E. Paul Zehr's Blog, page 4

Your Brain Is Nicer to Others When You're Under Less Stress

Stress forces our brains into self-preservation mode. Mindfulness practices can help bring your brain to a less stressed and possibly more prosocial state.

Better Blood Pressure Is at the Tip of Your Nose

Breathing is a critical function of body and brain. Breathing down from your nose to your toes improves parasympathetic tone and reduces cardiovascular stress.

Kung Fu Fighting Softens the Blow of Neurodegeneration

Tai Chi Chuan training, new research shows, can have a beneficial long-term therapeutic effect on patients living with Parkinson's Disease.

Sticks and Stones Break Your Bones But Words Hurt Your Brain

Separating the brain from the body is a fallacy. Humans, like all animals, are integrated, holistic beings, and the pain from social experiences is real.

Your Brain Thinks Change Is as Good as Rest

Changing up what you're doing could be the answer to powering through fatigue.

Be Quick but Never in a Hurry

To be as effective as possible with the best possible actions, we want to be deliberate and in the moment, not a misplaced reaction waiting to happen.

Stand Up Straight, Your Neurons Are Watching

Don't slouch! How well you walk and talk is affected by neurons in your spinal cord that detect fluid movement related to posture.

Moving Your Body Stimulates Energy in the Brain

Moving generates hormonal and neural signals that connect cellular systems across the body and brain and affects the mind through the activity of mitochondria.

Outdoor Exercise May Be More Effective Than Indoor

 It turns out my mom was right all along. Growing up, she would always tell me to get outside and do stuff. Now, cognitive research supports her in ways I never considered.

Practice Improves the Potential for Future Plasticity

The first stage of learning new motor skills, from a Mozart piano piece to martial arts, is learning how to learn. Then you learn the things you need to know.