The discovery of the “default network” of the brain—the part of the brain at work when we are not purposefully engaged in other tasks—is one of the most important recent discoveries in neuroscience. Neuroscientists have discovered that solitary, inwardly focused reflection employs a different brain network than outwardly focused attention.
The Intelligence of Emotions: Philosopher Martha Nussbaum on How Storytelling Rewires Us
The stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we feel shape our emotional and ethical reality, which of course is the great psychological function of literature and the reason why art can function as a form of therapy.
The Science of Stress and How Our Emotions Affect Our Susceptibility to Burnout and Disease, by Maria Popova
How your memories impact your immune system, why moving is one of the most stressful life-events, and what your parents have to do with your predisposition to PTSD.
This is your Brain on Beethoven! Daniel J. Levitin and Understanding the Neuroscience of Music
The relationship between music and science is more complicated (and beautiful) than we ever imagined.
Why Spiritual Transformation has a lot to do with the Brain, by Rob Moll
The attention required in spiritual practices like deep prayer, contemplation, study, and worship is what the brain needs to grow in lasting ways.