can IMAGINE.
Taking some time to imagine “what if”. “Ask yourself one simple question, “If something happens, what is my first response? Once you can answer that, everything else will fall into place.
THE GOOD NEWS – OTHER PEOPLE
“Research shows that in most scenarios, groups of people are more likely to help each other than hinder. “In emergencies, the norm is cooperation . . . Selfish behavior is very mild and tends to be policed by the crowd rather than spreading.”*
“Psychologists call this response “collective resilience”: an attitude of mutual helping and unity in the middle of danger.”
People’s tendency to cooperate during emergencies increases the chances of survival for everyone. “Individually, the best thing tactically is to go along with the group interest. In situations where everyone acts individually, which are very rare, that actually decreases effective group evacuation.”*
LUCK MATTERS
but sometimes what is needed is a good dose of luck.
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*Chris Cocking, studies crowd behavior at the University of Brighton.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170711-what-not-to-do-in-a-disaster
“Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why” by Laurence Gonzales
This post first appeared on
Sneeeek eeek Peeeek into Judy’s Mask
It’s almost Halloween and masks are a hallmark of that holiday. In my mixed media on-line class the assignment was “Divergence”. It was hard to find my focus (what else is new? . . . ) and finally settled on a self portrait. I thought about all the divergent paths my life has taken, shoulda, coulda have taken, didn’t take.
I created each layer without conscious thought or choice. I picked collage pieces at random, colors intuitively as I painted. The meaning of divergence evolved after I completed it. There are layers and layers of paint and collage with I feel also represent me.
The end result is my “mask”.
Divergence Mixed Media Self Portrait, 14″ x 17″ Bristol Paper
1st Divergence – Egg collage – Among all the eggs and sperm that could have been fertilized there were only two that created my DNA.
2nd Divergence – Colors that represent some of the “large” choices I made at pivotal points in my life that led to who I am and the blind eye I had at those times to choices I could have made but didn’t.
3rd Divergence – Lines of collage and paint that delineate & represent each wrinkle of “small” choices (not to mention my skin) I made and didn’t make.
4th Divergence – Flow of color from the background into my being which represents my spiritual connection to everyone and everything.
Ultimately, whether we are conscious of it or not, we all wear many masks. There’s nothing wrong with doing so. It helps us socially, professionally – what we show and who we show it to – to function in a multi-faceted world. Halloween just affords us to have a bit of fun doing so.
Sneek Peek at my Tribute Tree
I started this acrylic painting many moons ago and never finished it (nothing new, for those who know me). I saw a video about Jadav Payeng that inspired me to complete it.
“Forty years ago, Payeng —a then-16-year-old resident of Assam, India—discovered that snakes were dying on a barren Majuli Island due to a lack of shade.
This gruesome sight resonated strongly with Payeng, inspiring him to act. “When I saw it, I thought even we humans will have to die this way in the heat,” he told NPR. “It struck me.” Then and there, Payeng decided to dedicate his life to transforming the river island.”
One Tree a Day
“He pledged to plant a sapling in Majuli Island’s sandy soil every day—an admirable act that would eventually culminate in Molai Forest, a lush 550-hectare (1,359.08 acres) woodland.”
“Covered in all kinds of different trees (starting “first with bamboo trees, then with cotton trees”), the island has flourished, attracting an abundant audience of animals that includes elephants, wild boars, and even Royal Bengal tigers.”
Man Spends 40 Years Planting a Tree on Barren Island Every Day, Now It’s a Giant Forest
You’ll never drink another can of cola without thinking about this.
If you collected up every Sars-CoV-2 virus particle in the world, it would fit inside a soft drinks can, writes the mathematician Christian Yates.
“When I was asked to calculate the total volume of Sars-CoV-2 in the world for the BBC Radio 4 show More or Less, I will admit I had no idea what the answer would be. My wife suggested it would be the size of an Olympic swimming pool. “Either that or a teaspoon,” she said. “It’s usually one or the other with these sorts of questions.”‘
“So how to set about calculating an approximation of what the total volume really is?”
“Fortunately, I have some form with these sorts of large-scale back-of-the-envelope estimations, having carried out a number of them for my book The Maths of Life and Death. Before we embark on this particular numerical journey, though, I should be clear that this is an approximation based on the most reasonable assumptions, but I will happily admit there may be places where it can be improved.”
