Conquering Performance Anxiety

I could relate all the problems I've had in my life with performance anxiety, both humorous and tragic, I'd be writing here for a LONG time. Fortunately, I don't need to do that. I'll just point out this article that gives a few pointers for overcoming the problem:

Conquering Performance Anxiety: A Primer for All Phobias | World of Psychology:

Light this joint up!

My only wish would be for people to not engage in recreational drugs (which includes alcohol). It doesn't make sense to me on any level other than escapism - and that just seems like such a counterproductive reason. This is, however, a personal opinion.

What cannabis actually does to your brain:

Childhood music lessons may provide lifelong boost in brain functioning

As a musician this is extremely gratifying to hear. As a parent that invests in music education for my kids, this is even more gratifying.

Childhood music lessons may provide lifelong boost in brain functioning:

Know and Remember Everything, Always and Instantly

More on memory tricks. Well, some of them are sort of practical anyway....

Know and Remember Everything, Always and Instantly : Science Not Fiction:

6 Steps to Get Anyone (Yourself Included) to Do Anything

Don't let your powers be used for evil.

6 Steps to Get Anyone (Yourself Included) to Do Anything | World of Psychology:

7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Memory Without Any Training

Tips and tricks indeed - and this one should be particularly valuable to all you students out there.

7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Memory Without Any Training — PsyBlog:

6 Easy Steps to Falling Asleep Fast

Sleeping is awesome. We all love it. Now let's learn how to do it better:

6 Easy Steps to Falling Asleep Fast — PsyBlog:

How Exercise Can Grow Your Brain

Today seems to be "tips and tricks" day. So, I'll keep them coming.

How Exercise Can Grow Your Brain « Promega Connections:

4 Fascinating Facts on Why You Are Easily Distracted

You've already stopped reading haven't you?

4 Fascinating Facts on Why You Are Easily Distracted (and not likely to read all of this) « Doctor Stu's Blog:

Improving your cognitive toolkit - VII

Once again, Deric Bownds gives you the straight poop:

Deric Bownds' MindBlog: Improving your cognitive toolkit - VII:

Top 10 Self-Control Strategies

You want more self-control, you NEED more self-control!

I give you: more self-control

Top 10 Self-Control Strategies — PsyBlog:

Mothers' hard work pays off with big brains for their babies

If you are a parent, spend time with your kids. Both quality and quantity (especially quantity) MATTER!

Mothers' hard work pays off with big brains for their babies:

Envy is a stronger motivator than admiration

It seems that negative emotions can be stronger than positive emotions for many short-term actions and can certainly be more evident in behavior over the short term.

BPS Research Digest: Envy is a stronger motivator than admiration:

The Trouble With Teens

Teens simply DO NOT think like adults (and some adults never get to that level of development either) - but we treat them like they do and give them responsibilities as though they can. Not a good idea overall.

Discover Magazine: The latest in science and technology news, blogs and articles - The Brain: The Trouble With Teens:

Managing Stress

If you want to relieve stress, find a way to exert some measure of control, no matter how small.

Managing Stress: What Rats Have To Teach Us | My Online Wellness:

10 Simple Postures That Boost Performance

Some more simple tools to boos your cognitive abilities:

10 Simple Postures That Boost Performance — PsyBlog:

Faced With Evidence, We Still Get It Wrong

We are always the product of our decisions, and our decisions are a product of how we choose to interpret the world around us. We may talk of using logic or reason to make decisions, but the reality is that for logic to be infallible it needs to have ALL the available and relevant information, and that is simply not what we work with as humans. We use heuristics to determine what information we feel is relevant and then we rely further on heuristic logic to make decisions that are based on our past experience (which is also a product of past choices and experience defined by the exact same heuristic parameters) - so, while this article definitely defines a significant problem, it also avoids the elephant in the room: we will never be able to know if the evidence we have is strong or weak. That is only determined in hind-sight after the consequences of our actions.

Faced With Evidence, We Still Get It Wrong - ABC News:

Cognitive Enhancers are Not "Cheating"

I continue to be fascinated by the debate over cognitive enhancing drug use. This is one more opinion on the subject. I haven't really picked a side of the debate yet. I can see how both sides (for and against CE usage) - but neither side has been able to convince me that the other side is either "right" or "wrong" - the whole subject still resides in a grey area of incertitude. 

Cognitive Enhancers are Not "Cheating" : Science Not Fiction:

Personally, I would actually like to see what the effects are on myself before I could determine if taking them would constitute "cheating" - but since I'm rather opposed to recreational drug use on a personal level, I'm not likely to try that experiment any time soon.

Improving your cognitive toolkit

Once more Deric Bownds comes through with a great link to a great article.

Deric Bownds' MindBlog: Improving your cognitive toolkit - VI:

'via Blog this'

12 Ways to Improve Concentration

Attention is EVERYTHING. So, here are a few tips to help you in regulating your ability to pay attention.

12 Ways to Improve Concentration | Psychology Today:

'via Blog this'

Bilingual Brains Are Dementia-Resistant

Case in point about the bi-lingual brain - I'd say that decreasing the chances of Alzheimer's disease is a pretty decent after-effect of learning a second language.

Alzheimer's Study: Bilingual Brains Are Dementia-Resistant : 80beats:

The bi-lingual brain

There was quite a bit of research last year on people with bi-lingual abilities. Apparently it is a good thing if you have stretched your cognitive capacity to include multiple languages:

Juggling languages can build better brains

Improve your mental health just by sitting at a computer

Good news for all of us computer geeks:

Forget therapy - you improve your mental health just by sitting at a computer:

Walking improves your memory.

There is always some research or article that addresses ways to either improve or maintain better memory abilities. Deric Bownds is always on the lookout for great information in this realm.

Deric Bownds' MindBlog: Walking improves your memory.:

'via Blog this'

Early childhood education program yields high economic returns

It has been a matter of considerable research, all of which has pointed to one inescapable conclusion: educate children as much and as early as you can. This is one example when the old trope "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure" cannot be overemphasized. The benefits of early childhood education are too numerous and too cumulative to be ignored.

Early childhood education program yields high economic returns, U of Minnesota researchers find:

'via Blog this'

“Zapping” the Brain Affects Moral Judgments

Another example of the effects of brain stimulation:

“Zapping” the Brain Affects Moral Judgments | Psychology Today:

Facilitate Insight by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

There is quite a bit of very good and very intriguing research being done right now on the effects of brain stimulation, either through magnetic or electric stimulation. Some of the results are pretty astounding.

PLOS ONE: Facilitate Insight by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation:

Magnetic Mind Control

A project of Pratt Institute's Cognitive Psychology Course: Magnetic Mind Control:

I have watched the some of the same series (I believe it is available on Netflix) and it was rather well done. They didn't explore any topics I wasn't already familiar with, but they still presented quite a lot of good information in a very understandable and interesting way.

Expectations speed up conscious perception

This makes a certain amount of sense. If we expect to see something then our brains are already searching for particular patterns so it makes a sort of intuitive sense that our brains would react more quickly based on expectations.

Expectations speed up conscious perception:

Of course...nearly everything involving the brain is counter-intuitive, so using "intuitive sense" when attempting to understand anything is very shaky ground.

Beginning again

The start of a new semester means that it is time to start the blog up again. The last year or so was a wash due to lack of motivation and time. But...hope springs eternal and I think it is time once again to begin writing.

Forward to victory! (he said pointing to the refrigerator)