MUSLIM MIGRANTS BURN DOWN CONFERENCE HALL IN GERMANY over a dispute about food - German authorities say at least half of migrants suffer from mental illness - The connection between Islam and mental illness, confirmed by European psychologist

©http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/. Unauthorized duplication of this blog's material is prohibited.   Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full credit and link is given to Otters and Science News Blogspot.  Link to this post:  http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2016/11/muslim-migrants-burn-down-conference.html - Thank you for visiting my blog.

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• When Muslim violence occurs in Israel, EU countries immediately blame it on the "occupation".  When terrorists strike in Europe, they blame it on ISIS and a "distortion of Islam". 
• However, violence is a way of life in Muslim nations, part of old traditions, and exacerbated by a religion that mandates violence against Infidels and against those who violate its precepts.  Violence becomes embedded in the ethos of a community.
• European psychologists have found that Islam itself promotes mental illness due to its sanctioned abuse against women and children, and the use of violence to settle disputes at all levels.  Add to that widespread inbreeding.  
• New studies in genetics prove that some characteristics in temperament are inheritable.  Culture does produce genetic changes that are carried over into future generations, no matter where they live.  That may explain why German-born Muslim children have turned schools into places now too violent for other students and educators.

Two Muslim men charged after migrants burned a conference hall down in Dusseldorf, injuring 26 people and causing €10 million in damage, during Ramadan because of a dispute about food.
 

Continue reading, see more images, and read article explaining why there is so much mental illness among migrants (at least half of them are afflicted, admit German authorities).

HOW VIOLENT AND DEPRAVED VIDEO GAMES ARE SHAPING THE MINDS OF CHILDREN

©http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/. Unauthorized duplication of this blog's material is prohibited.   Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full credit and link is given to Otters and Science News Blogspot.  Link to this post:  http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/12/how-violent-and-depraved-video-games.html - Thank you for visiting my blog.
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Chilling truth about the video games your children got for Christmas: How titles like Pay Day 2, Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat corrupt children as young as five.

By Tanith Carey

Scenes include women tied to train tracks and a man's kneecaps drilled

Study found violent games can make 12 to 14 year olds more aggressive

13-year-old boy in Glasgow slashed a rival's throat before quoting a game

 

A generation ago, entertainment during the Christmas period revolved around families playing board games before sitting down to watch the Morecambe And Wise Christmas Show and a Bond film.

MAYHEM ON GRAND THEFT AUTO 5

 

But this year, the launch of two super-powerful games consoles — the Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox One — meant that, more than ever, video games like these were among the most popular presents received.

 

And despite such stomach-churning content and 18 ratings, the uncomfortable truth is that in hundreds of thousands of homes the person ripping the parcel open was a child.
 

One in five gadget-mad under-16s asked for video games this Christmas. And according to one survey, it seems many parents are happy to give their children what they want, with eight out of ten having bought a technology-related present for their offspring — and, after tablets, video games were the most popular choice.

 

But would most parents buy these games if they knew the depravity of their content? It seems many do not realise the levels of sex and violence portrayed in such games, and the damage they can do to the under-developed minds of children.

DAYDREAMING CAN BOOST YOUR MENTAL PERFORMANCE

Engaging brain areas linked to so-called 'off-task' mental activities (such as mind-wandering and reminiscing) can actually boost performance on some challenging mental tasks, a new research led by a neuroscientist shows for the first.

 

“The prevailing view is that activating brain regions referred to as the default network impairs performance on attention-demanding tasks because this network is associated with behaviors such as mind-wandering,” said Spreng. “Our study is the first to demonstrate the opposite – that engaging the default network can also improve performance.”

 

To solve a mental puzzle, the brain’s executive control network for externally focused, goal-oriented thinking must activate, while the network for internally directed thinking like daydreaming must be turned down to avoid interference – or so we thought.

 

New research led by Cornell University neuroscientist Nathan Spreng shows for the first time that engaging brain areas linked to so-called “off-task” mental activities (such as mind-wandering and reminiscing) can actually boost performance on some challenging mental tasks. The results advance our understanding of how externally and internally focused neural networks interact to facilitate complex thought, the authors say.

HOW DAYDREAMING CAN FIX YOUR BRAIN

By Indre Viskontas

Scientists are finally starting to understand what happens to the brain "at rest."

 

By the end of 2014, roughly 1 in 4 people worldwide will be using a smartphone—with the total number of users topping 1.75 billion. That's more smartphones, by the way, than PCs.

