RE:HUMAN Podcast

In this episode, we will discuss the current state of the internet of things, how embedded biometric sensors will impact human peak performance. Which industries will be disrupted by IoT and more.   https://rehuman.com https://jolsid.com https://instagram.com/jolsid  

Do you feel like you never have enough time to do the things you plan or are on your task list? In this episode, we will go over the Law of forced efficiency and learn how to get the most out the time that we have.  https://rehuman.com https://jolsid.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jolsid Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jolsid/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rehuman

Brain Tracy - Eat that Frog We all have our frogs, which mean the important tasks that we’ve put off for whatever reason. The key to success is to eat your frogs quickly, completely and with focused determination. Summary: If you want to gain control of your life, change the way you work. Action is the key to accomplishment. People who do better do things differently. They do the right things right. Eating the frog means identifying your most important task and tackling it with single-minded focus until it is completed. Launch directly into your most important tasks. Your ability to focus on your most important task will determine your success. People fail because they aren’t absolutely clear about their goals. The best rule for success is to think on paper. Write down your goals. Every night, make a list of what you want to accomplish the next day. Have a master list, a monthly list, a weekly list, and a daily list. Identify the one skill that, if you developed it, would have the biggest impact on your career success   RE:HUMAN - https://rehuman.com JOLSID - https://jolsid.com    

Steve Tendon helped with the creation of the Malta Blockchain Regulations, one of the world's first blockchain regulations that were specially designed to regulate and structure the growing bitcoin, altcoin (cryptocurrency) and blockchain industry. Steve is also the founder of Chain Strategies consulting. He is a management consultant, speaker, and mentor who works with organizations to create high-performance teams and help them adapt to new emerging technologies. In this episode, we will discuss the regulations for blockchains, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IOT) and the future of blockchain industry.

Crystal Rose is a lifelong entrepreneur. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sensay, a Los Angeles-based artificial intelligence (A.I.) and communications platform and SENSE, a blockchain protocol. In the last 3 years as an established company, Sensay has raised $21M in capital. Sense Chat is a decentralized apps for iOS, Android app coming soon. Sense Chat is powered by EOS blockchain protocol. Sense Chat allows users to have private video chats using Smart Contracts, connecting you anonymously and securely with friends without sharing your identity. This innovative project is the first decentralized messenger app on EOS, providing peer-to-peer connections with zero data storage or centralized intermediaries. Sense Chat's CEO Crystal Rose, shares her experience getting Sense Chat off the ground. Fundamentals of startups, Ethereum vs EOS and more.

John McAfee is the founder of McAfee Antivirus and later in 2010, McAfee antivirus was acquired by Intel Corporation for $7.68 billion. John has been involved in blockchain space a few years now and has great insights on the future of this emerging technology. In this episode, we will discuss the implications of blockchain technology, the future of bitcoin, the current environment of crypto exchanges and more.

John McAfee is the founder of McAfee Antivirus and later in 2010, McAfee antivirus was acquired by Intel Corporation for $7.68 billion. John has been involved in blockchain space a few years now and has great insights on the future of this emerging technology.  In this episode, we will discuss the implications of blockchain technology, the future of bitcoin, the current environment of crypto exchanges and more.

Effective verbal or spoken communication is dependant on a number of factors and cannot be fully isolated from other important interpersonal skills such as...Continue Reading  

Non-Verbal communication is perceived by our brain as a more credible source of information than the verbal one. We say fine but we are not really fine and...Continue Reading

But there are many other types of communications methods we use today, which if we understand properly can help you become an impactful communicator....Continue Reading

Functional theory takes a stand to understand different attitudes individuals have towards other people, objects or issues pertaining to different circumstances...Continue Reading

When humans are met with contracting information to their personal beliefs or values, they tend to take actions to reduce the dissonance and also possibly...Continue Reading

This theory is based on learning a new process or behaviour via the process of association. Two stimuli or events are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal. Classical conditioning takes place in...Continue Reading

How people explain things, that’s attribution theory.  It’s a theory that explain why and how people perceive events the way they do. How the perceiver gathers information together to form a.... Continue Reading

Needing to know the person you are planning on pursuing is the key to any theory of persuasion. Get to know their motivations, values, personality, goals and also their challenges. The better you know your target...continue reading

The positive effect of scarcity is that it helps us prioritize things or tasks that are more important than the distractions surrounding us. It also helps to...Continue Reading

The positive effect of scarcity is that it helps us prioritize things or tasks that are more important than the distractions surrounding us. It also helps to...Continue Reading

The positive effect of scarcity is that it helps us prioritize things or tasks that are more important than the distractions surrounding us. It also helps to...Continue Reading

This simple act of seeking help and being rescued is so deeply embedded in our subconscious mind, that every time when we get stuck we subconsciously seek...Continue Reading

As humans, we possess a natural human need to form relationships and belong to a group. Therefore, there exists a strong motivation for us....(continue reading)

Social Proof is a psychological phenomenon that is also called informational social influence where people replicate the actions of others in attempt to be perceived as...continue reading

Consistency is what psychologists call a “decision heuristic” or a shortcut for us to make decisions. Life is complicated enough already. Consistency is a practical survival skill in this complex world by giving us....continue reading

Reciprocity - This simple gesture of giving back will increase the levels of oxytocin a brain chemical that is also responsible for love, compassion and care for others. Please listen to episode no.14 for details on oxytocin and how it can...continue reading

