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How the Body Knows Its Mind_The Surprising Power of the Physical Environment to Influence How You Think and Feel

Page 25

by Sian Beilock


  ADHD, 217

  Alexander, Frederick Matthias, 202–3

  Alexander technique, 202–6

  Alzheimer’s disease, 113, 184

  amygdala, 20–21, 132, 222–24

  amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig’s disease), 112

  The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in General, and of the Brain in Particular (Gall), 108

  aphasia, 117–18, 252n16

  Apple, 179

  arachnophobia, 140

  Ariely, Dan: Predictably Irrational, 6

  attention restoration theory, 218–20

  attitude, definition of, 146

  autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 142–46, 255n15

  B

  baby names, 95

  ballet, 124

  Balotelli, Mario, 75

  Baoding balls (Chinese exercise balls), 8, 73, 231

  baptism, 164

  Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Chua), 41

  Beck Depression Inventory, 16–17

  Begin, Menachem, 156

  Berman, Marc, 218–20

  Blackburn, Barbara, 94

  blocks/manipulatives, 55, 234

  body language, 83–105

  chemistry understanding via gestures, 91–92

  and creativity, 74–75

  and the Dvorak keyboard, 94

  flexing the arm associated with gratification, 102–5, 230

  gestures and thinking, 89–91, 91, 232

  and grocery store choices, 100–105, 250n28

  hand gestures, 81, 83–92, 231, 235

  mind control by the body, 93–98, 96

  phone numbers corresponding to words, 97–98

  physical fluency, 100

  picking up objects, 98–101

  of poker players, 88–89

  and the QWERTY keyboard/QWERTY effect, 93–97, 96, 235, 249n21

  right-vs. left-handed gestures, 85–88, 235

  Bolt, Usain, 75

  Bornstein, Marc, 36–37, 241n19

  Botox, 13–14, 16–21, 23. See also under depression brain

  amygdala, 20–21, 132, 222–24

  cerebellum, 126

  computer metaphor for, 48–49

  emotional centers in, 131–32, 135–36, 253n1

  forward model, 126

  frontal cortex, 163. See also prefrontal cortex function of, 47–48, 65–66

  hippocampus, 171–72, 175, 184–85

  insula, 139, 152–53, 156, 158, 254n8, 256n4

  language centers in, 109–11, 116–17

  malleability of, 109–10

  mapping of, 115, 115–16, 251n9, 251n11

  mental processes located in, 107, 109–10

  mirror neurons, 30–31, 36, 131, 143–44, 239–40n3

  motor cortex, 114–15, 115

  motor neuron diseases, 111–14

  pain centers in, 139, 156–57, 163, 254n8

  parietal cortex, 175

  plasticity of, 172

  prefrontal cortex, 140, 175, 199, 201–2, 216, 254n9, 263n13

  sedentary lifestyle’s effects on, 186

  sensory cortex, 141–42

  size and aging, 185

  strokes, 43, 114, 117–18

  temporal-parietal junction (TPJ), 141–42

  brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), 183–85

  Bush, George W., 87

  Butterworth, Brian, 44

  C

  Camp David, 156

  capoeira, 123–24

  Carney, Dana, 73–74

  Carter, Jimmy, 156

  Casa Grande Mountain Retreat (Puerto Rico), 190, 197

  Casasanto, Daniel, 84–88

  Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, 194

  cerebellum, 126

  Chicken Soup for the Soul series, 155

  Chua, Amy: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, 41

  cingulate cortex, 139, 156, 158, 254n8

  city living, 214–15, 218, 220–24

  Clinton, Hillary, 199

  Coca-Cola, 7, 100–101

  Cohen, Dov, 166

  confirmation bias, 108–9

  Consumer Products Safety Commission, 34

  Cornell University, 70–71

  cortisol, 200, 222

  Cotman, Carl, 183

  creativity, 67–81

  Baoding balls, 73

  and body cues, 74–75

  creative metaphors, 70–72

  in dance, 70

  exercise’s effects on, 180, 232

  Google’s interactive campus atmosphere, 67–68

  pacing vs. sitting, 72

  power/expansive poses, 73–77, 230, 246n7

  problem solving enhanced by movement, 68–70, 245n2

  and remembering, 77–81

  and testosterone, 73–74

  thinking outside the box, 70–71

  Cuddy, Amy, 73–74

  Cyberball, 157–58

  D

  Dacascos, Mark, 124

