Does surfing the web help your brain?

I ran across this online article discussing whether surfing the web helps aging brains.

While reading stimulated the same areas of the brain in both groups, those who regularly searched the Internet showed twice the increase in brain activity when performing the new Internet search than their counterparts, especially in the areas of the brain that control decision making and complex reasoning.

“The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults,” says principal investigator Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and director of the campus’ Memory and Aging Research Center.

“Our most striking finding was that Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading -- but only in those with prior Internet experience.”

I thought these results were quite intriguing, especially to see evidence that surfing does engage brain activity.

One question I have is this: what meaning does brain activation have, as seen in MRI studies? Always more needs to be done but I believe that any new activity could be valuable and enriching, especially if done in moderation.

Does drinking water improve brain power?

Passing along this blog post about a new study suggesting an association between drinking water and an increase in performance in elementary school kids.

Caroline Edmonds and Ben Jeffes of the University of East London examined whether drinking water improves performance in 6 to 7 year old children. The differences between the water and no water groups were significant, according to a paper that's been accepted for publication in the journal Appetite.
They found that "even under conditions of mild dehydration, not as a result of exercise, intentional water deprivation or heat exposure" their test subjects' "cognitive performance can be improved by having a drink of water."

I would offer caution about extrapolating this into an endorsement for drinking mega amounts of water. Please don't! But I think it makes sense to see this as reminder to be mindful of your body and to be aware when you are mildly dehydrated.

The Mediterranean Diet: Lower Depression Risk?

NY Times on new research findings supporting an association with lower depression and being on the Mediterranean diet:

A study of over 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and half years on average found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study were about half as likely to develop depression than those who said they did not stick to the diet.

While a correlation is not the same as cause and effect, this is still something to keep in mind for those of us who are interested in staying healthy, both physically and mentally.

What Do You Do To Relieve Stress?

Dr. James Gordon, a psychiatrist writing in the Washington Post, offers his tips on relieving stress. He includes the following six strategies:

1. Begin a simple meditation practice.
2. Move your body.
3. Reach out to others.
4. Find someone who will listen and give you a realistic look at your
situation.
5. Let your imagination find you healing and new meaning and purpose.
6. Speak and act on your behalf.

I think these ways of relieving stress and others are also ways of being resilient in your life. These are not necessarily easy to incorporate in our lives else we would all not be stressed. Still I think it is important to be mindful of how we move through our days.

10 Tips to Help Build Resiliency in Kids

Here's a quick guide to help build resiliency in kids, put out by the American Psychological Association.

I find that each tip encompasses a major life skill, important to gain for anyone, even grownups.
In short, APA lists these:

1. Make connections.
2. Help your child by helping others.
3. Maintain a routine.
4. Take a break.
5. Teach your child self-care.
6. Move toward your goals.
7. Nurture a positive self-view.
8. Keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook.
9. Look for opportunities in self-discovery.
10. Accept that change is part of living.

Be sure to check out their page for more information.

New! A Twitter connection

I'm setting up a Twitter account for this blog: http://twitter.com/psychinspiratns

What helps kids to learn? Resiliency may be one factor

New research results suggest that resilient kids learn better, according to Martin Seligman.

Embed lessons on optimism, assertiveness and flexibility into class instruction and you'll improve a child's outlook on life, curb his likelihood for depression and boost his grades, according to new research presented at APA's Annual Convention by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD

Psychology in the media

I noticed two interesting articles recently. The first was the NY Times magazine piece about the heavy metal band Metallica. They decided to record their passage through therapy.

There is a scene midway through the documentary ''Some Kind of Monster'' that defines the film's vision; it's arguably the movie's most emotional moment and certainly its most archetypal. We see the rock group Metallica -- commercially the biggest heavy-metal success in history -- sitting around a table with a therapist, trying to establish how the band will finish recording its next album. The process has already been complicated by the departure of the bassist and by the drinking problem of the lead singer, James Hetfield, who has just returned to the band after a lengthy stint in rehab. Fifteen years ago, Metallica drank so much that it was referred to by fans as Alcoholica, and the band members all thought that was hilarious. But now things are different. Now Hetfield can work only four hours a day, because the other 20 hours are devoted to mending a marriage that was shattered by alcohol (and the rock 'n' roll lifestyle that came with it). The rules have changed.

Metallica's drummer, a kinetic 40-year-old Dane named Lars Ulrich, is having a difficult time dealing with these new parameters. He paces the room, finally telling Hetfield that he is ''self-absorbed'' and ''controls inadvertently.'' Everyone slowly grows uncomfortable. ''I realize now that I barely knew you before,'' Ulrich says, despite the fact that he has known Hetfield since 1981. The language he uses sounds like outtakes from an ''Oprah'' show on self-help books -- except Ulrich punctuates every sentence with a very specific (and completely unprintable) expletive. The scene closes with Ulrich's mouth six inches from Hetfield's ever-stoic skull, screaming that singular expletive into the singer's face. It's perhaps the most intimate, most honest, most emotionally authentic exchange these two men have ever experienced.

This is also the scene at which -- if you are in the audience -- you will probably laugh.

This second article was in the Wall Street Journal. It's about CEO's in therapy.

CEOs who have spent their careers beating out rivals, proving they can get results and masking their vulnerabilities, may not appear to be the type to seek psychotherapy. They seem too focused on achieving external goals and proving their prowess as unflappable leaders.

But more top executives are seeing therapists these days. The stigma about mental illness persists, so most keep their sessions secret. But unlike earlier generations of executives, today's CEOs know they don't have to be falling apart to seek help. "CEOs have the same relationship problems and life-stage issues as the rest of us," says Robert Michels, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst at Cornell University's Weill Medical College in New York who has treated top executives in financial services and other industries.

The CEO of a New York technology company didn't realize he was depressed when he started skipping meetings and not returning phone calls. But he did know that his remoteness was detrimental to his employees and his business, and he asked a close friend to recommend a therapist.

Just talking about his difficulties helped, and he began communicating more regularly with his staff. But then, suddenly, after a crisis at work, he withdrew all over again. "He may have instigated that crisis, but it's forced him to think about whether he really wants to be the boss who always has to be in front of people," says Kenneth Eisold, the executive's psychotherapist. "He's under pressure to do it or get out -- but he sees that he has choices."

Once they reach the top, CEOs often find themselves isolated, with hardly anyone to confide in, yet pressured to measure up to an image. "They think others expect them to be visionary or always in control," says Thomas Saporito, senior vice president of RHR International, a Chicago-based consulting firm that works with executives on management development and succession planning. Add to this the difficulty that high-achieving executives have in allotting time for their families or pursuits outside of work and "you have a lot of CEOs saying, 'Oh my God, what am I up against, and who can I talk to?' " he says.

A Turf War over Psychoanalysis

NYTimes discusses the turf war over regulating psychoanalysis in England.