“So where to start? We’d better first calculate how many Sars-CoV-2 particles there are in the world. To do that, we’ll need to know how many people are infected. (We’ll assume humans rather than animals are the most significant reservoir for the virus.)”
“According to stats website Our World in Data, half a million people are testing positive for Covid every day. Yet we know that many people will not be included in this count because they are asymptomatic or choose not to get tested – or because widespread testing is not readily available in their country.”
“Using statistical and epidemiological modelling, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations has estimated that the true number of people infected each day is more like 3 million.”
“The amount of virus that each of the people currently infected will carry around with them (their viral load) depends on how long ago they were infected. On average, viral loads are thought to rise and peak about six days after infection, after which they steadily decline.”
“Of all the people who are infected now, those who got infected yesterday will contribute a little to the total count. Those who were infected a couple of days ago will contribute a little more. Those infected three days ago a little more still. On average, people infected six days ago will have the highest viral load. This contribution will then decline for people who were infected seven or eight or nine days ago, and so on.”
“The final thing we need to know is the number of virus particles people harbour at any point during their infection.Since we know roughly how viral load changes over time, it’s enough to have an estimate of the peak viral load. An unpublished study took data on the number of virus particles per gram of a range of different tissues in infected monkeys and scaled up the size of tissue to be representative of humans. Their rough estimates for peak viral loads range from one billion to 100 billion virus particles.”
“Let’s work with the higher end of the estimates so that we get an overestimate of the total volume at the end. When you add up all the contributions to the viral load of each of the three million people who became infected on each of the previous days (assuming this three million rate is roughly constant) then we find that there are roughly two quintillion (2×10¹⁸ or two billion billion) virus particles in the world at any one time.”
“This sounds like a really big number, and it is. It is roughly the same as the number of grains of sand on the planet. But when calculating the total volume, we’ve got to remember that Sars-CoV-2 particles are extremely small. Estimates of the diameter range from 80 to 120 nanometres. One nanometre is a billionth of a meter. To put it in perspective, the radius of Sars-CoV-2 is roughly 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. Let’s use the average value for the diameter of 100 nanometres in our subsequent calculation.”
“Assuming a 50-nanometre radius (at the centre of the estimated range) of Sars-CoV-2, the volume of a single spherical virus particle works out to be 523,000 cubic nanometres.”
“Multiplying this very small volume by the very large number of particles we calculated earlier, and converting into meaningful units gives us a total volume of about 120 millilitres. If we wanted to put all these virus particles together in one place, then we’d need to remember that spheres don’t pack together perfectly.”
“If you think about the pyramid of oranges you might see at the grocery store, you’ll remember that a significant portion of the space it takes up is empty. In fact, the best you can do to minimise empty space is a configuration called “close sphere packing” in which empty space takes up about 26% of the total volume. This increases the total gathered volume of Sars-CoV-2 particles to about 160 millilitres – easily small enough to fit inside about six shot glasses. Even taking the upper end of the diameter estimate and accounting for the size of the spike proteins all the Sars-CoV-2 still wouldn’t fill a can of soda.”
“It turns out that the total volume of Sars-CoV-2 was between my wife’s rough estimates of the teaspoon and the swimming pool. It’s astonishing to think that all the trouble, the disruption, the hardship and the loss of life that has resulted over the last year could constitute just a few mouthfuls of what would undoubtedly be the worst beverage in history.”
Christian Yates is a senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath and the author of The Maths of Life and Death.
This article is adapted from a piece that originally appearedon The Conversation, and is republished under a Creative Commons licence.
Zombies and witches for you
Zombies love the smell of blood
but you needn’t dread the walking dead
Light a match, paint your nose red
They’re scared of fire and clowns for hire
Click here for Zombie Halloween card on Zazzle
Witches, on the other hand
Travel in the air and land
They don’t like blood, just brew
Don’t cross ’em or you’ll end up stew
.Click here for Two Witches Halloween card on Zazzle
Click here for Two Witches kitchen towel on Zazzle
To see all the Halloween goodies by Peggy and Judy, click here!