  Dalai Lama, 194

  Daley, Tom, 61

  Darwin, Charles, 146

  The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals, 21–22

  Davidson, Richard, 19–20, 194

  Davis, Hap, 226–27

  Decety, Jean, 131–32, 141

  depression

  Alexander technique for, 205–6

  associated with illness, 220, 230

  Beck Depression Inventory, 16–17

  Botox for, 13–14, 16–18, 20–21, 23, 226

  and exercise, 185

  frowning accompanying, 13

  and helplessness, 225–26

  Laura (case study), 12–13, 16–18

  in mothers and their babies, 134

  pain of, 24

  in Parkinson’s patients, 205

  pervasiveness of, 11

  progression of, 12

  and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), 155–56

  treatment for, 11–13

  Descartes, René, 22

  developmental dyspraxia, 29, 31, 36, 39

  diapers, 34–35, 233, 241n14

  directed attention, 217–18

  disgust, physical and moral, 166–67

  dopamine, 180, 205

  Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern: Two Guys Dancing about Math, 58

  Dvorak keyboard, 94

  dyscalculia, 44

  dyslexia, 38–39

  dystonia, 206

  E

  education. See also learning by doing

  Montessori schools, 57

  stationary model of, 49

  testing, 174

  Einstein, Albert, 31–32

  Eisenberger, Naomi, 25, 157–58

  electroencephalogram (EEG), 143–45

  embodied cognition, 22–25

  Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 4

  emotion’s physical nature, 11–25. See also depression; empathy; social warmth bodily posture, 15, 20, 230

  Botox, 13–14, 16–21, 23

  embodied cognition, 22–25

  facial expressions, 13–16, 20–23, 229

  frowning/smiling, 8, 13, 15–21, 23, 229, 237n4

  laughter, 15–16

  Laura (case study), 12–13, 16–18

  physical vs. emotional pain, 23–25

  empathy, 129–46

  and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 142–46, 255n15

  in babies, 132–33, 136–37

  and differentiating ourselves from others, 133–35

  in doctors, 138–39, 234

  and emotional centers in the brain, 131–32, 135–36, 253n1

  and emotional distance, 138–42, 234, 254n9

  evoked by tearjerkers, 129–30, 132, 234

  in married couples, 137–38

  mirroring’s role in, 131, 134, 136–37, 142–45

  about pain, 139

  end-state comfort effect, 99

  environment as shaping thinking, 209–28

  attention restoration theory, 218–20

  city living, 214–15, 218, 220–24

  conceptions of cognition, 210–1
1

  and directed attention, 217–18

  executive control, 214–16

  green space/natural surroundings, 213–17, 219–20, 233, 265n12

  overview of, 227–28

  and physical challenges, 224–25, 234–35

  and physically acting differently, 226–27, 231

  poverty’s effects, 214–15

  social brain hypothesis, 224–25

  stress, 211

  taking a break, 212–13, 220, 227–28, 231–32

  epilepsy, 115

  executive control, 214–16

  exercise, 169–87

  aerobic, 180, 184–85, 232

  and Alzheimer’s disease, 184

  brain cells created by, 170–72

  and brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), 183–85

  brain regions benefited by, 175

  by children, 172–74, 177

  and cognition, 185–87

  creativity benefited by, 179, 232

  and dopamine, 180

  by the elderly, 173–74, 177, 181–87

  and IQ, 179

  and longevity, 182

  masters athletic programs, 181–82

  memory benefited by, 174–77, 179, 183–84

  mindfulness about, 169–70

  in moderation, 178

  and negotiating skills, 177–78, 259n9

  overview of, 168, 186–87

  by young adults, 174, 178–79

  The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals (Darwin), 21–22

  F

  facial expressions, 13–16, 20–23, 229

  false-belief tasks, 133–34

  fibromyalgia, 24

  fingers and numbers/math, 42–45, 243n33

  Fischer, Susan, 62–66

  Fitbit fitness tracker, 169–70

  fitness. See exercise

  frontal cortex, 163

  frowning/smiling, 8, 13, 15–21, 23, 229, 237n4

  fusiform gyrus, 38

  G

  Gall, Franz Joseph, 107, 109

  The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in General, and of the Brain in Particular, 108

