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#cognition
There is a reason you feel lost in a toxic culture.
Introducing Dr. John Vervaeke:
John Vervaeke, PhD is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in the departments of psychology, cognitive science and Buddhist psychology.
Watch THIS Series --> https://videos.trom.tf/w/p/7iqkxh8CVh3NugEj7qtJ3x?playlistPosition=1
#vervaeke #meaning #meaningcrisis #psychology #cognition
A longitudinal study of cognition and aging in 516 people aged 70 to 105, conducted until all participants died, confirmed the association between intelligence and longevity, and found that verbal fluency was the component most strongly associated with longevity. Measures of perceptual speed, verbal knowledge, and episodic memory were not linked to longevity.
Summary: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/2025-mar-mastery-language-longevity.html
Original paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09567976241311923
4/4 US 18 year olds increasingly say they have trouble concentrating and learning new things
3/4 Almost half of US teens said they "hardly ever" spend their leisure time reading a book
2/4 The share of adults who are unable to “use mathematical reasoning when reviewing and evaluating the validity of statements” has reached
- 25% in high-income countries
- 35% in the US
1/ 4 If you can read and this you are amongst the last few humans capable of rational thought and the ability to converse. Data indicates an entire generation of young people are brain damaged and incapable of reasoning or thinking.
Collapse is imminent.
#cognition #BrainScience #psychology #information #socialmedia
Eating walnuts for breakfast may enhance brain function throughout the day in young adults, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Reading found that consuming 50 grams (~1.8 ounces) of walnuts (about a handful) mixed into muesli and yogurt led to quicker reaction times and improved memory later in the day, compared to an equivalent calorie-matched breakfast without nuts.
https://scitechdaily.com/want-a-sharper-mind-science-says-eat-walnuts-in-the-morning/
"An irrational belief in irrational ideas usually leads to irrational results" - Futurist Jim Carroll
So let's try and figure out what's going on.
I took today's quote, fed it to ChatGPT, and got the picture above which I used for today;'s 'inspiration' image.
Look, in the last little while, I've looked into the Science of Stupidity, the Science of Mistakes, and The Science of Regret. So why not the Science of Irrational Decisions, which I learned is often referred to as "cognitive distortions." There's a lot to be found online to explain where we are. Charts and stuff that explain the many different types of irrational decisions aka cognitive distortions.
There's even a course or two to take on it.
It's a fascinating topic, and as expected, there's a lot of research to be found. It's a wonderful rabbit hole to plunge into because you will find such papers as
Overcoming Cognitive Distortions; How to Recognize and Challenge the Thinking Traps that Make You Miserable.
That tracks. People seem to be pretty miserable right now because of the cognitive distortions they've gone through that got us to where we are today.
And, as might expected, there is to be a leadership / personal growth book about it, with the title Predictably IrrationalL: The Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions, released back in 2008. It probably could use an update!
So let's dig in, shall we? Let's talk about why folks make poor choices about big economic and political issues that end up hurting everyone.
Here's what the science tells us. When people vote against their economic interests or support harmful policies, it's rarely because they're stupid. Their brains just don't always work in their best interest when dealing with complex global systems. Why is that? Our brains take shortcuts. We use mental rules of thumb that help us make quick decisions. This works fine for everyday choices but fails miserably when considering trade policy, inflation control, voting, or healthcare systems.
What happens to people in this circumstance? They get emotional about political and economic issues. Fear, anger, and tribalism cloud their judgment. When someone supports tariffs that will ultimately hurt local businesses because they sound "tough on foreign competition" - that's emotional reasoning drowning out economic reality. It's cognitive dissonance, plain and simple.
The kicker is that the condition leads to great uncertainty, which fuels itself creating more uncertainty in a vicious spiral.
It's complex, folks, and there is no easy way out.
Buckle up.
Read the rest of the post.
**#Irrationality** **#Cognition** **#Distortion** **#Economics** **#Politics** **#Decisions** **#Tribalism** **#Uncertainty** **#Bias** **#Denialism**
Research suggests that language evolution shares features with biological evolution, offering insights into human history and cognitive development.
#PonderLab #LanguageWeek #Cognition
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-017-0405-3
What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain
Excessive use of the #drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/ketamine-effects-elon-musk/681911/
"Musk has said he uses #ketamine regularly...
Musk’s “associates” worried that ketamine, “alongside his isolation and his increasingly embattled relationship with the #press, might contribute to his tendency to make chaotic and impulsive statements and decisions.”
"Nothing had really happened, but my anxiety aroused in me wild imaginings, and neither my knowledge nor my clinical experience could dispel them."
Ronald W. Dworkin for Aeon Magazine: https://longreads.com/2025/03/05/when-i-lost-my-intuition/
#Mental #Time #Travel
Katherine Blackwell: 5-min #TEDx #Talk at #WinstonSalem #Women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTaAtidmXEM 2016 Dec 13
#Wikipedia: In #psychology, mental time travel is the capacity to mentally reconstruct personal events from the #past (episodic #memory) as well as to imagine possible scenarios in the future (episodic foresight/episodic #future #thinking).
From tool-making crows to alligators that lure birds with twigs, animals may be more rational than we ever imagined.
https://flip.it/DqK0fL
#Animals #Intelligence #Nature #Science #Cognition
Antidepressants linked to faster cognitive decline in dementia, study suggests https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250225122454.htm
Groundbreaking #research #study shows #elephants don't just trumpet—they call each other by name! These majestic creatures have complex social lives and advanced #cognition. Help them to survive when you #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8we
#VideoGames #cognition #CounterStrike
"One of the world’s most popular first-person shooter games - Counter-Strike - could help to improve people’s cognitive abilities... [The study] has found that experienced, highly skilled players of the game – which was first released 25 years ago – are faster at decision-making and executing a response. These veterans of the game were also found to be faster at choosing the correct course of action."
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/counter-strike-players-faster-decision-making-study-shows
University of Sheffield: Counter-Strike players faster at decision-making, study shows. “One of the world’s most popular first-person shooter games – Counter-Strike – could help to improve people’s cognitive abilities, according to research from the University of Sheffield. The study, by scientists in the University’s School of Psychology, has found that experienced, highly skilled […]
Wild Fish Recognize Individual Humans Who Feed Them | Max Plank Institute of Animal Behavior & University of Clermont Auvergne | Royal Society Biology Letters
#fish #evolution #cognition #SciComm https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2025/02/25/wild-fish-recognize-individual-humans-who-feed-them/