Sneak Peak at my arty life – “Facing Failure”
When I was an active faculty member of The Academy for Guided Imagery, Dave Bresler (co-founder) talked abou how drug addicts often needed to get clean, reuse, get clean, reuse until able to finally stay clean – They “failed their way to success”. At the time I didn’t make the connection to how I learn and live life.
In retrospect every time I failed at something, whether relationships, careers, projects, classes (took Statistics 3 times) failure was the learning impetus to learn (except for statistics) grow, and gain a bit of experience and, hopefully, wisdom to fail in new areas.
I also fail my way to success in every new art project. A current class assignment is to make a series of mixed media focusing on whatever we choose.
Here are my recent journey of “arty failures”. Every one is a learning lesson. “I tried that, didn’t work . . . wonder what would happen if I did this? . . .
- Selfie Sketch, copied and pasted. 2. Smeared paint on top. 3. Pasted torn paper on top
(What I learned so far: I don’t look good without a neck)
I’ll keep you posted to my arty progress for this assignment.
In the meantime, reflect on your own “failures”:
What did you learn?
What “life lessons” have you repeated?
.
God’s Creatures, Great, Small & octodexterous –
WATCH: An Octopus Taking Photos of her Visitors
When I lived in Greece getting together with friends at an outdoor cafe, sipping Ouzo and eating octopus was a favorite summertime activity. It was a long time ago, I was young, I didn’t know how smart octopi were and after a few glasses of ouzo I no longer knew what I was eating. Since then I have been relatively sober and understand that this incredible creature is not to be eaten but be admired. judy
“Meet the world’s first “octographer” – Rambo, a cephalopod at New Zealand’s Sea Life Aquarium who’s taking photos of its visitors.”
“See this impressive ability in action below, and watch as Rambo makes sure she doesn’t have her sucker-covered tentacles in the shot before hitting the shutter button.
“Of course, Rambo isn’t the first cephalopod to perform high-level activities – not only do octopuses have mind-boggling camouflage skills, superb speed and the ability to walk on land, they can also use tools and, apparently, predict soccer games.“
“But, as far as we’re [aquarium] aware, this is the first time an octopus has been trained to take photos.The project is part of a collaboration between the aquarium and Sony, who provided Rambo with the camera and its special underwater casing that’s lowered into her enclosure. Then, when spectators line up against a specially provided backdrop, she’s able to use her dexterous tentacle to push the red shutter button . . . “
Source: Sony New Zealand
What happens “after” Covid – for P & J and YOU?
Covid will eventually be tamed, possibly taking the course of other diseases like polio, seasonal influenza, measles and the like. We have two questions we’ve asked ourselves:
- What changes have we made during this time that we will keep?
- What are the first few things we will do when we feel safe enough to be out and about without feeling cautious or in jeopardy?
Here’s what Peggy’s come up with . . . at this moment:
- I am going to continue to keep a lot of supplies on hand. Just in case – plenty of food staples, and things like toothpaste and soap (and, of course, toilet paper).
- After Covid, one of the first things I want to do is to get new tennis shoes. I am hard to fit so I don’t buy online with the unending returns. My current shoes are worn out because tennis shoes are all I wear!
- I will make medical appointments that are just routine check-ups. I managed to get in a few before the Delta variant became so widespread.
- I want to have lunch with friends . . . sitting inside at a restaurant. I have ventured getting together outdoors with a few friends who I know have been as cautious as I am but it will be a relief not to have to be concerned about “who and where”.
Here’s what Judy’s come up with . . . at this moment:
- I’ll continue my new found skill, cutting my own hair. Can’t cut the back but, if I do say so myself, the front looks ALMOST the same as when I spend the big bucks at a salon. Of course, the only person who sees me is my husband . . .
- I’ll continue doing art classes online if they are offered – on-line classes are easier than going to a live classroom. I don’t have to pack up/unpack and drive for 30 min each way. Watching class recordings anytime I want is a big bonus.
- I am saving these for when Covid is better under control because that way I may never have to do them: I will wear something other than old t-shirts, sweat pants, and a painting apron. I may donate my accumulation of “professional work clothes” that will probably not touch my body ever again. I will dust the house just in case someone visits.
Now it’s YOUR TURN:
What changes have YOU made during this time that YOU will keep?
