Science of the SpiritS


Music

Brain regeneration & healing with music

Ali Le Vere
Greenmedinfo.com
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 16:52 UTC
music
Music, which may be the most ancient human language, has the potential to improve neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders by creating new brain cells and neural connectivity. Not only that, but music restores hormonal and immunological balance in a way mirroring adaptogenic herbs.

The Evolution of Music

Music, the universal language, has been woven into the fabric of human culture since time immemorial. Rather than being a modern human invention, the creation of musical harmonies, using the voice as an instrument, and moving to rhythms may have long been crystallized as part of the human condition. A historical facet of the human condition, research implicates music in the cementing of social bonds, the establishment of monogamy, and as a primitive mode of communication (1). In fact, by forging social communion and engendering a sense of group identity, music may have been foundational to the emergence of large-scale pre-human civilizations (1).

Comment: Neuroplasticity may explain the healing powers of music

Read More...
Brain

Attention restoration theory: What happens to our brain when we experience complete silence and peace of mind?

Alana Kelter
Collective Evolution
Fri, 09 Feb 2018 16:01 UTC
Silence
Silence. How often do you truly get to experience this? Nowadays, silence is a very rare commodity indeed as we are constantly bombarded with noises from people, traffic, airplanes, music, advertisements, construction and the list goes on. I've been thinking a lot about silence and how much I would like some as I've been traveling and am constantly subjected to honking cars, screaming tourists, and clanking sounds all around me. Silence, is actually not something that is very easily obtainable - silence is golden. So how important is silence and is it a detriment to the well-being of our minds if we don't have it?

In 2011, the Finnish Tourist Board ran a campaign that actually used silence as a marketing product. Their campaign aimed to entice people to visit Finland to experience the beauty of the silent land. The campaign released a series of photos of single figures in nature along with the headline, "Silence, Please." Another tagline was added by Simon Ahnolt, an international country branding consultant that said, "No talking, but action."
Read More...
Brain

Former CIA Officer, Susan Carnicero, tells you how to spot a lie

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 00:01 UTC
lying fingers crossed
© ShutterStock
A person lies an average of 10 times a day, according to Susan Carnicero - and she's one to know. As a former CIA officer who spent more than 20 years interrogating, interviewing and polygraphing suspects, she's learned a thing or two about how to spot a liar.

In fact, Carnicero has also developed behavioral screening programs used by the U.S. government and co-written the book "Spy the Lie," which teaches you how to detect deception. She's also a co-founder of QVerity, which is a provider of behavioral analysis and screening services for both the private and public sectors.

It may seem shocking that people lie on such a regular basis, but remember that not all lies are malicious. Little white lies are told more often than big important lies, according to research published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology,1 and this includes innocent mentions like saying you're fine when someone asks you how you're doing - even if you're actually not.

Comment: While it's tempting to think lies can be spotted if we 'know the signs', keep in mind the potential for false positives. Many of the signs of lying overlap with nervousness, anxiety or social awkwardness. Some people want to make you think they're a good person even when they're not lying and may act in ways that seem to point in the direction of telling a fib when it's simply a sign of low self-esteem.

Read More...
Red Flag

How technology and increasing automation are adding to our loneliness problem

Chris Allen
The Conversation
Wed, 07 Feb 2018 18:29 UTC
automation, AI, robots
While we desire human contact, digital alternatives are often cheaper than everyday acquaintances. This has resulted in more and more aspects of our lives becoming digital by default, which has subsequently reduced our opportunities for everyday social contact.
The UK government recently appointed its first minister of loneliness. The move came in response to increasing concern of a loneliness epidemic sweeping Western society.

Psychologists define loneliness as a subjective, unpleasant experience that occurs when the desired level of meaningful social contact is less than what is available. The prevalence of loneliness is increasing and the association between loneliness and ill health is now clear.

In the US, loneliness affects one-fifth of the population. In the UK, it is experienced by more than a third of those over the age of 50.

Feeling lonely? Talk to the robot

Public officials have suggested that digital assistants, such as Amazon's Alexa, might be suitable companions for isolated older adults. This is by no means the first time that well-meaning people have seen artificial intelligence as a suitable substitute for human companionship, and older people have often been the target of these innovations.

Comment: Connection doesn't have to be something that happens randomly or by accident - it is within your control to create.

Read More...
Bulb

Spending too much time in dimly lit rooms may be dimming our brains as well!

April McCarthy
Prevent Disease
Wed, 07 Feb 2018 17:44 UTC
dim light compromise brain function
Spending too much time in dimly lit rooms and offices may actually change the brain's structure and hurt one's ability to remember and learn, indicates groundbreaking research by Michigan State University neuroscientists.

