There are some bad habits that we would like to get rid of as quickly as possible. But why is this often so difficult? Why is our brain so attached to recurring behaviors and what can we do about it?
Welt der Wunder Redaktion
At night, while we sleep, we process sensory stimuli that we have absorbed and stored during the day. But can our brain also store new knowledge during our night’s sleep?
We can fly like a bird or suddenly find ourselves naked in front of our boss: some of the things we experience in our sleep are just strange. With a few simple tricks, dreams can be experienced consciously – and even controlled.
Poisonings are among the greatest dangers our organism can be exposed to. Different toxins affect different parts of the body and often the dosage determines life or death.
A survey conducted by Harvard University in the United States found that 44 percent of working adults say that their work affects their health. In Germany, Techniker Krankenkasse conducted a survey which revealed that 64 percent of Germans suffer from stress at least occasionally and 26 percent report that they suffer from stress frequently.
Whether it’s pester power strategies, signs with short-term offers or special scents in the air: by now we are all familiar with the trickery that supermarkets use to get us to buy. But why do we fall for them again and again?
Some pills consist only of sugar and starch – and can still make you healthy. How can the placebo effect be explained? Researchers suspect that the body heals itself in many cases of illness.
Some people can memorize hundreds of faces or phone numbers in a matter of minutes. Everyone is capable of such feats of memory.
Neuroscientists can peer into our brains and read what we are thinking. There are also less chilling possibilities, such as prosthetics that can be controlled by the power of thought.
Soldiers in crisis areas or aid workers on disaster relief missions often have traumatic experiences. The images, sounds and smells remain with some people for the rest of their lives. What happens in our brain? And can trauma be healed?
