How often do you discuss office gossip via chat while participating in a Zoom meeting? Or read a great article while talking on the phone with a client? Or, wait, think about work problems while helping your child with homework?
Yup, it is not easy to stay focused and be truly productive. [Read more…] about Quick brain teaser to prove the limits of multitasking
Over the past 15 years there has been growing awareness that many college students without an ADHD diagnosis use ADHD drugs. On some campuses, rates of self-reported non-medical use have exceeded 30% of students.
The primary reason students report taking ADHD drugs is to enhance their academic performance. And, the strong majority of students — over 80% in a study I conducted — believe it is helpful for this purpose.
Furthermore, students who report problems with attention are more likely to report non-medical use than other students; this suggests that some self-medicate to address their perceived attention difficulties. [Read more…] about Study finds mixed results of Adderall as cognitive enhancer (seems to boost emotion more than cognition)
Sleep problems are common in children with ADHD, are more persistent than in the general population, and often exacerbate difficulties associated with ADHD. For example, poor sleep can enhance difficulties with attention and concentration that most youth with ADHD experience.
Research has shown that brief sleep interventions can improve sleep in youth without ADHD who experience sleep difficulties. However, [Read more…] about Study: A brief sleep intervention can bring measurable and sustained benefits to children with ADHD
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As psychologist Chris Willard often says, our phones can be our greatest enemy or greatest friend. While they can save us time and energy, educate and entertain us, and keep us safe in emergencies, they can also distract us from the things we need in life to stay happy and healthy. [Read more…] about 3 ways to manage smartphone use and improve quality of life
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As citizens of the 21st century, we face many problems that come with an industrialized and globalized world. I’m not a lawyer or a politician, but a psychologist and neuroscientist. So research on how to train helpful mental and social capacities is my way to contribute to a more healthy, communal, and cooperative civilization.
For the past five years, that research has taken the form of the ReSource Project, one of the longest and most comprehensive studies on the effects of meditation-based mental training to date. Lots of research treats the concept of meditation as a single practice, when in fact meditation encompasses a diversity of mental practices that train different skills and different parts of the brain. Our goal was to study the specific effects of [Read more…] about Study finds clear–yet surprisingly different–benefits in 3 types of meditation-based mental training
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During the past two decades, more and more scientists have studied mindfulness—a Buddhist-inspired collection of practices aimed at helping us to cultivate moment-to-moment awareness of ourselves and our environment. Their early findings triggered an enormous amount of enthusiasm for meditation.
Sometimes, however, journalists and even scientists (who should know better) have overstated the physical and mental health benefits, which has fed growing skepticism about mindfulness. [Read more…] about The State of Mindfulness Science: 10 Key Research Findings to Encourage and Guide your Meditation Practice in 2018
