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Do you enjoy arts and crafts? It seems like a simple enough hobby, but it turns out that arts and crafts are helping neuroscientists unlock secrets of the brain.

Let’s look at one such study from the National Institute of Health that really demonstrates the value of arts and crafts.

The research has established that the part of your brain responsible for creativity can’t be pinned down to a specific region. Instead, the entire brain is involved with creativity, and it leads to some interesting implications.

The study was able to show that even after significant brain trauma, creativity was unhindered. Artists who lose the ability to even speak can often continue their art. This shows that creative processes can find new ways to function, even in a significantly damaged brain.

The same research suggests that practicing any form of art can help you develop your own creativity. Your brain can be just as resilient if you regularly participate in arts and crafts.

A different study published in PLOS ONE involved research with retirees in Germany. This study looked at the differences between creating and viewing art. The researchers were specifically wondering if viewing a painting had the same impact on the brain and creativity as making the painting. 

The short answer is that there was a noticeable difference. The longer answer is that creating art is amazing for something called psychological resilience. 

How do they know that? The study used fMRI scans on participants while they were subjected to stressful situations. The fMRI scans were completed once a week for 10 weeks. Over that same period, participants either created visual art or simply viewed art for one day each week. There was also a control group that did neither.

Subsequent scans showed that after 10 weeks, those creating art had measurably higher psychological resilience. This actually lines up pretty well with the NIH study from earlier.

Combine the two studies, and you can see that arts and crafts help you develop a more resilient brain, and at the same time, you will be better able to handle stress.

But, that’s not the only way that arts and crafts can be good for your brain. A third study published at the NCBI shows that arts and crafts can help you learn, and that is true at all stages of life. Whether you want to pick up a new skill, or you are recovering from a brain injury of your own, arts and crafts might be the key to the whole process.

How does that work? According to the research, arts and crafts engage something called mirror neurons in your brain. These are stimulated by hands-on activities. When mirror neurons are active, your brain is better able to mimic actions. But, this isn’t just copying behavior. The mirror neurons help to reinforce active learning, and that can help you develop skills and retain new knowledge much faster. Because you’re doing arts and crafts, you are also engaging your sense of creativity, allowing mirror neurons across all regions of your brain to fire.

In this way, arts and crafts essentially supercharge your brain to improve your ability to learn.

 

College classes require students to take in vast amounts of information. If you struggle with learning, you may have trouble passing tests. One of the best kept secrets to doing well in college has to do with memory. If you can teach yourself to learn faster and remember more, your grades will reflect that. Here are five easy study tips to help you do just that.

1. Find Your Best Study Time

Number one on our list is to figure out when your best study time is. When are you most alert? When is your focus razor sharp? For some people, it’s early in the morning before anyone else is awake. For others, the dark of night is ideal, while others are sleeping soundly. Find out when you easily slip into study mode. Then schedule your study time during those hours.

2. Get Plenty of Rest

Don’t pull all-nighters. All-night study sessions aren’t conducive to memorizing. When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain can’t store new information where it belongs. That means your powers of recall will be lacking. You will be less likely to be able to remember answers when you’re operating on less sleep. Instead, follow study sessions with plenty of sleep. Six hours is a minimum, but college students usually need at least eight hours of solid sleep.

3. Talk it Out

You might think it sounds crazy, but talking things out helps you to remember information. Instead of just highlighting important passages in your textbook, read it aloud. You could even do something more strange, but highly effective. You could ask yourself questions that you think might be on the test. Then you have to answer them back to yourself. Do this all out loud. You’ll be amazed how much more information you  can retain this way. You might want to do this in private though. Your roommates might think you’ve developed a problem of talking to yourself!

4. Use the Mnemonic Technique

A mnemonic is a way to remember things that’s just a little trick. For example, if you have to remember a list of items, just use the first letter of each item to make a word. For example, if the list is osmosis, cellular and keratin, then rearrange the first letters to make the work “tok.” Then you can think of the social media platform Tick Tok, which should trigger your memory for the three words.

5. Make a Jingle

Last on our list is to make a jingle. If you enjoy music, try making little jingles out of information you need to memorize. Make a song out of long texts that are otherwise boring. When test time comes, just sing the little tune in your head to recall all the right answers. You can make it even easier if you can write jingles that rhyme.

Use these five tips to help you learn faster and easier, and remember more of what you read.

There’s nothing as fascinating as human psychology. We know that the brain has a big influence on the way we behave psychologically. But even though we use our brains every day, but we know so little about how it works. Still, science has uncovered some interesting tidbits about human psychology. See how many of the following five psychology facts take you by surprise.

