When the going gets tough, they say the tough get going.  This characteristic can be called anything from courage to perseverance to the commonly-used “grit.”  This is persistence in the face of adversity and set-backs and the ability to keep focused on a goal.  For younger generations not familiar with the adjective grit used in this sense, it’s part of the phrase to grit your teeth—and usually inferred as to grit your teeth, and get on it with it.                 Describing yourself or people you know as being gritty is usually meant as...

               You’ve probably seen the advertisements for playing various games on your smartphone or computer that claim to be able to measure your brain’s actual age, or games that claim to be able to take years off your brain’s age.  How much benefit do games like those really offer?                 According to a recent study from the University of California, “brain training” or memory games might offer benefit for the actual game involved, but some people won’t see it transfer into their being more mentally flexible outside the game.  The concept of this is...

             It’s remarkable with the onslaught of all the incoming and outgoing information that the brain can process and differentiate all the stimuli into coherent pieces of the puzzle which we call life.  It can’t always multi-task and has definite limitations—but have you ever wondered how it can keep up?  An exciting study shows us how the brain responds to the tiny differences in verbal communication which make all the difference!                 Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Psycholinguistics partnered with Radbound University to understand what makes the brain receive one set of sentences...

                Are you a fan of a treadmill desk?  How about taking business phone calls on a headset while you’re out?  If you haven’t tuned into the hype about actively engaging your body while trying to work or study, new research may make you a believer.                 The University of Rochester designed an experiment to see if there was any validity for those people who swear they get more done while walking while they work.  Treadmill desks, under-desk cycles, and the rise of the standing desk have become more popular ever since “sitting is the new smoking” concept became mainstream. ...

                 On a budget?  Or on a shop-till-you drop marathon?  Either way, what you’re drinking or supplementing with before you head out to the stores could be influencing you in surprising ways!                 If you’re fueling yourself through your shopping with coffee in hand, you might want to rethink the caffeine content, according to a study earlier this month from the University of Florida.  Even if you’re not intentionally out to spend some extra cash, your decision-making abilities appear to be altered and self-control decreased compared to others who shop without caffeine on...

             The last time you engaged your brain in a challenging task, how willing were you to challenge yourself?  Based on a recent study, if you’re struggling with the willingness to exert what’s called cognitive effort, being open to the challenge is what makes all the difference.                 We’ve all seen musicians or technological wizards and been amazed at their skills, knowing it must have taken countless hours of dedication to master those types of skills.  The real secret isn’t in continually applying the effort day after day, but in the initial stage of applying...

                The adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks belittles the cognitive powers of the brain.  We’re finding out every day how flexible and adaptable the brain really is, and our understanding of its complex functions is growing at an exponential rate.                 In fact, the brain is so powerful that we’re learning how it can generalize and specialize within the same second; and that matters when you’re learning new tasks or trying to develop new skills!                 Recent research from Cedars-Sinai’s Neural Science dives deep into what it really takes the brain to learn and successfully...

                If you’re looking for a quick way to improve your memory, it could be simpler than you think.  At the center of all memory-related functions is a brain region called the hippocampus.  You may have noticed that quite a few nootropics and supplements work by improving the connectivity of brain cells within the hippocampus and to other regions of the brain.                 That’s because the hippocampus is involved in memory, learning, and attention; but it’s one of the first regions of the brain to start to degrade with the normal aging process.  We’ve all heard that keeping your mind...

Among the latest buzzworthy trends in the supplement arena, sirtuin and all things related to telomeres are some of the most innovative ways to master the aging process.  If that sounds like Greek to you, it’s basically anything that helps keep the length of telomeres (the ends of the chromosomes that become shorter and shorter each time a cell divides) from reaching the point where there’s no telomere left to divide.  No telomeres equal the inability for the cells to keep dividing, and it’s the dividing process within all the cells of the body that keeps them (and you) replenished. ...

               When we’re having a bad day, conventional tribal knowledge tells us to try not to bottle up our feelings and to find someone who can help us talk through it.  In fact, we know that having someone to talk to actually decreases the aging of the brain; but for some people, talking about emotions doesn’t come easily or a support network isn’t always available.  A recent study explains what the process of describing emotional responses is actually doing and recommends ways to make it more accessible for those who can’t readily verbalize their...

                 Of all the tips and tricks to boost your cognitive skills, this quick fix may be the best one yet:  eating chocolate!                 We can thank researchers at the University of Nottingham for bringing this biohack to our attention.  Right when you need it the most, a key ingredient in chocolate boosts blood flow to areas of the brain that can lift your cognitive power for up to three hours.                 The flavanols in cocoa dilate blood vessels in the brain, bringing uplifting oxygen to brain tissue.   This boosts the flow of...

               When your mind and body are balanced, your brain is more balanced, too.  Taking time for your mental and emotional health has long lasting impacts on brain health, but what about the time you take out of your day to care for your pets?                 It turns out that you aren’t just enriching their lives.  A newly released study from the American Academy of Neurology shows us that when you’re paying it forward for your pets, you’re actually improving your own brain health!                 This very special human-animal bond has been linked towards...