Why can’t you remember your first birthday?
Your brain was recording, but it lost the remote.
Science
science
How your brain turns fragments into a film
You see a car – wait… it’s not just a car. It’s red, it has a particular shape, and it’s moving fast. You hear the engine as it races past you. Maybe you even catch the smell of exhaust. Your amazing brain is able to combine all these different signals into a single red car, but how does it do that?
More than sensitive: the brain of highly sensitive people is tuned differently
Why does one person feel completely exhausted after being in a busy place, while another barely notices it? Why is one person deeply moved by a sad movie or quick to notice small details, while another hardly reacts? According to researchers, this has to do with how our brain processes sensory input. It can be explained with the ideas of predictive processing.
Highly sensitive and sensation seeking: How to find balance
Being highly sensitive and having a high level of sensation-seeking may feel like living life with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake – but this paradox can be your greatest strength. When you accept and respect both sides, highly sensitive sensation seekers can truly thrive.
The brain’s illusion of what belongs to you
Look in a mirror. The face you see feels completely like your own. You rarely question it. But what if your brain could be convinced that another face also belongs to you?
Feeling safe: the basis for healthy brain development
When thinking about the necessities for a safe childhood, we often think of visible and measurable things: low crime, stable housing, sufficient income. A new study shows how something more subtle is just as important: how safe a child feels. This subjective experience is not only psychologically relevant, but also visible in the brain.
Ramadan: What does fasting do to your brain?
Ramadan is a holy month in Islam, focused on introspection. A key part is fasting between sunrise and sunset. What effect does this have on the brain? Esther Aarts, scientist and research program leader in Nutrition & Cognition, explains.
The ultimate secret: what happens when we die?
Neurowetenschap kan de dood niet volledig verklaren, maar ze laat wel zien dat sterven geen abrupt einde is.
Is your social anxiety actually coming from your gut?
New research reveals a surprising connection between gut bacteria and social fear
Tickle – a fascinating yet mysterious field in neuroscience
Do you remember a childhood time when you are tickled? Do you like the sensation of being tickled? Who are the ones who tickled you and who would you like to tickle? Have you tried tickling ourselves? Tickle is a familiar sensation to most of us. Yet, we lack a thorough scientific understanding of tickling. A recent article by Dr. Kilteni from Donders Institute and Karolinska institute looked at the status and the prospect of research on tickling, revealing interesting facts about this underrated subfield in neuroscience.