You Too Can Be a Genius

It’s often thought that people who are “geniuses” in their fields are born with superior genetic material, i.e., high-IQ brains. Not so, says psychologist K. Anders Ericcson. “You can be an international chess master with an IQ of 85,” or 15 points below normal. Superior performers in all fields—surgeons, chess masters, athletes, musicians—typically have the…

“Runner’s High” Is Real, PET Scans Prove

People who do serious running and other exercise often report higher spirits and lower anxiety. This “runner’s high” is usually attributed to an increased production of endorphins — the body’s own natural opioids. Many scientists have doubted whether runner’s high exists, however; they couldn’t reproduce it reliably in the lab, or confirm the endorphin hypothesis….

Caution, “Mirror Neurons” Can Trick You

Deep within the cerebral cortex is a remarkable handful of cells, discovered only recently, called “mirror neurons.” They’re the only known cells that let us intuitively grasp the meaning of other people’s perceived actions and expressions. As neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni of UCLA explains, they accomplish this by triggering in milder form exactly the same brain…

Foods That Help You Stay Young, Smart, and Sane

It’s hard to keep up with all the research on what makes a healthy diet. Fortunately, Dr. Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, professor of neurosurgery and physiology at UCLA, has done a lot of it for us. In a recent article in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Gómez-Pinilla analyzed findings from more than 160 scientifically-sound studies of neurology-related nutrition. “Food…