Podcast 106: Second Anniversary! Our Most Popular Try-This-at-Home Tips, Before-&-After Stories, and Favorite Moments.

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It’s time for the next installment of  Happier with Gretchen Rubin.

It’s our second anniversary! Hard to believe. The days are long, but the years are short.

As I mention, if you’d like to buy a cotton Happier t-shirt, in honor of our second anniversary (which is the “cotton” anniversary), email us here for info.

 

Try-This-at-Homes that have proved most popular with listeners:

• Practice “mise-en place” from episode 95 (“everything in its place” in French)
• Do something for your future self from episode 101 — particularly useful for Obligers. 
• Become a minor expert from episode 75 — because I’m obsessed with my Four Tendencies framework, I was very pleased to her with her choice of expertise! If you want to pre-order The Four Tendencies, it’s here (never fear, that’s not the real cover). Check out the Better app — all about the Four Tendencies — here or search “Better Gretchen Rubin” in the app store.
• Pick your moment from episode 103
• Be on time from episode 68 — especially if it’s a situation that might be challenging.
• Identify a signature color from episode 71 — we even did a Deep Dive in episode 75 into signature color. I’m now obsessed with the subject of color. What a gorgeous, fascinating subject.
• Celebrate minor holidays from episode 88. Many listeners sent and posted photos of their holiday breakfasts; it was so fun to see those.
• Think about The Five Love Languages from the Very Special Episode 80.

 

Our listener Ashley had some questions and reservations about how we do Demerits and Gold Stars. So we explain our theory and pattern.

Before-and-After stories from listeners: So fascinating!

• The conversation with Gary Taubes in episode 98 about sugar helped Katy to quit sugar. To get the longer interview with Gary Taubes, email me here or check out his book The Case Against Sugar.
• Episode 77’s discussion of dealing with the nasty areas of your home struck a chord. For more on that subject, I write a lot about it in Happier at Home.
• Many people followed Elizabeth’s example and deleted a soul-destroying app as we discussed in episode 91. It has been an ongoing battle, but for now, Elizabeth is staying off Candy Crush.

 

Favorite moments:

• Our listener Carmelita chose episode 87, our live event in Seattle. If you want to check out our guest Chris Guillebeau’s terrific new podcast, Side Hustle School, it’s here.
• Speaking of the live show, during that show we talked about manifestos, and one of Elizabeth’s favorite moments was the note in Jenn’s “new season” manifesto: Don’t treat a gift like a burden.
• She also loved the great “thank-you note debate” that we first discussed in episode 63 and then turned into a Deep Dive in episode 67.
• Elizabeth also appreciated me giving myself a gold star for staying out late at a bar in Havana, Cuba. It wouldn’t be a gold star for everyone, but definitely qualifies for me!
• My favorite moment, no question, is Elizabeth talking about the electric Ped Egg that she bought for her mother-in-law in episode 85, as part of the question, “Have you ever been upset by a well-intentioned gift?” Rarely have I laughed so hard.
• And it was terrific that so many listeners contacted us with ideas to help Elizabeth deal with her “athleisure” challenge that she mentioned in episode 97.
• I loved putting together the readings for weddings, and also, more recently, the readers for funerals and memorial services. If you’d like to request either collection, just email me.

 

Gold Star: For everyone! Listeners, thanks for listening, writing in, calling in, and gold star for us, too, for our second year.

If you want easy instructions about how to rate or review the podcast, look here. Remember, it really helps us if you do rate or review the podcast — it helps other listeners discover us.

I do weekly live videos on my Facebook Page to continue the conversation from the podcast — usually on Tuesdays at 3:00 pm ET. To join the conversation, check the schedule.

As always, thanks to our terrific sponsors

Check out Stamps.com. Want to avoid trips to the post office, and buy and print official U.S. postage for any letter or package, right from your own computer and printer? Visit Stamps.com to sign up for a 4-week trial,  including postage and a digital scale — just enter the promo code HAPPIER.

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We love hearing from listeners:

• Comment below
• Email us: podcast@gretchenrubin.com
• Connect on Twitter: @gretchenrubin and @elizabethcraft
• Call: 77-HAPPY-336
  
• Comment on my Facebook Page
• Sign up to get an email alert whenever we release a new episode

 

To sign up for my free monthly newsletter, text me at 66866 and enter the word (surprise) “happier.“ Or click here.

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Listeners really respect the views of other listeners, so your response helps people find good material. (Not sure how to review? Instructions here; scroll to the bottom.)

