Three short divulgation essays – 3 Increasing well-being: the neuroscience of good habits

Well-being is a broad concept encompassing multiple dimensions, all unified by subjective states of positive mood and long-term pleasure. Despite the overestimation of the impact of certain methods such as supplements or therapies without sufficient scientific backing, there are habits with strong empirical evidence that significantly enhance well-being. This essay explores, from a neuroscience perspective, the impact of exercise, meditation, sleep, and nutrition on well-being. It highlights that exercise not only improves physical health but also plays a crucial role in mental health by alleviating anxiety and depression, enhancing cognition, and increasing resilience to stress. Likewise, meditation has positive effects on emotional regulation, pain control, and brain plasticity, with demonstrated benefits at the structural and functional levels of the brain. Continue reading Three short divulgation essays – 3 Increasing well-being: the neuroscience of good habits

Neurociencia/Neuroscience

Can neuroscience tell us anything about cross-cultural differences?

This essay explores the intersection of neuroscience and cultural studies, analyzing how brain function, genetics, and cultural values interact to shape behavior. It highlights the emergence of cultural neuroscience, a field combining disciplines such as neuroplasticity, cultural psychology, and gene-culture coevolution studies, to explain cross-cultural differences. It challenges the notion of unidirectional causation, emphasizing the bidirectional influence between genes, brain processes, and cultural environments. The essay reviews key studies on topics like socio-economic status, racial identification, religiosity, and the serotonin transporter gene, illustrating how culture and neural mechanisms mutually influence one another. Finally, it questions simplistic causal models and stresses the need for nuanced interpretations of how biological and cultural factors coevolve. Continue reading Can neuroscience tell us anything about cross-cultural differences?