Energy and Gender Brains

Someone asked me the other day if it really took less energy to run the male brain. That is what studies have shown because the male brain tends to be more lateralized, meaning one part can be working while another part is idling, so to speak. The female brain, on the other hand, is less lateralized. The resting female brain is as active as the activated male brain. Some researchers think this gives the female brain a slight learning advantage as it is never at rest, per se. (Gurian, Michael, PhD, and Patricia Henley, with Terry Trueman. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001, p 29) As I often say, gender differences are neither good nor bad. You give up something to get something and vice versa.

EQ and Your Success

You really think your level of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) has little to do with your success? Think again! According to studies by Bradberry and Greaves, of the people they studied at work, 90% of high performers are also high in EQ (while only 20% of low performers have high EQ). Workers with high EQs tend to make more money, too. Reportedly, the link between EQ and earnings is so direct that every point increase in EQ adds $1,300 to an annual salary. The even better news? You can start raising your EQ any time you want to start working on it.

Brain and Self-Talk

Are you sabotaging yourself and your success by the way you talk to yourself? Steven Campbell, author of the book "Making Your Mind Magnificient," believes many people are. Your brain believes what you tell it and your subconscious follows the pictures your words create. If you think something is going to be very difficult to accomplish and tell your brain that, you will make it even harder. He wrote: When you say, "No way!" the brain simply agrees: "OK, if you say so. You're right; there is no way." However, when you exclaim, "Absolutely. Of course I can do that," the brain not only agrees with you, but actually endeavors to find a way for you to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Hm-m-m-m-m.

Empathy, the Brain, and Gender

Studies: Both males and females tended to activate portions of the brain that register aspects of empathy when they saw someone in pain whom they liked and regarded as fair. Interestingly enough, studies showed that males found it easier to switch off their empathy for someone with whom they had no vested interest in remaining in a relationship, or who might be competitors of theirs, or who they judged to be out of line. (Baron-Cohen, Simon. The Science of Evil. NY:Basic Books, 2011, p. 34).

Stress and Humor

Stress is living. Some types of stressors can be more lethal to the brain than others, however, such as chronic, unmanaged negative stressors. Studies by multiple researchers have found that a good stress-management technique is to develop a good sense of humor. You likely know some people (often those you love to be round) with a dynamite sense of humor. You probably also know some individuals who never developed this mental faculty. I keep a 3-ring binder in my office (one of these times I'll probably transfer the contents to my computer--but hey, I started that binder before the days of computers!). Any time I sense a negative stressor, I try to recall something in that binder that my brain finds humorous. Or I grab it off the shelf and glance at a couple of favorite cartoons. Start a file for yourself of things YOUR brain finds humorous. Then laugh and you may even sense the stress reaction fading away . . .

Heart Intelligence

Studies by The Institute of Heart Math have shown that the connection humans can have with each other is more profound that was originally thought. When you touch another person (e.g., a moment of connection when you shake the hand of a stranger, the hug from a friend or a pat on the back) something amazing happens. The electrical energy from your heart is transmitted to the other person's brain, and vice versa. Here's hoping you only touch people with care and that you are only touched by others who care. That's good for your health! (The Heartmath Solution, Chapter 8.)

Music and Speech-In-Noise Perception

Were you fortunate enough to learn to play a musical instrument at least by the age of nine? (Thank a parent or teacher!) And have you continued to play the instrument throughout the years?(Thank yourself!) If so, you may just have taken a giant step toward reducing the impact of age-related auditory decline. According to researchers at Northwestern University, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand speech against a background of noise as you age. Their study demonstrated, however, that older musicians exhibited enhanced speech-in-noise perception as compared with nonmusicians. So keep playing that instrument! And if you never learned to play an instrument, start now. You may not receive the same benefit had you started before the age of nine, but, hey, you may help to age-proof your brain in other ways.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/musical-experience-offsets-memory-loss-effects-of-aging