How to Subscribe

If you’re like me (until recently) you’re intrigued by podcasts, but you don’t know how to listen or subscribe. It’s very easy, really. Really.  To listen to more than one episode, and to have it all in a handier way, on your phone or tablet, it’s better to subscribe. Really, it’s easy.

Want to know what to expect from other episodes of the podcast, when you listen to the award-winning  “Happier with Gretchen Rubin?” We talk about how to build happier habits into everyday life, as we draw from cutting-edge science, ancient wisdom, lessons from pop culture—and our own experiences (and mistakes).  We’re sisters, so we don’t let each other get away with much!

Want a new podcast to listen to, with the same vibe as Happier? The Onward Project is the family of podcasts that I’ve launched, for podcasts that are about “your life–made better.” The first shows are Side Hustle School and Radical Candor. Elizabeth’s show with her writing partner, Sarah Fain, will be Happier in Hollywood, so stay tuned for that.

HAPPIER listening!

The post Podcast 106: Second Anniversary! Our Most Popular Try-This-at-Home Tips, Before-&-After Stories, and Favorite Moments. appeared first on Gretchen Rubin.

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March 1, 2017 at 03:04AM

Facebook Employs Artificial Intelligence in Attempt to Prevent Suicides

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The social media giant will offer updated contact tools

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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March 1, 2017 at 02:33AM

5 Ways to Stop Being a Control Freak

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Being a control freak isn’t all bad. Indeed, if you’re a control freak, you’re probably super competent and super efficient. You have high standards. You’re a go-getter. You get things done right the first time.

Plus, when things are spiraling, a little extra control can be healthy coping. If you’ve lost your job, strict structure and discipline around finding another one is good. If your child is seriously ill, knowing every inch of her medical chart is a natural reaction. For me, after core-shaking disasters like Hurricane Katrina or Sandy Hook, I find myself getting strict about exercise. It took me awhile to make the connection, but I realized that when the world makes me feel small and helpless, I cope by literally trying to be strong.

But of course, there’s a dark side to control. Complete control can never be achieved, so you can never relax. Relaxation, including sleep, feels unproductive or weak, which leaves you exhausted. No one else can reach your standards, which leaves you lonely. And when forced to collaborate, without quite meaning to, you use a collection of sharp, pointy tools—criticism, judgment, and micromanaging—to keep your anxiety at bay.

 

»Continue reading on QuickAndDirtyTips.com

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March 1, 2017 at 02:12AM

The evolution of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): Key Neurotech Patent #23

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– Illustrative image from U.S. Patent No. 7,008,370

Today we are sharing a 2006 patent assigned to Brainlab. (As mentioned, we are featuring a foundational Pervasive Neurotech patent a day, from older to newer by issue date)

U.S. Patent No. 7,008,370: Method and device for transcranial magnetic stimulation.

• Assignee(s): Brainlab Ag
• Inventor(s): Phillip Tanner, Andreas Hartlep, Henrik Wist, Kerstin Wendicke, Thomas Weyh
• Technology Category: Transcranial Stimulation
• Issue Date: March 7, 2006

SharpBrains’ Take:

Transcranial stimulation of targeted regions with automated means requires the automated system to have knowledge of the location of the patient’s targeted brain region in reference to the device inducing brain activity. The ‘370 patent discloses a means for knowing where the stimulation device is located through a marker that may be tracked by a tracking system. While robotic coordinate systems that consider robotic arm lengths and rotational angles may allow for an alternative means of automated tracking, the ‘370 patent covers substantially all applications of tracking of stimulation devices (i.e., the induction devices) through commonly employed stereotactic systems that require a detectable marker for location feedback. The broad claim coverage of marker-based tracking as applied to non-invasive stimulation is a significant factor in making the ‘370 patent a key non-invasive neurotechnology patent.

Abstract:

The invention relates to a method for stimulating specific areas of a brain using an induction device, comprising the following steps: recording the spatial structure of the head, in particular the brain; generating a simulation model of the induction device; and arranging the induction device relative to the head such that a specific area of the brain determined by means of the simulation model of the induction device is stimulated by a current flowing in the induction device, as well as to a method for stimulating specific areas of a brain using an induction device, comprising the following steps: recording the spatial structure of the head, in particular the brain; generating a simulation model of the head; and arranging the induction device relative to the head such that a specific area of the brain determined by means of the simulation model of the head is stimulated by a current flowing in the induction device, as well as to a device for stimulating specific areas of a brain using an induction device connected to a marker.

Illustrative Claim 1. A device for non-invasively stimulating specific areas of a brain within a head, said device comprising:

• a non-invasive induction device;
• at least one marker connected to the non-invasive induction device, said at least one marker being detectable by a tracking system.

