Draining Brain Capacity

Digital technology is integrated into our lives—arguably, to a fault. On one hand, our ability to connect to others and access information at any given moment offers new opportunities for our work life, relationships, health, and more.


On the other hand, the long-term effects of being constantly "dialed in" to infinite information and technology haven't been revealed yet. Dealing with constant stimuli has ushered in an unprecedented attention crisis that can also affect our jobs, relationships, and health in a negative way.

In fact, evidence suggests that simply having your smartphone near you can cause "brain drain," drastically affecting your ability to concentrate on whatever task you're trying to accomplish.

Why our brains have limited cognitive resources.


Our brain is only able to retain a certain amount of information at any particular moment—this is called our "cognitive capacity." Different cognitive tasks require different amounts of our brain's cognitive capacity.  READ MORE...

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator

If you've never taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, it's a personality assessment that groups people into one of 16 personalities or types based on their preferences. And in the case of ENTJs, this powerhouse personality type is known for getting things done—just don't expect them to be sensitive about it. Think Gordon Ramsey or Steve Jobs.

Here's what to know about the ENTJ personality type.

The ENTJ personality type.

ENTJ stands for extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging. According to John Hackston, head of thought leadership at the Myers-Briggs Company, they make up just 1.8% of the population, and they are more likely to be men.

"These natural leaders can be described as curious, energetic, self-confident, pragmatic, creative problem solvers, and decisive," Hackston tells mbg, adding, "Those who have personality preferences for ENTJ are verbally fluent and get energized by interacting with people, exchanging ideas, and making things happen."

Take entrepreneur Bill Gates as a prime example of an ENTJ. This type isn't discouraged by a challenge. In fact, they love it and have had historical success in making great achievements in everything from politics to business.

When under extreme stress, however, Hackston notes they can feel alone, underappreciated, and overwhelmed with self-doubt. Even still, "They won't openly show their feelings," he says.  READ MORE...

Adopting Healthy Habits

A new longevity study reveals that healthy lifestyle habits add up to six years to an individual's life—even if they're adopted in middle or older age. The study, published in Age and Ageing, followed 49,021 Japanese men and women ages 40 to 80 over two decades to analyze how modifiable health habits and behaviors affected their life expectancy.

What did the research find & why does it matter?
While other studies have been conducted on lifestyle habits, health status, and life expectancy in a number of countries with national life expectancies under 85 years, researchers wanted to see if adopting healthy habits in a country with a high life expectancy would also yield an increase in lifetime gains.

In 2020, Japan's national life expectancy was 84.7, with women living an average of 87.7 years and men an average of 81.6 years. These long life spans can be attributed to a number of factors—including a low prevalence of obesity, regular physical activity, lower intake of red meat, and diets high in fish, omega-3s, and polyphenol- and micronutrient-rich plant foods.

Interestingly, this study found that even though the average life expectancy in Japan is high, individuals could further extend their lives by implementing healthy lifestyle habits. In other words? Small, consistent actions that support our health make a big difference—especially when we build upon them.  READ MORE...

Mind Wandering

Research shows that one of the most effective ways to spur creativity is to allow your mind to wander and to follow it without judgment. But science also shows why that is tougher than it sounds.

In 2010, two researchers working at Harvard University began exploring how people feel about and experience mind wandering. They did so by interrupting people at random times of the day by sending texts to cellphone numbers they'd gathered, along with the consent to interrupt. They got responses from 2,250 adults.

The text messages they sent asked a handful of questions. One was, "What are you doing right now?" and that question could be answered with a number from 1 to 22 that corresponded to various common, everyday activities—taking a walk, working, grooming/self-care, doing housework, taking care of children, making love. 

(First off, let's dispense with the joke that for many people sex is not nearly as everyday an activity as they might like.) What's of note about making love is that it was by far the least likely time for a study subject's mind to wander. People were, as they say, on task.

That was not the case, though, for so many other activities.

On average, people's minds wandered 47% of the time.

To read more about mind wandering, CLICK HERE...

Emotional Intelligence

Healthy emotional intelligence can bring you greater joy and fulfillment in your own life, and it surely has the power to increase the quality of your relationships. There's a reason why my recent book Date Smart, which sets out to help people find and build healthy relationships, focuses so heavily on EQ skills: Solid emotional intelligence is critical for all healthy intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. In truth, with so much change and chaos in the world, emotional intelligence is the go-to quality we all need.


But emotional intelligence is not a given. We have to work to gain and maintain our EQ throughout life.

