Researchers from German universities investigated 25 young adults who limited their phone use to essential tasks for 72 hours, using MRI scans and psychological tests before and after the restriction period. The core finding was that images of smartphones after the restriction triggered changes in brain regions associated with reward processing and cravings, similar to patterns observed in substance addictions. These neural changes were specifically linked to dopamine and serotonin systems, supporting the hypothesis that excessive smartphone use can be addictive. Although brain activity showed these changes, the psychological tests did not register significant changes in the participants’ mood or reported cravings during the brief period of restriction.
Creativity is akin to insanity, say scientists who have been studying how the mind works. Brain scans reveal striking similarities in the thought pathways of highly creative people and those with schizophrenia. Both groups lack important receptors used to filter and direct thought. It could be this uninhibited processing that allows creative people to "think outside the box", say experts from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. more here BBC News
In the groups that I helped to co-facilitate in the ’80’s and ’90’s … at the end of a long day of movement and processing, folks would just lay down on the floor very close to each other. That was generally referred to as a puppy pile.
Interesting website with oodles of info and graphics expressing said info: Trading Economics provides its users with accurate information for 232 countries including historical data for more than 300.000 economic indicators, exchange rates, stock market indexes, government bond yields and commodity prices. Our data is regularly checked for inconsistencies and based on official sources; with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, central banks and national statistics bureaus being the most important. TradingEconomics.com has received more than 20 million page views from more than 200 countries.
On the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, this episode revisits a book that laid the foundations of modern economics and then considers the tensions between free markets and industrial policy today. It highlights the ways in which specialization and global trade remain powerful drivers of prosperity, reflecting Smith’s insight that self-interest can benefit society when shaped by competition and institutions, while noting the ongoing relevance of his warnings about moral judgment, the rule of law, and resistance to cronyism.
Adam Smith argued that free markets only work when they rely on a foundation of moral sentiment, trust, and ethical behavior—often rooted in justice—to function effectively. While he acknowledged religious frameworks, his focus was on self-interest, justice, and the “invisible hand” within a well-regulated society. [1, 2, 3] Key insights regarding Smith’s views on morality and markets include:
• Moral Foundations: Smith argued that for markets to function, participants must have integrity, as low trust increases transaction costs. • Role of Ethics: His work emphasizes that true capitalism requires justice, not just self-interest, and thrives when there is a level playing field and fair rules. • Justice over Religion: Smith believed that a system of “natural liberty” required a framework of justice to prevent the “master” class from oppressing workers. • Invisible Hand: Smith believed the “invisible hand” works best when individuals, pursuing their own interests, are guided by a societal, and often divine, order. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
I have learned a lot about the Creative Arts and Dance Movement Therapy in particular over many years as first a participant, then co-facilitator, then facilitator. I have come to know the far reaching effects that movement has in discovering one’s own thoughts and feelings. I have come to recognize others feelings by witnessing their movement as well.
In one situation I spend time directing a group of clients to move in ways that expressed relaxation for them. Ten people moving in ten different ways, all expressing the same thing. Later the group shared their experience first with a movement and then with verbal processing. The clients discovered new ways of relaxing and being relaxed by exploring and witnessing others move and share.
We can all learn new ways of moving and being moved by witnessing others. As children we learned patterns of movement from our care givers and from our culture. As adults we add to our developmental movement patterns by incorporating the uniqueness of who we are. As we mature and age, our movement patterns change again to reflect where in our lives we are.
We all move, everyone of us. With our breath, our smiles and frowns, our heart beat, and more. It is what we have in common. It is who we are.
In mindfulness, you learn to see thoughts as just thoughts rather than as facts or situations you must react to. Thoughts commonly come and go in the mind, and if you treat all thoughts as true and assign them all the same level of importance, you’re more prone to feel down in the midst of negative or self-judgmental thoughts and highly elated in the midst of positive thoughts. This rollercoaster ride of emotions and energy often seems to trace the same path as bipolar disorder’s ups and downs.
By practicing mindfulness, you notice that both types of thoughts are just thoughts, and you don’t need to react to them or even give them your full attention. After all, thoughts arise merely out of your perception of reality or are borne out of your own thought process. You’re not required to give them the full status of being true. Mindfulness involves watching thoughts and stepping back from them – like watching clouds passing through the sky. This enables you to become a disinterested observer, and thoughts lose some of their control over your emotions.
Switching modes of mind
Mindfulness also emphasizes learning to switch modes of mind. Normally you operate in “doing mode,” which is all about setting goals and trying to achieve them. Many people get stuck in this mode and never realize they have the option of shifting to “being mode,” which is all about allowing and accepting things just as they are, rather than working hard to change them.
Being mode is particularly helpful in the realm of emotions. If you’re feeling sad and don’t accept it, you can end up fighting to change the experience. This can lead to a deeper feeling of sadness and trigger a negative thought cycle. By being with the experience and mindfully accepting the emotion, you allow the feeling to dissipate in its own time.
Mindfulness looks like a potentially effective way of managing bipolar disorder, especially the depressive pole, which may be the most difficult to treat with medication alone. Mindfulness exercises and meditations are useful for people with bipolar disorder (manic depression) because mindfulness:
Decreases the relapse rate for depression.
Reduces stress and anxiety, which contribute significantly to the onset of both mania and depression and may worsen the course of the illness.
Improves a person’s ability to manage thoughts and feelings and increases awareness of the way the person tends to internalize external stimuli.
Mindfulness exercises include guided body scan meditation, mindful walking, mindfulness of breath, and mindfulness of thoughts and feelings.
Imagine if you could see time laid out in front of you, or surrounding your body. And you could physically point to specific dates in space.
Important dates might stand out – birthdays, anniversaries. And you could scan a visible timeline – to check if you were available – whenever you made plans. No actual diary necessary.
According to Julia Simner, a psychologist from the University of Edinburgh, there is a reasonable chance you can. And that you may use the experience, unconsciously, every day. MORE FROM THE BBC
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