Mindfully Healing

Common drugs can give you a 5% better chance of winning at chess. Caffeine, modafinil and Ritalin can all make you better at chess, new research finds. The study shows that cognitive enhancers like these can boost performance even when someone is not tired. For the study 39 male chess players were given either caffeine, modafinil, Ritalin or a placebo. They then played time-limited games of chess against a powerful programme. Professor Klaus Lieb, who led the study, said: “We were surprised to see that players on the drugs played

People in the study slept better and their memory was boosted. Special sounds during sleep can improve sleep and boost memory, new research finds. The gentle sounds were timed to coincide with natural ‘brain waves’: the waves of electrical activity in the brain. People in the study were able to recall 26% more words they had learned after being exposed to the sounds during sleep. Dr Phyllis Zee, a study author, said: “This is an innovative, simple and safe non-medication approach that may help improve brain health. This is a

Make others empathise more with this really strange method. Having people touch rough sandpaper makes them more empathetic, a new study finds. Being in a small amount of discomfort helps people empathise with others in pain. Other ways of putting people in a small amount of discomfort may also work in a similar way. The study was looking at ways to increase donations to charity. Dr Chen Wang, the study’s first author, said: “We found that when people were experiencing mild discomfort as a result of touching a rough surface,

The probiotic buffered the body against the damaging effects of stress. Depression has been reversed in mice by feeding them probiotic bacteria, new research reports. Lactobacillus is a type of ‘good’ bacteria found in yogurt, among other foods. The role of the gut microbiome — the bacteria which live in our gut — has become a focus of research interest recently. Dr Alban Gaultier, who led the study, said: “The big hope for this kind of research is that we won’t need to bother with complex drugs and side effects

The one learning technique which works best is the one that students use the least. Spreading out learning over time is one of the most effective strategies. So-called ‘distributed practice’ means breaking up learning into short sessions. People learn better when they learn in these short sessions spread over a long period of time. The reverse — cramming in a short space of time — doesn’t work that well. Despite this, distributed practice is very infrequently used by students and may not be highlighted as a top strategy to them

With age people’s memory and thinking naturally slows down — but this process can be held in check. Lifting weights is one of the best ways of protecting brain function, research finds. The study found that increased muscle strength improved brain function in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment. LIfting weights was more effective than doing brain training exercises. Dr Yorgi Mavros, the study’s first author, said: “What we found in this follow up study is that the improvement in cognition function was related to their muscle strength gains. The stronger

People in the study were suffering from a major depressive disorder. Yoga and deep breathing classes twice a week are effective treatments for depression, new research finds. They could be used as alternatives to drugs or in addition to them, the researchers suggest. The type of yoga used in the study is named after B. K. S. Iyengar. It is a form of Hatha yoga and focuses on being precise in the postures and the control of the breathing. For the study, 30 people were given yoga classes and told

People are mistaken about the best way to understand other people’s minds. The best way to know other people’s minds is to put yourself in their shoes, new research suggests. This is not what people expect, though. Instead, people assume that reading facial expressions and body language is a better way of understanding the emotional states of others. Study authors, Drs Haotian Zhou and Nicholas Epley said: “People expected that they could infer another’s emotions by watching him or her, when in fact they were more accurate when they were

Supplement found to buffer the body against stress and improve sleep. For a long time probiotics — the so-called ‘good bacteria’ in fermented foods and elsewhere — have been linked to all sorts of physical and psychological benefits. Now the lesser-known prebiotics are getting in on the act. Prebiotics are dietary fibres found in foods such as: Onions, leeks, artichokes, and chicory. Prebiotic fibre — also available as dietary supplements — can improve the health of your gut by helping beneficial bacteria to multiply. New research has found that prebiotics