 

Grandparents everywhere are mourning what surely marks a great decline of intelligence: Dependent as they are on their handheld devices, their grandchildren will never learn to focus or remember the simplest things. But is this fear warranted? That is, will our ever-deepening relationship with technology help or hurt our minds?

 

Daniel Levitin

"A lot of the artifacts of digital life require that we make decisions," says neuroscientist Daniel Levitin on this week's episode of the Inquiring Minds podcast. "Do I look at this email or not? Now that I've looked at it, do I respond to it? Do I file it? Do I deal with it now?"

 

While each of these little decisions seems harmless and trivial, from the perspective of your brain, they are all draining. Your brain sucks nutrients out of your bloodstream like a greedy glutton, with about 20 percent of all of your body's energy feeding this relatively small organ. And every thought, every decision, depletes neural resources.

 

"Neurons are living cells with a metabolism," says Levitin, author of the new book The Organized Mind. "And they need glucose in order to function. Glucose is the fuel of the brain just like gasoline is the fuel of your car."

So by the end of the day, if we've spent too much time on tasks that aren't critical, we experience decision fatigue, and we don't have the energy left to do the things that really matter.

 

What's more, modern life forces us to make an ever-increasing number of decisions in less and less time. The issue goes far beyond electronics. 

 

Levitin points out that the average grocery store has about 40,000 unique items for sale. But most of us meet 85 percent of our shopping needs with just 150 items. "So that means that as you're going up and down the aisle, you've got to ignore almost 39,900 items in order to get the ones you want.

 

Each one that you're ignoring, there's a little bit of glucose being sacrificed saying, 'Nope, don't need that, don't need that, don't need that.'"  There's a simple solution, though, that Levitin proposes to alleviate this burden of the digital age: Externalize your memory. Yes, in essence, use your smartphone and other tools more, but use them wisely. Outsource the decisions that you don't need to make.

REGULAR ENERGETIC WALKING HELPS DEVELOP THE MEMORY PART OF THE BRAIN AT ANY AGE

 

Taking a walk 'makes your brain grow': Energetic stroll three times a week can increase size of organ's memory hub.

 

We know all about the upsides of fresh air and a bit of scenery – but according to a study, going for a walk could also make your brain grow. 

 

Researchers found that an energetic stroll three times a week increased the size of the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub, which is one of the first areas to be destroyed by Alzheimer’s disease. 

 

They asked 120 men and women aged between 55 and 80 to go for a brisk 40-minute walk three times a week.

 

Normally, the brain shrinks with age. But scans done after a year showed participants’ key regions – including the hippocampus – had grown by up to 2 per cent, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference heard. 

 

Scientists explained that the growth took up to two years off the brain’s age – a change they said marked an ‘enormous’ improvement.

 

However another group who had been asked to do a series of simple stretching exercises over the year saw the same brain regions shrink by around 1.5 per cent. 

 

Lead researcher Dr Kirk Erickson, from the University of Pittsburgh, said: ‘You don’t need highly vigorous physical activity to see these effects. This may sound like it is a modest amount but it’s like reversing the age clock by a couple of years.’  Dr Erickson explained that while exercise isn’t a magic bullet when it comes to fighting dementia, it seems to be one of the best ways of keeping the mind sharp.

 

Read more -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2561708/Taking-walk-makes-brain-grow-Energetic-stroll-three-times-week-increase-size-organs-memory-hub.html

 

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READING GOOD FICTION MAKES YOUR BRAIN SMARTER

Reading Fiction Improves

Brain Connectivity and Function

Published on January 4, 2014 by Christopher Bergland in The Athlete's Way 

Neuroscientists have discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function on a variety of levels. The recent study on the brain benefits of reading fiction was conducted at Emory University.

The study titled, “Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain," was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity

The researchers found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was found to improve the reader's ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes and flex the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualization of a muscle memory in sports.

Reading Improves Brain Connectivity

The changes caused by reading a novel were registered in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, as well as the primary sensorimotor region of the brain. Neurons of this region have been associated with tricking the mind into thinking it is doing something it is not, a phenomenon known as grounded, or embodied cognition.

An example of embodied cognition is similar to visualization in sports—just thinking about playing basketball, can activate the neurons associated with the physical act of playing basketball.

“The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist,” said neuroscientist Professor Gregory S. Berns, lead author of the study. The ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes improves theory of mind.

