Nature Knows and Psionic Success

Illustration: Anders Wenngren The eyes, it’s been said, are windows to the soul. I’d argue that the real portals are the ears. Consider that, at this very moment, a cacophony of biological conversations is blasting through dime-size patches of skin just inside and outside the openings to your ear canals. There, blood is coursing through your veins, its pressure rising and falling as you react to stress and excitement, its levels of oxygen changing in response to the air around you and the way your body is using the air you breathe. Here we can also detect the electrical signals that zip through the cortex as it responds to the sensory information around us. And in that patch of skin itself, changing electrical conductivity signals moments of anticipation and emotional intensity. The ear is like a biological equivalent of a USB port. It is unparalleled not only as a point for “writing” to the brain, as happens when our earbuds transmit the sounds of our favorite music, but also for “reading” from the brain. Soon, wearable devices that tuck into our ears—I call them hearables—will monitor our biological signals to reveal when we are emotionally stressed and when our brains are being overtaxed. When we are struggling to hear or understand, these gadgets will proactively help us focus on the sounds we want to hear. They’ll also reduce the sounds that cause us stress, and even connect to other devices around us, like thermostats and lighting controls, to let us feel more at ease in our surroundings. They will be a technology that is truly empathetic—a goal I have been working toward as chief scientist at Dolby Laboratories and an adjunct professor at Stanford University . How will future generations of hearables make life better? I’ve envisioned many scenarios, […]

Click here to view full article

Summary: Changes in heart rate help the brain predict when a musician is about to make an error, researchers discover. Source: Goldsmiths University of London Working with professional pianists and experienced piano students from London conservatoires, Dr Maria Herrojo Ruiz and colleagues found that the brain receives crucial information from the heart before an error in playing occurs. This information helps the brain predict the occurrence of an upcoming error and adapt behaviour accordingly. For pitch errors, the researchers found that the heart’s inter-beat interval immediately preceding an error was larger than the previous inter-beat interval. The researchers also looked at how the heart’s natural beating cycle influences how well the brain responds in predicting and processing errors. The brain was better at predicting errors when the heart was contracting and pumping blood into the arteries (cardiac systole) than when the ventricles were relaxed and filled with blood (cardiac diastole), their study concluded. Detecting errors during any type of performance is necessary to make corrections and improve our performance next time we try it. For the first time, this study shows how, in expert musicians, detection of errors relies on integrating information from our environment (body movements used in performing and the sound they produce on a musical instrument) alongside cues from inside our body, such as heart rate activity. The research suggests that highly skilled musicians might be trained to listen to their whole bodies during performance to minimise or eliminate mistakes. A report of the research was published online in the journal NeuroImage on Tuesday 30 April. Prior research had found that simple mistakes trigger changes in autonomous nervous system activity, such as a slowing of the heartbeat or pupil dilation following errors, but the role of the body’s internal signals in error monitoring during trained movements, […]

Click here to view full article

Paul Erickson describes a design concept that focuses on mental and emotional well-being. Protected outdoor patios and terraces like that at Germantown Milestone Station 34 in Montgomery County, MD, can provide important breakout space for privacy, decompression, stress reduction and emotional rejuvenation. The call of firefighting and emergency response is dangerous business. Beyond the occupational risks of physical injury or death in the line of duty, firefighters also face serious health threats from elevated and frequent exposure to carcinogens and toxic chemicals brought back to the firehouse from the fireground. Recent trends built around Hot Zone Design strategies are now re-shaping the way architects and fire departments approach contaminant control within the station. Just as important, however, is the need for similar revolutionary thinking to address another quiet crisis—the equally insidious mental and emotional health threats that challenge the well-being of our emergency responders. The Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders (2018) summarized the issue: “First responders witness horror on a daily basis. These men and women, including firefighters, law enforcement personnel, and EMS workers, have front row seats to the horrendous aftermath of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, violent domestic disputes, traffic accidents, and more. Many first responders have military experience, and therefore their experiences as first responders pile onto a career that is already rife with trauma. Constant exposure to death and destruction exerts a psychological toll on first responders, resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, depression, and even suicide.” A source of hope Emergency responders are not alone as professionals in facing traumatic workplace experiences. Medical and healthcare providers also experience daily trauma in dealing with injuries, illnesses and death in the care of their charges. Moreover, patients, victims, families and loved ones also struggle with emotional and mental trauma […]

Click here to view full article

GETTY IMAGES You want to do it. You’ve been meaning to do it. So why are you blowing off those walks that you know can be so important to your health? Not anymore. We’ve got a stick-with-it strategy that can’t miss: Give yourself a really good reason to get out there and you’re a lot more likely to make the time. Here are seven. 1. You want to be around to see your grandkids get their (college) diploma. Want to keep adding candles to that birthday cake? Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that as little as 15 minutes of physical activity a day (yep, you read that right) can boost your life span by three years. What’s more, researchers at Brigham Young University who examined DNA samples of nearly 6,000 adults found that exercisers had a “biological age” that was about nine years younger than their couch-potato counterparts! And the good new keeps coming. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, of almost 140,000 people with an average age of 69, found all levels of walking — even levels below the recommended guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week — were associated with a lower mortality risk, compared with no activity at all. If you’re feeling like it’s too late for you to reap such benefits, know this: A study recently published in the International Journal of Stroke showed those who became fit later in life (ages 40 to 59) cut their risk of a potentially deadly stroke in half. 2. You want to keep kicking butt at Scrabble. It’s not a stretch to say that just a little walking (or other aerobic activities) grows your brain. Researchers have found that regular aerobic exercise appeared to increase the size […]