Persuasion is an art, because too much of it can make you look aggressive and too little makes you a pest. But when applied right Persuasion can get you what you want.   Persuasion’s first written accounts are found in ancient Greece, where all trials were held in assembly or in public setting, both Prosecution and Defence rested their case as it's done today but the more persuasive you are, the higher the chances of the decision being in your favour. Persuasion was so essential that Artistotle even provided 3 reason why someone should learn Persuasion. According to Aristotle if you lose a case or trial it’s due to lack of Persuasion skills. Therefore you must learn Persuasion in order to defend yourself. It is an excellent tool for teaching - Because as a teacher your need to have students attention so your message as a teacher can be conveyed effectively. Also, as a teacher your need to gain respect of your students and that can only be accomplished if they see you as an influencer. A good communicator must be able to argue from both end of an argument Furthermore, Aristotle provided 3 key ingredients that an effective persuasion master must have: ethos (credibility) logos (reason) pathos (emotion).....continue reading

Imagine that you’re an employee trying to transition to an entrepreneur life. You will need resources to jumpstart a great business idea. How do you get people to help? How do you convince clients or customers to go with you and not with their current vendor? If your target audience are global then how would you communicate to global audience without running into cross - cultural differences?  Another situation could be as a leader you need your employees or team to change the direction of a project, with ease without significant opposition?....continue reading

Human beings are social creatures. We need social interactions in order for us to be happy and to thrive. Also, this same notion of being social was responsible for  the growth of our civilization, it all happened by sharing ideas, developing them and critiquing them. Because of the social interactions we...continue reading Dunbar's Numbers - Relationship reboot

Many of us have experienced failure, we have failed many time and we have recovered from it. But for a lot of us the sense of failure is so profound that it takes over our mind and make it a permanent home, and because of this we start either overlooking our achievements or undermine them because we are always trying to protect ourselves from the experience of failure, so we are on a failure look out and missing out on the moments of celebration of our achievements. Fear of failure forms a self limiting beliefs that becomes a barriers to our future success.We start saying things like we can’t do this, or that won’t work, its not doable and other kinds of self limiting talks....continue reading

Today we will be talking about excuses and yes we all make excuses everything single day. Standard excuses we make usually are like,  my dog ate my homework, or telling your friend that you are busy,  but really what you feeling  like is staying in and watching Netflix. We are not talking about those excuses, even though too many of those are not good either. Excuse we will be discussing are the excuses made by Entrepreneurs, Professionals and Creatives that hold them back from achieving greatness. These are the excuses of not following through, or excuses that are direct result of bad planning...continue reading

There are two types of comparisons that we do:Downward comparisons (with those who seem to have it worse than we do). Upward comparisons (with people who seem to have it better than us) and Making downward comparisons often make us feel better about ourselves and our accomplishments.  But when we make upward comparisons....continue reading

Perfectionism can result from a rigid mindset in which you don’t change your expectations based on present situation your are in. For example, you started a business or a creative endeavor, you set certain standards and expectations for your business. But now as you get into this business even further or going deep into the creative process, you realize that only if you had access to extra resource things would be even better. Now, in order to obtain these resources you start focusing on ways to get more resources so you can achieve the standards and expectations you had initially set for this product....continue reading   JOLSID.com

So you want to be successful, happy and financially independent as soon as possible. You think you have the best idea that will help you accomplish this goal fast. Now a few months have passed and there is no change in your personal finances and your golden idea doesn’t seem to be as golden any more. You start to doubt yourself and you get more focused on the daily routine of the same job (if you have one)  or if not then the process of finding one. Now lounging around and doing nothing, feels good, but when it becomes a regular part of your life then you start to wonder what’s going on? Why am I lazy? What’s wrong with me? Is it just me or are others lazy as well? Are some people lazier than others? You ask yourself all these questions.....continue reading   JOLSID.com

Have you ever heard of the Mozart effect? A set of research results indicating that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks. Later it was mis-interpreted that listening to Mozart can: raise IQ by focusing attention, enhance creativity, reduce stress and tension by moderating heartbeat, blood pressure, and body temperature. Other labs were...continue reading JOLSID.com

Elevated blood sugars damage blood vessels causing progressive decline in brain function. Studies conducted on subjects living with diabetes indicated deficits in learning, memory, motor speed and other cognitive functions. Frequent exposure to high levels of sugar lowers brain capacity, as higher HbA1C (hemoglobin A1c - used to measure plasma glucose concentration) levels is associated with greater degree of brain shrinkage. According to a 2011 study, there was a positive correlation between higher sugar intake and lower cognitive function, which was measured by......continue reading JOLSID.com

Choline is a water-soluble nutrient, which is grouped with the B-complex vitamins. To humans, it’s an essential nutrient because it’s used as a precursor or a “building block” of a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Inside the brain, acetylcholine acts as a neuromodulator altering the way our brain structures process information from point to point having a direct impact on mental clarity and memory.   In 1998 the National Academy of Sciences, USA, evaluated that choline as a required nutrient for humans and recommended daily intake amounts. Choline is one of those key molecules in the world of neuroscience, that has gained popularity in the past few decades due to its ability to not only enhance memory, but also tackle the big guys like Alzheimer's disease. Memory-EnhancerA study conducted in 2004 by Dr. SH Zeisel suggested that when rat pups received choline supplements (in utero or in the second week of their life), their brain function changed the development of the hippocampus in the brain resulting in enhanced memory function. Choline supplementation is......continue reading JOLSID.com

  It’s pretty common knowledge that exercise helps you feel better, physically AND mentally. But have you ever wondered what happens deep down inside our brains that give us that euphoric feeling? Science claims that there are neurobiological effects of physical exercise ranging from change in brain structure, brain function, and cognition. Doing any kind of physical activity helps, however studies have shown that aerobic activity specifically has been found to increase behavioural and neural plasticity, as well as long term effects such as: increased neurological activity, improved memory, improved stress coping and enhanced cognitive control of behaviour...continue reading   JOLSID.com