“Stories shape our lives and in some cases help define a person,” said Dr. Berns, director of Emory University's Center for Neuropolicy in Atlanta. He added, “We want to understand how stories get into your brain, and what they do to it.”

The storytelling aspect of a novel is a multi-faceted form of communication that engages a broad range of brain regions. Although several linguistic and literary theories describe what constitutes a story, neurobiological research has just begun to identify the brain networks that are active when processing stories.

Goodreads did a year end ‘Best Fiction of 2013’ reader’s choice awards which has some terrific suggestions for novels that you might enjoy.

Read more - http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function

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MAD SCIENCE - SENDING A DISEMBODIED BRAIN TO OUTER SPACE

DAILY MAIL - Experts are now investigating whether we could live as just a brain on faraway planets.

Some experts believe that the human body is outdated and not suited to modern life and the possibility of living further out in the solar system

A prototype robot has been created that is controlled by rat brain cells

Another expert believes that we could one day transport frozen brains to another planet and then defrost them when we arrive many years later.

Read more - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2392918/Who-needs-body-Experts-researching-day-live-BRAIN-far-away-planets.html

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MAD SCIENCE - REMOTELY CONTROLLING A RAT'S BRAIN

EXTREME TECH - Researchers at Harvard University have created the first non-invasive brain-to-brain interface (BBI) between a human… and a rat.   Simply by thinking the appropriate thought, the BBI allows the human to control the rat’s tail.

This is one of the most important steps towards BBIs that allow for telepathic links between two or more humans — terrifying if you stop to think about the nefarious possibilities of a fascist dictatorship with mind control tech.

Read more, video and illustrations -  http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/162678-harvard-creates-brain-to-brain-interface-allows-humans-to-control-other-animals-with-thoughts-alone



RELATED:

Using a commercial off-the-shelf brain-computer interface, researchers have shown that it’s possible to hack your brain, forcing you to reveal information that you’d rather keep secret.

 
Hackers backdoor the human brain, successfully extract sensitive data -
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134682-hackers-backdoor-the-human-brain-successfully-extract-sensitive-data


Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/08/mad-science-remotely-controlling-rats.html


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HEALTH NEWS - HUMAN CELLS CAN TELL BETWEEN TRUE HAPPINESS AND JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME

Stress ruins your health.  So feeling good should make you  healthier then.  - Not so fast! 

 

Your cells can tell if you're just indulging, or if you are enjoying a true sense of happiness.  Only true happiness makes them healthier, says study.

 

So go and hug your pet, or engage in an activity that is meaningful to you (drinking beer won't do.) 

 

Cells respond positively to true happiness, defined as that derived from a sense of purpose and connection to others. 

 

Caring for your pet or your garden , for example, makes your cells happy and healthier, whereas enjoying a great pizza and a glass of beer while watching an exciting game does not do the job.

 

Stress kills.  Scientists who have studied the negative response of cells to stress found that it facilitates the onset of serious diseases.

 

But not all good times are beneficial for your cells.  The well being derived from true happiness makes them healthier, but a temporary self-indulging activity does not.  Cells respond positively to the first, and negatively to the latter.

 

"We can make ourselves happy through simple pleasures, but those 'empty calories' don't benefit us physically," said research team leader Stephen W. Cole of the University of California. "At the cellular level, our bodies appear to respond better to a different kind of well-being, one based on a sense of connectedness and purpose."

 

Past work by Cole and colleagues discovered the connection between chronic stress and a change in gene expression that resulted in a variety of illnesses including inflammation, arthritis, heart disease and a weakened immune system.

 

But if all happiness is created equal, and equally opposite to ill-being, then patterns of gene expression at the cellular level.

 

Not so, found the researchers.

 

Read more - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130729161952.htm

Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/07/health-news-human-cells-can-tell.html
 

SCIENTISTS IMPLANT FALSE MEMORIES IN MICE

The perfect job for twisted sadists - Be an experimental scientist torturing defenceless animals.

The ultimate goal in the increasing interest in many mind experiments lately is to be able to fully understand and control the human mind.  It is chilling.

This is how they implanted false memories in mice:

 

MIT scientists conditioned mice to fear an environment, Room One, by delivering simultaneous shocks to the mice’s feet and flashes of blue light inside their skulls via fiber optic cable as a way of triggering neurons to create a memory of the pain.

 

The mice were next introduced to a different environment, Room Two, and the team found that when the blue light was used again, the mice reacted with fear, associating it with a pain that was not imminent.

