Brain Blogging, Forty-Fourth Edition

Welcome to the forty-fourth edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss the innate ability to empathize, the connection between moral disgust and foul smells, whether antidepressants (and antipsychotics) really work by making you hungry, and many more topics.

Remember, we review the latest blogs related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective. You can check our archive for past editions.

For future carnivals, please remember to submit your blog entries using the online submission form. We will do our best to review and include your entry! Enjoy your readings…

It’s All in the Mind…

iOrgPsych writes You don’t know how I feel!:

Can you understand how someone is feeling if you haven’t experienced it? I say that yes, as human beings, we come wired for that ability. But not everyone will use it. If someone can empathize, the reason is not because they have been through it, but because they developed the ability to identify with and understand the others’ situation, feelings, and/or motives.

The Primate Diaries writes The Bad Taste of Moral Turpitude:

Perhaps what’s most intriguing about this study is the implication that moral disgust “hitched a ride” on the more primitive reaction to poisonous or spoiled food. This process, known as exaptation, is where a trait or behavior that was adapted for one function is later co-opted and used for something entirely different (such as bird feathers adapted for use in thermoregulation and only later being useful for flight).

Kathryn Vercillo writes Eidetic Memory: Is It Real?:

What is interesting about those people who have traditionally been considered to be eidetekers (the strange name for those people who may possess a photographic memory) is that they do not necessarily have a memory which remembers all details completely. Instead, they have an eidetic memory specific to certain subject areas in life.

Higher Education and Career Blog writes The Mind Field:

Salerian found himself in a prison interview room near Washington, DC. Two guards brought in the patient: A man who converted his van into a militaristic killing machine, crashed through the gates of a corporate office park, and opened fire. Several people died; dozens more were injured.

Change Your Life Hacks writes If you can change your brain you can change your life:

The main reason why efforts to change your brain – change your life fail, according to experts is due to the “the false hope syndrome”. Usually people set high standards and have high expectations and the end result makes them think that they failed. For example, “I lost only 17 pounds, and I intended to lose 25, I failed.”

brain health hacks writes Do antidepressant work just because they make you hungry:

There appears now to be several papers that suggest that many antipsychotics and at least some antidepressants increase ghrelin levels – at least in the long term (though SSRI still open to debate in humans). It is argued that for antidepressants to be effective they have to be used for a considerable time. Are the potential anti-depressive effects of antidepressants at least partly mediated by an increase in ghrelin? What about antipsychotics?

Spirit Happy writes The Rise of Teen Cutting and Self Harm:

The cut is the outer expression of a deeper cut that is on the inside. The wound is on the inside. Now recognize that this problem crosses every economic level and nationality. This inner pain knows no limits and causes one to literally harm themselves. The cutter is not trying to kill themself but wants to harm themself. It can feel good to them and can be addictive.

FlawlessFitness writes Increase Your Brain Power:

You see, what most people forget is that their brain needs to be put through a workout just like the rest of your muscles, otherwise it will lose its effectiveness.

EmbraceLiving.Net writes Are You Sleepwalking Your Life Away?:

Up till 2 years ago, I was living my life as a sleepwalker. I was busy pursuing inculcated goals such as getting good results, earning money and becoming successful. I was caught in the paper chase, such as scoring in projects and exams, getting a high CAP (GPA) and being on the dean’s list. I was busy earning money from the side with my designing business and tuition. My life was single-mindedly focused on what would make me rich and successful.

Dr Shock MD PhD writes Were does Humor and Laughter Reside in the Brain?:

The perception of humor is dependent on certain faculties of the brain, such as attention, working memory, mental flexibility, emotional evaluation, verbal abstraction and the feeling of positive emotions. Given these involvements, theory dictates that (at least) those regions of the brain associated with these processes should be active in the perception of humor.

SharpBrains writes Learning about Learning: an Interview with Joshua Waitzkin:

In 1993, Paramount Pictures released Searching for Bobby Fischer, which depicts Joshua Waitzkin’s early chess success as he embarks on a journey to win his first National chesschampionship.

a mom’s view of ADHD writes Did anyone see pigs in the sky?:

Yes, you heard me right, my ADHD son received an academic achievement award! I had resolved myself to accept that this wouldn’t happen for him, except maybe if pigs were flying, but here we were. He was one of two students in his class to receive the Academic Growth Award. His teacher recognized how much he has improved so far this school year and, despite the fact that he’s not the best reader and his handwriting is still atrocious, selected him for an academic award. Can I say it again? My ADHD son received an academic award! Woo hoo!!!

Novice Counselor’s blog writes Treating a Client with Low Self-Esteem:

Among psychosocial resources, higher levels of self-esteem have been shown to predict fewer stressors over time. Self-esteem has been associated with the use of problem-focused and active coping, lesser use of avoidance coping, and greater persistence in the case of failure or setbacks. Self-esteem may inhibit stress proliferation indirectly through its effect on choice of coping strategy, in particular, the positive association with problem-focused coping and negative association with avoidance.