brain scans and ice cream

some people's brains react differently to food marketing. their reward centers are sensitive to these images, which can encourage over-eating.

so does this mean some of us are doomed to give in to cravings? not necessarily. answer: brain plasticity! although our original make-up or behaviors that have been hard-wired through years of social influence are strong, we can significantly effect the functioning of our brains. case in point is the arrowsmith school, which my friend debi pointed out to me a few weeks ago. a PhD student who herself was learning-disabled constructed brain "exercises" to work the deficient areas. according to reports, this has been a dramatic success. her technique is being adopted in other canadian schools as well. what i would love, love, love to see is a fMRI study comparing students before and after the school's lessons.

so, in summary, you're not stuck with what you've got. you've just got to really want what to change and figure out how to do it. perhaps someday we'll have brain exercises for self-control.

Labels: neuroscience, well being