 

All of the above, however, was published over a year ago by the team at MIT in the journal Nature, and is only a prelude to their more recent experiment.

 

More recently, the scientists introduced mice to a room, then placed them in a second environment, and then triggered the blue light and the shock.

 

Upon placing the mice back into the original chamber, which the mice should have associated with safety after having not been shocked there originally, the mice still reacted with fear when the blue light was triggered.

 

In essence, the experiments caused the mice to remember pain in an environment they had been trained to trust.

The science world reacted to the news with enthusiasm.

Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus told Fox News that the results were “very exciting.”

Read more -

http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/25/mit-scientists-successfully-implant-false-memories-in-mice/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/science/false-memory-planted-in-a-mouse-brain-study-shows.html?ref=science

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2377934/Can-trick-people-feeling-scared-Scientists-implant-FALSE-memories-brains-mice.html


Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/07/scientists-implant-false-memories-in.html

MIND POWER - TODDLER THOUGHT HE COULD FLY, AND HE DID

Buzz Lightyear boy - Toddler survives 20 feet fall with barely a scratch because he thought he could fly like a film hero. 

While playing with his brother he fell from a window. On his way down he relaxed because he thought he could fly like his super heroes.  He did not break any bones and suffered only a couple of small bruises.   

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

Read more and see pictures of baby Leo here :  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2360188/Buzz-Lightyear-boy-Toddler-survives-20ft-fall-barely-scratch--thought-fly-like-film-hero.html

Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/07/mind-power-toddler-thought-he-could-fly.html

ANIMAL NEWS - WORM CAN REGROW NEW HEAD AND KEEP OLD MEMORIES

The humble but fascinating little worm can do what we think is impossible - grow a new head and keep his old memories

 

The small planarian work can have his head cut off and regenerate a new one. His new head contains memories from the old one, suggesting that his memories are stored in another part of the body.

 

Researchers from Tufts University in Boston tested the memory of the planarian worms by measuring how long it took them to reach food in a lab environment.  These worms had been trained to ignore the bright lights in the lab so they could find their meals without being distracted, and the scientists found that even after decapitation worms remembered their training. Not only that, but the worms grew another head in only two weeks.

Read more and see pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2360286/Meet-small-yellow-worm-REGROW-head--old-memories.html



RELATED:

CHARLES DARWIN FOUND WORMS TO BE INTELLIGENT

Charles Darwin was fascinated with the study of worms.  He found that they had a certain amount of intelligence. 

 

He spent considerable time observing how earthworms pulled leaves into their burrows. They plugged the burrow openings, in Darwin’s opinion, to keep out chilled air. Darwin found they most often pulled leaves in by their tips, which is the most efficient method. When he substituted paper triangles for leaves, he noted the majority of earthworms drew them down their burrows by the apex. This led Darwin to state that worms have some degree of intelligence.

 

Darwin’s book also chronicled early New Zealand earthworm research. He mentions that worms appear to act in the same manner in New Zealand as in Europe, referring to earthworms’ ability to slowly cover objects left on the ground with their casts.

 

He published his findings in 1881 in a book titled The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms, with Observations of their Habits. The book sold 6000 copies in its first year, selling faster than On the Origin of Species had when it was first published.

Read more - http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Earthworms/Charles-Darwin-and-earthworms 

EXERCISE HELPS COPE WITH STRESS

Exercise reorganizes the brain to be more resilient to stress. 

If it works for mice, it should work for us too. 

 

Research shows that when mice allowed to exercise regularly experienced a stressor — exposure to cold water — their brains exhibited a spike in the activity of neurons that shut off excitement in the ventral hippocampus, a brain region shown to regulate anxiety.

 

From an evolutionary standpoint, the research also shows that the brain can be extremely adaptive and tailor its own processes to an organism's lifestyle or surroundings.

 

A higher likelihood of anxious behavior may have an adaptive advantage for less physically fit creatures. Anxiety often manifests itself in avoidant behavior and avoiding potentially dangerous situations would increase the likelihood of survival, particularly for those less capable of responding with a "fight or flight" reaction.

 

Understanding how the brain regulates anxious behavior gives us potential clues about helping people with anxiety disorders. It also tells us something about how the brain modifies itself to respond optimally to its own environment.

