PBS_Braincraft

With this simple exercise, what can you learn about creativity?

All forms of curiosity, even silly hypotheticals, are important – they can lead to practical ideas as well. And two groups are great at it: kids and smart adults. But the average person forgets to be curious. Here we explore the power of curiosity, and in the words of Joe Hanson – Stay Curious! Don’t shy away from asking questions, however pointless they may seem.

Some people are notoriously bad at setting deadlines and estimating time. The comforting fact is that it's largely not our fault. Many factors play a part in our distorted perception of time, and most are difficult or impossible to modify. Time itself is not something we can change either, despite all our dreams of time machines. Why does life seem to speed up as we get older? Why does the clock in your head move at a different speed from the one on the wall? Why is it almost impossible to go a whole day without checking your watch? Is it possible to retrain our brains and improve our relationship with it? Why time slows down when we’re afraid, speeds up as we age, and gets warped when we’re on <a href="https://rumble.com/v3l6bf-next-stop-big-island-hawaii-vacation-travel-guide.html" target="_blank">vacation</a>? We construct the experience of time in our minds, so it follows that we are able to change the elements we find troubling - whether it’s trying to stop the years racing past, or speeding up time when we’re stuck in a queue, trying to live more in the present, or working out how long ago we last saw our old friends. Time can be a friend, but it can also be an enemy. The trick is to harness it, whether at home, at work, or even in social policy, and to work in line with our conception of time. Time is not only at the heart of the way we organize life, but the way we experience it. What can we do? To fix our <a href="https://rumble.com/v4igjb-a-timelapse-of-a-grasshopper-eaten-by-ants-and-wasps-over-a-day..html" target="_blank">broken perception of time</a>, we can reevaluate our relationship with it, become more aware of how we spend our days, and understand how our perception of time influences productivity. We can also seek time-management methods that will make us feel more in control of our time and less like its victims.

Every time this dog owner prepares to leave the house, her pet Luna tries to come with her. It is like she experiences FOMO, the fear of missing out! We would like to believe that our pets actually miss us, rather than missing out on what’s outside. Our dogs really miss us when we are gone? Watch this video to find out! First of all we need to think about relationships. Humans miss other humans because we have an emotional connection to each them. We have the capacity to bond and love, and so do dogs. It is just little too hard to figure out how dogs love us. One scientist trained dogs to willingly go into an MRI machine and stay there, so he cans study their brain and behavior. Can dogs have <a href="https://rumble.com/v4ffx1-baby-has-major-fomo.html" target="_blank">FOMO</a>? In one of his studies, he gave the dogs 5 scents, their own scent, the scent of a familiar and a strange human, and the scent of a familiar and a strange dog. What they found was that a certain brain region involved in positive expectations and reward was activated by the scent of the familiar human. The dogs had positive association with that person. However, it is difficult to say whether <a href="https://rumble.com/v30suj-charlie-says-blah-blah-blah.html" target="_blank">dogs</a> miss their owners when they leave or if they just miss familiar company. Another study looked at how dogs’ behavior changed around people with different degrees of familiarity, their owner, another familiar person and an unfamiliar person. They found that dogs preferred their owner. In one of the tests dogs would wait behind the door that their owner went through and not the other people. However, owners often wonder whether their pet knows how long they have been gone, i.e. whether they have a perception of time. Watch this video to find out!

What do we mean by "normal"? Cognitive scientists have found that your notion of normality is shaped by the average (like statistical norms and hard data we have about things) and your ideals (the beliefs you hold). So our sense of normal is all a little different – knowing this can help us understand other views and how our perceptions can change.

In Iceland if somebody is very wise you say that person is “vitur”. It means they have a lot of “vit” or “sense”. And the opposite of that, when someone is not wise at all they are “vitleysingur”. It means that person does not have any “vit”, essentially they are “witless”. A recent study showed that learning new words activates the same region that is active when you do pleasurable activities like eating cake or seeing your favorite band perform. We hope you find “vitleysingur” mind-blowing. In the study researchers gave participants two tasks: one was learning new words and the other was a gambling task. FMRI scan showed that the ventral stratum, the kay area involved in reward and motivation was active in both tasks. It sorts of makes sense because communicating with people gives us pleasure. Research shows that through human <a href="https://rumble.com/v30na7-10-unsolved-mysteries-of-evolution.html" target="_blank">evolution</a> we were motivated to acquire linguistic skills and learn new language because it is tied to this reward system. We describe things as mind-blowing all the time, but what does it actually mean? The emotional aspect to learning new languages is extremely important because we need emotion to engage our learning cycle. Research shows that we are <a href="https://rumble.com/v4cks7-learning-the-language-while-you-travel.html" target="_blank">learning</a> best when we are in a state of relaxed awareness, not too aroused or totally disengaged. Learning comes best when you are in this mood and you experience awe and curiosity. When we learn new cool bits of information we activate that same reward region of our brain as when we learn new words. You feel good because you have learned something cool and you want to learn more. Curiosity is contagious and it is sort of addictive as well. Learning new words activates the reward area of our brain and, perhaps, learning surprising new bits, or “vits” of information does too.

