Virtual fMRI at UPenn

This link has videos so that you can see what being in an fMRI study is like. This is great for acquainting potential subjects to the special conditions in the scanner before your spend valuable time on pre-screening them.

Striatum and the Pleasure of Gains

Monetary gain and high-risk tactics stimulate activity in the brain

ScienceDaily (2009-11-17) -- Monetary gain stimulates activity in the brain, Japanese researchers report. Even the mere possibility of receiving a reward is known to activate an area of the brain called the striatum. ... > read full article

Predicting Behavior Better Than You Do!

Neuroscientists can predict your behavior better than you can

ScienceDaily (2010-06-23) -- In a study with implications for the advertising industry and public health organizations, neuroscientists have shown they can use brain scanning to predict whether people will use sunscreen in the next week better than the people themselves can predict whether they will do so. This is the first persuasion study in neuroscience to predict behavior change. ... > read full article

Loud Music Makes You Drink More? Would it Make You Buy More?

Loud Music Can Make You Drink More, In Less Time, In A Bar

ScienceDaily (2008-07-21) -- Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment -- in this case, music -- can have on in-store traffic flow, sales volumes, product choices and consumer time spent in the immediate vicinity. A study of the effects of music levels on drinking in a bar setting has found that loud music leads to more drinking in less time. ... > read full article

Can Genes Drive Addictive Tendencies?

Can I buy you a drink? Genetics may determine sensitivity to other people's drinking behavior

ScienceDaily (2010-07-23) -- Your friend walks into a bar to meet you for happy hour. He sidles up to the bar and orders a drink -- does that make you more likely to get a drink yourself? According to new findings, genetics may determine the extent to which you are influenced by social drinking cues -- signals such as advertisements, drinks placed on a bar, and seeing other people around you drinking. ... > read full article

OCD doesn't have to result in life filled with anxiety - Baylor College of Medicine

OCD doesn't have to result in life filled with anxiety - Baylor College of Medicine

Smoking Craving Habit Not Addiction?

Smoking mind over smoking matter: Surprising new study shows cigarette cravings result from habit, not addiction

ScienceDaily (2010-07-13) -- The intensity of cravings for cigarettes has more to do with the psychosocial element of smoking than with the physiological effects of nicotine as an addictive chemical, according to a new study by an Israeli scientist. He hopes this research will help clinicians and health authorities develop more successful smoking cessation programs than those utilizing expensive nicotine patches or gum. ... > read full article

Baby's Brains Show Evolutionary Path

Baby brain growth mirrors changes from apes to humans

ScienceDaily (2010-07-13) -- A study undertaken to help scientists concerned with abnormal brain development in premature babies has serendipitously revealed evolution's imprint on the human brain. Scientists found that the human brain regions that grow the most during infancy and childhood are nearly identical to the brain regions with the most changes when human brains are compared to those of apes and monkeys. ... > read full article

A Solution for Treating Alzheimer's? Paro the Robotic Pup!

Photo credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, post-gazette.com

A robotic pet, designed to look like a baby seal and response sensors throughout its body, is being used as a therapeutic tool for Alzheimer's patients...Could this also offer therapy for children with Autism or other learning disabilities? Or help patients with PTSD or depression? Worth doing the research on! I would love to buy one of these for my ailing mom and test out the theory!!

See the videos!

Are Some in Psych Wards Not Really Insane?

This is an amazing case of a young woman who went temporarily insane (I know the feeling) from a brain infection...in this case it was correctly diagnosed and treated. But how many mental illness cases such as those with Alzheimer's (my mom included) could maybe be treated by imaging the brain tissue!! The amazing brain and its power over us!

She went mad for a month

Jan. 15: Susannah Cahalan says she inexplicably lost her mind for a short period of time and has not received a proper diagnosis. TODAY’s Meredith Vieira and NBC’s chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman talk to her about the medical mystery

Two Excellent Books That Discuss the Neural Differences Between Men and Women

Two books I highly recommend look at the academic literature that investigates the biological and neurological differences between men and women...amazing stuff and definitely an area that needs more consumer behavior research!!

Sex On The Brain by Deborah Blum
The Essential Difference: The Truth About the Male and Female Brain by Simon Baron-Cohen

How to Achieve a Goal

Asking 'why' instead of 'how' helps consumers achieve goals of saving money or losing weight

ScienceDaily (2010-05-19) -- People who become focused on how to achieve a goal may have a harder time achieving their aims than people who think abstractly about why they want to do something, according to a new study. ... > read full article

Are Healthy Thinkers also Healthy Shoppers? | Nielsen Wire

Are Healthy Thinkers also Healthy Shoppers? | Nielsen Wire

Posted using ShareThis

The meaning of colors across cultures

This is chart shows how cultures perceive the meaning of colors...
it is interesting to to see where cultures agree on the meaning, for example the color black means evil, and where they diverege. It is argued in the literature that behavioral reactions to colors are learned and reinforced by culture. But the effects of color on behavior is still being debated. Does red make us more cautious, more error prone or more aggressive? Does blue make us more creative, more calm or more risk-seeking? Is our perception of color context specific? This is an area of study that I am currently investigating based on the debated findings of Mehta and Zhu 2009.