Click here to view full article

What I knew before All through my pregnancy I said I wanted a natural birth. No drugs, no machines, minimal intervention. I wanted to give my baby a pure beginning—the purest beginning possible, unpolluted by chemicals. “Why? Why put yourself through that?” my husband demanded. “There’s nothing wrong with taking something for the pain. If it was me, I’d be the first one in line.” We fought about it. Our arguments were all about the epidural. We never once argued about a C-section. Chances that I’d need one seemed remote. My mom had five kids. Her mom had seven. My dad’s mom had ten. None by caesarean. Green light! I also argued passionately with one of my best friends. She tried to explain that there was a really good reason why epidurals were invented. That they were beneficial and not at all to be sneered at. In my arrogance, I shrugged off her good sense; in my ignorance, I couldn’t really picture what kind of help someone else could give me. At that point, I still believed that birth was ultimately a one-person job. I thought if I controlled it all, nothing bad could happen. Nobody would have the chance to get in there and fuck things up. Because even though they say there’s no harm in having an epidural, who really knows? Mistakes happen. What if there is an overdose? An allergic reaction? Some other tragic accident? No thank you. Better safe than sorry. My plan was to just let that baby sail out and let Nature take care of things. In my defense, there are a lot of stories out there about exactly that kind of birth. I even talked to women, in person, who said they had that kind of birth: incredible, awe-inspiring, full of joy. […]

Click here to view full article

Most cottagers understand the calming power of trees. That moment when you arrive and step out of the car, breathing in the aroma of pine and spruce, or stretch out in a hammock, watching the golden cottonwood leaves tremble against a deep blue autumn sky, is cathartic. Canadians are forest people at heart—with 979 million hectares, or 40 per cent of our country’s landscape, forested—and we seem hardwired to find solace in the woods. The practice of Forest Bathing is growing in popularity around the world as more trained outdoor guides offer this kind of mindful meditation while walking in the woods. Also known as the art of the Japanese forest therapy, or shinrin-yoku , it is recognized in Japan as an important relaxation and stress management technique, and is part of the country’s preventative medicine regime. Scientists have now quantified that relaxing feeling you get while surrounded by tall trees. Under their canopy, real healing can occur, especially when forest bathing becomes a regular practice. They’ve also warned that when we stop spending time outdoors, we suffer both physically and mentally from a syndrome dubbed “nature deficit disorder”. Children are particularly vulnerable as the rapid changes in technology and social media pull them further from the natural world every day. In his book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help you Find Health and Happiness , Dr. Quin Li, an associate professor at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, outlines the work that has been done by the Japanese government to study the effect of forest bathing on human health. I recently went on a guided walk through the impressive old growth forests around Qualicum Beach, 150 km north of Victoria with Ronda Murdock and her husband Gary, who run Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours on Vancouver Island. Ronda is […]

Click here to view full article

If you’re like many people, you may have decided that you want to spend less time staring at your phone. It’s a good idea. An increasing body of evidence suggests that the time we spend on our smartphones is interfering with our sleep, self-esteem, relationships, memory, attention spans, creativity, productivity and problem-solving and decision-making skills. But there is another reason for us to rethink our relationships with our devices. By chronically raising levels of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, our phones may be threatening our health and shortening our lives. Until now, most discussions of phones’ biochemical effects have focused on dopamine, a brain chemical that helps us form habits – and addictions. Like slot machines, smartphones and apps are explicitly designed to trigger dopamine’s release, with the goal of making our devices difficult to put down. This manipulation of our dopamine systems is why many experts believe that we are developing behavioural addictions to our phones. But our phones’ effects on cortisol are potentially even more alarming. Cortisol is our primary fight-or-flight hormone. Its release triggers physiological changes, such as spikes in blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar, that help us react to and survive acute physical threats. These effects can be lifesaving if you are actually in physical danger – like, say, you’re being charged by a bull. But our bodies also release cortisol in response to emotional stressors where an increased heart rate isn’t going to do much good, such as checking your phone to find an angry email from your boss. Any time you check your phone, you’re likely to find something else stressful waiting for you. If they happened only occasionally, phone-induced cortisol spikes might not matter. But the average American spends four hours a day staring at their smartphone and keeps […]