Are you a morning person or a night owl? I've never been an early bird – and lately I've been wondering why. This pattern in your sleep/wake cycle is called your "chronotype" and appears to be influenced by your genetics. It has some interesting effects on your health – from some people being more agreeable and proactive to others eating and drinking more. Do you notice an effect on your health?

The *mind-blowing* story of Phineas Gage, a man who survived with a hole in his brain – and what we learnt from him.

A halfalogue is that distracting half-of-a-conversation that you overhear. And you absolutely must know the other half. Because you're a curious human and your brain circuitry rewards you for finding out. Here's the lowdown.

We can all be pretty awkward. Right? Here we cover the psychology of awkwardness. But it's not all bad news. It’s a good thing that we’re aware of ourselves and care about how others perceive us. Feeling awkward can push us to sharpen our social skills. Being in an <a href="https://rumble.com/v3ry4x-well-this-is-awkward.html" target="_blank">awkward</a> situation is nothing new to each and every individual living on this planet. The pressure of always remaining in the good graces of the crowd weighs down on our shoulders and makes our anxiety levels sky-rocket fairly regularly. But science thinks that not everything is black and white and that somewhere in that gray area this uncomfortableness we’re feeling makes us grow our people skills. Crazy, right? Apparently, it’s not that crazy. Scientists have this theory that we have two perceptions of ourselves, the first one represents our introspective view and how we see ourselves, while the second one represents how we think the other people see us on the outside. To us, this second one is extremely important because it may affect our social status and interaction. Granted, we may never be too satisfied of ourselves, but we like to play by the <a href="https://rumble.com/v4spcr-introvert-at-puppy-playtime.html" target="_blank">unwritten standards of society</a>. So how do we go about dealing with those mild anxiety attacks we experience each time we misinterpret a greeting? Make sure you check out the whole video to find out! Enjoy!

Many of our foods contain sugar nowadays to stimulate the addictive part in our brains in order to have the need for more. This does happen to occur more frequently wuth fast food rather than food bought from the market or fresh vegetables and fruits. The girl in this video has a detailed explanation of food addiction or eating addiction that she describes as behavioral addiction that is characterized by the compulsive consumption of palatable foods, the types of food which markedly activate the reward system in humans and other animals, despite adverse consequences. "<a href="https://rumble.com/v4n40p-brown-dog-wearing-blue-jacket-begging-for-food.html" target="_blank">Food addiction</a>" refers to compulsive over eaters who engage in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating. The term binge eating means eating an unhealthy amount of food while feeling that one's sense of control has been lost. People who engage in binge eating may feel frenzied, and consume a considerable amount of calories before stopping. Food binges may be followed by feelings of guilt and depression, for example, some will cancel their plans for the next day because they "feel fat." Binge eating also has implications on physical health, due to excessive intake of fats and sugars, which can cause numerous health problems. Sometimes our love of sugar makes us go a little overboard, not always specifically cause we are consciously looking for <a href="https://rumble.com/v47qcr-seattle-sugar-tax-gives-starbucks-a-pass.html" target="_blank">sugar</a>, but simply because sugar might be one of the many ways in which one product can be made more desirable than another.

Feel disoriented when you wake up? One in seven people suffers from this effect called 'Sleep Drunkenness'. It is the same for everybody: you wake up to the annoying sound of your alarm clock, telling you it is another day for you to get out of your bed and go about your day, but instead you talk to the phone, thinking someone is calling you and then ‘hang up’ to go back to your sleep. It is called ‘severe sleep inertia’, a state when you wake up suddenly from your slumber and you feel groggy and disoriented, thinking how confusing life is. According to research, one in seven people experience this phenomenon, with episodes typically lasting up to 15 minutes after you are so rudely woken up. During those episodes, it is quite normal to pour your morning cereal in the dishwasher. When we <a href="https://rumble.com/v3qc5z-our-sleep-patterns-inherited-from-hunter-gatherers-says-study.html" target="_blank">sleep</a>, we cycle through three stages of light and deep sleep. The first and second stages are light, called non-REM 1 and non-REM 2 stages. During these stages, we can be woken up pretty easily. But when we hit non-REM 3, we enter deep sleep, followed by REM, which stands for Rapid Eye Movement. Yes, our eyes actually move back and forth and we are most likely to dream during this stage. Sleep drunkenness occurs when we are woken up from this REM stage, while our brains still contain a chemical called adenosine. It is a neurotransmitter that travels between nerve cells, promoting sleep and suppresses arousal. When you have your <a href="https://rumble.com/v47itx-starbucks-menu-change-could-be-game-changer-to-morning-coffee-routine.html" target="_blank">morning cup of joe</a>, the caffeine fights the morning effects of adenosine and speeds up the rate our nerve cells communicate with each other. This is especially helpful if you reach for your hot, black beverage as soon as you wake up. So, next time you find yourself talking to your alarm in the morning, remember - there could be a sleep drunkenness anonymous group somewhere if we weren’t all so far apart.

