Stress and the mind of young people
Are you feeling stressed? Are you aware that the World Health Organisation estimates that by 2020, stress related deaths will be second only to cardio-vascular disease? It is also important to remember also that cardio-vascular problems have been linked to stress. You may also be interested in knowing that the impact of stress can be [...]
Study exposes secret world of porn addiction
A major study from the University of Sydney has shed light on the secret world of excessive porn viewing and the devastating effect it has on users and their families. Dr Gomathi Sitharthan of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor Raj Sitharthan from the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Sydney conducted an [...]
Meditation linked to better wellbeing and health, including mental health
The experience of 'mental silence' is linked with better health outcomes and greater wellbeing according to a The area of greatest difference was in mental health, where long-term meditators, with a minimum of two years of regular practice, were more than 10 percent better off than the general population. "We found that the health and [...]
Buddhism expert contests claims about brain science
SCIENTIFIC studies purporting to show the ancient Buddhist practice of meditation leads to permanent beneficial changes in the brain rest on shaky foundations, a world authority on Buddhism has warned. Bernard Faure, a visiting professor of Buddhist studies at the University of Sydney, said in a recent Sydney Ideas talk that little was known about [...]
Traditional vs Brain-based learning, Assoc Prof Mike Nagel
Associate Professor Mike Nagel Duration: 12 mins Assoc Prof Mike Nagel will be speaking at our Mental Health and Wellbeing Seminars on applying the new brain science to working with young people. The remaining seminars for this year will be in the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Sydney. To register or download the brochure [...]
Teens who experiment with drugs have differently wired brain- new study
Why do some teenagers start smoking or experimenting with drugs-while others don't? In the largest imaging study of the human brain ever conducted-involving 1,896 14-year-olds-scientists have discovered a number of previously unknown networks that go a long way toward an answer. Robert Whelan and Hugh Garavan of the University of Vermont, along with a large [...]
The science of beer goggles
You can take comfort from the fact that there is now academic underpinning for the effect known commonly as "beer goggles". In scientific terms, even a little alcohol reduces the ability to assess facial symmetry, which plays a key role in attractiveness and human mate selection.The effect is particularly pronounced in women, with female drinkers [...]
The Trust Molecule
A chemical messenger called oxytocin accounts for why some people give freely of themselves and others are coldhearted louts, why some people cheat and steal and others you can trust with your life, why some husbands are more faithful than others, and why women tend to be nicer and more generous than men. In our blood [...]
Tighten your belts, scientists tell the world’s rich
The world's wealthiest people must urgently reduce their consumption to save the Earth from a "vortex of economic, socio-political and environmental ills", a major report by Britain's leading scientific academy concludes. The Royal Society panel of 23 eminent academics from around the world in the fields of economics, population studies and conservation science, calls for [...]