Interesting Things I Didn't Know....

Ok, so I was reading thru an older Oprah magazine and I found this little blurby article very interesting. It was put together by Rachel Aviv.

ON YOUR MIND - 5 facts

Women aren't moodier than men, drinking doesn't kill brain cells, and no one's proved that listening to Mozart in the womb makes you smarter. Neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt, PhD, and Sam Wang, PhD, bust a lot of myths about the human mind in Welcome to Your Brain (Bloomsbury), a fascinating guide to our favorite three-pound organ. Some findings from their head trip:

1.EXERCISE SAVES YOUR MEMORY. Working out feeds oxygen and glucose to your neurons and helps prevent the brain from shrinking with age (memory decline can begin as early as age 30). Drinking up to three glasses of red wine every day also lowers the risk of dementia by half.

2. JET-SETTING CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE. In adjusting to new time zones, your brain releases stress hormones that can weaken the temporal lobe, which is involved in learning. To alleviate jet lag, spend some daylight time outside after you land: The natural light will help reset your internal clock.

3. DISCIPLINE IS MIND-ALTERING. Willpower-strengthening exercises may actually change the brain regions involved in planning and decision making. Plus, willpower in one aspect of your life may influence another. "[P]ractice difficult tasks such as being nice to people you don't like," the author advises. "It might help you stick to that diet."

4. STEREOTYPES FOG YOUR BRAIN. When female test takers are asked to write down their gender on the first page of a math exam , their scores go down-but when they hear a lecture on famous female mathematicians beforehand, their scores go up.

5. ORGASM HAS ITS DOWNSIDE. Oxytocin, a hormone released during orgasm, increases people's willingness to trust others. Subjects given oxytocin by nasal spray were two times more likely to give their money away to a trustee for investment. The lesson : Never make important decisions during or immediately after sex.