A professor of cognitive science argues that the world is nothing like the one we experience through our senses.As we go about our daily lives, we tend to assume that our perceptions—sights, sounds, textures, tastes—are an accurate portrayal of the real world. Sure, when we stop and think about it—or when we find ourselves fooled by a perceptual illusion—we realize with a jolt that what we perceive is never the world directly, but rather our brain’s best guess at what that world is like, a kind

Perhaps you’ve had this feeling when everything seems like it’s too much. Sometimes there are days, weeks, months and even years when getting through the day, doing your job or getting out of bed feels unbearable for no particular reason. It might be due to anxiety, depression or another mental illness. It might be due to a physical or mental distress. It might be because you broke up with the love of your life. It might be because you are in grief. It might be for no vivid reason as well – you

A paper in The British Medical Journal in December reported that cognitive behavioral therapy — a means of coaxing people into changing the way they think — is as effective as Prozac or Zoloft in treating major depression.In ways no one understands, talk therapy reaches down into the biological plumbing and affects the flow of neurotransmitters in the brain. Other studies have found similar results for “mindfulness” — Buddhist-inspired meditation in which one’s thoughts are allowed to drift

Love. We are all addicted to love indeed. Not just the idea, not just the feeling, but the neurochemistry of love. The experience of love favorably changes our neurophysiology in both mind and body. When we experience love, our body produces its own natural opiates, endorphins, the feel-good neurotransmitters. Among these chemicals is oxytocin, often called our “love hormone” because of its crucial role in mother–child relationships, social bonding, and intimacy (oxytocin levels soar during

This morning, like every morning, I sat cross-legged on a cushion on the floor in my comfy yoga pants, rested my hands on my knees, closed my eyes, and did nothing but breathe for 20 minutes.People say the hardest part about meditating is finding the time to meditate. This makes sense: who these days has time to do nothing? It’s hard to justify. Meditation brings many benefits: It refreshes us, helps us settle into what’s happening now, makes us wiser and gentler, helps us cope in a world that