Is This Your Brain on Drugs? Imaging Allows A View In...

Researchers develop technique to visualize 'your brain on drugs'

ScienceDaily (2010-04-27) -- Researchers at the US Department of Energy have developed an imaging protocol that allows them to visualize the activity of the brain's reward circuitry in both normal individuals and those addicted to drugs. ... > read full article

From the Well Being List Serve...

Researchers say its official: TGIF, baby!
January 15, 2010 6:00 am

The Los Angeles Times
By: Shari Roan

People are happier and feel better on the weekends, according to new research. Now that may be obvious to you. Indeed, this is the type of study that we at Booster Shots call "one for the duh files." However, on closer examination, the study reveals some interesting observations about leisure time.

For example, everyone is happier on the weekend -- even people who love their jobs and no matter what type of profession one is in or how much one is paid. The study found that people love the freedom associated with weekends and even feel better physically. Perhaps the most surprising finding is that people say they feel more competent during the weekend than they do while at their day-to-day jobs.

Researchers based their findings on responses from 74 volunteers age 18 to 62. Participants monitored their experiences three times daily for 21 consecutive days using simple forms or pagers.

The study reinforces what is known as the "self-determination theory," which means that well-being is based on one's personal needs for autonomy, competence and social relationships. People can tap into those needs more readily on the weekend. Conversely, they may experience time pressures, work demands and unpleasant relationships while at work.

"Far from frivolous, the relatively unfettered time on weekends provides critical opportunities for bonding with others, exploring interests and relaxing -- basic psychological needs that people should be careful not to crowd out with overwork," the lead author of the study, Richard Ryan, from the University of Rochester, said in a news release. The study was published in the January issue of Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

The research reaffirms how important leisure time is to well-being. But, the authors note, it also shows that work really can be a bummer. "These results point to possibilities for improving wellness both through enhancing need satisfactions at work and providing more time for adults that is free from work," the authors wrote.

So, it's true. Down time is really up time. Enjoy your weekend. And if you're working, I'm truly sorry.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ISQOLS LISTSERVE: ISQOLS listserve is an electronic bulletin board established to help quality-of-life (QOL) researchers post messages and announcements that may be of interest to QOL researchers.
How to Subscribe to ISQOLS Listserve: All you need to do is send a message to isqols@vt.edu and indicate in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE ISQOLS-LISTSERV.

How to Post Messages on ISQOLS Listserve: The listserve is moderated. This means to avoid SPAM, all messages have to be approved by the moderator. The moderator is Joe Sirgy. Send your message to Joe at sirgy@vt.edu or isqols@vt.edu. Address the message to ISQOLS Listserve Members, and the message will be posted on isqols listserve if it is found suitable and of interest to QOL researchers. It is that simple.

How to Unsubscribe to ISQOLS Listserve: If you don't want to receive any postings from isqols listserve, all you need to do is send a message to isqols@vt.edu and indicate in the body of the message: UNSUBSCRIBE ISQOLS-LISTSERV.

ISQOLS Listserve Archive: To access ISQOLS Listserve Archive visit the following website: http://listserv.vt.edu/archives/isqols-listserv.html

Attention in the Brain

Seeing without looking: Brain structure crucial for moving the mind's spotlight

ScienceDaily (2009-12-29) -- Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention brings to mind specific details of our environment while shutting others out. A new study shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure that primarily had been known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight. ... > read full article

Eating when not hungry?

Why some continue to eat when full: Researchers find clues

ScienceDaily (2009-12-28) -- New research in mice suggest that ghrelin might also work in the brain to make some people keep eating "pleasurable" foods when they're already full. ... > read full article

Smoking levels have leveled off...but rates among poor, southerners, and less educated still high!

This is a report on the most recent data on smoking levels in the U.S. Notice that smoking amoung Southerners is still high and the rates are higher among young people and those with only a high school education. Is there a connection between self-control, addictive behaviors, and low levels of life success? How is the brain connected to all of this?

Negative Works Better....In Subliminal Advertising!

Key To Subliminal Messaging Is To Keep It Negative, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (2009-09-30) -- Subliminal messaging is most effective when the message being conveyed is negative, according to new research. ... > read full article