Do you know why daydreaming is good?

Prof. Know Why answers:

Call it woolgathering, but we all love to steal away from real life to indulge in roving thoughts or daydreaming. But what is daydreaming or rather, how do we define daydreaming? Daydreaming or mind-wandering - familiar to one and all, is more precisely defined as a state of mind where thoughts that are experienced by an individual are unrelated to what is going on in the environment around them.

Let’s see why and when we daydream? In the recent studies, researchers found that our minds often wander fancifully while we are engaged in familiar tasks, such as making a sandwich or doing a regular household work, because we don't need to concentrate on it. They observed that daydreaming could be the result of the brain mulling over important - but not immediately relevant - issues when the external environment ceases to pose interesting and engaging.

Scientists now have identified the regions of the brain responsible for our ability to daydream. A default network of cortical regions, including parts of the medial prefrontal cortex (involved in executive functions), the premotor cortex (which coordinates body movements), and the cingulate (part of the limbic system that is implicated in memory and learning) are said to be active when we daydream.

The studies claim that daydreaming relieves stress and those who daydream, can often be great problem-solvers as daydreaming improves thinking. History says it all – while Sir Isaac Newton sat under the apple tree daydreaming, gravity did its work! Therefore, it could be concluded, daydreaming is good as it is a look at the positive side-effects of the wandering mind. And the best part is, it can be done anywhere and at any hour.

So what are you waiting for?

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• Do you know why broken heart can be fatal?

Do you know why you should drink?

Prof. Know Why answers:

Drinking had been always associated with forgetfulness until recently, as a new research has overruled this age old theory. A glass or two of wine can boost our ability to remember, says a new study. Scientists have found that moderate amounts of alcohol challenge the brain and it responds by improving the memory.

The findings rubbished the notion of drinking to forget, as they also show drinking enough to exceed the limit for driving means you are more likely to remember the embarrassment of an unrestrained spell – from making an indecent proposal to dancing without your trousers on. Contrary to popular belief, it has also been found that excessive levels of alcohol even enhanced memories of highly emotional stimuli. In fact, heavy drinking actually reinforces negative memories.

But moderate levels of alcohol consumption, equivalent to one or two of wine a day, enhance memory on the whole. Researchers suggest - just like the best way to build strength in a muscle is to challenge the muscle, moderate levels of alcohol challenge the brain and it responds by improving memory.

So alcoholics, you get yet another excuse to rejoice and celebrate! Cheers!

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• Do you know why we fall in love?

Do you know why we blush?

Prof. Know Why answers:

We all experience that deep rush of pink to the face known as blushing, sometime or the other. It happens when we are embarrassed, anxious, angry, ashamed, guilty or receiving unwanted attention. Blushing means we are uncomfortable. Along with that normally goes an avoidance of eye contact with others and a glowing or tingling sensation over the entire body.

But why do we blush when we are embarrassed? Well, blushing is a nervous reaction that triggers tiny blood vessels in the skin to widen. This allows more blood to flow to the skin, causing the reddening.

Scientifically, blushing begins with an emotion - usually one associated with self-consciousness. A confused state of mind then acts upon the sympathetic nervous system. From there, the vasodilators (parasympathetic nerve fibers) are stimulated which causes the peripheral capillaries to expand. As a result, more blood flows to the surface of the face and neck, resulting in the reddening of the face and neck.

Sometimes people may not blush visibly, but may react differently, like tapping their fingers noisily or clearing their throat. Blushing is associated more with the young and inexperienced, rather than the aged. And, it has also been observed that women blush more readily than men do.

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• Do you know why we cry?

Do you know why broken heart can be fatal?

Prof. Know Why answers:

You feel great when you are in love and it shows, because your health glows. But why and how does your health react in case of an undesired break-up? Scientists say, intense stress caused by bereavement can make someone ‘die of a broken heart’.

