Subliminal Smiles

Brainpower Newsletter

Have you ever noticed that your brain functions better when you love what you are doing?

Although the research in this area is spotty, it seems safe to assume that our brains work better when we are interested in what we are doing. Certainly it is hard to imagine Einstein, da Vinci, and Edison accomplishing as much if they were just doing it to get a paycheck. They had passion - a real interest in their work.

You can't always be doing things you enjoy, of course. However, if you want your brain to work at a higher level, you can at least try to make what you are doing more interesting. My first job was in a fast food restaurant, and there isn't much to like about that work. I was always looking for ways to do the job better, though, and even ways that the business could be run better. This kept my brainpower developing (and got me promoted quickly).

When what you're doing isn't intellectually stimulating, try to relate it to what your true interests are. For example, let's suppose that you like to write, but have to temporarily work at a job you don't like. Why not keep your brain stimulated by thinking about how your place of employment could be used in a story? You could be transforming your fellow employees into characters in that story.

If your passion is mathematics, you could look at all the ways that math could be used to improve the business. If you are a song writer, look around you for material for lyrics. Of course it's more satisfying to use your mind in a pursuit you are passionate about. Do that as much as possible, but there is almost always a way to also bring a bit of that passion and brainpower to whatever you are doing.

I have been adding at least a couple pages to the site each week. Here are the newest additions from the last few weeks:

The Riddles And Puzzles Index - now all the riddle, joke and puzzle pages are in one place:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/riddles-and-puzzles.html

A Probability Lesson - can you answer a simple probability question correctly?:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/probability-lesson.html

Math Riddles - there are a few tough ones here:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/math-riddles.html

Funny Thoughts - to make you laugh and think:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/funny-thoughts.html

Brain Facts - How much does your brain weigh, and how many neurons does it have?
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/brain-facts.html

Word Riddles - what is the only type of cheese that is made backwards?
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/word-riddles.html

The IQ Scale - What does it mean, and what is an average or above average score.
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/iq-scale.html

Subliminal Smiles

In studies by Piotr Winkielman, professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego, it was found that participants drank twice as much beverage when flashed subliminal "happy" messages. They were shown happy, neutral or sad faces on a computer screen, but consciously saw only neutral faces, with the other's flashed too quickly to consciously recognize. When allowed to drink as much of a beverage as they wanted, they drank twice as much after being exposed to the "happy" face.

Winkielman says that bartenders and others already know the "smiling trick." It is likely that politicians follow this kind of research as well, and likely will be smiling briefly just before asking for a campaign contribution. Interestingly, though the participants behavior changed, they reported no change in feelings or emotional state from the subliminal cues.

SOURCE: Winston Salem Journal

Brain Facts

Human brains weigh around three pounds.

Your brain has approximately a trillion cells, and 100 billion neurons.

Your brain uses as much as 20% of all the food energy you consume.

There are more possible connections between brain cells than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world.

Your brain can read this and do several other things at the same time.

Until next time,

Steve

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