All life evolved with the electromagnetic frequencies from the sun and the earth, and these frequencies are considered essential to all life. Life itself synchronizes and harmonizes with these frequencies. But what happens when these frequencies are disrupted by modern technology?

The researchers studied the brains of Nile grass rats (which, like humans, are diurnal and sleep at night) after exposing them to dim and bright light for four weeks. The rodents exposed to dim light lost about 30 percent of capacity in the hippocampus, a critical brain region for learning and memory, and performed poorly on a spatial task they had trained on previously.

The rats exposed to bright light, on the other hand, showed significant improvement on the spatial task. Further, when the rodents that had been exposed to dim light were then exposed to bright light for four weeks (after a month-long break), their brain capacity -- and performance on the task -- recovered fully.

Comment: Read more about the uses of light therapy to enhance cognitive function:

Read More...
Rainbow

Study: Meditation won't necessarily make you a calmer person: Buddhist practice leaves people just as aggressive and prejudiced

Stephen Matthews
The Daily Mail
Mon, 05 Feb 2018 18:58 UTC
meditation
© Shutterstock/GlebStockScientists have revealed the trendy Buddhist practice of meditation does not make you more compassionate, less aggressive or prejudiced
'If every eight-year-old in the world is taught meditation, the world will be without violence within one generation,' the Dalai Lama claims.

But it appears the respected monk could be wrong.

For scientists have revealed the trendy Buddhist practice does not make you more compassionate, less aggressive or prejudiced.

Meditation, incorporating a range of spiritual and religious beliefs, has been touted for decades as being able to make the world a better place. However, researchers from the UK, New Zealand and The Netherlands, have found meditation doesn't change how adults behave towards others.

Comment: The type of meditation being practiced can have different effects. Meditation is useful for bringing limiting emotional or behavioral issues to consciousness, but then it may be necessary to use other healing techniques or therapies to deal with the new information.

Read More...
Blue Planet

Panpsychism: The idea that everything from spoons to stones are conscious is gaining academic credibility

Olivia Goldhill
Quartz
Tue, 06 Feb 2018 17:57 UTC
earth consciousness
© NASAIs everything conscious?
Consciousness permeates reality. Rather than being just a unique feature of human subjective experience, it's the foundation of the universe, present in every particle and all physical matter.

This sounds like easily-dismissible bunkum, but as traditional attempts to explain consciousness continue to fail, the "panpsychist" view is increasingly being taken seriously by credible philosophers, neuroscientists, and physicists, including figures such as neuroscientist Christof Koch and physicist Roger Penrose.

"Why should we think common sense is a good guide to what the universe is like?" says Philip Goff, a philosophy professor at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. "Einstein tells us weird things about the nature of time that counters common sense; quantum mechanics runs counter to common sense. Our intuitive reaction isn't necessarily a good guide to the nature of reality."
Read More...
People

Study says narcissistic perfectionists like Steve Jobs are toxic to society


PsyBlog
Sun, 04 Feb 2018 00:00 UTC
smiling Narcissist
© Unknown
"They're thinking really negative, hostile, critical things about other people."

Narcissistic perfectionists - like the late Steve Jobs - are arguably the worst type of narcissists.

They are grandiose, see themselves as special, have a high sense of entitlement and extremely high expectations of others.

Plus, they love to criticise.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Gingerbread

Adolescence is lasting much longer than it used to


PsyBlog
Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:04 UTC
young adults
There is something very strange happening to adolescence.

The period of adolescence is lasting much longer than it used to, according to some psychologists.

Traditionally, the period of adolescence - when people transition to adulthood - ended at 19-years-old.

Now some researchers believe this transition is not happening until 24-years-old.

Comment: The Health & Wellness Show: The Millennial Syndrome: Why they gotta be like that?

Read More...
Cloud Grey

How language can be marker of depression

Mohammed al-Mosaiwi
Science Alert
Mon, 05 Feb 2018 09:30 UTC
depression bus rain
From the way you move and sleep, to how you interact with people around you, depression changes just about everything. It is even noticeable in the way you speak and express yourself in writing.

Sometimes this 'language of depression' can have a powerful effect on others. Just consider the impact of the poetry and song lyrics of Sylvia Plath and Kurt Cobain, who both killed themselves after suffering from depression.

Scientists have long tried to pin down the exact relationship between depression and language, and technology is helping us get closer to a full picture.

Comment: Depression is a complex issue and it won't manfiest itself the same in everyone - for example, some people find the state of the world depressing, others are more focused on the state of their own lives - but this article is interesting since it provides us with clues with some of the surrounding issues:

Read More...