  Galton, Sir Francis, 146

  gestures. See body language

  Glenberg, Art, 19–20, 50–52, 54–56

  Goldin-Meadow, Susan, 89

  Google, 7, 179

  Google’s interactive campus atmosphere, 67–68

  Gore, Al, 199

  Greene, Bob, 180

  green space. See environment as shaping thinking

  Gretzky, Wayne, 127

  grocery store choices, 100–105, 250n28

  H

  Harlow, Harry, 147–50, 154–55, 160

  Havas, David, 19–20

  Hawking, Stephen, 112

  health clubs, 181

  Hebb, Donald, 109

  Hebbian learning, 110

  Hillman, Charles, 172–73

  Hindus, on morality, 166

  hippocampus, 171–72, 175, 184–85

  Human Performance Laboratory (University of Chicago), 24, 99–100

  hunter-gatherers, 173

  I

  incubation effect, 264n2

  infants’/children’s vs. adults’ thoughts, 31–32

  insula, 139, 152–53, 156, 158, 254n8, 256n4

  integrative body-mind training (IBMT), 197–201, 233

  intelligence, physical development’s impact on, 36–37, 241n19

  IQ, 40–41, 175, 179

  J

  The Jack LaLanne Show, 181

  Jackson, Phil, 194

  James, Karen, 38

  James, William, 21, 146, 217–18

  Jamieson, Jeremy, 178

  Javits, Jacob, 112

  Jesus, 165

  Jews, on morality, 166

  Johnson & Johnson, 7

  Jonides, John, 218–20

  juggling, 194

  K

  Kahneman, Daniel: Thinking Fast and Slow, 6

  Kaplan, Stephen, 218–20

  Kerry, John, 87

  Kidman, Nicole, 13

  Kotelko, Olga, 182–83, 186–87

  Kramer, Art, 172–73

  Kuo, Frances, 214–17, 219–20

  L

  Laboratory for Cognition and Action (Pennsylvania State University), 98

  Laboratory for Embodied Cognition (Arizona State University), 50

  Lakoff, George, 53

  LaLanne, Jack, 180–82

  Landscape and Human Health Laboratory (University of Illinois), 214

  Langham, Michael, 203

  language. See also body language

  abstract concepts via the literal, 118–21, 252n19

  centers in the brain for, 109–11, 116–17

  learning by doing, 49–50

  learning foreign languages, 118, 232

  understanding of, 109–11, 113, 116–18, 251n5

  The Language Instinct (Pinker), 32–33

  laughter, 15–16

  Laughter Yoga (Hasyayoga), 15

  learning by doing, 47–66

  athletic skills and math/physics, 61–62, 64–65

  blocks/manipulatives, 55, 234

  brain, computer metaphor for, 48–49

  brain, function of, 47–48, 65–66

  Counting Handshakes activity, 58

  dance, 60–61

  language, 49–50

  Math Dance, 57–60

  math, 53–60, 233

  Montessori on, 56–57

  physics, 62–66, 245n16

  reading, 50–53, 57, 233

  sea squirt as example, 47–48

  stationary model of education, 49

  Lessing, Gotthold, 13

  Lieberman, Matthew, 25, 157–58

  loneliness, 155, 164, 230

  love/affection. See social warmth

  Love Story, 129–30, 132, 138

  M

  Macbeth (Shakespeare), 164

  Marcos, Imelda, 116

  Mary Poppins, 16

  math

  anxiety about, 24–25, 140

  and athletic skills, 61–62, 64–65

  discrete entities, 58–60

  learning by doing, 53–60, 233

  Math Dance, 57–60

  probability, 60

  and music, 44–45

  MATHCOUNTS competition, 41

  McCain, John, 83–84, 86

  McNeill, David, 89

  meditation, 189–200

  and anti-aging enzymes, 196

  and attention skills, 196–97

  and brain function, 192, 199

  Buddhist, 196

  integrative body-mind training (IBMT), 197–201, 233

  long-lasting effects of, 195–97

  mind-body connection honed by, 190

  mindfulness, 191–94

  popularity of, 193–94

  and self-control, 200

  for smoking cessation, 198, 200