While it has always been suspected that emotional problems can put the heart under pressure, this was believed to have been caused by ‘primitive’ brain regions, such as the brain stem sending messages to heart tissue. Bereavement has been one such unexplained problem.

Researchers say, that in such a situation, the regions of the brain responsible for learning, memory and emotion can destabilize the cardiac muscle of someone who already has heart disease. So, when we are under stress like this, the ‘higher regions’ of the brain take part in a vicious circle of activity which can trigger harmful rhythms in the heart.

Doctors say, the activity in ‘higher level’ regions, such as the cortex make the heart to stress, often worsening the situation. And thus, the brain areas responsible for regulating heart function can be unbalanced, which in turn can increase the risk of sudden death through cardiac arrest.

So now, do you know why broken heart can be fatal? Just take care and take things easy, if and when you are going through such a situation in life!

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• Do you know why we fall in love?
  

Do you know why we fall in love?

Prof. Know Why answers:

When you are young, passion is so strong that it’s almost impossible to stop loving someone! But ever thought why this happens? Well, it’s all in the brain. First comes initial attraction, the spark. Then comes the wild dizzying infatuation of romance – a unique magic between two people who can’t stop thinking about each other. The brain uses its chemical arsenal to focus our attention on one person, forsaking all others - say research scientists.

The brain in its first phase of love is much like a brain on drugs, i.e. the cravings and pleasure unleashed are as strong as any drug. And certain regions in the brain are deactivated, such as within the ‘amygdala’, associated with fear. That’s why you can do many insane things, when in love.

All these ‘falling for’ episodes are actually the effects of conflicting reactions of the front brain and the middle brain. The front brain is believed to be the logical thinker, with reasoning and experience. So while the front brain is lecturing you about the flirtatious nature of the girl and telling you that she is the wrong person for a long time steady relationship, the middle brain is awed by her sexy thighs, deep cleavage and her come-hither stare.

And alas, when it comes to choosing mates, even smart neurons in the brain can make dumb choices. So if the owner of the brain is in 20s, all bets are off. But if the brain’s owner is in his 40s he might think twice about that cleavage baring temptress, and might listen to his front brain.

So who would you like to listen to – the middle or the front brain?

Post your experiences – how you feel when you are in love?

Do you know why we cry?

Prof. Know Why explains:

Women cry 64 times a year on average, while men just 17, says a recent study. Actors and politicians do it on demand though! But why does crying happen in the first place?

When we become upset, our brains and bodies overreact and work overtime, producing chemicals and hormones. Crying helps eliminate t,hese extra chemicals that we don't need, in the form of tears. These tears are formed in tiny glands present in the upper eyelids of our eyes, called lachrymal glands.

Scientifically, emotional tears contain high levels of manganese and a chemical called prolactin.

As our tears flow, they sooth our sadness or distress by disposing of these chemical agents. That is why generally, we feel calmer or more refreshed after crying, because the tears get rid of these hormones that are produced when we are sad, happy, or distressed.

Do you know why we laugh?

Prof. Know Why explains:

The reasons we laugh, including ‘contagious’ laughter, may be products of evolution. Natural laughter is a two-part, spontaneous, response to humor, that has physiological, psychological, and physical benefits. Most agree that we laugh when we find something to be humorous, though different reasons exist for what we find to be humorous. Additionally, different things are humorous to us at different stages of life.

Laughter, a physiological response to humor, can be broken down into two parts. The first is a set of gestures, and the second is the production of sound. The brain forces to conduct both responses simultaneously.

From a physiological standpoint, a ‘sensor’ in the brain responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generate more laughter. Oddly enough, laughter is an orderly response, and almost occurs spontaneously during pauses at the end of phrases, earning it the name the ‘punctuation effect’. Human beings are the only species capable of laughter, and an average adult does so approximately 17 times per day.

Scientists say that laughing is a great exercise and estimates that laughing 100 times is equivalent to a 10-minute workout on a rowing machine, or 15 minutes on a stationary exercise bike.