What Our Minds Create: Images of Labor

“The idea of labor in my mind often evokes antiquated images and stories of people working hard on major constructions, such as cross-country railroads, and folklore legend John Henry and his superhuman strength exemplifies that concept. This painting depicts his glorious death, moments after he beat a steam drill in a race to tunnel through a mountain.”

Reblogged from hyperallergic: From “Ain’t Nothing but a Man”; courtesy the National Archives, by Palmer Hayden (via)

What Our Minds Create: Curiosity

Our mind’s natural curiosity is at the heart of our fascination with magic.  We sit and watch a magician perform tricks that feel supernatural. Magicians are wonderful crafts-people. They design and execute tricks that create illusions to feed our mind’s curiosity.  Without our unique mental ability to enjoy exploring the unexplained (curiosity), a magician would not be thought of as an entertainer but would be burned at the stake.  The magician knows that the mind enjoys being tricked and we ask, “How did the magician do that?” This question is food for our mind’s curiosity as we use logic to understand something that appears magical and illogical.

Poster reblogged from turnofthecentury: Poster advertising an appearance by the magician Howard Thurston, the “King of Cards.” - c. 1915

What Our Minds Create: Ability to mentally cope with sports injuries

“Sports injury recovery generally focuses on physical rehab, but using a bit of sports psychology can help an athlete recover faster and learn to use setbacks to become a more confident and resilient athlete.”  Learn how

From Elizabeth Quinn, Sports Medicine Guide

What Our Minds Create: Movement

In order for dancers to feel music and coordinate rhythm and movement across space, their nervous system needs to coordinate a complex dance of its own in order to keep the mind and body in sync.  The more intricate the dancer’s movements and creative expression, the greater the demands on his or her mind.  So, when you see a dancer in motion, immersed  in character, you need to imagine the amazing fireworks of neurons communicating throughout his or her brain to create the outward beauty you see.

Photograph reblogged from kri-shma:Motion:Photography Served

What Our Minds Create: Concussion from a head injury

The Illinois High School Association’s new rule governing concussions means that if a player is suspected of having a head injury, he or she can be removed from the game. “The player can return only if cleared by a proper medical professional, otherwise he or she will sit out the remainder of the game,” Chris Hine reported in “Going to max protect.”

But concussions are sometimes hard to identify, diagnose and treat. HERE are some answers to common questions parents may have.  

From Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune

What Our Minds Create: Need to tinker with a good thing

The need for businesses to make money motivates the minds of their product designers to conceptualize ways to position an old product with a different market. When doing so, their minds have three basic decisions to make: How can we change the design and add or enhance features? How can we alter the existing design but keep the same features?  How can we add something to the existing product but keep the existing design? 

Well, the Stay Puft Marshmallow designers asked themselves these questions and came up with the “caffeinated marshmallow” in a rubber, marshmallow-like box. When I first saw that the little Stay Puft Marshmallow guy is now caffeinated, I had the same feeling I get when I see a child pop singer or actor being asked to grow up too quickly— “It ain’t right.”  But who am I to say?  

What do you think about what came out of the minds of the Stay Puft product designers?  Is it ain’t right or just right?

Product update from Uncrate

What Our Mind Creates: Perfect pitch

When Mariah Carey belts out a glass-shattering high note, it’s impossible for most listeners to identify the tone.

Not for her. Carey possesses perfect or absolute pitch (AP), the ability to identify tones without any external reference. Just as most people recognize the colors green or sky blue, those with AP instantly recognize a C or E-sharp.

Learn more to see if you have perfect pitch. From Psychology Today

What Our Mind’s Create: Writer’s block

As the cartoonist Mark Anderson explains, when he has writer’s block, he changes his mind’s frame of reference (such as from humans to animals) that helps him spark new creative insights.

“Every cartoonist has a bag of tricks for when they get writer’s block.”

“Mine includes exaggeration, combination and reversal, but one of my favorites is anthropomorphism, or more simply… talking animals.”

“When I get bored with a traditional scene or setup I drop in a bear, a mongoose or, in this case, a bunch of bees.  Then I set my mind on figuring out what’s going on.  It’s a good way to lubricate the ol’ brain, and it’s just plain lots of fun.”

“The only problem is figuring out how to draw bees in a hive conference room, which I think I could still work on.”

From Small Business Trends

What Our Minds Create: Need to define and label ourselves

Our unique mental ability to self-reflect and compare ourselves to others in the world drive us to define and label ourselves through language and images.  Our self-definitions become the narrative of our long-term memory about who we have been and are in life.  Who are you?  Finish the following phrase and let us know: “I am….”

From mclee: leilockheart: define yourself