Mindfully Healing

Greater brain activity seen in the prefrontal cortex, an area vital for the brain’s higher functions. Making art activates the brain’s reward pathways, new research finds. Doodling in particular boosts the blood flow through the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex (above the eyes) is the area of the brain linked to regulating our higher functions like our thoughts, feelings and actions. The study had both artists and non-artists either doodling, free drawing or colouring between the lines. For artists, doodling was linked to slightly higher levels of brain activity. Dr

Autism research finds link between this vitamin and serotonin production. Many scientists have speculated that the problematic social behaviour of people with autism is related to low vitamin D and serotonin levels. Now a new study has found a causal link between vitamin D and three hormones which are important in social behaviour: serotonin, oxytocin and vasopressin. Genetic research has shown that vitamin D hormone activates a gene which produces an enzyme leading to higher levels of serotonin (Patrick & Ames, 2014). In the brain, serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter,

People in the study listened to and then played a Tibetan singing bowl. Playing a musical instrument can help protect against cognitive decline. The reason is that learning to play changes the brain’s ‘wiring’, new research finds. The neuroscientists found that the brain can compensate for disease or injuries. Dr Bernhard Ross, study’s first author, said: “Music has been known to have beneficial effects on the brain, but there has been limited understanding into what about music makes a difference. This is the first study demonstrating that learning the fine

The largest household panel survey reveals how parents raise happy children. Children grow up happier when their mother is happy in her relationship. Fully 73% of people whose mothers were ‘perfectly happy’ in their relationship say they are ‘completely happy’ with their family situation. This is just one of the factors in a family that predicts which children grow up to be happier. The others are: avoiding regular arguments and eating at least three evening meals together a week. Arguing more than once a week with parents was linked to