A lot of us are constantly on the lookout for ways to boost our mental focus. But many of the suggested techniques for doing so -- like listening to classical music -- haven't been borne out by science.  However, research supports the claim that chewing gum -- yes, gum -- offers various cognitive benefits. The mint in gum increases blood flow to your brain, which in turn improves your memory. In fact, studies show that chewing a stick of gum can improve your short-term memory by as much as 35 percent. People performed better on math and verbal problems -- from repeating numbers backwards to solving complex logic puzzles -- and were about 10 percent more alert when chomping away. (It's important to note that after 20 minutes or so, the benefits of gum chewing essentially dissipated.) One reason may have to do with the fact that chewing mint or caffeinated gum has been shown to reduce sleepiness. Eat your heart out, coffee! A mood boost, too, may await you when you chew gum. One ...

Most of us are constantly looking for ways to boost our brainpower, especially if we're in or nearing retirement.  Thankfully, several foods we eat are not only delightful to the palate, they boast properties that aid in cognitive function and enhance memory.  While there's a plethora we could name, I'd like to focus in this post on one treat in particular many of us -- no matter our age -- can't seem to get enough of: Chocolate!  Made from the seed of the cocoa tree, dark chocolate is one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet. It is rich in iron, fiber, copper, magnesium, and manganese, plus other minerals advantageous to your brain health. A few years back, a research team at Harvard studied the effects of cocoa -- in particular, flavanol, a natural compound in cocoa beans -- in 60 people ranging from 67 to 77 years of age. They were instructed to drink hot cocoa twice a day for an entire month. As it turns out, the chocolate appeared to boost the brain...

Chances are there's someone in your midst who carries an ego bigger than the state of Texas. They're heavily preoccupied with looking good in front of others. They can't bear to lose, whether a promotion to a colleague or a game of chess to a friend. They have an unquenchable thirst to come out on top, no matter the cost. Why is it that some people have such oversized egos?  The answer lies in something known as the egocentric bias . First coined in 1980 by Anthony Greenwald, a psychologist at Ohio State University, egocentric bias is the tendency to depend too heavily on one's own perspective and/or have a higher opinion of oneself than reality. It stems from the psychological need to satisfy one's ego, which research suggests can be advantageous for memory consolidation. As it turns out, ideas, beliefs, and experiences are more easily recalled when they match one's own, inducing an egocentric perspective. The effects of egocentric bias can vary based...

The human brain is our most powerful organ, yet it is also among the least understood. This is precisely what drove me to create a blog that centers on how we can better understand human behavior. A sharp mind can make the difference between a good memory and a foggy one, not to mention the mind exerts a powerful influence on our mood, self-esteem, and overall outlook on life. Below I've compiled 23 fascinating research-backed facts about the human mind that I hope you'll find as intriguing as I do: 1. The mind is often defined as a system of one's mental processes or psychic abilities. 2. Philosophers have used a broad array of metaphors to describe this complex organ, including a television switchboard, a blank sheet, or a hydraulic device with disparate forces operating in it. 3. Attempts to grasp the inner workings of the mind stretch back at least to the ancient Greeks. For one, Leibniz and Descartes believed the mind acquired knowledge via reasoning and th...

It isn't your partner in life. It isn't your best friend. It's you. If you don't love yourself, how do you expect to love others? If you don't believe in yourself, how can you believe in those around you? It all starts with you . Happiness resides on the inside. Material items and other people may make you happier in the beginning, but if deep down you aren't happy with yourself, that feeling is ephemeral. You should never rely on a partner or friend to complete you. A significant other, friend or relative only enhances your life, not completes it. It's unfair to put that kind of burden on another human being. And let's face it: People aren't always dependable. When least expected, they may cheat on, lie to, or backstab you. Or, they may not be around one day when you really need them. What then? You should never rely upon external factors like people and material stuff to make you feel happy or complete. The things that give us the m...

What happened yesterday is only a distant memory now. Turn the page and look forward to what today will bring. If there's one certainty in life, it's that life goes on. What happened yesterday is a springboard to new experiences that await us today and in the future. But we must resist the urge to harp on things we can no longer revisit except in our thoughts. Whether what occurred yesterday was favorable or negative, we cannot remain in the same point in time for too long. Experiences help us learn and grow, and great ones are certainly worth reminiscing about every so often. But if we dwell too much on what happened yesterday, we inhibit ourselves from progressing. Obviously, everyone aims to live as happy a life as possible -- one chock-full of magnificent experiences. But that won't happen if we remain enmeshed in the past. Always remain forward-looking . If yesterday was a lousy day, guess what? Today can be a whole lot better so long as you belie...

You can be forgiven for your words or actions, but chances are they won't be forgotten. I have forgiven people -- friends, ex-girlfriends, and the like -- who have done me wrong. In fact, I have stayed in close contact with most of them to this day. However, their hurtful words and actions remain firmly etched in memory, ready to be brought to bear should these individuals insist they've never let me down before. I try not to pull the plug on relationships I've invested a great deal of time and energy into. We all know that making new friends, especially as we get older, is no easy task. However, I become much more guarded thereafter, ensuring that they never again exploit my kind and giving nature for personal gain. I try to choose my words very carefully -- and act accordingly-- so that I won't later have to issue an apology. However, if I were to say or do something that results in hurt feelings, I most certainly would expect them to look at me with a cau...

Today's quote comes from Dr. Seuss of all people: "Sometimes you will never know the value of something until it becomes a memory." - Dr. Seuss I couldn't agree more with this quote. I'm sure most of us would concur that our youth is the perfect example of something we tend not to appreciate until later, when we can no longer relive those years. I often think about how zealous I was to graduate from college and go out into the real world. While there's a lot to be said about attaining financial security as a working professional, I don't see myself ever being able to recapture the magic of my college years. It's really a unique, transformative time in one's life -- your first taste of freedom, the first time in your life where you actually feel like and are regarded as an adult. I feel my years before college were largely forgettable, and life in corporate America (post-college) is essentially like reverting back to high school, where o...

I took a gander at my wedding pictures and realized that I haven't spoken to many of the attendees who appear in them since the occasion itself. I also reflected on how different some of these people -- and our relationship -- were when we first met. Life changes us all, some a little more than others. Marriage, kids, moving, shifting jobs and changing interests cause us to drift apart from people we were at one point very close to. It's hard to think that some of the people you would interact with on a daily basis are hardly in your life now. Luckily for us, while people have a tendency to change over time, memories endure. I may have lost contact with many of my closest friends from high and college, but the great times we shared remain firmly seared in my memory. When one of those friends comes to mind, I try to reminisce about the good old days, and not fixate on the fact that we've become estranged of late. This phenomenon applies to even my closest friendships. ...