There’s one chemical that’s responsible for our mood, anxiety and sleep patterns?The star of today’s show is 5-HTP or 5-hydroxytryptophan (also known as the serotonin precursor), It’s an amino acid which our body makes by breaking down another amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that we obtain from various foods. Once 5-HTP is made, with the help of Vitamin B6 it’s converted into another chemical called Serotonin. And as we all know, Serotonin is the “happy” neurotransmitter that controls everything from our mood to our... continue reading   JOLSID.com

World today is moving much faster. Skills required for us to perform at higher levels have increased rapidly as well. Now we are expected to have the working knowledge of more than one thing. People are now acquiring more and more skills and that has raised the benchmark of what an average person needs in order to either compete in their job market or for an entrepreneur running their own business So the question is in this fast paced world of constant changes  how do we increase our cognitive performance to keep up and excel in the world...... continue reading JOLSID.com

GABA is one of the most important amino acid produced in our brain. It acts like the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, working to calm neurons that are firing in excited patterns. JOLSID.com It controls our mood, ability to focus, promotes relaxation and controls stress. Glutamate speeds things up in the brain, GABA does the opposite. So you can clearly see where we’re going with this… How does GABA work in the brain?It’s synthesized directly from the neurotransmitter glutamate de-carb-oxy-lase and can be reversed back to glutamate via the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Brain GABA concentrations and systemic GABA have a reflective effect on each other, which means change in one causes change in the other. This is how GABA self-inhibits itself, by keeping the concentration inside the brain constant.......continue reading  

We recently received some great feedback from a listener. The listener asked why we don't simply focus on success hacks for Creatives and Entrepreneurs. I totally agree creatives and entrepreneurs are in a similar domain but why Athletes. JOLSID.com So, thanks to our listener for your feedback because it resulted in this episode. Entrepreneurs, if you don’t have the tenacity and self-confidence of an athlete then it will  be a tough road for you. The Athletes that don't have the creativity and the hacker mentality of an Entrepreneur than it will be hard for you as well. So, for any individual either Athlete or an Entrepreneur they must possess or either acquire the following traits:   Evolving Creativity Self-Confidence Tenacity and a Hacker mindset, which is being open-minded and always looking for efficient ways to solve a problem... continue reading  

Most of us are aware of Vitamin B12 through the VITAMIN B COMPLEX SUPPLEMENT accompanied along with other Vitamin Bs. Before we get into vitamin B 12, I would like to discuss one of the emails we received following our creativity crisis podcast.   The individual requested to be anonymous, but they had a very interesting question. Their question was and quote “I went to university and graduated with a degree with a really high GPA. I have a job in my related field, that i enjoy. I often find myself thinking of various creative ideas that i could potentially start a business with, but i never seem to stick to one idea. I keep coming up new ideas, but  I fail to execute any of them. I’m not sure where to start, my mind just keeps wandering.   In our creativity crisis podcast, we discussed that one of the traits of creative people is that they have to come up with many ideas for one good idea to implement.   For Entrepreneurs and Creatives the easy part is to come up with an idea but the tough part is to follow through with the execution of that idea. That’s why we have such a high rate of business failures. It's not because of the lack of ideas it's because of the lack of follow through and persistence.   That’s why in this podcast we decided to take the Neuroscience approach vs the fluffy feel good stuff. We just wanted to identify the factors that are responsible for someone not following through, or failing to execute, and the mindset that caused their business to fail.   After reading numerous books on motivational speaking, inspiration and strategies. We figured that not all but most are like your morning coffee that make you feel good at the moment. But they don’t have any proven method that you can replicate within your life. That’s the thing with science it can be replicated, as long as you follow the required steps, you will have the same outcome as the person before you.   But for motivational books to work, you have to buy into their belief system and most of them are like a one pill approach. But real life applications and results vary from person to person and in very few cases leave any factual evidence.   So let's take an example. Say you are super motivated and you just had an aha! moment that you can start a business of your own so you don’t have to work for anyone else. Or you can create something of value that others will pay you for. That’s great.   Now you went out and bought some books, youtubed some business gurus, checked out a few podcasts and now you are inspired like there is no tomorrow.   Ideally the initial steps are to choose your name, website and logo. Those are fun parts but by the time you actually get to shipping your final product out you will have little to no motivation to do so.   Especially if you are a creative or a content creator then you might start running out of original things, then what? Well at this point most entrepreneurs and creatives try to go for mentors and courses.   The things they don’t know but someone else might, its like you didn't get good enough sleep the night before and instead of recognizing the lack of sleep and maybe napping a bit you decide to blame things on work for making you tired.   That's the same approach we take with our new businesses, we never really look deep enough at the causes and keep running to the gurus.   There is nothing wrong with the gurus but what is wrong is going to the wrong person seeking a totally different result. It's like going to the optometrist to get your back fixed. That's the reason we share research with you so you can make an educated decision and identify your own problems and enhance your own performance.   Sorry for taking forever to answer the question and going on a tangent.   So vitamin B12 and all other supplements discussed in this podcast all...

