The Brainisphere

24/10/2023

In one corner, Jim Steyer, the founder of Common Sense Media, is adamant in his belief about the role social media plays in the teen mental health crisis.

And even if the science and research don’t support his position, it has to be that the science is wrong. But either way, the science is doing a massive disservice to the cause of teen mental health by refusing to acknowledge the obvious culprit.

In the other comer, Candice Odgers, UC Irvine Professor of Psychological Science and Associate Dean of the School of Social Ecology, and co-director of the Child & Brain Development program for the global research organization CIFAR.

Ms. Odgers argues that the research simply doesn't support the hype and the outrage, and that perhaps by clinging to that outrage we're missing a chance to address the real culprits.

Check out the fascinating discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival from June this year.

Social media platforms have become an integral part of the modern digital landscape, shaping how young individuals connect, communicate, and perceive the wor...

17/10/2023

Yet another good reason to get your flu shot?

It could help to stave off dementia and Alzheimer's as you get older.

Some exciting new studies are suggesting a link between keeping up with flu and other vaccines and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's.

16/10/2023

If you're interested in teen mental health, check out this fantastic and fantastically comprehensive article and collection of studies just published by Education Week.

Schools are on the front lines of what the U.S. Surgeon General has called “the defining public health crisis of our time.”

16/10/2023

Cognitive distortions, little more than negative thinking patterns and habits, are still at the source of so much teen unhappiness, anxiety, and even mental health issues

The more they and you understand what they are, how they happen ,and how to confront them, the more in control teens will be of those feelings.

We keep forgetting to remind ourselves that so much of the good and bad in our lives comes from little more than the way we process and shape our thinking.

If we can take control of that, we can take control of so much else. A palingenesis of the mind, the ability to think ourselves into completely different beings.

09/10/2023

Some recent albeit small experiments have shown that limiting our time on social media can make us feel a lot better. And surprise surprise, given that it's social media, restricting our diet to just 30 minutes a day can also help us feel less lonely.

So if you have kids, and especially teens, try your own experiment. See if you can persuade them to limit their social media use to just 30 minutes a day for one long, seemingly endless, agonizing week.

Then ask them to speak about or write down how it made them feel.

07/10/2023

Don't be a cynic. It doesn't make you smarter, it's not the same as skepticism, and it can harm your life in more than a dozen ways.

06/10/2023

Want to set your kids up for the best life? Get them into volunteering. Early, and often.

Delivers more than 20 mental and other health benefits, builds self-esteem, self-confidence, and resilience.

Connects to things like purpose, meaning, kindness, and giving, all of which are fantastic for brain health.

Exposes them to different lives, different people, different worlds, builds perspective and gratitude, and looks fantastic on college applications and resumes.

And it's great for the rest of the world too.

05/10/2023

How much brain capital do your kids have? Better start thinking about an answer because it will matter.

Just like nations, those individuals with the most brain capital - the right balance of brain skills and brain health - are likely to do the best in life.

I can't help you with brain skills, but the Brainisphere is the best recipe and roadmap for brain health.

02/10/2023

If you want yet another way to stave off dementia, brush your teeth more often. Or just start brushing them. Yet more studies have suggested a link between poor dental hygiene, periodontal disease, and missing teeth, to a higher rate of dementia.

02/10/2023

According to the longest human study of its kind, the key to long term happiness in life is.....good relationships.

28/09/2023

Simply having smartphones, even if they're not using them, can impact teen mental health. A new study from Common Sense Media suggests that teens receive an average of 237 phone notifications every single day and at least a quarter of those at school. And each one a trigger.

27/09/2023

Your brain only wants the very best for you. After all, you're in this together and you can't succeed without each other.

When it comes to brain health, it's as though the brain is telling you that if you maintain a brain healthy lifestyle, it will reward you in return by giving you the best possible life.

That while things like kindness, gratitude, purpose, and happiness are all great for brain health, they are also major contributors to success in life.

It's very transactional, that's the way the brain seems to like it, and you better get in on the trade.

25/09/2023

If parents had just one theory of psychology they could focus on for raising the best kids, broaden and build might be it.

How positive emotions can trigger a lifetime of feeling-to-action responses that not only counteract all the malaise of negative thinking spirals, but create a constant upward spiral of skill and resilience building.

22/09/2023

Just imagine how different kids and teens would be, and how much better prepared they'd be for adulthood, if schools and parents simply prioritized education about the brain and mind? And no, not just the biology of it, or the occasional class on social emotional regulation.

21/09/2023

One of the greatest contributors to teen anxiety and worry is not just that they're overthinking machines, but that they're often poorly regulated overthinking machines.

We never want them to stop thinking, in fact it's essential to brain growth and health. But we do need to teach them how to do it the right way.

18/09/2023

Is social media really killing the minds of our teens. The answer apparently is absolutely yes. And also absolutely no.

17/09/2023

If your kids ever ask you the secret to living the best life, or getting the best from life, hit them with this.

14/09/2023

We'd all love our kids to be kinder, we'd love all humans to be kinder, but we keep missing the opportunity because we forget that it's also a powerful life strategy.

Our teens need to be taught that kindness is not just a value, a nice thing to be or do, but an incredibly successful way to live.

That while kindness is great for mental and emotional health, even for physical health, it can also contribute to career and life success and might also be the key ingredient for happiness.

Talk only goes so far, we have to give our kids both the motivation and a strategy.

That if they really want the best possible life, kindness is a great path.

If kindness really can be life and world changing, our kids need to know how.