Read more here -  http://www.lifescience.net/news/exercise-reorganizes-the-brain-to-be-more-resilien/

Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/07/exercise-helps-cope-with-stress.html

MAD SCIENCE - TRAIN WINDOWS TRANSMIT ADS INTO YOUR HEAD

TALKING TRAIN WINDOWS TRANSMIT COMMERCIALS STRAIGHT INTO YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU LEAN AGAINST THEM 

 

Imagine yourself getting into a German train and settling comfortably into your seat.  Wanting to relax even more, you rest your head against the window - and then you hear a barrage of advertisements transmitted straight into your head.  Now, who would want anything better than this as a soundtrack for your travels?

 

This insane idea has already been put into effect on German trains. A spokesman from the advertising agency said:  "Passengers got surprised and enjoyed this new form of advertising and the agency had received highly encouraging reactions."  Now, tell us the truth - were their reactions even printable?

Read more here -  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2356753/The-talking-train-windows-transmit-adverts-straight-head-lean-them.html

Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/07/mad-science-train-windows-transmit-ads.html

MIND NEWS -

THEORY - MIND AS A QUANTUM PHENOMENON

 

 

Roger Penrose of the University of Oxford and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff of the University of Arizona propose that the brain acts as a quantum computer — a computational machine that makes use of quantum mechanical phenomena (like the ability of particles to be in two places at once) to perform complex calculations.

In the brain, fibers inside neurons could form the basic units of quantum computation, Penrose and Hameroff explained at the Global Future 2045 International Congress, a futuristic conference held here June 15-16.

The idea is appealing, because neuroscience, so far, has no satisfactory explanation for consciousness — the state of being self-aware and having sensory experiences and thoughts. But many scientists are skeptical, citing a lack of experimental evidence for the idea.

Penrose's work rests on an interpretation of the mathematician Kurt Godel's incompleteness theorem, which states that certain results cannot be proven by a computer algorithm. Penrose argues that human mathematicians are capable of proving so-called "Godel-unprovable" results, and therefore human brains cannot be described as typical computers. Instead, he says, to achieve these higher abilities, brain processes must rely on quantum mechanics.

Hameroff read Penrose's work and suggested small fibrous structures that give cells their structural support — known as microtubules — might be capable of carrying out quantum computations.

Microtubules are made up of units of the protein tubulin, which contains regions where electrons are swirling around very close to each other. Hameroff proposed that these electrons could become "quantum entangled," a state in which two particles retain a connection, and an action performed on one affects the other, even when the two are separated by a distance.

Read more:  http://www.nbcnews.com/science/intriguing-consciousness-theory-skeptics-want-evidence-6C10486211
The above theory in depth, with diagrams: Quantum computation in brain microtubules? The Penrose-Hameroff "Orch OR" model of consciousness
http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/penrose-hameroff/quantumcomputation.html
A skeptic's view:  http://www.askamathematician.com/2012/09/q-is-the-brain-and-consciousness-quantum-mechanical-in-nature/
Brain entanglement could explain memories - http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18371-brain-entanglement-could-explain-memories.html#.Uc-QTGFrbMw
Related:
Articles on the brain on this blog - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Brain
Articles on the mind on this blog -  http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Mind

HEALTH NEWS -
 

FISH SWIMMING IN WATERS TAINTED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS ACT LIKE SOCIOPATHS

 

 Although experts reassure humans that traces of antidepressants in drinking water are too low to affect them, what about small children? And what about a lifetime exposure to these contaminants?

 

Minnows living in waters tainted with low levels of antidepressants exhibit reclusive, hostile, destructive and homicidal behavior.  Their brains also suffer from physical abnormalities.  According to an article published in Scientific American,  fish were collected from waterways located two to six miles downstream from major sewage treatment plants.  These waters were contaminated with antidepressants from human urine.

 

When minnows were subjected to low doses of antidepressants in the lab, they became sluggish, and either uninterested in females, or engaged in killing them.

 
Read more:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2341787/Fish-swimming-water-tainted-Prozac-exhibit-antisocial-aggressive-homicidal-behaviour.html?ico=sciencetech^headlines
 
RELATED: 

2012 study: Antidepressants do more harm than good - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120424120450.htm

June 2013: CDC to study gun violence, but will ignore link to antidepressants
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/06/cdc-to-study-gun-violence-ignore-link.html

25 Disturbing Facts about Psych Drugs - Soldiers and Suicides
http://www.naturalnews.com/039473_psychiatric_drugs_soldiers_suicides.html

TECHNOLOGY NEWS -

MIND CONTROL GAMES AT HIGH TECH FAIR

 

 No need to use your fingers.  Headsets that measure your brainwaves allow them to interact with apps installed in computers 

 

US chip company NeuroSky promoted its new product MindWave Mobile, brain-computer interface which allows headset-wearing users to interact with apps in computers and other devices without lifting a finger.  
 

