The study of the brain, mental functions and behaviour.
Is there a smell that has the power to transport you back in time? For me just one whiff of an old-style canvas tent and I’m back camping with my family as a young kid. There are other evocative odours too. The smell of bread dough rising in the sun and a bonfire with damp plane tree leaves…
Remember when Keanu Reeves experienced déjà vu and was told it indicated a glitch in the matrix? Not restricted to Hollywood sci-fi, in fact almost all of us have had the disconcerting feeling that what is happening now has happened before (even though it hasn’t). There are heaps of scientific theories, but no consensus as to why we have these experiences.
Have you got a big birthday coming up, one that ends in a zero? And have you made any major life decisions recently? Although we measure time using a continuous scale, research has shown that in the year before a milestone birthday, people are more likely to reflect on their lives and make significant changes.
You’re probably aware that going to the supermarket when you’re hungry is a bad idea. Research published back in 1969 showed that people tend to buy more food if they hadn’t eaten recently and were hungry. But that’s not the only way hunger affects the choices we make.
I’m sure you’ve heard how unreliable your memory is. Our memories change over time and are subject to a variety of influences and biases. But what if you could have some control over your memories? What if you could make it more likely that you’d remember certain events, even unpleasant or painful ones, in a positive light? You can!
When I was sixteen, I spent a year living and going to school in Germany. Among other things, I fell for the German language. One of my all-time favourite German words is <em>Ohrwurm</em>; translation: earworm!
Do you find it hard to get enough exercise? Exercise plays a critical role in sleep regulation, maintaining a healthy body weight and overall mental wellbeing. But what goes through your mind when you're on a run or sweating through a gym class? Are you having fun? Or are you pushing through because it's for exercise? While the answer may seem irrelevant, your mindset actually has the power to completely derail your healthy goals.
Pseudo-insomniacs are rare cases that complicate the classical rules of sleep science. While they perceive themselves to be awake all night, traditional lab tests show nothing other than completely normal sleep. ‘Pseudo-insomniacs’ have made scientists take a closer look at the sleeping brain, but the science of sleep is still far from being completely understood.
We’ve all heard claims chocolate is healthy. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve wondered if that’s a vicious rumour started by a chocolate multinational. I’m delighted to tell you in fact scientists have found plenty of evidence for the health benefits of chocolate eaten in moderation. But there are a few things you need to know. A long but not so sweet history The Latin name for cocoa, Theobroma, means “food of the gods”. […]
Will wearing red help you pick up? Do sports team dressed in black play more aggressively? Are good guys in movies often dressed in white? We all have instinctive responses to colours and in the case of food packaging, marketers are very keen to exploit them.
Dr Jen Martin 