Throughout many cultures there is a prevailing belief that the mind is separate from the body – this is called “mind-body dualism.” Many people still wish to believe this today, even with increasing research on how our biology and brain is directly connected to our psychology and mental health. Perhaps one major reason people want [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Biology’
The Connection Between Physical and Mental Health
One of the oldest myths in psychology is that our minds are separate from our bodies. Today, however, there is an overwhelming amount of research that shows how our mental health is directly influenced by our brains and biology. A big part of this influence comes from what we inherit from our genes, which we [...]
Sitters and Rovers: Healthy Risk-Taking
Some biologists say that between 15-20% of the animal kingdom are sitters. They are defined as having a passive temperament – “slow-to-warm up” to their surroundings, and “often sitting on the sidelines observing.” The other 80% of animals are rovers. The have a more aggressive temperament, making them more engaged with their environment and motivated [...]
Stress Can Strengthen Emotional Memories
There was an interesting study recently published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers at the University of Montreal’s Center for Studies on Human Stress tested to see the effects of cortisol (“the stress hormone,” commonly associated with our body’s fight-or-flight response) on participant’s memories of an emotional event. The experimenters had participants [...]



