Thursday, 7 August 2008

Why one should never flirt when in a nudist beach...

Hahaha. Di man ako maka-relate, kakatawa lang...

Tuesday, 5 August 2008

Artist = Baliw?!

I know this is old news but hey...

Biological basis for creativity linked to mental illness

October 1, 2003

Creative people more open to stimuli from environment

Psychologists from U of T and Harvard University have identified one of the biological bases of creativity

The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment. Other people's brains might shut out this same information through a process called "latent inhibition" - defined as an animal's unconscious capacity to ignore stimuli that experience has shown are irrelevant to its needs. Through psychological testing, the researchers showed that creative individuals are much more likely to have low levels of latent inhibition.

"This means that creative individuals remain in contact with the extra information constantly streaming in from the environment," says co-author and U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson. "The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities."

Previously, scientists have associated failure to screen out stimuli with psychosis. However, Peterson and his co-researchers - lead author and psychology lecturer Shelley Carson of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard PhD candidate Daniel Higgins - hypothesized that it might also contribute to original thinking, especially when combined with high IQ. They administered tests of latent inhibition to Harvard undergraduates. Those classified as eminent creative achievers - participants under age 21 who reported unusually high scores in a single area of creative achievement - were seven times more likely to have low latent inhibition scores.

The authors hypothesize that latent inhibition may be positive when combined with high intelligence and good working memory - the capacity to think about many things at once - but negative otherwise. Peterson states: "If you are open to new information, new ideas, you better be able to intelligently and carefully edit and choose. If you have 50 ideas, only two or three are likely to be good. You have to be able to discriminate or you'll get swamped."

"Scientists have wondered for a long time why madness and creativity seem linked," says Carson. "It appears likely that low levels of latent inhibition and exceptional flexibility in thought might predispose to mental illness under some conditions and to creative accomplishment under others."

For example, during the early stages of diseases such as schizophrenia, which are often accompanied by feelings of deep insight, mystical knowledge and religious experience, chemical changes take place in which latent inhibition disappears.

"We are very excited by the results of these studies," says Peterson. "It appears that we have not only identified one of the biological bases of creativity but have moved towards cracking an age-old mystery: the relationship between genius, madness and the doors of perception."

This research was funded by the Stimson Fund and the Clark Fund at Harvard University and by the Connaught Fund at U of T.

University of Toronto

Mga Pagkain na Akala 'nyo ay Maganda Para sa Inyo, 'yun Pala ay Hindi

Foods You Thought Were Good For You, But Aren't

Source: Meri Raffetto RD, LDN, Work It, Mom!

4 so-called "healthy" foods that aren't so healthy

I have to admit it -- I am a sucker for "natural" food packaging. My eyes get drawn to the earth-tone colors of the labels with the words "natural," "high fiber," "Good source of antioxidants," or other healthy-sounding terms. However, the dietitian in me knows never to judge a book by its cover. The manufacturers know that people are looking for healthier options and they are getting pretty amazing with their packaging descriptions. At least in grocery stores we have the option to read the food label. In restaurants and coffee shops, we are dependent on the descriptions we see and what we assume to be a healthy choice.

Here are a few seemingly healthy food choices that might not be so healthy after all.

1.) Starbucks Low Fat Blueberry Muffin. Now... my point in all of this is not to pick on specific venues -- you can find things like this in all coffee shops, but I wanted to use this particular one as an example. The low fat muffin at Starbucks has 430 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, and a whopping 57 grams of sugar. The "regular" blueberry muffin at Starbucks has fewer calories (380), along with 19 grams of fat, and 28 grams of sugar. So, yes, this is a low fat muffin, but if you are watching your weight it isn't going to do you any good because it has more calories and sugar. When a product is replaces fat with sugar, it doesn't become healthier.

Suggestion: Skip eating coffee shop pastries on a regular basis. Have one as a special treat once or twice a month if you really love them.

2.) Jamba Juice Aloha Pineapple Power. Fruit smoothie and juice bars can be confusing. After all, it is fruit with protein powders added -- what could be more healthy than that? It is true that fruits are good for you and that you can get a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants out of the juices. However, a serving size of fruit juice is 6 ounces, not 30 ounces. Juice is processed, so there is very little fiber left in it, so you end up consuming a lot of sugar all at once. Sure, it is natural sugar, but it still breaks down quickly and can cause significant increases in blood sugar and insulin. Not to mention the excess calories. This particular juice drink has 650 calories and 142 grams of sugar -- that's 3/4 of a cup sugar. You could consume the same amount of calories (650) by eating an entire meal of 4 ounces of chicken, 1 cup of rice, a large salad with dressing, and a chocolate chip cookie. That's a lot of calories in one drink.

Suggestion: If you love your juice bar ,go for the smallest serving (usually 16 ounces) and have half right away and save the rest for later. Even 16 ounces is too much juice all at one sitting.

3.) Kellogg's Cracklin Oat Bran. This cereal looks healthy from the packaging and yes, it is very high in fiber, coming in at 7 grams. However, it is also high in calories, total fat, saturated fat, and sugar. It also has hydrogenated fats. This cereal has more sugar than Frosted Flakes. Even when a product is high in fiber it is still important to look at the other ingredients to see if it is a good choice.

Suggestion: Kashi Go Lean is a great high fiber/high protein cereal that has significantly less sugar and saturated fats. Good old fashioned oatmeal is also a great choice for the morning.

4.) Taco Salad. It would seem that the healthiest choice in a Mexican restaurant would be the taco salad, but it isn't. A traditional taco salad has more calories and fat than two crispy beef tacos. It's all about the shell; the taco shell alone has 280 calories and 16 grams of fat.

Suggestion: When ordering a taco salad, skip eating the shell or eat only a quarter of it. Chicken soft tacos are also a good choice for Mexican food.