Wearing a MindWave headset, a member of staff demonstrated how to pilot a toy helicopter using just his thoughts.  Chips inside the headset measure brainwave signals and transfer data via Bluetooth to wirelessly communicate with users' computers or mobile devices.

More than 1,700 exhibitors are displaying their latest products at 5,000 booths in Computex Taipei, the largest IT fair in Asia, drawing an estimated 130,000 visitors, including 36,000 visitors from abroad, the organisers said

Read more:  http://phys.org/news/2013-06-mind-controlled-games-asia-biggest-fair.html

 

RELATED: 

May 2013: Mind control gadgets that will blow your mind -
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/why-brain-controlled-gadgets-blow-mind-130507.htm

 

April 2013:  Mind control devices reveal future possibilities - including a mind-controlled helicopter

http://phys.org/news/2013-04-mind-controlled-devices-reveal-future-possibilities.html

 

April 2013:  The Tablet you can control with your mind - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/04/technology-news-tablet-you-can-control.html

August 2012: Gadgets already using mind control

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/brain-control-the-user-interface-of-the-future/

 

 

HEALTH NEWS -

HOW CO-WORKERS, A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND MUSIC AFFECT YOUR HEALTH

 

 

A POSITIVE OUTLOOK BETTER THAN EXERCISE FOR YOUR HEALTH

A researchers says that it's a myth that emotions are uncontrollable, and that people can indeed have a degree of control and choose positive emotions that lead to better health.

It's a virtuous circle. As you appear more cheerful, you attract people with a similar attitude, and it becomes "an upward spiral into better health", as positive relationships improve the quality of your life and physical and mental well being.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2323054/Dont-bother-gym-today-Positive-outlook-life-making-friends-good-diet-exercise.html

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JOB STRESS RAISES YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

When people say "this job makes me sick", they may not know it but this may be literally true.

A stressful job can kill by raising a worker's cholesterol levels. Researchers found that stressful situations affect the metabolism of fat, leading people to accumulate too much bad cholesterol. It's not clear yet, but it's possible that stress weakens the body's ability to discard excess cholesterol, or maybe stress triggers inflammation, which also increases cholesterol production.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2326132/A-stressful-job-really-CAN-kill--raising-cholesterol.html

RELATED: Your co-workers are killing you - http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/are-your-co-workers-killing-you/
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FRIENDLY COLLEAGES CAN CUT YOUR RISK OF DIABETES IN HALF

Researchers have found that people who work in a stressful job with unfriendly collegues are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, even in workers who appear to be healthy. They also found that people who have supportive coworkers are 22 per cent less likely to develop this disease.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2322536/Friendly-colleagues-workplace-cut-risk-diabetes-A-QUARTER.html

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FRIENDLY COLLEAGUES CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IF YOU HAVE A STRESSFUL JOB

For busy office workers, particularly those with parental duties, the office can become their social club, an opportunity to confide in someone and to establish strong and enduring friendships. Researchers found that even if two colleagues have little in common, their shared experiences and mutual support at work can help them cope with challenges and difficult bosses.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2325428/Office-colleagues-best-friends-EVER-make--especially-work-stressful-environment.html

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LISTENING TO MUSIC CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY

Duh! Of course. But researchers now have the science to prove it. They have found that actively seeking happiness through music can improve your health.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2325004/Listening-happy-music-really-CAN-make-happier-researchers.html

The part that is not convincing is that scientists credit happy music with elevating a person's mood only if that person is actively trying to feel happy. But we all know that listening to upbeat music has a positive effect on us, whether we want it or not.

I was watching an old movie the other day, Adventures in Babysitting, and it starts with a very cstchy tune (And then he kissed me, with The Crystals), with great beat and energy, and it's impossible to have one single negative thought while listening. The viewer's impulse is just to dance and bounce along with the music.

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PSYCHOLOGY ISSUES -

 

USING IMAGINATION TO EMPOWER AND HEAL YOURSELF

 

 

 

Fooling our mind for a good purpose - Virtual Reality Therapy and visualization

- How imaginary time travel rejuvenated seniors' bodies and minds.

