Short answer: Growing evidence suggests dreaming does serve real cognitive functions, particularly helping to consolidate memories and...
Oscar Forrester
Very Big Brain is written by Oscar Forrester, a researcher and writer with a long-standing fascination with how the brain works. Oscar spent several years working in hospital IT, including on infection control systems, and grew up in a household shaped by medicine — his father was a physician and his mother a registered nurse. He is not a clinician himself, and nothing on this site should be taken as medical advice. What he brings instead is a rigorous, source-first approach to research, honed over two decades of writing (he’s authored numerous published books, primarily on software development), and a genuine curiosity about the science of cognition. Mr. Forrester strives to present complex topics in a clear and engaging manner, making it easy for you to understand and apply the knowledge to your daily life.
Short answer: Both, though its two roles are often confused. Melatonin is genuinely effective at shifting the...
Short answer: Sleeping longer than your body needs increases the odds that you’ll wake up in the...
Short answer: Largely yes, though not in the way the popular “tears flush out toxins” explanation suggests....
Short answer: The strongest evidence supports gratitude journaling changing brain function, measurable shifts in activity within reward...
Short answer: Yes. Brain imaging research shows that experiencing awe, whether from a sunset, a vast landscape,...
Short answer: Yes. Research has established a genuine, bidirectional communication network between the gut and the brain,...
Short answer: It depends on the task and the music. Background music tends to help with simple,...
Short answer: It’s more complicated than the popular phrase suggests. Being mentally active throughout life is genuinely...
Short answer: Processing speed slows with age largely because of gradual changes to myelin, the fatty insulating...