Religious Experiences Shrink Part of the Brain. Scientific American analyses a study which links life-changing religious experiences, like being born again, with atrophy in the hippocampus.
The study, “Religious factors and hippocampal atrophy in late life,” by Amy Owen and colleagues at Duke University, 'is a surprising result, given that many prior studies have shown religion to have potentially beneficial effects on brain function, anxiety, and depression.'
[more inside]
posted by VikingSword
on Jun 1, 2011 -
76 comments
... it's terribly important for veterans to feel they are continuing a mission that held them together through the violence and stress of war. "PTSD carries a stigma, that you're broken and wounded," said Yount, "And many guys have guilt for not still being in the fight. The idea of Paws for Purple Hearts is you can be part of the war effort while you're getting treatment."
posted by Joe Beese
on Nov 13, 2010 -
17 comments
"Web professionals are often expected to be “always on”—always working, absorbing information, and honing new skills. Unless our work and personal lives are carefully balanced, however, the physical and mental effects of an "always on" life can be debilitating." Burnout: Running On Empty [more inside]
posted by netbros
on May 27, 2009 -
56 comments
TM without the ™. When he's not directing
one of the best movies of the year or
sitting on intersections with cows,
David Lynch is a vocal
advocate of
Transcendental Meditation. In his new book
Catching the Big Fish, he talks about
the Box and the Key, meeting Fellini, the Suffocating Rubber Clown Suit, why he doesn't do DVD commentaries--and TM, which he calls "the experience that does everything." If you're intrigued by TM but sketched out by the
organization and the
$2,500 fee, perhaps you'd like to know that there is a
cheap, downloadable alternative.
posted by muckster
on Dec 3, 2006 -
35 comments
U.S. workers will leave an average 4 vacation days on the table this year, one more than last year, according to the 6th annual
Vacation Deprivation Survey sponsored by Expedia. This despite the
fact that at an average of 14 days total, we are already deprived, trailing Australia (17), Canada (19), Great Britain (24), Germany (27), and France (39) in holiday time. Why don't we get more time off? And why aren't we using the time we do get? [
Full results (PDF))]
posted by madamjujujive
on Jun 5, 2006 -
89 comments
Graduates of the "school of hard knocks" flunk real life. A study from the University of Leicester says that, contrary to popular expectation, unpleasant and traumatic life experiences don't make people suspicious and shrewd -- quite the opposite.
Many people who've had a tough life actually turn out more gullible and easily swayed:
"This is because the person may have learned to distrust their actions, judgments and decisions due to the fact that the majority of the time their actions have been perceived to invite negative consequences"
The counter-intuitiveness of this finding fascinates me.
Wait. Maybe I shouldn't be taking it at face value...
posted by AmbroseChapel
on May 27, 2006 -
50 comments
A quick flash movie, to help relieve the stress and tension of last minute holiday shopping. In with the good air, out with the bad air, rinse and repeat. After all is said and done, you can get back to enjoying the holidays in the company of your friends and/or family.
posted by jcterminal
on Dec 24, 2003 -
9 comments
Girls night out can save your life. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women. It's a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research---most of it on men---upside down. Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible... (Old news, but I don't think it's been posted before.)
posted by badstone
on Dec 11, 2003 -
30 comments
Things to do in Denver When You're Stressed Unemployed meditation teacher Jeff Peckman, apparently having nothing better to do, managed to collect enough signatures to squeak his stress-reducing initiative onto the November ballot. What would he suggest for reducing stress?: Indian Sitar music in public buildings, healthier school lunches, and (surprise surprise) meditation. The Denver City Council thinks it's stupid, which they have expressed in
varying degrees of bluntness:
--Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez: "While the ideas behind it are admirable, it would be impossible to implement."
--Council President Elbra Wedgeworth: "With a $70 million budget shortfall, this is not what we should be doing."
--Councilman Charlie Brown: "It's lunacy, it's frivolous, it's fantasy. If you want fantasy, go to Disneyland. These are city offices. We don't sit around holding hands, burning incense and singing `Kumbaya.' We are in serious economic times."
Denver martial arts instructor Ted Fowler scoffs at the proposal, calling it a waste of money and adding, “Well, I don’t listen to Indian satire music either. I’ve got a radio here and I can put on whatever music I like."
posted by Shoeburyness
on Aug 21, 2003 -
20 comments
Take Five - you won't be disappointed The perfect way to end a day of stress and media overload.
This will take about five minutes, but stay with it. Sure, it's funny (VERY), but it's the messages at the end that make it worth watching the whole thing.
Just when I was feeling like there was nothing worth looking at today...
posted by sparky
on Sep 11, 2002 -
50 comments
Do you seem to feel anxious lately? Well
answer a few questions, and Hello Kitty will provide a psychological analysis for you!
This is just a bit scary. The questions are a little bizarre, too.
posted by Su
on Jul 22, 2002 -
18 comments
