i sometimes break a blogging hiatus with a list of some accumulated links... so here goes.

• nytimes op-ed on the rationality of the belief in santa
• holding hands with your spouse significantly reduces stress. makes you almost want to get married. or, maybe not. either way, i think we're fine.
• amanda puts the smack down on the FCC.
• maternal oxytocin prevents newborn neuronal cell death in labor. now can't we bottle that for stroke victims? well, that may be too easy.
• another new neuro- word: neuroleadership. hm. see others in my previous post.
• one monster you can't shake is brain damage. did nietzsche have frontotemporal dementia?
• books should be geared towards your level of self-esteem
• jake has a cool post on barista wages.
• courtney steals my hipster jokes, which i of course had stolen from someone else.
• newsflash: hungry people conserve resources.
• back by popular demand: Christmas. is that a good thing? probably not.
  
• speaking of, my favorite quote from a friend visiting home for the holidays: "I need some more alcohol, and my crazy uncle hasn't even shown up yet."
• whales have "high level" human brain cells (spindle neurons) and structures, but that's something cap'n kirk already knew way back in 1986.
• clever title from the nytimes: "hotel log hints at illicit desire that dr. freud didn't repress"

Labels: links

• peapod in two words: life changing.
• the coolest new car of the year... 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, powered completely by AC electric. and it's hot.
• dontvote.com isn't as cool as you'd think, but i do like their ads and "ask the candidate" site. it really gets at the heart of what democracy is all about... making sure no one knows what you're talking about.
• life keeps getting better; they've cured cancer and figured out how to stop bleeding. maybe.
• mormons love their ringtones
• men can breastfeed
• there's a coal mine under the chicago museum of science and industry
• it's illegal to eat in a burning building in chicago (see others - or the whole book about them across the US)
• it really is windy here, though it's surprising how much conjecture there is about the reason for the moniker
• um, what's up with this?
• yay for oversimplification and low expectations (although the actual issue in science is definitely worth checking out).
• can't wait for this one- maybe better than simple life 5?

Labels: links

Labels: links, neuroscience

• there's a neurological differences between liking and craving sweets. this may hold interesting application to those with drug or eating abnormalities (i.e., liking cocaine may be governed by different neurons than craving it). however, recent evidence also suggests that overeating is often encouraged by social cues rather than cravings. does that mean the rise in compulsive eating support groups is bad? maybe not - it's better to be overweight anyway.


• neural substrates behind the brave lover dueling for his lady's honor: it's all about oxytocin. oxytocin is a hormone thought to be involved with trust, love, breastfeeding, and now with a reduced sense of fear. so, perhaps all we need is a little love to combat those pernicious ad campaigns. (see a previous post on oxytocin and risky decision making)


• the coeval nature of happiness and success exists (PDF). here's an article about the article if you don't have adobe or journal access. will also posted on it.
  
• self-help books will ruin your life (rather, rewarding poor performance in kids, and creating an unrealistically positive self-image and outlook for you, will):

  
  You cannot have a life plan predicated on the belief that everything is equally achievable to you — especially if that same message has been sold indiscriminately to all comers. In the grand scheme of things, knowing one's limitations may be even more important than knowing one's talents.

• could romantic love prevent stroke damage? in separate studies, an increase in nerve growth factor (NGF) has been linked to both the onset of romantic love and reduced damage for stroke victims. thanks to debi for the love/NGF link.


• neural correlates of monogamous relationships found, at least in prairie mice. patterns get "worn" into the brain, and after a while other females don't produce the same neural responses in male brains - i.e., in a monogamous relationship, other females become less something, perhaps we can term it "attractive."

other items:

• deforestation --> cannibalism

update: just fixing a ^$&% link.

Labels: links, neuroscience, well being

1. after winning the lottery, a man quit his job and proceeded to spend nearly a million dollars in two years. this week he was caught stealing because he was too embarrassed to go on welfare (or get another job, apparently). how does one possibly spend that much cash in two years? was he buying lamborghinis and diamonds? and did he not sense that this was a bad idea? anyone who needs help experimenting with how to spend that much dough, though, please contact me at hedgehog.blog@gmail.com. i am sure we can think of something.
   
   
2. canadians discovered the ills of representative democracy when a group of ruling elite decided to erect a statue honoring some local official kicked out of town for - literally - sizing up suspects. the statue features a plaque with a man with his pants down. social conservatives are outraged, but apparently don't connect this warped use of taxpayer money with the warped uses they back.
   
   
3. speaking of pants around ankles, i'm glad mike was found not guilty. other's didn't agree, though, and it reminded me how great it is that americans don't see the judicial system as omniscient. they separate the truth from the state's verdict. it's a simple thought, but something that made me smile today. people are skeptical, and that's awesome. relatedly, mike says he won't sleep with boys anymore - that's great, but it would have been better to decide this after the last trial, don't you think, mike?
   
   
4. go see mr. & mrs. smith. it's pure candy, true, but it tastes good. i enjoyed it because there were lots of guns but moreover because brad pitt and angelina jolie are both all kinds of hot.

Labels: links