  for stress relief, 199–200

  Ujjayi breath (cobra breathing), 189–90

  and vigilance tasks, 197–99, 262n7

  and the wandering mind, 190–93, 199

  memory

  and aging, 79

  exercise’s effects on, 174–77, 179, 183–85

  and gestures, 92

  and green space/natural surroundings, 216–17

  and movement, 77–81

  testing yourself/practicing, 80

  Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas, 221–23

  Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), 122

  migraines, 18

  mikva, 164

  Milgram, Stanley, 160–62

  Miller, Zell, 40

  mind, theory of, 133–34

  mind/body relationship. See also meditation; moving and understanding ancient Greeks on, 7

  Darwin on, 21–22

  Descartes on, 22

  direct connections, 14–15

  and education of children, 6–7

  embodied cognition, 22–25

  mental vs. physical pain, 23–25

  overview of, 6, 206–7


  separation of mind and body, 22–23, 31

  using your body to change your mind, 229–35

  mirror neurons, 30–31, 36, 131, 143–44, 239–40n3

  Moebius syndrome, 16

  monkey neurophysiology experiment, 29–31

  Montessori, Maria, 56–57, 234

  morality and cleanliness, 164–67, 230, 257n17

  motor cortex, 114–15, 115

  motor neuron diseases, 111–14

  moving and understanding, 27–45, 231, 233

  Breslin family (case study), 27–29, 31, 36, 39–40, 239n1

  crawling, 32–35, 241n15

  developmental dyspraxia, 29, 31, 36, 39

  and diaper use, 34–35, 233, 241n14

  dyslexia, 38–39

  fingers and numbers/math, 42–45, 243n33

  and mirror neurons, 30–31, 36, 239–40n3

  motor problems and mental difficulties, 29

  music and math/intelligence, 39–42, 45, 233

  overview of, 45

  physical development’s impact on intelligence, 36–37, 241n19

  Piaget on, 32

  and the premotor cortex, 29–31

  reaching/grasping for toys, 35–36

  reading/writing, 37–39, 45, 233, 241n20

  standing/walking, 34–35, 241n14

  tummy time, 37

  the visual cliff experiment, 33–34

  Mozart effect, 40–41

  Murray, Andy, 74

  music

  and the Alexander technique, 203

  body-centered focus, 201–2

  and math/intelligence, 39–42, 45, 233

  Muslims, on morality, 166

  mu suppression, 143–45, 255n15

  N

  National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 55

  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Washington, DC), 36–37

  negativity, Botox’s effects on, 13, 16

  Niedenthal, Paula, 135–37

  Núñez, Rafael, 53

  O

  Obama, Barack, 83–84, 86

  object permanence, 32, 240n7

  olanzapine, 111

  Only the Strong, 124

  Ovid, 190

  P

  pacifiers, 136–37

  pain

  Alexander technique for, 205

  physical vs. emotional, 23–25

  social vs. physical, 156–59

  parietal cortex, 175

  Parkinson’s disease, 205

  Pavlov, Ivan, 148

  PepsiCo, 101

  periaqueductal gray, 254n8, 257n16

  Perlman, Itzhak, 202

  phobias, 140

  phrenology, 107–9

  physics

  and athletic skills, 61–62, 64–65

  learning by doing, 62–66, 245n16

  mass, 63–64

  moment of inertia, 62–65

  Piaget, Jean, 31–32, 240n7

  Pilate, Pontius, 165

  Pineda, Jaime, 144–45

  Pinker, Steve: The Language Instinct, 32–33

  Polish, Henry (case study), 42–43

  Porcini, Mauro, 101

  posture, 15, 20, 203–4, 230. See also Alexander technique power, 73–77, 230, 246n7

  Predictably Irrational (Ariely), 6

  prefrontal cortex, 140, 175, 199, 201–2, 216, 254n9, 263n13

 

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