Last month I was invited to speak to a group of young people brought together to create innovative road safety solutions for their peers. The problem they are trying to solve is this: 88% of young drivers admit to using their mobile phones while driving. Texting is the most prevalent behaviour, at traffic… Continue Reading
The emotion centre is the oldest part of the human brain: why is mood so important? Genevieve Rayner, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health “Somebody woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.” You know that comment; the one that rarely makes you feel any more gracious towards the world (or… Continue Reading
Dopamine is the most popular of neurotransmitters. Forget about the unsung heroes of neurotransmission glutamate and GABA (ever heard of them?), dopamine is the one most people have heard of. It’s the current click-bait of popular neuroscience and seems to be the darling of newspaper editors looking for something to make their science pages a bit… Continue Reading
Knowledge is power. So learning about the brain lays strong foundations for emotional intelligence. Wise words from clinical psychologist Dr Hazel Harrington the author of this week’s blog post. When children understand what’s happening in the brain, it can be the first step to having the power to make choices. Knowledge can be equally… Continue Reading
Creating a meaningful and purposeful life is an essential ingredient of human wellbeing. But how do you discover who you are and why you’re here? Pick up any self-help book written in the past 50 years and you’ll be told that the best way to learn about yourself is to spend time on introspection or… Continue Reading
The human capacity for creative thought and innovation has enabled humans just like you and me to survive and prosper. Creativity has allowed us to adapt flexibly to changing circumstances, to produce artworks that move us to tears, to manage complex social relationships, to build civilisations (and build Facebook!). A few months back over at Active Memory, I… Continue Reading
Thanks to Dr Amy Reichelt for this tasty article! Amy’s research focuses on addictive memories, reward, motivation and behavioural control. She’s particularly interested in how diet impacts on behaviour and the formation of memories, and how our environments change how we react and learn about certain events. Read more of her work in The Conversation. Does eating chocolate improve your brain… Continue Reading
Daydream believer: why your brain is wired to wander This post was written by cognitive neuroscientist Dr Muireann Irish of Neuroscience Research Australia. We are usually told that daydreaming is a waste of time and mental power, but the ability to daydream offers us tremendous flexibility in our daily lives. The frequency with which we daydream suggests it… Continue Reading
Your brain is fundamentally lazy. When it can, it wires thoughts, emotions, or behaviors into circuits deep below the surface where they become automated. Automated thoughts, feelings or behaviours ARE habits. And habits allow your brain to work on autopilot. During the course of a day, hundreds of habits—automated chunks of thought, emotion, or behavior—come online… Continue Reading
You can teach an old brain new tricks. But it takes more than simply waving a magic neuroplasticity wand and saying “Rewire my brain!” Brain plasticity encompasses a number neurobiological mechanisms by which our human brains and minds learn, change, and master new skills. The capacity for brain plasticity varies across the lifespan. During infancy… Continue Reading
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