Click here to view full article

Dementia is a term that describes a variety of symptoms affecting a person’s cognitive functioning, including their ability to think, remember, and reason. It tends to get worse over time, so there are a few key early warning signs. Dementia occurs when nerve cells in a person’s brain stop working. Although it typically happens in older people, it is not an inevitable part of aging. The brain’s natural deterioration happens to everyone as they grow older, but it occurs more quickly in people with dementia. There are many different types of dementia. According to the National Institute on Aging, the most common is Alzheimer’s disease. Other types include: Lewy body dementia frontotemporal dementia vascular disorders mixed dementia, or a combination of types There are 10 typical early signs of dementia. For a person to receive a diagnosis, they would usually experience two or more of these symptoms, and the symptoms would be severe enough to interfere with their daily life. These early signs of dementia are: 1. Memory loss Memory loss is a common symptom of dementia. A person with dementia may find it difficult to recall information they have recently learned, such as dates or events, or new information. They may find they rely on friends and family or other memory aids for keeping track of things. Most people occasionally forget things more frequently as they age. They can usually can recall them later if their memory loss is age-related and not due to dementia. 2. Difficulty planning or solving problems A person with dementia may find it difficult to follow a plan, such as a recipe when cooking, or directions when driving. Problem-solving may also get more challenging, such as when adding up numbers to paying bills. 3. Difficulty doing familiar tasks A person with dementia may […]

Click here to view full article

AFP/Getty Images An investor in the cannabis industry has donated $9 million to Harvard and MIT to study the drug’s health effects, in what the institutions describe as the largest private gift to support marijuana research. The Broderick Fund for Phytocannabinoid Research, announced Tuesday morning, will be shared equally by Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with the goal of filling vast gaps in the understanding of how marijuana affects the brain and behavior. “The lack of basic science research enables people to make claims in a vacuum that are either anecdotal or based on old science,” said the donor, Charles R. “Bob” Broderick, an alumnus of both universities. “For generations we haven’t been able to study this thing for various sorts of societal reasons. That should end now, as well as the prohibitions that are falling around the world.” Broderick has invested heavily in the booming marijuana business, starting in Canada in 2015 and more recently the United States, through his family-run Uji Capital . Although Broderick stands to profit if the studies find benefits from marijuana, the universities and the researchers said the donor will have no say in the work process or its results. They also pledged to publish their findings even if they find marijuana doesn’t help or causes harm. Broderick recalled the first time he raised the idea of funding cannabis research with a Harvard development officer: “There was silence on the other end. Then she said, ‘I don’t think we do it.’ And I said, ‘That’s the problem.’ ” The official soon called back to say that Harvard researchers studying brain chemicals would be interested in examining marijuana’s effects. Dr. Igor Grant, a longtime California marijuana researcher who is not involved with the Harvard-MIT project, said the grant “will really […]

Click here to view full article

“Touch has a memory.” ~ John Keats Who doesn’t love a big warm hug, a long luxurious massage or some intimate time with a partner? But beyond making you feel good, how important is it to experience touch in your everyday life? The answer is that appropriate and loving touch is not only important to your physical, mental and emotional development but is essential to life itself. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and your sense of touch develops in the womb before all the other senses. Touch is the main way infants learn about their environment and bond with other people. This sense of touch never turns off, it never takes a break and it keeps on going long after your other senses have failed in old age. The research on the benefits of touch through massage is now fairly widespread. Massage has been found to calm the nervous system, lower blood pressure and stress hormones, and reduce pain and depression. In a summary of research on massage, Professor Marc Cohen from RMIT University found it assists with nausea, low back pain, chronic diseases, anxiety, depression, post-natal depression, fibromyalgia, insomnia and dementia, for starters. But most people are unaware of just how far beyond this the benefits of touch extend. The influence of touch begins even before birth when a foetus begins receiving tactile signals through the amniotic fluid from the vibration of its mother’s heartbeat. After birth, according to attachment theory, if a baby or child does not receive enough appropriate touch, there’s a lack of bonding, resulting in a lack of trust and problems in forming attachments later as adults. Yet the need for touch in infancy goes even deeper than this. Touch is essential for not only a healthy attachment bond between […]

Click here to view full article

There’s a picture of me, when I was about six years old, sitting down to play the piano for the first time… I’m sitting on the bench with my dad, and I’m pointing eagerly at one of the keys. My dad has that expression of light impatience that he got whenever he was trying to teach me something and I wasn’t listening. There’s no music on the piano––just my dad, teaching me music, while I can’t wait to bang out some notes loudly and obnoxiously on this new object in front of me. I had no idea, 14 years ago, what would result out of that moment. I had no idea that I would gravitate toward other instruments, learning five in total. I had no idea that I would end up playing shows in high school. I had no idea that, at 18 years old, I would last minute wind up wanting so badly to be a music major in college, instead of political science or education, like my parents wanted. It became so clear that music was what I was meant to do. There was just one problem: I had to audition. I thought I was good to go. I thought I was as prepared as I could have been. Music is what I’m passionate about, so there’s no way they won’t let me in, my brain told me. Guess what? I didn’t get in. I was devastated. I wanted so badly to get in. I knew it was what I was meant to do, and I had flubbed it. I realized my problem wasn’t with my passion, it was in my practice. I had fallen off my habit of practice. I didn’t have any concrete strategies that I could fall back on and use to improve my […]

Click here to view full article