What are the first few things YOU will do when YOU feel safe enough to be out and about without feeling cautious or in jeopardy?
5 ways to keep your brain in “gear”
My fibromyalgia brain fog has been denser than usual so this article caught my attention. I figure if I do at least 4 out the 5 of these things I might be able to bump my brain functioning up to normal.
(I’ve edited down the article . . . but not a lot because after all it is for me!, Judy)
Neuroscience says these five rituals will help your brain stay in peak condition
“Lucky for us, advanced technologies have enabled researchers to understand how the brain works, what it responds to, and even how to retrain it. For instance, we know our brains prefer foods with high levels of antioxidants, including blueberries, kale, and nuts. We know that a Mediterranean diet, which is largely plant-based and rich in whole grain, fish, fruits, and red wine, can lead to higher brain functions. And we know that smiling can retrain our brains to look for positive possibilities rather than negative ones.”
Here are five simple rituals that cognitive scientists say can help your brain grow new cells, form new neural pathways, improve cognition, and keep your outlook positive and sharp.
1. Congratulate yourself for small wins
“The frequency of success matters more than the size of success, so don’t wait until the big wins to congratulate yourself, says B.J. Fogg, director of the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University. Instead, come up with daily celebrations for yourself; your brain doesn’t know the difference between progress and perceived progress.”
“Both progress and setbacks are said to greatly influence our emotions. So the earlier in the day you can feel successful, the better—feelings of excitement help fuel behaviors that will set you up for successes. For instance, a productive morning routine can be used to motivate you through the rest of the day. We feel happier and encouraged as our energy levels increase, and feel anxiety or even depression as our energy levels go down.”
2. Keep your body active
According to neurologist Etienne van der Walt, “Specific forms of exercises have been shown to be very beneficial for … brain growth.”
“When we exercise, our heart rate increases, oxygen is pumped to the brain at a much faster rate, and new brain cells develop more quickly. The more brain cells we create, the easier it is for cells to communicate with one another, developing new neural pathways. Ultimately, our brains become more efficient and plastic, which means better cognitive performance.”
“It doesn’t even take that much sweat to keep your brain in good shape. A study conducted by the department of exercise science at the University of Georgia in 2003 found that an exercise bout of just 20 minutes is enough to change the brain’s information processing and memory functions.”
3. Stretch your brain muscles
“Like other muscles in your body, if you don’t use the brain, you’ll eventually lose it. This means it’s crucial to exercise your brain and keep it stimulated.”
“Tara Swart, a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, notes that it’s especially important to target areas of your brain that you use less frequently. Good suggestions for stretching your brain muscles include learning to speak a new language, learning to play a new instrument, or even learning to juggle.”
“To enhance his own cognitive prowess, author James Altucher tries to come up with new ideas every day. He writes about his daily system:
- “Get a SMALL pad.
- Go to a local cafe or a park. For cognitive stimulation it is important to vary your routine.
- Maybe read an inspirational book for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Start writing down ideas. The key here is, write 10 ideas … all you want is a list of ideas.”
“Mid-way through the exercise, Altucher says his brain will actually start to “hurt.” Whether he ends up using the ideas or throwing them away is not the point.
4. Sit upright
“Not only is an upright position found to increase energy levels and enhance our overall mood, it’s also been shown to increase our confidence, as in this 2013 preliminary research conducted by Harvard Business professor Amy Cuddy and her colleague, Maarten W. Bos.”
“Positioning yourself in a powerless, crouched position can make your brain more predisposed towards hopelessness.”
“From a purely cognitive perspective, positioning yourself in a powerless, crouched position can make your brain more predisposed towards hopelessness, as well as more likely to recall depressive memories and thoughts. Researchers say this phenomenon is ingrained in our biology and traces back to how body language is “closely tied to dominance across the animal kingdom,” as Cuddy writes in her new book, Presence.”
“So what’s the best way to ensure you feel powerful in both body and mind? Erik Peper, a professor who studies psychophysiology at San Francisco State University, advises checking your posture every hour to make sure you’re not in the iHunch, or iPosture, position. He also advises bringing smaller devices up to your face while in use instead of forcing yourself to look downward at them in a collapsed position.”