1. Pygmalion Effect

The Pygmalion effect is the official term for self-fulfilling prophecy. It has to do with meeting expectations. People who are expected to do better, do better. This holds true in all kinds of environments, including the school environment. The opposite effect can happen, too. The Pygmalion effect holds true when expectations are low. If a person’s expectations are that they will fail, they will be more likely to fail. 

2. Confirmation Bias

Did you know that you research things to validate what you already believe? This is called confirmation bias. It means that you give more weight to information that aligns with what you already think is true. It also means that you discount information that clashes with your beliefs. Oh, did you think you were a completely objective person? Nope. Unless you’re being paid to give equal weight to both sides, chances are you are guilty of confirmation bias.

3. Memory Distortion

You may think that memories are facts that stay the same. But memories can be manipulated. Let’s say you witnessed a crime. You’re questioned by a detective. The detective keeps asking if the perp had a mustache. You can’t remember, you say. The detective goes on to describe the mustache. You’re sure he didn’t have a gray mustache and a small goatee, he asks? You start to doubt yourself. You know, now that you mention it, I think he did, you say. Yes, I’m certain of it now. It’s frightening that memories can be manipulated in this way. Especially for someone who’s being accused of a crime. Yikes.

4. Bystander Effect

Bystander effect has to do with being in a crowd. The more people who are bystanders when an emergency happens, the less likely it is that any one person will actually do something about it. The reasoning is that each person assumes that either someone else is more qualified to help. Or maybe each person just thinks someone else will help. By the time people realize that no one is helping, well, it may just be too late. The next time you see something, step up, folks!

5. Fundamental Attribution Error

Fundamental attribution error is a psychology term that says that others attribute your words and actions to your personality, not to your situation. Let’s say you have an employee who comes in late almost every day. You make a judgement about him that he’s irresponsible. When you show up late the next day, you don’t think of yourself as irresponsible. You know that road construction is messing up your commute. But your employee is deemed to be irresponsible for exhibiting the same behavior as you because you attribute his actions to his personality, not on his situation, which you know nothing about.

These five psychological facts give insight into how our psyche actually works. It’s interesting that we operate on subconscious, hard-wired behaviors in so many areas of our lives. 

 

College offers lots of benefits and rewards in life, but it can be rife with stress. For many students, college is the first time they will be away from home. This can feel scary and stressful.

 

For other students, the stress of college has to do with the desire to get good grades. Ambitious college students are more likely to put demands on themselves that lead to feelings of stress.

 

Some students feel stress at college because of peer pressure. There are feelings of wanting to fit in and make new friends.

 

Whatever the reason, there are effective ways to manage the stress of college. Here are five ways to cut down on stress during the college years.

 

1. Get Exercise

 

Physical health is closely related to mental health. It’s easy to become lazy in college. After all that mental excursion in class, you may just want to sit around and watch TV. But being lazy can lead to feelings of stress.

 

Instead, make sure you get some form of exercise every day. After classes, enjoy a long, leisurely walk on campus. Consider taking an exercise class or going for a swim. It will do you good!

 

2. Be Social

 

When you’re feeling stressed out, you may think you won’t be good company. But being around friends is a good way to de-stress. You can talk to your friends about feelings of stress. You’ll probably discover that your friends feel the same way, and this can actually make you feel better. Knowing that you’re not alone in your feelings of stress can be a big relief. You and your friends can get through it together.

 

3. Seek Counseling

 

If you’re feeling really stressed and can’t seem to come out of it, seek counseling. Most colleges have trained counselors on staff to help students dealing with stress. Go to the administrative offices and find out what resources your college offers. Trained professionals will understand your feelings and help you to learn how to overcome stress.

 

4. Find an Outlet

 

Many feelings of stress are actually negative emotions that build up inside. If you can find a way to release those negative emotions, you may feel more relaxed.

 

Some people release stress by taking up physical hobbies like running or boxing. Others find that dancing is a great outlet. Just be sure to avoid dangerous vices like alcohol and drugs to relieve stress. Substance abuse will quickly lead to its own set of problems. Find an outlet that isn’t addictive and that doesn’t harm your body.

 

5. Tell Your Parents

 

Sometimes stress comes from parental expectations. If this is you, try talking to your parents about it. Tell them that you feel they have high expectation. Explain that this is making your feel more stressed than is healthy. After an honest chat, chances are you’ll feel better.

 

Use these five essential tips to manage the stress of college, and everything will be easier from here on out.