High-profile, powerful men being outed for using their position to physically force themselves on women without their consent is a depressingly common occurrence, but in many cases the perpetrator's excuse is that they're addicted to sex. When I was growing up, my own mother said I was addicted to the …
more ...Endorphins are neurotransmitters that, among other things, suppress pain and induce euphoria, usually at times of great physical stress. It's when your brain realises your body is experiencing significant physical stress and hardship and so pumps you full of endorphins to take the pain away, make you feel good, and …
more ...So, what have we learned about anxiety? It's very common and happens to literally everyone. But in some people, it happens too much, in ways that can't be stopped or curtailed without external help. And this causes problems. It seems to stem from an excess of activity, specifically in the …
more ...They're tranquillisers: they calm you down, relax you, stop you from worrying. They cancel out anxiety, basically. And they do this by increasing the effects of GABA, the neurotransmitter system that suppresses or stops things happening in the brain. They also work for sleep disorders, for similar reasons. But these …
more ...Watch your step. Don't walk where another guy's putt will be going. Tip the cart girl. Whoever approaches the drink cart first offers to buy for everyone--it evens out in the end. Mild flirting is permitted if your tip is generous. Indeed, most people who experience both anxiety and depression …
more ...This is invariably much more frightening. The unexpected, the novel, enhances the fear response too. And it seems that the stress response in the brain of someone with panic disorder is particularly sensitive to novelty. This could explain why panic attacks are so unpredictable. If they're triggered by novel, unfamiliar …
more ...Jump with Leverage Don't double-bounce--you could lose control. To gain momentum and maintain balance, start by squatting until your knees are bent 45 degrees. Then, in one smooth, quick motion, jump and swing your arms up over your shoulders. Aim to jump about 3 feet outward and upward. And a …
more ...Nor is he doomed by those events. Experiences of childhood, especially of the pre-verbal period of infancy, are felt at a level of intensity which as an adult you will never recapture and which you are likely to deny simply because your memories do not make those experiences consciously available …
more ...Constant, relentless exercise would mean his muscles would get much bigger. In modern terms, Sisyphus was probably pretty jacked. The boulder kept rolling down anyway. Similarly, the prefrontal cortex can have all the connections to the amygdala it likes. If the amygdala doesn't respond to signals telling it to stop …
more ...For example, someone who is homeless has undoubtedly experienced more unpleasant events than someone wealthy, living in a mansion. Therefore, you'd expect the former to be more likely to develop PTSD. And, in general, you'd probably be right. On the other hand, living on the streets needn't be the result …
more ...It's essentially the figurehead of anxiety disorders, in that it's the one people usually picture when they think of anxiety, just as major depressive disorder occupies that role for depression. As usual, according to the psychiatric approach, there are certain criteria that must be present before a diagnosis of generalised …
more ...MILLER PARK, MILWAUKEE Cheese Curds (fried chunks of cheese) CELLULAR FIELD, CHICAGO Mexican-Style Elote Corn (corn tossed with butter, lime, chili powder, mayo, and cheese) AT&T PARK, SAN FRANCISCO If we're worrying about things that haven't happened, when do we stop worrying? How can a threat be recognised as …
more ...For certain parts of the brain, like the brainstem, it's substantially longer again. We're talking about the dinosaur era, here. The prefrontal cortex, right behind your forehead, is the most advanced bit of the brain. Most of the difficult, abstract, conscious stuff stems from here: your sense of self, rational …
more ...temps compromise the flavor and texture of these foods. MIX INCREDIBLE HOMEMADE SANGRIA A kick of tequila, fresh fruit, and white wine. The result isn't as heavy as a pitcher of red and won't stain your lips during your backyard BBQ, says Benjamin Carrier, beverage director at Manhattan's Los Feliz …
more ...And this can cause us serious problems. Another word for worries? It's normal, even healthy, for people to worry, to experience anxiety, in response to the challenges and issues they encounter in their lives. But for certain people, this anxiety becomes constant, excessive, illogical, and difficult, even impossible, to control …
more ...Emancipation from sex-role stereotyping has been part of the social agenda for more than 200 years, but while women's place in the world of paid work has certainly changed dramatically, and some men do transcend the old divisions between the public and private spheres, it would seem that when it …
more ...The insular cortex is believed to be a key area for processing feelings of disgust, as well as having extensive connections to the deeper emotion-processing regions of the brain, so is implicated in feelings of self-worth and our overall emotional state. A brain region involved in both sense of self-worth …
more ...Why exactly would talking therapy combined with antidepressants work better than either alone? Aren't they completely different approaches? Well, one possibility is that antidepressants may ensure the affected neurons regrow their lost connections, but cognitive behavioural therapies, which are all about making you think and mentally process stuff in helpful …
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