  Few months ago CBS covered the story of Matcha Madness and they went into great length to interview Matcha enthusiasts and its supporters as to why they were so supportive of this Green Tea. Especially, when we look at the numbers and how Matcha has increased 10 folds in popularity within North America in last few years.   As you know we never take things just on face value, so we went ahead and did an experiment of our own. Details of which we will share with you in how to section of this podcast.   Now as Professionals, Creatives, Athletes and Entrepreneurs you are always looking for ways to enhance your cognitive performance within your respective areas of expertise. Well Matcha is a good tool to have in your Neuro Enhancement arsenal. Especially when you need to combat stress and fatigue with all the benefits of coffee, without any of its side effects.   So, let’s examine this closely and see what is in Matcha that makes it so popular? Matcha literally means “powdered tea”. Normally when you consume green tea, you order a traditional green tea, which is when the green tea leaves are infused with hot water, and then the leaves are discarded. When you order matcha, which is a form of green tea, you are actually drinking the leaves. The fine powder is made into a solution by mixing about a teaspoon of matcha powder with a third cup of hot water, and then whisked with a bamboo brush to make it nice and frothy.   Unlike traditional green tea, matcha preparation involves covering the tea plants with shade cloths before they’re harvested. This triggers the growth of leaves with better flavor and texture, which are hand selected, steamed briefly to stop fermentation, then dried and aged in cold storage, which deepens the flavor. The dried leaves are then stone-ground into a fine powder.   Matcha offers many health benefits because it is made from high-quality tea, and you are ingesting the whole leaf. This packs it full of more nutrients than regular steeped green tea. Matcha is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols, which have been tied to protection against heart disease and cancer, as well as better blood sugar regulation, blood pressure reduction, and anti-aging.   Since you are consuming the whole leaf while drinking matcha, you actually consume as much caffeine as you would in a brewed cup of coffee. BUt the good news is, you won't experience that same caffeine buzz because matcha contains l-theanine (please check out our episode 9 for details on theanine), which induces more of an alert calmness. Theanine works by increasing the production of GABA in the brain. Similar to the effects of meditation, it also stimulates alpha brainwaves naturally associated with deep states of relaxation and enhanced mental clarity. l-theanine may increase learning, attention and sensations of pleasure as well. These effects are likely due to the natural dopamine boost brought on by l-theanine.   Why take it? Green tea shows promise for protecting our brain health. In a study presented at the 2015 International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases, those who drank green tea one to six days a week had less mental decline than those who didn't drink it, or who drank black tea or coffee.   Research done at the Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science in Japan and the team led by Moeko Noguchi-Shinohara, MD, from Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, revealed that 12 healthy volunteers, who received a beverage containing 27.5 grams of green tea extract showed increased connectivity between the parietal and frontal cortex of the brain compared to those who drank a non-green tea beverage. The increased activity resulted in improved performance on working memory tasks and decreased chances of Dementia.   According to another study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, catechins,...

Today’s topics is more of a thought provoking question which we can only solve collectively. This is a topic that has impacted all of us and is now a part of our daily lives.   If you wait until the end we will share with you how you can check your current stress levels.   So, Even though Stress is subjective just like pain, we all experience it differently. But it's something we can’t deny that we are all going through. I don’t think there is anything we can do that will eliminate stress from our daily lives.   Either you are a mom or dad staying home and taking care of your family and kids, or you are a professional, or you own your own business and love what you do, or you are an astronaut living outside this planet. We all have one thing in common besides being human, it is that we all face everyday problems and that they evoke stress in our lives.   So what is STRESS? There are two kinds of stresses: Physiological Stress - When there is an imminent danger to our well being or body, our nervous system activates the response by increasing our oxygen intake with deep breathing, increased heart rate to send blood to the muscles required in the body to defend us from the threat, the blood vessels in non active tissues contract or become narrower to reduce blood flow to nonessential parts. And the after effect of the Physiological change is fight or flight.   Psychological Stress - When we are not in an imminent danger but there is something wrong with either our surroundings or within our body like digestive disorders etc.   What do standing frustrated in a checkout line or sitting in a traffic jam have in common with fleeing from predators when compared to our ancestors 1000s of years ago? Clearly, these activities are very different, yet they provoke the same responses in the body— the release of hormones (glucocorticoids and epinephrine) to improve memory, boost immune function, enhance muscular activity, and restore physiological balance. Over long periods of time, as these hormones continue to be released, the consequences can be negative: memory is impaired, immune function is suppressed, and energy is stored as fat. Both kinds of stress are important and are even beneficial in short bursts but when our body experiences these in prolonged sessions and become chronic, that is when it becomes damaging to us.   A study conducted in 2014 by Dr. Jean Twenge, a professor of Psychology at the San Diego State University and the author of more than 90 scientific publications and books. Her study compared the Differences in Depressive Symptoms in the U.S. between people born between 1982–2013 Across four surveys that took in to account 6.9 million Americans. The subjects reported substantially higher levels of depressive symptoms, particularly somatic symptoms, between 2000s–2010s compared to the 1980s–1990s. High school students in the 2010s (vs. the 1980s) reported more symptoms of trouble sleeping, thinking, remembering, and shortness of breath and were twice as likely to have seen a professional for mental issues. College students in recent years (vs. the 1980s) were more likely to report feeling overwhelmed and to believe they were below average in mental and physical health, but were less likely to say they felt depressed.   How can that be? Most people don’t realize that having trouble sleeping and remembering are symptoms of depression. Many people admit to being stressed or overwhelmed but don’t consider themselves depressed. The problem is that stress (psychologists usually call it anxiety) is a risk factor for depression, and depression doesn’t always appear as extreme lethargy and sadness – it often shows up in bodily symptoms. But the important question is Why are we suffering more with stress now?   Dr.Twenge  suggests in her article in Psychology Today that...