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To learn more about market data, trends and leading companies in the digital brain health space –digital platforms for brain/ cognitive assessment, monitoring and enhancement– check out this market report. To learn more about our analysis of 10,000+ patent filings, check out this IP & innovation neurotech report.

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March 1, 2017 at 01:53AM

Using Self-Hypnosis To Have an Emotional Spring Clean

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I wrote yesterday about having an emotional spring clean. I have written before about a great many ways to help do that, and all of these processes in these articles are going to help you wonderfully when it comes to having a good emotional and mental spring clean and letting go of what you no […]

The post Using Self-Hypnosis To Have an Emotional Spring Clean appeared first on Adam Eason.

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March 1, 2017 at 01:36AM

Toddlers, Dogs Show Similarities in Social Intelligence

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When it comes to social intelligence, human toddlers have far more in common with dogs than they do with chimpanzees, according to a new study at the University of Arizona. In fact, dogs and children similarly outperform chimps on cooperative communication tasks.

The findings could help scientists gain a better understanding of how humans evolved socially and also shed some light on certain human disabilities that involve deficits in social skills, such as autism.

Looking to dogs for help in understanding human evolution is a relatively new idea, since scientists most often turn to close human relatives such as chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas for answers to evolutionary questions. Yet, it appears that man’s best friend may offer an important, if limited, piece of the puzzle.

“There are different kinds of intelligence, and the kind of intelligence that we think is very important to humans is social in nature, and that’s the kind of intelligence that dogs have to an incredible extent,” said Dr. Evan MacLean, assistant professor in the School of Anthropology in the University of Arizona (UA) College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

“But there are other aspects of cognition, like the way we reason about physical problems, where dogs are totally dissimilar to us. So we would never make the argument that dogs in general are a better model for the human mind — it’s really just this special set of social skills.”

For the study, the researchers studied 552 dogs, including pet dogs, assistance-dogs-in-training and military explosive detection dogs, representing a variety of different breeds. The researchers assessed social cognition through game-based tests, in which they hid treats and toys and then communicated the hiding places through nonverbal cues such as pointing or looking in a certain direction.

They compared the dogs’ results to data on 105 two-year-old children who previously completed a similar cognitive test battery and 106 chimpanzees assessed at wildlife sanctuaries in Africa.

Both dogs and toddlers outperformed chimps in the area of cooperative communication. While chimps performed well on tests involving their physical environment and spatial reasoning, they did not do so well on tests of cooperative communication skills, such as the ability to follow a pointing finger or human gaze.

Researchers also observed similar patterns of variation in performance between individual dogs and between individual children.

In the last decade, a growing body of research has been focusing on what exactly makes human psychology special. Scientists have observed that our basic social communication skills that begin to develop around 9 months are what first seem to set humans apart from other species, said MacLean, also director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at UA.

“There’s been a lot of research showing that you don’t really find those same social skills in chimpanzees, but you do find them in dogs, so that suggested something superficially similar between dogs and kids,” said MacLean. “The bigger, deeper question we wanted to explore is if that really is a superficial similarity or if there is a distinct kind of social intelligence that we see in both species.

“What we found is that there’s this pattern, where dogs who are good at one of these social things tend to be good at lots of the related social things, and that’s the same thing you find in kids, but you don’t find it in chimpanzees,” he said.

One possible explanation for the similarities between dogs and humans is that both may have evolved under similar pressures that favored “survival of the friendliest,” with benefits and rewards for more cooperative social behavior.

“Our working hypothesis is that dogs and humans probably evolved some of these skills as a result of similar evolutionary processes, so probably some things that happened in human evolution were very similar to processes that happened in dog domestication,” MacLean said. “So, potentially, by studying dogs and domestication we can learn something about human evolution.”

The research also has the potential to help researchers better understand human disabilities that may involve deficits in social skills, such as autism, MacLean said.

The study is published in the journal Animal Behaviour.

Source: University of Arizona

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March 1, 2017 at 12:49AM

Greater Rhode Island Hypnosis Training Announces Fall/Winer 2016/2017 Graduates - PR Web (press release)

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Greater Rhode Island Hypnosis Training Announces Fall/Winer 2016/2017 Graduates PR Web (press release) National Guild of Hypnotists Instructor John Koenig announces five graduates of his Certified Hypnotist Course and the start date of his next class (March 20th in Providence). The new NGH Certified Hypnotists are Siyi Chen, Sherry Clary, Julie Dodge ...

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March 1, 2017 at 12:23AM