Pre-programming in our brains
Try this out! I was determined that I could prove this wrong, but, lo and behold, my foot changed direction! Amazing!
Tag Archives: science
Why Our Brains Love Sugar – And Why Our Bodies Don’t
How sugar affects our brain chemistry making us want more and more.
“That glazed doughnut is calling my name. Oh yes it is! It’s so sweet and pink and full of sprinkles. I long to taste those delicious sweet tidbits melting in my mouth, giving me a rush of pleasure and energy and making everything okay even when it isn’t.” How many of us have had this feeling around mid-afternoon on a particularly grey and miserable day, when nothing seems to be going our way. I know I have! Longing for the comfort of a sweet treat, a blanket, a cup of coffee and a reality show on the TV. Just wanting to check out for a while when life gets too demanding and difficult. And if we do this occasionally, we can just call it a “Mental Health Day” and leave it at that. We don’t need to buy into those Sugar Nazis foretelling gloom and doom if we eat one doughnut, especially if we turn off the TV for a bit and eat it mindfully.
On the other hand, if this is our way of life or our habitual way of coping with stress, or, even worse, if we starve ourselves for a week or two, then give in and binge with half a dozen donuts, all the while feeling intense shame and self-disgust, we can get ourselves into a lot of trouble. In this case, we may be addicted to sugar. And, unlike other addictions, we can’t just stop eating or stay away from all the things that remind us of sugary food, because we have to eat to live and the sugary stuff is all around us, from the grocery aisle to Pinterest ! Just look at the facts below.
Why Our Brains Love Sugar – And Why Our Bodies Don’t | Psychology Today.
Undulatas asperatus cloud formation
A cloud formation so rare it doesn’t even have official classification. “Undulatus asperatus” is its proposed designation, and if accepted as a new form by meteorologists, it’ll be the first such addition since 1951. As of now, it’s just another example of New Zealand having the coolest freakin’ landscapes.
Earthquake art
When a magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook Olympia, Wash., in 2001, shopowner Jason Ward discovered that a sand-tracing pendulum had recorded the vibrations in the image above. Seismologists say that the “flower” at the center reflects the higher-frequency waves that arrived first; the outer, larger-amplitude oscillations record the lower-frequency waves that arrived later.
“You never think about an earthquake as being artistic — it’s violent and destructive,” Norman MacLeod, president of Gaelic Wolf Consulting in Port Townsend, told ABC News. “But in the middle of all that chaos, this fine, delicate artwork was created.”
via FB: The Earth We Live In
What is déjà vu and why does it happen?
Have you ever experienced a sudden feeling of familiarity while in a completely new place? Or the feeling you’ve had the exact same conversation with someone before?
This feeling of familiarity is, of course, known as déjà vu (a French term meaning “already seen”) and it’s reported to occur on an occasional basis in 60-80% of people. It’s an experience that’s almost always fleeting and it occurs at random.
So what is responsible for these feelings of familiarity?
Read More: What is déjà vu and why does it happen? (Science Alert).
Hearts Have Their Own Brain and Consciousness
Excerpt: “Basic research at the Institute of HeartMath shows that information pertaining to a person’s emotional state is also communicated throughout the body via the heart’s electromagnetic field. The rhythmic beating patterns of the heart change significantly as we experience different emotions. Negative emotions, such as anger or frustration, are associated with an erratic, disordered, incoherent pattern in the heart’s rhythms. In contrast, positive emotions, such as love or appreciation, are associated with a smooth, ordered, coherent pattern in the heart’s rhythmic activity. In turn, these changes in the heart’s beating patterns create corresponding changes in the structure of the electromagnetic field radiated by the heart, measurable by a technique called spectral analysis.
“More specifically, we have demonstrated that sustained positive emotions appear to give rise to a distinct mode of functioning, which we call psychophysiological coherence. During this mode, heart rhythms exhibit a sine wave-like pattern and the heart’s electromagnetic field becomes correspondingly more organized.
“At the physiological level, this mode is characterized by increased efficiency and harmony in the activity and interactions of the body’s systems.
“Psychologically, this mode is linked with a notable reduction in internal mental dialogue, reduced perceptions of stress, increased emotional balance, and enhanced mental clarity, intuitive discernment, and cognitive performance.”
Click through to read more…fascinating article and video!
via Hearts Have Their Own Brain and Consciousness | Wake Up World.
Freak weather
Nature’s wrath … a spectacular gust front associated with cyclone Narelle was captured about 25 nautical miles north-west of Onslow in Western Australia on Wednesday. The red tinge results from dust picked up from the Pilbara. Photo: Brett Martin
via Red alert for freak weather.
How to Forecast Weather Without Gadgets
Click through to view the larger version of this wonderful image.
How to Prevent Stress from Shrinking Your Brain
Excerpt: Have you ever felt so stressed out and overwhelmed that you can’t think straight? We now know that prolonged stress or trauma is associated with decreased volume in areas of the human brain responsible for regulating thoughts and feelings, enhancing self-control, and creating new memories. A new research study, published in today’s issue of Nature Medicine, is a first step in uncovering the genetic mechanism underlying these brain changes.
How to Prevent Stress from Shrinking Your Brain | Psychology Today.
Neil Harbisson: I listen to color
Artist Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind, but these days a device attached to his head turns color into audible frequencies. Instead of seeing a world in grayscale, Harbisson can hear a symphony of color — and yes, even listen to faces and paintings.
The Difference Between Moths and Butterflies
Since the question came up in a comment earlier this week, I thought I would post the answer I found when I looked it up.
Excerpt: “The physical differences between moths and butterflies are usually easy to see: Butterflies’ antennae are wider at the tips — their ends look like little clubs….Moths’ antennae are often feathery. Sometimes, they’re thin like butterflies’ antennae, but without the clubs. Most of the time, butterflies’ wings display more vivid colors than moths’ wings do….Many moths use a series of loops called a retinaculum and a fringe called a frenulum to connect their front and rear wings. Butterflies don’t have these structures…Often, moths’ bodies are plumper and fuzzier than butterflies’ bodies.”
READ MORE…HowStuffWorks “The Difference Between Moths and Butterflies”.
Iceberg flipping over
This Iceberg was “calved” by Argentina’s Uppsala glacier. While we were passing by it with a catamaran, the huge berg lost a part of itself (look at the right side sinking) and then flipped over with a huge roar. In the process of melting this happens all the time, but it is seldom that it is captured on video WHEN it happens…
via Iceberg flipping over… – YouTube.
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