Today we we have an interesting topic about Emotions vs Feeling. This is also a very important topic because both Emotions and feelings make us who we are and how others perceive us. Basically, they run the show.   We will be going over  What is an Emotion? and What is a Feeling? What can we do about them? Because usually we end up with their aftermath and try to make sense of it all, just for it to repeat again.   Without wasting anytime let’s do this   We use EMOTIONS and FEELINGS interchangeably in our everyday day speech.   For the past 2 decades there has been an  intense amount of interest in these two topics and that is reflected on the total amount of ongoing research on both Emotions and Feelings. Currently there are many theories about Emotions and Feeling from different disciplines of science like Psychology, Neuroscience, Sociology, History, Medicine, Philosophy and even Computer Science. The computer science’s focus is to understand the science of customers emotions on the internet. Emotion…. in the most simple terms. It is the mental state that influences bodily actions, whereas Feeling is a bodily response that impacts our mental state.   Scientifically speaking   The discoveries made through neural mapping of the limbic system, the neurobiological explanation of human emotion is that when subject’s cognition analyzes a given situation, it in turn starts a biological change or a physiological response which is activated by various hormones and neurochemicals like dopamine, nor-adrenaline and serotonin.   There are two key components of an emotion Cognitive analysis and Physiological response Furthermore the physiological response can potentially initiate an Action and Expression which in turn can provoke feelings.   Now here is how it will play out in the real world.   imagine yourself you are standing in a playground and you see a snake approaching, your brain will now interpret or assess this event -  meaning you will try to make sense of the situation based on your social norm,  that it is a snake and snakes are dangerous, then this cognitive analysis will starts biological changes such as increased heart rate or pituitary adrenal response which in turn will activate neurochemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin.   now based on your interpretation of snakes and the physiological response you will experience fear as an emotion.   But further more if you choose to run away from that snake that would be an action you took based on your cognitive analysis and physiological response. Now while running from this snake you start to scream, the screaming will be an EXPRESSION and if, let’s say you fall on the ground and land on a rock hurting yourself and you experience pain, this pain is the FEELING. And then this feeling of pain registers back in the brain and this experience forms a memory.   So, in short - You experience Fear an Emotion and that Fear caused feeling of pain.   While emotions are temporary,  the feeling that they evoke can remain or even grow over a lifetime.   Dr. Sarah McKay a Neuroscientist and a TEDx speaker said it perfectly that quote“ Emotions play out in the theater of the body. Feelings play out in the theater of the mind.”   And now let's think about it, how many times we have used Emotions and Feelings interchangeably in the past.   Also, there are 5 basic emotions, which can further be divided into sub categories which we will cover in our later episodes.   The 5 basic emotions are: Anger Fear Sadness Disgust and Happiness   Now it's the HOW to: Since we know and can now identify the differences between and Emotions and a feelings, what can we do about them?   Well if you are a Creative, an athlete or an Entrepreneur, now let’s say you...

Creativity is the phenomenon by which something new is created and the newly created creation is somewhat of a value to either the receiver or the creator. The new creation could be intangible like a song, a theory, an algorithm, or  a software. it can also be tangible like a painting or an invented device.   According to numerous authors, we are currently in a creativity crisis because first of all, creativity decreases with age, and secondly our new generations are turning out to be less creative when compared to their parents at the same age. We are getting smarter every decade and our IQ levels are rising but creativity is declining.   In 2005 Dr. KH Kim conducted a study where she analysed all the studies published between 1965 and 2005 that presented any relationship between intelligence and creativity. And she concluded that there was a very negligible relationship between creativity and intelligence. Even though you have a high IQ that does not make you a creative person.   To get further clarity and confirmation reagrding her findings of this 2005 study, Dr.Kim gathered a total of 272,599 TTCT scores from Kindergartners to adults. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). the most reliable creativity test that has been translated into 40 languages around the world.   She even included scores of participants from Canada.   Dr. Kim’s objective was to analyze each element of creativity. The elements of creativity are: Fluency score: represents total number of ideas generated Originality score; explains how unique those idea are Abstractness of Title score: explain how symbolic and abstract  the ideas are Resistance to Premature closure score: describes how receptive and open minded the subjects are   After a rigorous peer-review process Dr. Kim’s study results were published in the Creativity Research Journal in November 2011. And the results are as follows: Fluency score had declined since 1990. Fluency score is  really important because in order to come up with a unique or good idea you have to be able to generate many ideas first.   Originality score had also declined since 1990 indicating that we are less able to generate unusual ideas. Originality is one of the most critical elements of creative thinking.  Rationale for this decline is Psychologically, most of us are uncomfortable with the change,                   uncertainty, new ideas, challenges, and risk that accompany creativity and creative behavior.           In order for thinkers to present original ideas, the climate needs to be receptive, or at least not               hostile to expression and consideration of unusual and wild ideas.   Abstractness of title score also saw a decline since 1998, this is what allows some people to recognize and describe patterns and the essence of problems without distorting the information.   Resistance to Premature Closure scores are on the decline as well since 1998 and it indicates that better solutions require keeping an open mind in order to take the time to understand the problem and to consider all of the potential solutions to the problem.   Keeping an open mind about different people and what they have to offer broadens the scope of potential resources, which also leads to new and better solutions.  Accepting and celebrating diversity is one way to foster creative thinking because considering different points of view or putting seemingly different things together helps us with solving problems or inventing.   This study along with many others provides ample evidence of an era of continued decline in creativity. Acknowledging these declines in areas like creativity, self-awareness and social bonding. This why we decided to start this podcast in order to bring the...