- How a video game alleviated a war veteran's pain.

- How musicians and athletes practice in their minds - and see actual results.

By Tracy W.

First, the youth project. A group of seniors travelled back in time for a whole week to the year without breaking the laws of physics, dressing in the same fashion as they did when young, listening to music of that time, dancing, discussing the issues of that year, flirting, feeling young again.

This was an actual study done by psychologist Ellen Langer with seniors home residents who were taken to an isolated location to re-live the year 1959. After a week of vacationing in the past, they were given medical tests and doctors were amazed at how much and how quickly these seniors had been rejuvenated. Their cholesterol levels, their blood pressure, their memory, their energy, their overall sense of well-being and empowerment had greatly improved in comparison with the control group of seniors who had stayed in the seniors home who felt the same.

Read more about the study here:

http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/04/mind-secret-of-youth-is-in-your-mind.html

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SnowWorld as pain therapy for a war veteran

Our imagination can also be put to use in a process known as Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT). A patient is asked to participate in a virtual reality game with a theme chosen to counteract his body's message of pain. And it works!

Lieutenant Sam Brown suffered severe burns from the blast of an IED in Afghanistan. Back in the US his treatment was causing such excruciating pain that it was unbearable. Concerned by the prospect of painkillers dependency and side effects, his doctor ordered a video game.

That's right. He ordered SnowWorld, where the gamer throws snowballs at penguins to the music of Paul Simon. The burn victim's mind is partly transported to a cool and beautiful world, away from his burning pain, engaging in an entertaining and soothing activity while the medical staff treats his skin.

SnowWorld was designed by University of Washington psychologists, Dr. David Patterson and Dr. Hunter Hoffman. In 2011 the US military concluded a study proving that it was more effective than morphine to alleviate pain.

Read more about SnowWorld treatment and Lieutenant Brown's recovery and his new life here:

http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/24/14648057-groundbreaking-experiment-in-virtual-reality-uses-video-game-to-treat-pain?lite

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Musicians and athletes getting better by practicing in their minds

Marisa Brook explores another angle of using the imagination to effect real physical improvement on her article The Science of Mental Fitness. Musicians and athletes often use imaginary practice to sharpen their skills. Famous performers such as Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein rehearsed on an imaginary piano.

And here is the astounding fact that for athletes imaginary practice results in greater dexterity and strength. This has been proven by scientific studies.

Read details and more articles here:
http://www.damninteresting.com/the-science-of-mental-fitness/#continue

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Let children daydream

Children fantasies as self-therapy and self-discovery. They use their imagination as self-therapy - beyond usual fun and excitement, although they do not know it at the time. They compensate for what is missing in their lives, empowering themselves to face what we call the "real world".

Many children therapeutic fantasies uncover talents and dreams that would have otherwise remained obscured in their everyday lives, sharpening awareness of goals for their future as adults.

Unfortunately adults cram their children's time with extra-curricular activities these days. Children need a time for solitude and dreams. It's their time for magic.

HEALTH NEWS -

New York State Government Confiscates Psychiatrists Records

 

 

This measure is being taken in connection with NY state's program to severely restrict ownership of fireguns by private citizens, 

 

This wholesale violation of doctor-patient confidentiality may backfire, as people with mental ailments will now be afraid to consult psychiatrists, knowing that their discussions and diagnosis could be accessed by public servants. 

 

Untreated mentally ill people may have to carry on with all kinds of activities, including piloting aircraft, looking after small children, and working in nuclear facilities, because seeking psychiatric help would make them vulnerable to losing their jobs. 

 

The ramifications of this decision will be even more profound, as governments could theoretically use this medical information for political advantage or worse.

 

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NATURAL NEWS: This is not a gun rights issue, this is a patient rights issue. If a state government can simply seize all records from all psychiatrists, then it can also use that information to decide whose children to have taken away by CPS.(Children's Protective Services).. or who to deny the right to vote by having them labeled "mentally incompetent."

Read more:  http://www.naturalnews.com/039960_New_York_patient_records_confiscation.html

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Confiscation of legally purchased firearms has already started.

THE BLAZE:  Despite promises from the president and a host of other politicians who are pushing for more gun control that nobody is coming for your guns, the confiscation of guns and gun permits has apparently started in some form in New York State.

 

Read more:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/09/a-form-of-gun-confiscation-has-reportedly-begun-in-new-york-state-heres-the-justification-being-used/