5. Sleep with your phone away from your head
“There’s a lot of myths and half truths out there about how—and if—your smartphone may be effecting the brain. While there is still a lot of research that needs to be done on the topic of wireless devices, there does seem to be a link between blue light—emitted by electronic screens including those of smartphones—and sleep. Interrupting or changing our sleep patterns is bad for a lot of reasons. For example, lack of enough deep sleep could be preventing us from flushing harmful beta-amyloid from our brains.”
“According to Tara Swart, a senior lecturer at MIT specializing in sleep and the brain, our brains’ natural cleansing system requires six to eight hours of sleep. Without it, brains eventually encounter major build-ups of beta-amyloid, a neurotoxin found in clumps in the brains of people with neurological disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”
“While scientists have always known that the brain cleanses wastes, much like the body, the sophistication of this cleansing system was investigated in 2013 by Maiken Nedergaard of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester. This study found “hidden caves” that open up in our brains when we’re in a deep enough sleep. This liquid cleaning system, dubbed the “glymphatic system,” enables copious amounts of neurotoxins to be pushed through the spinal column.
“So, exactly how far away do you need to keep your smart devices? We’re not completely sure, but Swart says it’s a good idea to not sleep with it next to your head. Ultimately, keeping our brains healthy takes willpower and resilience, just like with any other part of our bodies. But as research shows, staying sound of body and mind as we age is certainly possible—with a little effort.”
If you don’t believe me click here! http://qz.com/626482/neuroscience-says-these-five-rituals-will-help-your-brain-stay-young/
Who Knew? Vinegar in Your Garden!
One of my favorite activities is gardening. I love being outdoors in sunshine, watching bird and making my surroundings colorful. I’ve planted flowering trees, put in a fountain and a bird feeder. It’s my form of creativity and meditation. Anything natural that can make flowers bloom, save time weeding, or make cleaning up easier I’m all for. Who knew that vinegar can do all this and more. Take a look:
1. Kill the weeds
White vinegar can get rid of weeds from the leaves down to the roots. I have used this, and it is much safer than some commercial products. Just pour a bit of pure vinegar on the weeds (Sometimes I crush the leaves a bit so I know the vinegar gets absorbed.) If you spray, be careful not to hit plants you want to keep.
2. Keep unwanted critters away
Vinegar is smelly, so dampen a few old rags and put them around the garden edges. Rabbits, deer, raccoons and insects won’t like the smell. It may even ward off snakes.
3. Get rid of slugs and snails
If you pour vinegar on them they dissolve. (Not for the feint of heart because they sort of melt.)
4. Help your seeds sprout
Put seeds in a bowl of water, and add a bit of vinegar before you cover the bowl and soak for 8-12 hours (no more than 2 days). The vinegar will help soften the seeds outer coating so the seed can sprout.
5. Clean your tools
Spray your tools with a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of vinegar and water, and wipe them off. If they are rusty let them soak in the mixture overnight, then use steel wool and wash with soapy water.
6. Feed flowers
Vinegar acts like a food for your flowers. The next time you water, add a cup per gallon of water. Acidic flowers really like this – including azaleas, hydrangeas, gardenias and rhododendron.
7. Test your soil’s pH balance
Dig up some soil and add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup vinegar -and watch it fizz. The more fizz, the higher the pH.
8. Get rid of mildew, mold and other fungi
Mix 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with a gallon of water, and spray the affected areas. This method also removes black fungi from rose plants.
9. Remove calcium buildup on garden bricks
Vinegar can help clean off calcium and lime deposits from bricks and dividers. Use 1 cup white vinegar per gallon of water and use a brush to scrub the bricks, then rinse.
10. Clean your birdbath
I usually empty my birdbath and let the sun bleach it. The next time my birdbath gets grimy I’ll try this. I particularly like the fact it is safe for the birds.
Happy Gardening! Peggy
https://apple.news/AGXakW9qDR_GsjLZmAO_tUg
Watching Cute Animals is Good for Your Health
Science shows watching cute animals is good for your health
You knew watching videos of puppies and kittens felt good but now there’s data to back that watching cute animals may contribute to a reduction in stress and anxiety.
The study* examined how watching images and videos of cute animals for 30 minutes affects blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety in a 30-minute montage of the cute critters.