How many friends can you really have? Is there really a maximum number of meaningful friendships we can have? JOLSID.com Scientifically speaking how many people can you potentially maintain a stable social relationship with? Just to clarify by social we mean in person not on Twitter or Facebook.   Basically these are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is and how each person relates to every other person.   According to Anthropologist Robin Dunbar this can vary between 150 - 250 people. After numerous studies of Primates,  nomadic tribes, and historical military groupings the final number of maximum stable relationships never reached a common consensus among the researchers.   Dunbar theorized that the limit of people we can have truly stable and meaningful relationships with is a direct function of our neocortex- which is responsible for our cognitive abilities. Damage to or disorders of the neocortex can develop neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, Dementia, and long term memory loss.   Therefore according to Dunbar the size of the neocortex is directly related to the total number of relationships an individual can effectively have, which is 150-250. This number also includes past relationships, such as colleagues, teachers, and high school friends, with whom a person would like to reacquaint themselves with.   Dunbar's number have become an area of interest in anthropology, evolutionary psychology, statistics, and business management. For example, developers of social software are interested in knowing more about Dunbar’s Numbers because the developers need to know the size of the real life social networks their software needs to take into account;   Further in 1996 Harvard University Press published Robin Dunbar’s book Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language.   The book presents an argument that gossip is a vocal equivalent of manual grooming - in primates grooming is a form of bonding where individuals harness relationships by grooming each other in order to maintain their alliances.   The basic principle is you scratch my back I scratch yours   Once humans start to develop larger brains and start to live in increasingly larger groups, manual grooming was too time consuming and the audience was much larger, so we developed a cheaper medium to groom and that was vocal sounds. Eventually this vocal grooming evolved into a language, initially it was in the form of “gossip”.   This study has a direct impact on  Entrepreneurs and Creatives because it is more than just the exact number of friends you can have, it's more about being selective and initially identifying your target audience, customers, and clients precisely vs being the everything to everyone approach.   There seems to be a Relationship Opportunity Cost Now we aware that we can only handle certain numbers of relationships effectively. It might sound a bit harsh but this study suggests picking and choosing relationships, individuals, clients,  audience or customers very wisely. Maybe this is your time for a “relationship audit”. Try to identify customers, clients, audience, friends, who influence your life in a positive manner. Those who provide constructive feedback, they help you move forward as opposed to holding you back. Also, be mindful of the diversity of talent that you surround yourself with. Just like a team or any good machine, we need different talents, strengths and skills - I read a blog by Steven Johnson that mentions people are like spare parts and differents parts of different shapes come together to build the best machines or systems.   So, for example in a group if you have a doctor, an accountant, a social media consultant, an HR person, an engineer, and an entrepreneur you will find diversity of ideas that make any organization or team successful.

OXYTOCIN is a hormone and it is often called the “love hormone” because of its crucial role found in relationships, social bonding, maternal behaviour and intimacy. Oxytocin spikes are found to be the highest during an orgasm or during an act of kindness.   Oxytocin is a powerful hormone and a neuropeptide that is produced in the hypothalamus and also secreted from the Pituitary Gland. Oxytocin was discovered in 1952 and is currently listed on WHO - World Health Organization's list of Essential Medicines (the most important medication needed for healthier function of human health system.)   An example of oxytocin is when two individuals are attracted to each other and the feelings of care and compassion arise, that’s all because of the rising levels of oxytocin, which we further call Love.   So Why is this hormone so important? Well, this one hormone has the power to change the world and we literally mean it .   Here is a study to back this claim. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, when we perform acts of kindness, the giver and the receiver both were found to have spiked  levels of oxytocin and the individual watching this act of kindness also reported the spiked oxytocin level.   In a recent study in New England Journal of Medicine a 28 year old person walked into a clinic and donated a kidney. This set off a “pay it forward” ripple where the recipient's family further donated their kidneys to someone in need and this domino effect eventually helped 10 people who received kidneys as a consequence of that anonymous donor.   Its very similar to the pebble that creates waves when it's dropped in a pond. The act of kindness ripples outwards touching many lives and inspiring the wave of kindness.   Why should you care about this hormone? Besides the fact the it makes you fall in love and is responsible for feelings of care and compassion.   Oxytocin exposure has also been studied to reduce social anxiety and fear. In 2015 a study conducted by Monika Exckstein and Benjamin Becker at the University of Bonn in Germany. Their aim was to prove that Oxytocin Facilitates the Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Humans.     This study had 62 participants in randomized, double blind and placebo controlled design. These individuals were exposed to the fear conditioning paradigm  by showing them photographs of faces and houses but they were accompanied by random electric shocks. Since, these photographs were non threatening and were neutral in nature, the brain couldn’t respond with presupposed fear.   30 min later they received brain scans and and the activity in their amygdala was recorded. The group was now given a mix of placebo and oxytocin nasal sprays. Then 30 mins later they were exposed to the same photos of faces and houses but without an electric shock. The subjects who received the oxytocin spray when shown the same photos as before without the electric shock, had increased activity in the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for controlling fear.)  Therefore their brain controlled their fear significantly better than the placebo group. How to:   Those of you who are interested in knowing how to apply oxytocin and its ways in your business, team or an organization should look for the Ofactor study from Drucker Institute (we have the detailed study and links on our website jolsid.com ).   According to the Drucker Institute and quote   “ when managers  implement policies that raise trust, colleagues at work have the incentives and resources to perform better, boosting organizational performance. The neuroscience provides precise predictions for how to best practice Ovation (give praise), build eXpectations (set clear goals) and promote the other OXYTOCIN factors.” go check it out on our website.   Now for your personal...