There are five core aspects of EQ:

1. Self-knowledge
2. Self-control
3. Social skills
4. Empathy
5. Personal motivation for self-growth

The depth and breadth of these key components might seem intimidating, but increasing your EQ doesn't need to be complicated. Over the years working with clients as a clinical psychologist, I've developed a simple, actionable strategy that reliably helps people grow in each of these areas simultaneously.

The method is a simple "1-2-3" process. As situations come up in life that bring up uncomfortable thoughts and feelings such as anger, irritation, or confusion, mentally run through these three steps. 

Although the process may feel unfamiliar at first, it will become second nature with patience, practice, and perseverance. Each step naturally increases all five of the core EQ aspects, though some steps will hone certain EQ elements more than others.

With this little "1-2-3" mindset shift—and a lot of ongoing practice—you'll feel your level of EQ growing stronger by the day:  

TO READ ABOUT THESE THREE STEPS, CLICK HERE...

Sleeping Through the Night

What's worse: Struggling to fall asleep in the first place or instantly falling asleep when your head meets the pillow only to wake up in the middle of the night? Neither scenario is ideal, but lying awake in the dead of night, counting down the minutes until you actually have to get up for the day, is a grueling feeling.

Fortunately, there are plenty of expert-backed ways to sleep through the entire night without waking up.

Reasons you might wake up in the middle of the night.

According to sleep expert Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., waking up in the middle of the night isn't uncommon. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, 35.5% of 8,937 participants surveyed reported middle-of-the-night awakenings at least three times per week, while 23% reported waking up at least one time per night.

Wake-ups generally take place during light sleep, or the second of the four phases of sleep when the body's core temperature starts to rise, explains sleep expert Michael J. Breus, Ph.D. Unlike in deeper sleep stages like REM sleep, the brain can easily be awakened during light sleep.

But what causes these middle-of-the-night awakenings? "Sometimes simply going through a stressful time can cause people to wake in the middle of the night," says Teitelbaum. He adds that another common reason people wake up in the middle of the night is their body is experiencing an adrenaline rush triggered by something like low blood sugar or a hormonal flux.

In order to put a stop to your late-night stirring, the first step is to identify why it's happening in the first place. If there's an obvious answer—i.e. you're feeling stressed or you're dealing with a stuffy nose—great. If not, something is, most likely, going on either subconsciously or physiologically, so you'll have to dig a little deeper to get to the root of the issue.

If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night consistently for more than two months, it's important to talk to a physician for professional help and guidance.  READ MORE...

Easing Stress

MBG HEALTH

March 8, 2022 — 17:36 PM

These past two years have piled unexpected stressors on top of our already hectic lives. I don't know about you, but I have had to be more intentional about finding ways to reduce stress and foster calm daily. For me, these things include consuming a nutrient-dense diet, power walking, praying, prioritizing sleep, and doing things that bring me joy (time with family and friends, playing piano, singing, dancing, good food, etc.). I've recently incorporated a new strategy to stress less: mindbodygreen's calm+.

The science behind mindbodygreen's most relaxing supplement.

I lead the mindbodygreen science team, where we keep close tabs on the latest clinical research and carefully vet ingredients to bring you one-of-a-kind supplements. I don't recommend products I haven't critically analyzed and tried myself. That's why I can fully vouch for calm+.

The supplement's hero ingredient is USDA and EU organic certified full-spectrum European hemp oil. This heritage hemp is 100% CO2 extracted, eco-farmed, DNA-tested, and phytocannabinoid-rich, delivering 20 milligrams of CBD per serving. This cream-of-the-crop hemp oil is strategically complemented by two other plants: the world's most bioactive Shoden® ashwagandha extract (boasting 35% glycowithanolide content), and steam-distilled lavender oil from flowers that are high in linalool, a terpene known to elicit calm.*

For a little bit of insider background, we landed on this trio of botanicals because they can nourish and support multiple dimensions of our stress management physiology simultaneously.* Cannabinoids from hemp oil and terpenes from lavender interact with our intrinsic "balancer," the endocannabinoid system, to relax us.* 

Furthermore, ashwagandha is a nootropic herb that works via our hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to bolster our resilience to stress.* And not in a vague sense, either: Clinical trial evidence shows Shoden® ashwagandha's ability to reduce cortisol and DHEA-S, actual hormonal biomarkers of stress, at 240 mg (the dose in calm+).*

Mind you, this premium botanical trio is delivered in one convenient gelcap (no tincture mess nor gummy sugars to worry about here, folks). I should also point out that calm+ is GMO-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and major food allergen-free.  READ MORE...

Enhancing Brain Happiness

Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.