“There were kittens, puppies, baby gorillas. There were quokkas.
The quokka, an adorable creature found in Western Australia,
often referred to as “the world’s happiest animal.”
The sessions, conducted in December 2019, involved 19 subjects — 15 students and four staff — and was intentionally timed during winter exams, a time when stress is at a significantly high level, particularly for medical students.
In all cases, the study saw blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety go down in participants, 30 minutes after watching the video.
- Average blood pressure dropped from 136/88 to 115/71 — which the study pointed out is “within ideal blood pressure range.”
- Average heart rates were lowered to 67.4 bpm, a reduction of 6.5%.
- Anxiety rates also went down by 35%, measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a self-assessment method often used in clinical settings to diagnose anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association.
When questioning the participants, the study found that most preferred video clips over still images, particularly of animals interacting with humans.
*The study was conducted by the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, in partnership with Western Australia Tourism,
Originally posted on
Sneek Peak at The Frog Princess Part 4
Judy has written another book. It’s for children and adult-children–and you get a sneak peek at it!! This is part 4, click here for part 1 , here for part 2, and here for part 3.
It’s a little known fact that not all frogs are princes in disguise . . .
. . . there are two genders, one of which is the “weaker sex”.
The Frog Princess
By Judith Westerfield
The Prince sighed
and the froggie replied,
“Perfect you’re not
YOU are lacking a lot Can’t even fly
on your own in the sky. You’re not very fair
for a prince with no hair And It may be moot
But you’re short to boot.”
The Prince sighed as he replied,
“You’re right I fear
I’ve looked far and near
no matter if tall, or very small Whether blue, red or green Tall, wide or lean
Please stop my flight. Perhaps all are just right.
For a prince who’s uptight”
And lo the skies shook, right by the book,
A sight to behold Breaking the mold comes a princess so fair it’s hard not to stare. Shimmering green
A wondrous scene
A crown of red perched on her head.
Hard to grasp
The Prince gasped,
“From out of the blue? Too good to be true! No matter if tall
No matter at all!
No matter if green You are my queen!!”
The Prince cried!
And the princess replied,
“Well! It’s taken awhile,”
she said with a smile. And drops the prince, with nary a wince,
face first in the mud with a resounding THUD
The Prince spun his head
as the Princess said,
“Now know! When you take flight morning, noon or night”,
She said with great mirth,
“I promise to bring you . . . back to earth”
And this is how out of the blue. . .
wishes come true . . .
THE END
Sneek Peak at The Frog Princess -Part 3
Judy has written another book. It’s for children and adult-children–and you get a sneak peek at it!! This is part 3, click here for part 1 , and here for part 2. , Click here for part 4
It’s a little known fact that not all frogs are princes in disguise . . .
. . . there are two genders, one of which is the “weaker sex”.
The Frog Princess
By Judith Westerfield
“Hop on my back,
I’ll cut you some slack But don’t talkback.
I want no flack.”
So off they go
the Prince in tow hanging on for dear life looking for a wife.
“What a wondrous sight From this vantage of flight” “Still, all I can see
None suited for me
Many too greedy
Most too needy
Some too tall,
or much too small
None, not one, right at all”
Not one maiden fit
“I’m ready to quit,”
the Prince sighed, as froggie replied
“You needn’t fear
Your bride will appear.
Your wish will take wing
IF you say the RIGHT thing.”
“Acbracadabra!”
cried the Prince
Making the flying frog wince
“Let there be light!”
Shouting with might
“No! No! that’s not right!
“Bippity, Boppity, Boo? 1,2,3 Buckle my shoe?”
“Open sesame
Bring a bride to me!”
“Ok, let me focus . . . Hocus pocus?”
“Free! no charge!
Small, medium or large?”
“I give up, let me go
much too taxing, you know I’ve spent my life
Looking for a wife
On land, in the sea Someone perfect for me. Now in the air.
It’s just not fair None fit to a tee None suited for me”
“Many too greedy
Most too needy
Some too tall,
or much too small
None, not one, right at all. It’s an eye-opening site From this vantage of flight
A perfect bride doesn’t exist Once again, I’ve missed,”
CURIOUS to the MAX 