Serotonin, is another neurotransmitter that is integral for some of the most intense and positive emotions we feel in our daily lives. www.jolsid.com Before we jump into the technical side of Serotonin, I want to share some of the benefits that it has in your life and how it indirectly impacts your success. Also, how Serotonin is Different than Dopamine. Appropriate levels of Serotonin  promotes the feeling of comfort, contentment and well-being. It has also been called a “happy” neurotransmitter.The  deficiencies in serotonin can lead to depression and fear. Feeling contentment and sense of well-being is responsible for continuous progression. If we lack contentment and sense of well-being in our daily lives then we opt to live daily on instant gratification lifestyle or things that provide thrill and excitement in the moment. Even though instant gratification is healthy for us in the moment, it tends to create addictive behaviours which could eventually lead to habits that can be destructive for our long term growth and well-being.   For example If we start eating 2 sweets  per day and each time we eat them we get a combination of thrill, benefit and exhilaration for that specific task at that moment (not in the future but at that very moment). This is also simplified to instant gratification that makes individuals become addicted to substances or certain destructive habits. Because the combination of thrill, benefit and exhilaration in the moment sends a wave of Dopamine in our brain telling us that we are happy and excited in the moment, which is not necessarily bad. But If we repeat this action every single day eventually 2 sweets or the reward will become the new baseline and we will not feel the same feeling of happiness that we used to. Now we will have to  increase the stimulus or in this case those sweets in order for us to achieve the same level of excitement or happiness we felt with the 2 sweets initially. That’s where we lack the feeling of contentment and get busy in the chase of that emotion that we felt the first time.   Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that rewards us when there is slow progression and it keeps us motivated though the journey as opposed to seeking the reward now and abandoning the path of growth and slow progress.   Now let's talk about science and history of Serotonin. Serotonin was first discovered by Vittorio Erspamer in Rome in 1935. But it was not isolated and named until 1948 by Maurice M. Rapport, Arda Green, and Irvine Page of the Cleveland Clinic. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter released by neurons in the brain. It's made from the amino acid tryptophan, which is a component of protein that we consume in our daily routine.  Tryptophan can be found in foods like Brown rice, Turkey and Chicken. The majority of Serotonin in humans is present in the enterochromaffin cells of the digestive tract, where it is involved in regulating movement of the gut.   Effects of Serotonin Relaxation A "feel-good" hormone, serotonin helps people to feel relaxed and content. According to Macalester College. Low serotonin levels are linked to anxiety and depression. Like many hormones and brain chemicals, serotonin functions best when it's at optimal concentrations. Normal levels of the chemical promote relaxation, but be cautious that extra Serotonin won't necessarily increase feelings of well being--it may just make the individual feel sleepy. But one of the 2010 studies on excess serotonin viewed sleepiness as One of the benefits of excess serotonin. As sleepiness, which is not necessarily a benefit at the wrong time of day, is certainly welcome at night.   This study in the scientific journal "Sleep" notes that if the brain's serotonin transporters are misshapen, patients experience insomnia. Further, individuals who have difficulty sleeping have long been advised to try a glass of warm milk before bed....

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter or a brain chemical that regulates our movement and emotional responses. It enables us to not only to see rewards, but to take action to move towards them. In simple words dopamine is responsible for drive and motivation. But dopamine has always been simplified and linked to pleasure and rewards. For example when addiction is discussed especially with substances like alcohol, drugs, chocolate, food, porn etc. It's not the pleasure that’s driving it, it's a more deeper combination of thrill, benefit and exhilaration of that specific task at that moment that makes individuals become addicted to substances or certain destructive habits.   During a conference at the society of neuroscience in Chicago it was the emerging view that drive and motivation are the key attributes of Dopamine. It's about figuring out what you have to do to survive and then doing it. A few key attributes of Dopamine are Dopamine Boosts our drive, memory and focus. Dopamine is responsible for the feelings of bliss, enjoyment and even euphoria. Its makes us competitive and provids the feeling of thrill in everyday situations like work, entrepreneurship, sport and love.   Dopamine helped our ancestors survive by giving them an energy boost when presented with a great opportunity, such as locating a new source of food. Who would have thought that we’d need to be motivated to find food. Yet alarmingly, one research in mice suggests that with dopamine deficiency, mice are so unmotivated they starve to death — even when food is readily available to them.     Low levels of Dopamine can lead to you feeling fatigued, hopeless, and forgetful. It can also lead to insomnia, mood swings, inability to handle stress, and an inability to lose weight. People with low dopamine activity may be more prone to addiction. Dopamine deficiency can result in Parkinson's Disease, which is a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremors, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement.   The dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain right behind the forehead, is responsible for executive functions, cognitive behaviour, personality, expressions and decision making.  An increase of prefrontal dopamine is thought to contribute to schizophrenia.   A study published in December 2008 in the journal of Nutrition & Metabolism, by J. Reinholz and colleagues suggested that our brains use dopamine to tell our bodies when to stop eating. Therefore, low dopamine levels may play a role in overeating for people with a genetic predisposition to low dopamine levels. How to Increase dopamine?   L-Tyrosine is an amino acid and the building block of dopamine. You can take an L-tyrosine supplement to boost your dopamine levels. The recommended dose is 500 to 1,000 mg first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. And then another dose between lunch and dinner. Caution: It may raise thyroid hormone production since it is a precursor for its synthesis, so those with a hyperactive thyroid should be wary Additionally, it could theoretically block the uptake from the gut of some drugs that resemble certain amino acids such as levodopa Our brains are composed of 60% fat with DHA omega-3 fat being the most prevalent.  DHA has a very unique structure, it can bend and change shape very rapidly. This rapid change happens billions of time per second in our brain cells, which facilitates the rapid transfer of electrical signals, which become our thoughts and emotions.   Poor electrical signals in our brain cells have a direct effect on dopamine production. Essentially all disorders of the brain, including dopamine-related disorders, are associated with decreased levels of DHA in our brain tissue. DHA boosts dopamine by supporting the brain's electrical signals.   Scientists have discovered that DHA is converted into a...

