What color vision tells you about your brain and multitasking potential

Some of you are better than others at distinguishing between colors. What can this tell you about your brain state and multitasking performance?

Bryant Jongkees • October 10, 2017 • 2 comments

In praise of uncertainty

Research suggests we should embrace uncertainty and seek challenges wherever possible in order to improve mental capabilities and prevent cognitive decline. That does not fit with the zeitgeist: uncertainty makes nervous and anxious. Here's the plan.

Bernhard Hommel • December 20, 2016

Your eyes are windows to your dopamine-driven brain

The average person blinks 15 times per minute, far more often than is necessary to protect the eyes. Why is that? The answer might reveal more about your brain!

Bryant Jongkees • October 18, 2016

The Emotional Bee: Honey Badgers, Cocaine and Dancing Bees

Honeybees exhibit behaviors that could be interpreted as negative emotions. Does that mean that insects have emotions? And what does it mean that cocaine makes bees dance more?

Jon Lykke • November 24, 2015

Flexibility and persistence: a trade-off fit for robots

How can we be both flexible and persistent? And how can robots help us understand this?

Vera Mekern • September 15, 2015 • 2 comments

Sugar, does it make your brain hit the gas or the brake?

As I remember from my experiences in primary and secondary school, we were only allowed to take sweets into the class room during tests. Because, as teachers argued, “sugar gives you the energy your brain needs to stay focused on the test”. Really?

Laura Kolijn • June 30, 2015

Food for switching

Doing multiple things at the same time is difficult, even if you have a little more time to switch between two tasks - as some conflict arises. We recently discovered that in this case, tyrosine helps you overcome this conflict and switch faster.

Laura Steenbergen • February 10, 2015 • 1 comment

How loving cats makes people better in “action control”

Cats are often infected with Toxoplasma gondii, and transfer this to humans. How can this parasite help us to be better in controlling our actions?

Lorenza Colzato and Laura Steenbergen • December 16, 2014

People are different: the effect of tyrosine on cognition may depend on your genes

The food supplement tyrosine can improve your mental performance in an easy and safe way, particularly in challenging situations. How much you improve depends on, amongst other things, your genes.

Bryant Jongkees • October 21, 2014

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