How environment shapes the brain
Plus, a quirk in how we walk
BRAIN WAVES
Zip codes. Where you grow up can make a big difference, and a new study set out to see how different kinds of environmental factors shape children’s brains. Researchers analyzed thousands of scans from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, comparing them against hundreds of different variables, including cognitive ability, demographics, mental and physical health records, along with measures of safe housing, food access and nearby schools. They found that kids from zip codes with fewer opportunities had a brain pattern that looked more stressed and fatigued. Scientific American reported on the research: “Past research has suggested that socioeconomic status is linked to IQ and cognitive scores, but the new results indicate the reason may be entirely to do with how sleep deprived and stressed a child is when they are tested—not their basic cognitive ability.” In other words, what looks like “ability” may just be the downstream effects of chronic stress and poor sleep tied to a child’s environment.
Locomotion. We know about confirmation bias and hindsight bias, but is the way we walk influenced by an automatic tendency, too? A recent study found that people moving in crowds tended to drift into counterclockwise motion. Researchers were curious whether this was just a social behavior or something deeper, so they ran a series of experiments. They put groups of people in circular arenas, moved them into open spaces, and had them walk completely alone. They also observed the movements of children and expanded their experiments to people in different countries. Across every setup, they tested what might change the direction people naturally drifted: things like handedness, culture, environment, group dynamics, or social influence. But none of those explanations held up. People still tended to move counterclockwise, even when walking solo with no crowd to influence them. Researchers called it an “intrinsic locomotor bias.” Study author Echeverría Huarte told The Guardian, “Each of us carries a small personal bias to turn slightly to one side, and when many people share a space, those tiny biases add up into a net counterclockwise rotation.”
Radical, dude. There are hidden beliefs that can leave us feeling stuck in life. Accepting reality as it is can be difficult, but it may be an essential first step in building a meaningful life. Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
Stepping Out of the Shadows: Why does one bad experience have the power to overshadow an otherwise good day? We explore the negativity bias, and ways to rebalance our attention.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Lia Eastep’s Story: During a family trip to New York City, Lia’s father lost his balance on a crowded subway. The stranger who caught him became a role model for how she hopes to respond when others need help.
Don’t forget to send us the story of your unsung hero! Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
THE AMERICAN STORY YOU WERE NEVER TAUGHT
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, a new podcast asks a surprising question: What if the story we tell about the founding of the country is missing a crucial point? Hosted by Indigenous author Rebecca Nagle, First America explores how Indigenous nations shaped the founding of the United States—and how Native resistance influenced everything from the Revolution itself to the creation of the federal government. Drawing on leading Native historians, the series uncovers a forgotten history that challenges familiar assumptions about America’s origins and reveals how our current political moment was 250 years in the making.
MIND GAMES
A group of people collects $529. If each person contributes an amount in dollars equal to the total number of people in the group, how many people are in the group?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
What call for help, when written in capital letters, is the same forwards, backwards and upside down?
The answer: SOS
IS HIDDEN BRAIN YOUR DREAM JOB?
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MOMENT OF JOY
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