JOLSID.com - The word “chocolate” has been traced back to the Aztec word “xocoatl” which referred to a bitter drink brewed with cacao. The Aztecs also believed that cacao seeds were a gift from their God of wisdom, and the seeds were so valuable they were used as a form of currency. We now know that cacao is indeed very valuable for its health benefits.   Many of us have heard that dark chocolate is a superfood, and that eating dark chocolate has been linked to many different health benefits. These health benefits include stress reduction, improved heart health, and new studies have revealed that dark chocolate can actually make your brain smarter and improve memory. Raw dark chocolate, which is at least 70% cacao, is a major source of flavonoids, mainly flavanols, which are most famous for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits.  It is the cacao flavonoids that are found to have brain benefits.   Just so we all understand the difference. It isn’t until after the cacao beans are roasted and processed that they are called cocoa. Most cocoa powders have additives like sweeteners or cocoa butter. Once roasted and processed (turning cacao to cocoa), the beans lose much of their nutritional benefits. When you see cacao nibs, powdered cacao (or cacao powder) in the grocery stores, the bean is in their raw state—uncooked, additive free, and unprocessed contain antioxidants.   These flavonoids  have been shown to create enhanced expression of neuroprotective and neuromodulatory proteins that promote neurogenesis and brain connectivity (brain growth). When the flavonoids are absorbed they penetrate and accumulate in the brain regions that are involved in learning and memory, especially in the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays an important part of our limbic system, the region that regulates our emotions. It is also associated with long-term memory and spatial navigation.   Lee Berk, who is part of a California team’s initial studies at Loma Linda University have shown that absorbed cacao flavonoids penetrate and accumulate in regions of the brain associated with learning and memory. Berk believes that the consumption of cacao results in nerve-altering and protective proteins that promote nerve cell growth, increase brain function and brain communication, improve blood flow and promote the formation of blood vessels in the brain and sensory systems. He states that “we have for the first time shown that there is a possible connection of neuroelectric activities that initiate the mechanisms of cacao’s beneficial effects on brain reasoning and intellect, synchronization, memory, recall, mood and behavior.”   Lee Berk presented his findings at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Chicago in late October 2015. He said that this study provides evidence that EEG, gamma wave band frequency, is started by cacao consumption. Cacao can regulate various levels of sensory awareness and increase the density of different EEG frequencies. The most interesting finding is that the EEG gamma wave band frequency associated with the brain’s highest level of mental processing, enhanced memory and recall, and physiological benefits.   Research done at Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre at the University of Nottingham tested 16 healthy young subjects blood oxygenation levels. The data presented shows an increase in the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal intensity in response to a cognitive task following ingestion of flavanol-rich cocoa (5 days of 150 mg of cocoa flavanols). A pilot study evaluated the relationship between cerebral blood flow and a single acute dose (450 mg flavanols) of flavanol-rich cocoa and showed that flavanol-rich cocoa can increase the cerebral blood flow to gray matter, suggesting the potential of cocoa flavanols for treatment of vascular impairment, including...

Research   Leaders at one point in time worked as regular employees. Most of them had to leave their comfort zone to become leaders. It could be for reasons that they didn’t feel ready for a new responsibility, they had never had people reporting to them, or they didn’t feel they could measure up to expectations. Whatever the reason may be, we all get pushed out of our comfort zone at some point in our lives. And with this push is how we grow.   Some leaders attach themselves to their authenticity as an excuse for staying in their comfort zone. It makes them feel like they are being true to themselves. But in all honesty they are holding themselves back, and in cases it can backfire on them. Just imagine an employee that has been promoted to be the supervisor of a department of five. She has always believed herself to be a quiet individual.   Her team notices that their new supervisor just stays in her office and doesn’t have much of a presence in their department. They start walking all over her and going above her head. This supervisor thought she was being true to herself, when she really needed to step out of her comfort zone and communicate more with her department.   A 2013 Gallup poll found that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. Out of roughly 180 million employees studied, only 1 in 8 is psychologically committed to his or her job. A few key reasons for this are frustration, burnout, disillusionment, and misalignment with personal values are cited among the biggest reasons for career change. Companies are encouraging their leaders to discover their “true” selves so they can increase employe morale.   Two psychological profiles about how leaders develop their personal styles have been identified by psychologist Mark Snyder, of the University of Minnesota. The two psychological profiles are “high self-monitors” and “low-self monitors”.   High self monitors or “chameleons” are naturally able and willing to adapt to the demands of a situation without feeling fake. These are people who care about managing their public image and mask their vulnerability. Since they can adapt to situations, they often advance rapidly. The downside of high self monitors is that people perceive them as dishonest. Low self-monitors or “true-to-selfers” tend to express exactly how they think and feel. The problem with low self-monitors is that they stick too long within their comfort zone and this prevents them from meeting new requirements, or evolving their mindset.   How to:   Research done by Herminia Ibarra, a professor of organizational behaviour and the CORA Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning at Insead suggests a few ways to get started on being a more authentic leader:   Learning from a diverse set of role models   Nowadays nothing is original, all learning involves some form of imitation. An important aspect to consider when thinking of being an authentic leader is to take elements for other people’s styles and behaviours and make them your own. Don’t just focus on one person, look for a wide array of role models and pick and chose leadership traits from everyone of them, and compile them into your own mix.   Work on making yourself better   Setting goals for ourselves is very important. By setting goals for learning we get the chance to experiment with our own identities without feeling like imposters. When we do this, we understand that we are in the process of learning and that we won’t get everything right from the start. We get the chance to really explore what kind of leaders we can really become. As per some experiments done by psychologist Carol Dweck from Stanford,when we are concerned about how we will appear to others we actually end up inhibiting our learning of new or unfamiliar...