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Neuroscience of Imagination

Neuroscience of Imagination
Albert Einstein said of the theory of relativity, "I thought of it while riding my bicycle." Anyone who exercises regularly knows that your thinking process changes when you are walking, jogging, biking, swimming, riding the elliptical trainer, etc. New ideas tend to bubble up and crystallize when you are inside the aerobic zone. You are able to connect the dots and problem solve with a cognitive flexibility that you don't have when you are sitting at your desk. This is a universal phenomenon, but one that neuroscientists are just beginning to understand. Aerobic exercise clears the cobwebs from your mind and gives you access to insights that are out of reach when you are sedentary. What is happening to the electrical, chemical and architectural environment of our brains when we exercise that stimulates our imagination and makes us more creative? Many scientists believe that the creative process springs as much from the subconscious as it does from a conscious thought process.

Downloads Gapminder Slides Download Gapminder’s slides, free to modify and use in any way you like! Here are the slides used in our public presentations and TED talks. Gapminder Tools Offline Handouts & Lesson plans (PDF) Interactive presentations (Flash, PowerPoint etc.) Life expectancy is a very important measure when we compare the health of different countries. Use this animated presentation when you lecture about HIV. A complete package of animations for your lecture. Is the world a better place? Från Liberia till Singapore. A clickable presentation on MDG4. Arabic version of Human Development Trends. Karolinska Institutet awards the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Barnadödlighet och antal barn per kvinna. For the Tellberg Forum. An interactive chart about gender equity (% women in parlament) in all countries. The Income Distribution of the World over time. International health data for learning.

Virgin Galactic The 'thinking cap' that could unlock your inner genius and boost creativity By Fiona Macrae Updated: 07:39 GMT, 30 September 2008 There is a theory that the spark of genius lurks hidden within all of us. Now scientists are developing a 'thinking cap' that could turn that theory into practice and unlock the amazing potential of the human brain. The device uses tiny magnetic pulses to change the way the brain works and has produced remarkable results in tests. Wearing the hairnet-like cap for a few minutes improved artistic ability and proof-reading skills. If the technique is perfected, the device could be marketed as a cap slipped on to boost creativity when inspiration is low. The Australian experiments are inspired by savants, people who, like Dustin Hoffman's character in the film Rain Man, have amazing skills or talents despite a severe mental disability. Some have mind-boggling calculating skills or 'internal calendar' that can almost instantly work out the day that any given date fell on. Around 10 per cent of people with autism are savants.

‘The mind map has become an intellectual capital thinking tool’ - Money Mind map helps everyone, from a year old baby to leading MNCs, in enhancing their efficiencies and in leading better lives, says Anthony “Tony” Buzan. Search for Tony Buzan and the internet will give gallons of information on mind maps and thinking. Mind map helps everyone, from a year old baby to leading MNCs, in enhancing their efficiencies and in leading better lives, says Anthony “Tony” Buzan. In a conversation with DNA, the world’s leading author and expert on brain and learning helps decode the multiple layers of the mind that can help in our professional and personal lives. Excerpts: How would you define mind maps? Who can use mind maps? How does mind maps help while ageing? By using mind maps, can one delay illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia? How can we use mind maps for our careers? Which industries need mind maps the most? Are more organisations encouraging employees to use mind maps? Which firms are foremost when it comes to using mind maps?

What's Next Meditation Health Benefits: What The Practice Does To Your Body We hear it all the time: Meditation can improve our creative thinking, our energy, stress levels and even our success. Prominent artists, businessmen and politicians cop to the practice. Would it work for you? "It did to my mind what going to the gym did to my body -- it made it both stronger and more flexible," said Dr. Studies show that meditation is associated with improvement in a variety of psychological areas, including stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, eating disorders and cognitive function, among others. For one thing, it changes our brain. "Think of the end of a neuron as a hand, with thousands of 'fingers,'" said Dr. Want to learn more? This story appears in Issue 47 of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store, available Friday, May 3. Related on HuffPost:

Mind Mapping Software – Productivity, Planning, Learning, Communication Cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human beings belong to a single community, based on a shared morality. A person who adheres to the idea of cosmopolitanism in any of its forms is called a cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. A cosmopolitan community might be based on an inclusive morality, a shared economic relationship, or a political structure that encompasses different nations. In a cosmopolitan community individuals from different places (e.g. nation-states) form relationships of mutual respect. As an example, Kwame Anthony Appiah suggests the possibility of a cosmopolitan community in which individuals from varying locations (physical, economic, etc.) enter relationships of mutual respect despite their differing beliefs (religious, political, etc.).[1] Various cities and locales, past or present, have or are defined as "cosmopolitan"; that does not necessarily mean that all or most of their inhabitants consciously embrace the above philosophy. Etymology[edit] Definitions[edit]

10 More Common Faults in Human Thought Humans This list is a follow up to Top 10 Common Faults in Human Thought. Thanks for everyone’s comments and feedback; you have inspired this second list! The confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or interpret information in a way that confirms beliefs. The Availability heuristic is gauging what is more likely based on vivid memories. Illusion of Control is the tendency for individuals to believe they can control or at least influence outcomes that they clearly have no influence on. Interesting Fact: when playing craps in a casino, people will throw the dice hard when they need a high number and soft when they need a low number. The Planning fallacy is the tendency to underestimate the time needed to complete tasks. Interesting Fact: “Realistic pessimism” is a phenomenon where depressed or overly pessimistic people more accurately predict task completion estimations. Interesting Fact: unfortunately, this bias has serious consequences. Bonus Attribute Substitution

How I Use Mindmapping to Write I use lots of tools for writing. The other day, I talked about the importance of writing practice. Today, as I’m working on a new speech, I wanted to share another tool I use: mind mapping. Before you ask, because the technology minded of you often do, this particular mindmapping software is called Mind Node and it’s for Mac. There are plenty of tools for Windows and some that operate online. The way I use mindmaps is that I start with my main idea, and then figure out the “branches” I’ll want to talk about. So, in this case, I just add a few ideas. Mind maps are a great tool for getting your jumbly thoughts into a framework. What happens, often, when we write, is that we look at sentences as this whole big thing. That’s where mind maps excel (or one place where mind maps excel). What about you? ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Become a StudioPress Affiliate

SystemsWiki The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight The Misconception: You celebrate diversity and respect others’ points of view. The Truth: You are driven to create and form groups and then believe others are wrong just because they are others. Source: “Lord of the Flies,” 1963, Two Arts Ltd. In 1954, in eastern Oklahoma, two tribes of children nearly killed each other. The neighboring tribes were unaware of each other’s existence. Scientists stood by, watchful, scribbling notes and whispering. These two tribes consisted of 22 boys, ages 11 and 12, whom psychologist Muzafer Sherif brought together at Oklahoma’s Robber’s Cave State Park. He was right, but as those cultures formed and met something sinister presented itself. Sherif and his colleagues pretended to be staff members at the camp so they could record, without interfering, the natural human drive to form tribes. Soon, the two groups began to suspect they weren’t alone. From the study, the boys face each other for the first time Source: “The Breakfast Club,” 1985, Universal

Who invented mind mapping I've seen comments around the web that say that Tony Buzan didn't invent mind mapping. What he did, they say, was to take a quite well-known technique (going back many hundreds of years according to some sources), narrowed it down with his ten rules and 'invented' a name, which he then trademarked (but see below for more about the mark). He then marketed this very successfully through BBC programmes (which is where I first encountered it in the 1970s), books and lecture tours. I had heard of and used spider diagrams long before that, though. What does it take to "invent" a technique? If he had tried to patent it, would 'prior art' have made the patent application fail? We often read references to historical users of mindmapping-like techniques. More recent claims for academics in the 1960s, M. The trademark question is easier to resolve. Vic

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