These cool glasses give new hope for visually impaired people to see again.

Do you have food nostalgia? Why are our memories of food are so vivid (and delicious).

We explore Misophonia, a sound sensitivity syndrome where people have strong emotional reactions to common sounds. We meet Vanessa's friend Molly Templeton and clinical psychologist Dr. Ali Mattu to talk about the brain basis of Misophonia, trigger sounds, reactions and treatment.

Your love of social media may have a bigger impact than you thought.

They say people can always tell if you are faking a smile because your eyes are not mirroring your mouth. In reality, when you are tired or stressed, a fake facade is sometimes the only thing you can muster. But according to this explanation, even a fake smile can sometimes be better than none at all. In the mid 19th century, a French scientist by the name of Guillaume Duchenne studied <a href="https://rumble.com/v378lf-puppy-surprise.html" target="_blank">emotional responses</a> in humans by stimulating different areas on his subject’s faces with - you guessed it - good old electricity. This helped him isolate the muscles that we use to express fear, sadness and joy. But it also helped him distinguish which muscles on our faces create a fake smile, and which create a genuine smile. There are two muscles: one just under our eyes called orbicularis oculi, and another on the sides of our cheeks called zygomaticus major, that work together to give our expressions that real smile. It is also called a Duchenne smile. Charles Darwin was inspired by Duchenne and conducted his own research. In it, he suggests that our facial expressions actively influence our mood, calling it the facial feedback hypothesis. In a more recent study, subjects were given Botox shots for the corrugator muscles in their brows so they could not express sad or distressed emotions on their face. They reported that their positive mood was higher than the other participant who received different medications. The conclusion is pretty simple, although a bit controversial. If you bear through your periods of sadness and stress with a fake smile, the happiness you present will eventually catch up with you. You can always watch this <a href="https://rumble.com/v34932-cute-labrador-loves-to-smile.html" target="_blank">dog smiling on cue</a>, it always works for us.

A look at some awesome people behind discoveries in psychology, neuroscience and biology.

The real magic of Harry Potter is that it can reduce prejudice and boost empathy. This week we break down the psychological benefits of literature

Amusiais an intriguing word, but what does it mean? Amusia is a musical disorder that appears mainly as a defect in processing pitch but also encompasses musical memory and recognition. Amusia may be present from birth or may develop as the result of an injury. Can you imagine life without music? We know we can’t. Take a look at these interesting facts and stories about some people who can't hear the music. Mrs. L was a young-looking sixty-seven-year-old woman. She was intelligent, but she didn’t know what “singing” meant. She also didn’t hear music like most of us do. In Oliver Saks’ book Musicophilia, Mrs. L described music to sound like pots and pans being thrown around the kitchen. This condition isn’t unique to Mrs. L. About 4% of the population is born with “amusia”. In some worse amusia, some people can’t even recognize musical information at all. A recent study looked at why beat deaf individuals are unable to keep a beat or tap along with <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zp92-freestyle-slalom-klaudia-hartmanis.html" target="_blank">music</a>. We are not entirely certain about what’s going on inside the brains of those who suffer from amsuia; a number of regions are involved in processing music. We do know that the ability to move along to a beat isn’t unique to the human brain. Other species with local learning abilities are able to keep a beat-think dolphins, seals, parrots and even <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zljm-parrot-singing-with-2-year-old-drummer.html" target="_blank">cockatoos</a> like Snowball, the dancing sensation.

Twas the night before Christmas, so here are some scientific gift giving tips.

The scientific reasons you're into your bae.

Even those that are most productive in their lives are known to take a “breather” from the chores and obligations and just let their mind wander. Taking a break to do simple or "mindless" tasks can have a positive impact on your creativity, productivity and decision making. So if you're going to procrastinate or waste time, here's how to do it properly. And it involves one of our most favorite platforms - YouTube! There are ways you can effectively waste time that can lead to a boost in problem-solving, productivity and creativity. Researchers at the University of Melbourne have published a number of studies on “workplace internet leisure browsing”. We have to say, we are experts at workplace internet leisure browsing! In one of said studies, researchers have said that those who “surf the internet for fun at work” within a reasonable time limit, say, less than 20% of their total time in the office, are 9% more productive than those who stay clear of these activities. In the follow-up studies, researchers argue that workplace internet leisure browsing is “an unobtrusive interruption which enables restoration of mental capacity and fosters feels of autonomy”. A study titled “Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation” from the University of California, found that when participants did an undemanding task, it led to substantial improvement in performance on a problem they’ve encountered before, compared to those doing a demanding task, just resting or having no break at all. The conclusion is that letting the mind to wander by doing simple tasks can boost creative problem-solving. You don’t have to watch <a href="https://rumble.com/v33t8a-what-what-goat.html" target="_blank">goat</a> or <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zo8e-6-month-old-kitten-dancing-with-her-owner.html" target="_blank">kitten videos</a>; you can just go for a walk. It is equally as effective.

Be grateful, it's good for you!

Are you easily fooled? Why we fall for April Fool's Pranks.