We are back with another full episode this week! We hope you have enjoyed our meditation bonus episodes. We will continue to upload those periodically. This week we discuss the difference between religiosity and spirituality, and what distinct benefits they offer according to the research. 

Hello friends! This week on Noggin we have another meditation for you. This exercise can be completed before you go to bed, or anytime throughout your day when you need a moment to relax. So sit back, press play, and get ready to relax. 

As promised in last week's episode on compassion and self-compassion, today's bonus episode is meant to help you practice compassion toward others and compassion toward yourself. This meditation can be something you listen to regularly as you develop your compassion muscles. We hope you enjoy this special bonus episode! 

What is the difference between self-pity, self-indulgence, and self-compassion? What are the benefits of being compassionate towards others? Today we talk about Dr. Kristen Neff's research on compassion and self-compassion, and how it can benefit your life. We also discuss Dr. Neff's argument for self-compassion over self-esteem. 

References: 

Weng, H. Y., Lapate, R. C., Stodola, D. E., Rogers, G. M., & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Visual attention to suffering after compassion training is associated with decreased amygdala responses. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 771.

Neff, K. D. (2011). Self‐compassion, self‐esteem, and well‐being. Social and personality psychology compass, 5(1), 1-12.

https://self-compassion.org/the-three-elements-of-self-compassion-2/

https://positivepsychology.com/compassion-meditation/#scripts

We love to think that we act rationally most of the time, especially when it comes to the choices we make with our money. However, behavioral economics tells us that humans are notoriously irrational when dealing with money. Today we dive into two basic behavioral economic principles and discuss things to be aware of when it comes to money. 

References: 

Worchel, S., Lee, J., & Adewole, A. (1975). Effects of supply and demand on ratings of object value. Journal of personality and social psychology, 32(5), 906.

Novemsky, N., & Kahneman, D. (2005). The Boundaries of Loss Aversion. Journal of Marketing Research, 42(2), 119–128.

What if we told you that the view from your hospital window could play a role in your recovery from surgery? Today we talk about the benefits of spending time in natural spaces. 

References: 

Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. science, 224(4647), 420-421.

White, M. P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J., Wheeler, B. W., Hartig, T., Warber, S. L., ... & Fleming, L. E. (2019). Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-11.

What is the difference between correlation and causation? How can researchers actually know when one thing CAUSES another? We received questions like these in response to our episode on reading fiction. So, today we discuss how researchers can establish causality as we revisit the research on reading fiction.

Prayer is a common spiritual practice in which many religions regularly engage. While it seems obvious that communicating with one's higher power can have spiritual benefits, today we will be exploring the less obvious physiological benefits of prayer. 

References: 

Cooper, D., Thayer, J., & Waldstein, S. (2014). Coping with racism: The impact of prayer on cardiovascular reactivity and post-stress recovery in African American women. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 47(2), 218-230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9540-4

The How of Happiness - Sonja Lyubomirsky

Meints, S. M., Mosher, C., Rand, K. L., Ashburn-Nardo, L., & Hirsh, A. T. (2018). An experimental investigation of the relationships among race, prayer, and pain. Scandinavian Journal of Pain, 18(3), 545-553. https://doi.org/10.1515/sjpain-2018-0040

How does someone who is blind avoid objects that are placed in front of them? Our brains are constantly taking in information, even outside our conscious awareness. Today we share research about something called blindsight and also fMRI studies that show that our brain reacts to things that are shown to us faster than we can perceive. Finally, we discuss how the information our brain takes in affects us, even if we don't notice it, and also how we can challenge the snap judgments our brains make. 

References: 

Freeman, J. B., Stolier, R. M., Ingbretsen, Z. A., & Hehman, E. A. (2014). Amygdala responsivity to high-level social information from unseen faces. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(32), 10573-10581.

Öhman, A., & Soares, J. J. (1994). " Unconscious anxiety": phobic responses to masked stimuli. Journal of abnormal psychology, 103(2), 231