THE PLACEBO EFFECT

It is truly amazing! Under the influence of a placebo prescribed by a physician people feel less pain, experience less fever, and get well. The placebo effect points to the importance of perception and the brain's role in physical health. If placebo medicine can induce people to release hidden healing resources then maybe there are other beneficial things that can come from believing in something that is not real or true. Take religion for example. There are so many religions in the world that it is impossible for all of them to be true. Yet believers receive benefits such as the comfort of having their sins forgiven and the promise of "knowing" that there is life after death. Even when science and reason proves that they are mythical, people continue to believe in their religions because of the benefits.


The placebo effect is a particular kind of priming effect. Perhaps a subconscious prime could be used as a placebo for the mind. Maybe subconscious primes could change character and attitudes. Once we have a theoretical understanding of how it works, we could exploit it in practical ways to change people's lives for the better! Just as we have discovered how to use placebo medicine to persuade people to heal themselves physically, we can discover placebo treatments for the mind. Pretenses about the environment could persuade people to be more moral, happier, nicer, more creative than they would be otherwise. I think it ought to be possible to devise placebo treatments for the self which  induce people to emerge as better people. However, there are some ethical problems that have to be dealt with. My theory needs some fine tuning before it becomes practical. I will keep working on it.

THE MATING HABITS OF SQUIRRELS

Just kidding. This post is really about New Year’s resolutions. We could all use some help on this subject. I recommend that you focus on habits_both bad and good ones. It is difficult to break habits. That is why good habits are very beneficial and bad habits are very destructive. First, you must understand that it is extremely hard to establish new habits or to break old habits. Psychologists tell us that it takes at least 3 weeks of concentrated effort to establish a habit. That’s the bad news. The good news is, once established, a habit is like an automatic pilot. It takes no effort to keep it going! 

So, choose one old bad habit to get rid of and one new good habit to acquire. Recognize that it will not be easy. It will take three weeks of focused, hard effort to accomplish your goal. Keep telling yourself you can do it and remind yourself of the tremendous benefits that will be yours if you succeed. Make up your mind to keep trying and do not give up if you suffer a setback. Your habits will make or break you. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine!

THANATOPHOBIA

When I decided to write a blog post about fear, I asked my friend, Patrick Dennis Fero, for some ideas. He responded with, “Fear is a great motivator. Nothing gets people going like a good old-fashioned bodily threat. Fear is good because it often results in deliberation, perspective and caution. Those who fear not generally end up cleansing their gene pool. Dolts go where angels fear to tread. Aging inculcates fear. The more experience one has, the more one realizes that fear is justified more often than youth recognizes. Youth fears death; aging justifies death. Instead of fearing death, one welcomes it if only to be rid of that goddamn arthritis pain”.

 I agree with most of what he says but I think both the young and the old fear death. I am always surprised when people say they are not afraid to die. I do not think it is possible to overcome the fear of death. People cope with it by blocking it out. They refuse to think about it. If you think about it, it will make you scared.

The awareness of the end of existence, or death, ritualized the lives of our ancestors. These rituals were designed to reduce the fear of death. Psychologists have addressed the hypothesis that fear of death motivates religious commitment, and that it may be alleviated by assurances of an afterlife. Studies have shown that church centered religiousness serves as a protection against the fear of death. Believers have benefits and they are not about to give them up, regardless of facts proven by science. "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." 

Mr. Fero is right. Fear is a great motivator!

2011 WAS QUITE A YEAR !

Wow! An awful lot happened in 2011 and it happened fast. Geniuses died, wars ended, monsters were killed, earthquakes and tsunamis killed thousands of people, fruitcakes tried to occupy Wall Street, extreme weather events plagued the world, technology continued making unbelievable advancements, and heroes accomplished amazing things.

Comparatively, I did not accomplish very much but I am pleased with my progress. I enjoyed another year of being a part of a large loving family. I continue to refine and develop my own personal beliefs and Philosophy. Through all the ups and downs, fears, stresses, and common humanity that are a part of life, I have learned that absolute truth is evasive. There are many angles from which to approach events and ideas. I have become acutely aware of the relativity of things. Your point of view is different from mine and I have learned to respect that.

Each year, I become a different person, essentially in flux, always open to new discoveries and insights. I have discovered that everything you were sure is right could be wrong. I have ceased to take things for granted. I have evolved from moral certainty to existential doubt; it was a painful journey but incredibly liberating. I have encountered many people worthy of respect regardless of their opinions and beliefs. I do not despair of the future though it may seem bleak at times. I will continue to pursue interest that stimulate my mind and I am convinced that what is most important is how we relate to one another; how we can be more supportive and help each other live a kinder, fuller, more loving life. Happy new year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 
Thanks for following my blog

BETTER THINKING THROUGH CHEMISTRY?

Brain chemistry or neurochemistry is the complex system which allows the brain to function with the use of chemicals known as neurotransmitters which move information around in the brain. Every person's brain chemistry is slightly different, and a number of factors can play a role in the levels of various neurotransmitters in the brain, and how those chemicals affect the brains function. Scientist believe that variations in brain chemistry may explain a variety of behavioral differences, such as political and religious beliefs. Environment and genetics can influence the levels of neurotransmitters and their receptors in the brain. Using functional magnetic resonance color coded imaging, scientist are seeking to determine if there is a God spot and a political philosophy spot in the brain. They are on the verge of being able to determine if a person believes in the existence of God and if a person is politically conservative or liberal, just by the color of their brain images. At the recent Society For Neuroscience Conference in Washington, D.C., some unprecedented 3D images of the brain were displayed. They indicated that scientist are close to accomplishing their goal!

Some interesting questions come to mind: Is God a delusion created by brain chemistry, or is brain chemistry a necessary conduit for people to reach God? Are people born to be inclined toward belief in God or toward atheism, depending on their brain chemistry? Does brain chemistry affect political beliefs? If so, this puts a whole new spin on the question, "How is your brain wired?" If chemicals in the brain determine what you think, do we really have free will? Can we adjust the chemical balance in a person's brain and change their opinions? Neuroscience is a fascinating but scary new scientific field. I will be following it closely in order to figure out how and what I think!

DISCLAIMER AND DISCLOSURE STATEMENT:
I am not a member of the Society For Neuroscience and I am not a brain surgeon. I do not guarantee that I know what I am talking about. This blog post is strictly my own uninformed opinion. I do not intend to malign any religion or political philosophy. WARNING: Do not, I repeat, do not try to use your refrigerator magnets to take magnetic resonance images of your brain. I tried it and it dose not work!

INTERNET BROWSER RECOMMENDATION

You like the mute button on your TV remote control so you do not have to listen to all those obnoxious advertisements. Well here is something even better! An app called Adblock Plus that eliminates all the advertising from the Internet on your computer screen. It is a free extension available on the Google Chrome Browser and Firefox. I use it on Chrome and it really works. No advertisements to distract you or to slow down your computer. It blocks  pictures, video, and sound that are advertisements. I love it! IMO, Chrome is by far the best browser on the Internet. Now that it is out of beta mode, it is fast and easy to use. Check it out at:   https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom

There are literally thousands of extensions available for Chrome that enable you to tailor make your browser to suit your needs. To see all the apps and extensions that are available for free, go to the Chrome Store:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/home?hl=en
The Web is getting more useful and easier to use. It is truly amazing!