Living Well

Healthy and wholesome lifestyle news updates and serious discussions about topics central to living well. Updated daily.

Networks of Beliefs theory integrates internal and external dynamics

The beliefs we hold develop from a complex dance between our internal and external lives. A recent study uses well-known formalisms in statistical physics to model multiple aspects of belief-network dynamics. This multidimensional approach to modeling belief dynamics could offer new tools for tackling various real-world problems such as polarization or the spread of disinformation. […]

Published on September 21, 2024

Play it forward: Lasting effects of pretend play in early childhood

As the school year revs up, a renowned child developmental psychologist highlights the robust benefits of pretend play on cognitive, social, and emotional development in children and cautions how ‘learning through play’ has changed with the demands of contemporary society. Given natural selection’s shaping of childhood for the acquisition and refinement of species-adapted social-cognitive skills […]

Published on September 21, 2024

Adding nuance to link between brain structure and ideology

Using MRI scans of almost 1,000 Dutch people, researchers show that there is indeed a connection between brain structure and ideology. However, the connection is smaller than expected. Nevertheless, the researchers find it remarkable that differences in the brain are linked to something as abstract as ideology. Read Full Article (External Site) Dr. David LowemannDr. […]

Published on September 20, 2024