I used to be that person wandering around a parking lot, pressing my car key remote like...
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.
Yes, changing the font of study materials can affect memory encoding because font style influences attention and...
We’ve all heard the advice: “Just think positive.” It’s the emotional duct tape slapped on everything from...
Breathwork is having a moment. From yoga studios to mental health podcasts, we’re told that slow, controlled...
Yes, writing with colored pens can improve recall by making information more distinctive and easier to encode...
For most of my career, my to-do list was my lifeline. Every morning, I’d open my notebook...
Let’s get something straight: taking care of yourself is not the problem. Of course you should get...
We throw the word “burnout” around like it’s a diagnosis. Tired at work? Burnt out. Struggling to...
For years, my afternoons followed a predictable pattern: around 3 p.m., my energy would dip, my focus...
I used to be terrible with names. I’d meet someone at an event, repeat their name out...