Your Brain at Work

A helicopter parent is one who hovers over their child's every move in an effort to protect them from pain, disappointment, and failure in the process of achieving success. This type of parent is especially prevelant in western culture because we are so preocuppied with building our children's self esteem. Read More

Leaders becoming caught in ‘Leadership Lockdown Syndrome' Read More

How can bosses learn to manage better?

Day two of the 2011 NeuroLeadership Summit in San Francisco started with Matthew Lieberman (UCLA) presenting three fascinating pieces of research. Firstly, studies are suggesting that for humans, ‘social is our basic operating system'. Read More

We all like to feel smart and talented. Turns out that whether we attribute it to natural ability or to hard work is a strong predictor of how successful we'll be. Read More

I recoiled in horror recently at a story in the New York Times about using twitter-like tools in a high school classroom. The project is well-intentioned: they wanted to get kids more comfortable with speaking up by giving them digital tools to do so. The trouble is, now the kids are staring at screens all day instead of interacting with each other or the teacher. Read More

Been to a conference lately, excited to learn from big name presenters, then found your brain throbbing by the end of the first day, unable to take in another idea? If so, you're not alone. Read More

I think that learning about the brain is giving some people similar benefits, cognitively and biologically, as practicing mindfulness meditation. Only without the hours of sitting quietly. Here's my hypothesis on why this could be the case. Read More

The human brain is an extraordinary information processing system. It is brilliant at executing certain tasks, particularly physical task that can be codified, like playing an instrument or driving a car. However our brains have some surprisingly big limitations when it comes to certain types of mental tasks. Read More

Want to work as a pilot, lawyer or doctor? You'll need to study hard for years and then pass a tough exam. Want to be political leader? A ‘bachelors of whatever' will do, and there's no exam to pass. Instead, the requirements for entry into politics are good looks, political connections and a whole lot of money. Read More

A combination of cheap, empty calories and poor self-control are creating a global weight problem literally of epidemic proportions. The trouble is, this same phenomenon may be happening with our minds. If current trend continues, we could see millions of people's minds becoming as unhealthy and dysfunctional as their stomachs. The reason? Social media. Read More

Like most people who use a computer, I have long been fascinated with Google. Google search seems to know exactly what I want before even I know it. I loved recently discovering by accident that it will do math for you (try it!). Read More

Fairness is another primary threat or reward: the experience activates the same network that monitors real pain and pleasure. Read More

The connnection between halloween and chocolate is pretty obvious, but where does a marathon fit in? To understand this connection you may have to have been where I was today, at the race in Central Park, watching runners lurch toward the finish line. "It's the best drug I've ever had," one runner said to me after the race. "What, the runner's high?" I asked? Read More

Brain research is doing two things. In part it is explaining the underpinning functioning of things we already know, like the importance of mindfulness (see last week's post). However, some research also points to the need for a major overhaul in our thinking. This appears to be the case with self-esteem. Read More