Why Your ‘Dopamine Fast’ Could Backfire
In the same brand of pop culture shorthand that labels oxytocin the “love hormone” and cortisol the “stress hormone,” dopamine is classified as the “reward” chemical we deliver ourselves a…
An Age-By-Age Guide to Helping Kids Build Executive Function
Photo: Ground Picture (Shutterstock) We usually hear about executive functioning skills in the context of mitigating the executive dysfunction experienced by many adolescents and adults. But executive function doesn’t just…
Multitasking Is Making You Worse at Everything
Photo: Dragon Images (Shutterstock) On the surface, the concept of multitasking sounds dynamic and kind of cool—the word originated in the 1960s computer boom, after all, and retains its connotations…
How the ‘Primacy Effect’ Can Help You Remember Information
Photo: Gorodenkoff (Shutterstock) Your brain is complex, but once you figure out its little intricacies—like that it can only store about seven units of information in short-term memory—you can exploit…
Use the ‘Chunking’ Method to Actually Remember What You Studied
Studying is a necessary pain when one is in school, which is why we have devised so many ways to do it. Everyone learns differently, but some methods are more…
22 Things You Should’ve Learned in High School (and Where to Learn Them Now)
Photo: Lesterman (Shutterstock) High school is supposed to be the place where we get the fundamental skills we’re going to need in life. It’s also supposed to be the place…
Why We Actually Need More Mindless Activities
Photo: fizkes (Shutterstock) Staying focused in a world of nonstop work emails and social media notifications is a never-ending challenge. As much as we talk about the importance (and difficulty)…
Your Child’s Short Attention Span Is Actually Helping Them Learn
Photo: FamVeld (Shutterstock) A child’s short attention span can be something to behold. One moment, they are playing with their train, the next moment they’re spinning in circles, and now…
How Your Kids Can Actually Benefit From Screen Time
Photo: fizkes (Shutterstock) As adults, it’s impossible to escape the use of screens, both at work and at home—and for kids, it’s increasingly no different. Given how much more screen…
How to Help a Child Who Struggles With Executive Function
Photo: BAZA Production (Shutterstock) Executive function can be thought of as the brain’s manager: It is how we identify priorities, make plans for how to get things done, and adjust…