According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, current life expectancy in the United States is about 79 years. Of course, many factors determine life span, and the aging process is accelerated by stress, disease, and trauma, both physical and emotional. But can we reverse the aging process? Findings reported in Genome Journal by Steve Horvath, Ph.D., Sc.D., professor of…
By Anneli Rufus Curling up with a good novel is one of life’s most solitary activities. Yet a raft of new studies suggests that reading fiction actually deepens our ability to connect with others by making us more empathetic. In one series of studies, conducted by researchers at the New School for Social Research and published in the journal Science,…
Janine was the biggest bully in my elementary school—and she was assigned to the desk next to mine in fifth grade. Short and obese with cropped black hair and bulging black eyes, she wore a constant sneer beneath her olive complexion. We were complete opposites: I loved school and excelled in it; Janine hated it and did poorly. I wore…
Imagine looking at a very detailed map, with color-coding to indicate which roads are highways or local streets. It shows you every exit, dirt road, cul-de-sac, and dead end. You can see big rivers and tiny streams. A wide range of landmarks that might interest you are identified, telling you exactly how to get to them and what you’ll find…
In World War I a German psychiatrist named Hans Berger was almost killed by a runaway piece of machinery during a military operation. Hundreds of miles away at that moment, Berger’s sister knew for sure that her brother’s life was in danger. How could this be possible? Berger decided to probe the mystery. This research would one day provide new…
When you think back on your first crush, do you remember everything about that person perfectly? At the time, you probably knew the hair color down to the exact tint and the skin tone, the sound of the voice, and precisely what was said the first time you met. Now your brain recalls it all perfectly, right? Wrong. Recent findings…
Today’s dizzying pace of new technology is quickly leading people to question whether most tech headlines are science fiction or fact. The list of startling advances goes on and on. I’ve selected nine of them that will dramatically affect our daily lives: 1. Nanobots. The wind-up toy with flashing lights I had as a kid was primitive compared to the super-miniaturized robots…
One of the first things Lynn asked when she settled into my office for help overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder was, “Can’t we just erase the memories that are making me feel this way?” As a trauma survivor myself, I understood Lynn’s plea. I carry quite a few memories that have made my life miserable at times. Instead of seeking to…
I used to love listening to my grandmother talk. Raised in Ohio but a Southerner for the bulk of her adult life, she had a quirky accent. When she came to visit us in New York, my younger brother and I would jump onto her bed every morning and demand that she read to us. This gave us more time…
