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Tag Archives: Buddha’s Brain
Give Over To Good
What is living you? The Practice: Give over to good. Why? In every moment, you and I and everyone and everything else – from quantum foam to fleeting thoughts, intimate relationships, rainforest ecosystems, and the stars themselves – are each … Continue reading
Say Thanks
Each Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to be thankful. When times are tough, finding reasons to be thankful may be challenging or even seem inappropriate or impossible. This year, before we sit around the dinner table, let’s think about the … Continue reading
Relax, You’ve Arrived
Are we there yet? The Practice Relax, you’ve arrived. Why? We spend so much of our time trying to get somewhere. Part of this comes from our biological nature. To survive, animals – including us – have to be goal-directed, … Continue reading
Keep Hope Not Fear Alive
This recent series of posts has used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful — a major feature of the brain’s negativity bias … Continue reading
Confronting the Negativity Bias
My previous post used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful — since that helped keep our ancestors alive — so we are … Continue reading
You Can Feel Safer
Feeling safer is a tricky subject, with complications that can be both personal and political. Continue reading
Posted in Buddha's Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson, Your Wise Brain
Tagged anxieties, Buddha’s Brain, bushes, cough, disasters, economic turmoil, enemies, family members, first error, first mistake, genes, hundred times, layoff, murders, peers, political groups, real tigers, Rick Hanson, shapes and sizes, tiger, trance, tricky subject
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How Did Humans Become Empathic?
Empathy is unusual in the animal kingdom. So empathy must have had some major survival benefits for it to have evolved. Continue reading
Posted in Buddha's Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson, Your Wise Brain
Tagged animal kingdom, baboon, bodyweight, brain size, Buddha’s Brain, computational requirements, early human ancestors, evolution of the brain, group size, harsh conditions, hominid, little creatures, mental capacities, monogamous species, mountain lion, primate species, reptile species, Rick Hanson, scarce resources, social group, survival benefits, vertebrates
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The Wolf of Hate
I heard a story once about a Native American elder who was asked how she had become so wise, so happy, and so respected. She answered: “In my heart, there are two wolves: a wolf of love and a wolf of hate. It all depends on which one I feed each day.” Continue reading
Posted in Buddha's Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson, Your Wise Brain
Tagged anger and aggression, biological evolution, buddha, Buddha’s Brain, compassion and kindness, disdain, droughts, empathy, harsh conditions, human aggression, ill will, Neuroscience, predators, Rick Hanson, scarce resources, shiver, starvation, ups, ups and downs, vital steps, wolves, workplaces
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