Omega-3s are essential nutrients with benefits that extend from your head to your toes.* And how can you get more of them? You're about to find out! This episode of the mindbodygreen podcast was created in partnership with Kori Krill Oil, the omega-3 superfood with more nutrients in their natural form for superior absorption.*


To lighten your mood and melt away negativity, you have to start with basic brain health. Your brain is an organ, after all, and its proper function is the foundation of cognitive and emotional well-being. "If you get your brain right, odds are you're going to think right, you're going to feel right, and you're going to behave right," says clinical neuroscientist psychiatrist Daniel Amen, M.D., author of You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type, on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast.

To that end, Amen shares some nonnegotiable brain health tips that can ultimately help you become a happier person. Below, find his practical advice for a positive mood long-term:

1. Cultivate purpose
A sense of purpose affects your mood in a very specific way: "Purpose, all by itself, increases dopamine, but it doesn't dump it—it drips it," Amen shares. You see, the more dopamine your brain produces, the more it starts to "wear out the pleasure centers in your brain," says Amen, and your brain craves more and more of it. While purpose does increase dopamine, it doesn't frontload your brain with it—rather, it keeps it at a steady pace over time.

Plus: "Purposeful people live longer," declares Amen. "They're happier, they have better relationships, and their overall physical health is better." And when all of those aspects are thriving, a positive mood doesn't fall too far behind.

As for why a sense of purpose enhances just about every facet of your body and brain health, Amen believes it's all about connection. "When your life is all about you, you're not connected," he explains. Whereas if you have a bigger purpose in life, you're able to see outside of yourself and connect to a larger force. "And our connections are absolutely essential, foundational to happiness," he says.     TO LEARN ABOUT THE OTHER THREE, CLICK HERE...

Nutrient Poor Soil

If you're up to speed on nutrition news, you've probably heard talk that large-scale, industrial agriculture can deplete crops of essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to thrive. 

But why, exactly, does that happen, and what can be done about it?  For such a massive problem, the solution is actually microscopic. How soil microbes contribute to healthy, nutrient-dense food.

In its natural state, soil is full of invisible but indispensable microbes. Like, really full of them. There are more microorganisms in a handful of healthy soil than humans who have ever lived, and the microbes on our planet outnumber the stars in our universe more than a million times over.

In healthy, symbiotic systems, plant roots feed these soil microbes sugars and give them a place to latch onto. In return, the microbes help the plants absorb nutrients in the surrounding soil. 

All life on Earth depends on this mutually beneficial relationship—but some agricultural practices can mess with it.  READ MORE...

Sugar Detective

No matter how well you eat, I can almost guarantee that sneaky sugar is making its way into your diet. But don't worry! Even the most health-conscious among us struggle to know everywhere sugar is hiding and how to be aware of it.

It also doesn't help that food manufacturers continue to spend major dollars convincing us that certain less nutritious foods are somehow good for us, slapping shiny health halos on their packaging to throw us off the trail. But you've got this—just keep this info in your back pocket the next time you head to the grocery store.

Learn to be a sugar detective

Knowing what to look for—on food labels, in the coffee shop line, and on the menu at your favorite local bistro—will go a long way toward helping you ditch sneaky sugars from your diet.

Of course, it's not always so simple. Many "healthy" yogurts you'll find at the store are loaded with about 15 grams or more of sugar—that's the same as swallowing 3 or 4 teaspoons of the sweet stuff. Likewise, countless "protein bars" are just glorified candy bars with some extra nutrients thrown in, plus a few other insidious ingredients that can mess with your gut.

The most important thing to remember as you try to decrease your sugar intake is that you're not powerless against its forces. When you lower your sensitivity to sugar, you can support metabolic balance and flexibility.  READ MORE

Building Self Awareness

Everyone's heard of self-awareness, but what exactly is it? Do you have it? Do you have enough of it? And how does having it help in decision-making?

Simply put, self-awareness is a process of discovery; of exploring your inner knowing. It is an ongoing journey of perceiving your thoughts, feelings, and patterns to arrive at those "light bulb" moments—and here's how to get started.

The more self-awareness you have, the better decisions you will make.

Have you ever started a project or taken a path in life that ultimately led to a dead-end? At some point or another, we've all felt the discomfort of starting over or making a life course correction. Such experiences often leave us confused and asking questions like "Why?" and "What went wrong?"

Self-awareness can help us avoid these pitfalls. When you take in more information from different parts of yourself, you will eliminate false starts and roads that lead nowhere. You'll be more aligned with your whole self or, in other words, more congruent.

Think of the effort it would take to move your belongings by yourself across town versus moving with seven people helping you. Energy and clarity are created when more parts of yourself are aligned. Decisions and actions are faster, easier, and longer-lasting.  READ MORE