11–20 of 95 posts
"Many labs have observed that these critical brain regions increase in activity when people perform difficult tasks, whether the effort is physical or mental. You can therefore help keep these regions thick and healthy through vigorous exercise and bouts of strenuous mental effort." Woah woah woah there. That doesn't follow at all. Even if you buy the "exercise model" - which can't possibly be tested by observing bra…
Consider a world in which the cancer research community did nothing more than evaluate how fast cancer killed people based on their lifestyle choices, while onlookers nodded wisely and commented on the the minutiae of whether or not to use a stationary bike when faced with a cancer diagnosis. And yet for aging? Lunacy. Is this not an age of biotechnology? People have very, very odd attitudes towards the fatal medical…
Good habits should feel good. Strange that we've evolved the opposite physiological response.
"Many labs have observed that these critical brain regions increase in activity when people perform difficult tasks, whether the effort is physical or mental. You can therefore help keep these regions thick and healthy through vigorous exercise and bouts of strenuous mental effort." Woah woah woah there. That doesn't follow at all. Even if you buy the "exercise model" - which can't possibly be tested by observing bra…
This sounds a lot like software development. We are constantly on the edge of frustration.
Working on a complex problem can be at the same time exhausting and satisfying.
Is this not a perfect example?
"Many labs have observed that these critical brain regions increase in activity when people perform difficult tasks, whether the effort is physical or mental. You can therefore help keep these regions thick and healthy through vigorous exercise and bouts of strenuous mental effort." Woah woah woah there. That doesn't follow at all. Even if you buy the "exercise model" - which can't possibly be tested by observing bra…
I'm sorry, can you clarify your point? What is the problem with the idea that difficult tasks (both mental and physical) help to prevent atrophy in a certain part of the brain?
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-brain-training-work/
The tl;dr is that brain training makes you better at that one particular task. Whether that carries over to anything else is unknown. It is considered a useful technique only insofar as that it is easy to do, and we don't have a lot of other options to try anyway. But actual, measured benefits are difficult to find.
I am not against it as a concept. But much more research needs to be done to see if it has any actual value beyond the simple joy of doing such things.
"Previous studies have found that a person's lutein status is linked to cognitive performance across the lifespan"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161213113142.h...
Consider a world in which the cancer research community did nothing more than evaluate how fast cancer killed people based on their lifestyle choices, while onlookers nodded wisely and commented on the the minutiae of whether or not to use a stationary bike when faced with a cancer diagnosis. And yet for aging? Lunacy. Is this not an age of biotechnology? People have very, very odd attitudes towards the fatal medical…
I'm preaching to the choir, but for the sake of visibility — there is a very inspiring fable that puts aging into another context: http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html
If you are under a certain age in any country (say Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a rare few that continually adapt and evolve their views with an open mind. A population of 7 billion+ immortals where the vast majority are set in their ways is terrifying, and being born into such an oppressive world would fill me with dread.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm sorry, can you clarify your point? What is the problem with the idea that difficult tasks (both mental and physical) help to prevent atrophy in a certain part of the brain?
Because although it sounds like something that would make sense, the science does not actually support that conclusion. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-brain-training-work/ The tl;dr is that brain training makes you better at that one particular task. Whether that carries over to anything else is unknown. It is considered a useful technique only insofar as that it is easy to do, and we don't have a lot of other…