Listening to music can be a deep and profound experience. It can induce different moods and states of being.

Also, science tells us that music has several benefits like, for example, lowering blood pressure, lowering heart rate and decreasing anxiety.

Listening to music also activates and engages multiple areas of your brain.

When you actually play an instrument that activity becomes more like a full-body workout for the brain.

Both playing and listening to music have a vast amount of positive effects on the mind and body. There are numerous practical applications to change people’s lives, many of which are yet to be applied.

Just like meditation in schools can help children’s development, so can music. Playing music can aid in literacy and improves academic results, and more active participation increases the benefit.

Studies show that students who played instruments in class improved neural processing compared to students who attended the music appreciation class. [1] [2] [3] Continue reading →

Everything you see around you every day consists of physical matter – or so it seems. When we take a closer look at objects we see that they consist of atoms. Have you ever tried to imagine how small an atom is, or how much empty space it consists of? Atoms were thought to be the smallest building blocks of the universe for around 2000 years. We now know that atoms consist of smaller particles and that they are mostly empty space. In this video Jonathan Bergmann uses understandable metaphors to give you a sense of the insanely small size and the enormous density of the nucleus of an atom. Prepare to have your mind blown. As you just saw, atoms consist of vast amounts of empty space. Let’s take this a bit further. When quantum physicists look closely at atoms, they keep finding smaller building blocks and more empty space. Scientists now believe that tiny vibrating strings of energy make up the building blocks of the nucleus. In fact, all “matter” seems to consist of tiny vibrating strings of energy. In other words, the physical world you see around you consists of electromagnetic waves – light! Your physical body is not that physical at all. It is light, or energy. Continue reading →

We all want to thrive. We want effective methods to transform our lives. Personal growth is a major drive for people.

The information overload makes it increasingly harder to know what to trust.

Also, humans tend to make decisions based on emotions rather than facts and logic.

The self-help industry is capitalizing heavily on the growing interest in spirituality and personal transformation.

It has changed the life of countless people to the better.

Still, many people are skeptical and dismiss much of it as non-scientific nonsense. These people often cringe when they hear terms such as “crystal-healing,” “tarot cards,” and “spirit animals.”

Meditation, too, was once a weird, mystical ritual for these people.

Now, a heavy body of research supports its wide array of benefits.

The practises that are backed by science are increasing in number. Some of the most scientifically recognized of these are gratitude, meditation, visualization, and keeping a journal.

Gratitude

When science looks at personality traits that correlate with people’s happiness, gratitude is usually among the top three [1]. Wealth and possessions are far down the list.

Our brains are wired to see more of what we already focus on. By making a conscious effort to shift your focus onto something that you’re thankful for, you’ll help the mind find more and more such things, and create good emotions. Continue reading →

I recently escaped the city life for a weekend. Into the forest I went, to a cabin with no running water or electricity. My whole system gradually unwound itself as I slowed down, let go of stress, and reconnected with nature. A sense of inner peace returned to me, and I felt rejuvenated for a long time.

In the city, just looking at the trees in the beautiful park outside my window brings me pleasure. Watching the newly sprouted leaves dance in the wind puts a smile on my face.

If you are like me, a walk through the park allows you to relax and enjoy the present moment. A growing body of research gives us deeper insight into the processes behind this, and the health benefits associated with being in nature.

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Urban life is a fairly new concept for our species. During most of our evolution we have been living in close contact with nature.

Sure, we have had great civilizations and big-cities for several thousand years, but not the noisy concrete jungles we have today. Nevertheless, cities are great hubs for novel ideas and new technologies. They gather a lot of human resources in one place.

City life, despite its benefits, is associated with higher rates of mental illness, including depression. Research suggests several ways to increase nature-induced well-being, even in cities. Having a view with natural elements, such as trees, seems to impact well-being [1]. Inner city children who have a natural view from their home seem to have higher levels of self-discipline [2]. Continue reading →