Six Drug-Free Ways To Boost Your Brain

I just finished The Scientific American Brave New Brain, and, wow, is it a great read. The author, Judith Horstman, is an award winning science journalist. She makes it easy to understand how the brain works, what it does and how we need to take of it.

Here are Horstman's suggestions for drug-free ways to boost your brain power:

1. Exercise it. Physical exercise is the best thing you can do for your brain.

2. Feed it Fat. Our brains are mostly fat and the brain needs fat for fuel. But feed your brain good fats like Omega-3's, nuts and seeds.

3. Stimulate it. To do this you must learn something new and hard. The easy stuff doesn't get your neurons firing.

4. Play with it. Play is very important for brain health. From video games, board games, cards and surfing the net.

5. Serenade it. Music can enhance moods and better sleep and lower blood pressure. Of course, make sure you listen to classical, jazz and other soft sounds - and not thrash-metal

music.

6. Meditate it. Meditation boosts brain functioning as well as the immune system. So get your Ohm on.

I'm happy to say that I do all of these.

How about you?

What Makes The Villain Scary

I just did an interview with writer Olivia Collette on what makes certain characters in films truly frightening. She and I felt that - instead of stereotyped evil-doers like Freddy Kruger or Michael Myers - the more ordinary and average the villain, the more frightening they become. Think Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds, Vito Coreleone in The Godfather, Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, or Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby...

Psychologically speaking, the reason that the ordinary person gives us goosebumps is because we are all human and complex. When we discover that someone just like us can do evil, terrifying things, it becomes unsettling.

I like my villains to have a depth and breadth that comes close to portraying the human experience. I find the slasher, psychopathic characters stigmatizing and demeaning to those of us who have mental illness. In fact, research supports that on-screen portrayals of villains as one dimensional has a negative effect on the public's perception of people with mental illness.

Incidentally, I've written a psychological suspense novel with an antagonist that is complex, quite human and certainly evil. But there's no stereotyping or stigmatizing of mental illness there.


Pirkis, J., Blood, R., Francis, C., & McCallum, K. (2006). On-Screen Portrayals of Mental Illness: Extent, Nature, and Impacts Journal of Health Communication, 11 (5), 523-541 DOI: 10.1080/10810730600755889

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is observed in April in the United States, and is dedicated to making a concerted effort to raise awareness about and prevent sexual violence. In the time it takes to read this paragraph, 3 individuals somewhere in the United States will have become a victim of sexual violence.

The first observation of Sexual Assault Awareness Month occurred in 2001, where the National Sexual Violence Resource Center provided resources to advocates nationwide to help get the word out about sexual assault. This awareness day has gained momentum over the years, especially on high school and college campuses. Research states that prevention programs and awareness days help educate the public about sexual assault and sexual violence. For those who want more information, link here

Banyard, V., Eckstein, R., & Moynihan, M. (2009). Sexual Violence Prevention: The Role of Stages of Change Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25 (1), 111-135 DOI: 10.1177/0886260508329123

April 2nd is World Autism Day

World Autism Awareness Day falls on Friday, April 2nd, 2010. The campaign urges people to 'Stand Up for Autism,' and brings together Autism organizations from around the world.

Worldwide, there over 60 million people with Autism - and even more who are undiagnosed or looking for help.

For more: go here and here

Hertz-Picciotto, I., & Delwiche, L. (2009). The Rise in Autism and the Role of Age at Diagnosis Epidemiology, 20 (1), 84-90 DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181902d15