60-Second Mind

Research from the University of Bath reveals that the kind of messaging that persuades us to get to the gym is based on how we see ourselves in the future.

Two researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health published a review in the November 20th issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, of several hundred smoking studies. They conclude that success in quitting depends on a combo of meds and non-pharmacotherapy, but that a key component is the role of the physician. Just advising a patient to quit, actually doubles their quit rates. And long term follow-up, at least one year, is critical the researchers say.

Imagine a future where a digital you is influencing the real you; where a communicating clone can convince us to alter our decisions and behavior. Research underway at Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab has shown that our digital self can persuade our real self to exercise more. (A good thing after gorging on mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!)

A poster presented at the Society of Neuroscience meeting reveals that empathy isn't always about matching anothers' emotion. Researchers found that sometimes instead of feeling anothers' pain, we might feel more...amused.

Duke University neuroscientists have found a distinction between memories for specifics versus memories for the overall gist of an event. The latter, the overall impression we have of something, tends to be the memory that is more often false.

Research published in Nature describes how spontaneous activity in a developing ear creates the mechanics of hearing in the absence of sound. Researchers say this might help explain the tortuous ringing of tinnitus.

Biologists are able to turn on a gene in the brain of nematode worms that leads them to desire same-sex partners.

Clock genes, long known to regulate our circadian rhythms, also give clues to what makes sleep so persistent.

As neuroscientists search for brain circuits that lead to religious experiences, they're touching on some of our deepest questions - like, could religion be explained by a neural quirk? For more on this story, see David Biello's article, "Searching for God in the Brain" in this month's issue of Scientific American Mind.

A new high-tech helmet allows coaches and sideline doctors to spot concussions and other dangerous injuries on the football field, in real-time.

The head gear has sensors that send impact measurements wirelessly. For more on this story, please read Larry Greenemeier's October 4 article on Sciam.com news.