# brain: the hypothesis of the genetic link between present moment attention and subjective wellbeing.

<< Considerable evidence supports the role of present-moment attention, a central feature of mindfulness, in subjective wellbeing maintenance and enhancement. >>️

<< Consistent with the “generalist genes hypothesis” and prior evidence, (AA) hypothesized that presence and subjective wellbeing would show a substantial genetic correlation and smaller environmental correlation. >>️

<< This study provides the first evidence known to us showing that present-centered attention, a primary component of mindfulness, has both genetic and environmental overlap with subjective wellbeing. >>️

Kirk Warren Brown, Fazil Aliev, et al. A multivariate twin study of the genetic association between present moment attention and subjective wellbeing. Sci Rep 13, 17456 (2023). doi: 10.1038/ s41598-023-42810-x.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-42810-x 

Also: brain, Zen, in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html 

Keywords: present moment attention, mindfulness, subjective wellbeing, generalist genes hypothesis. 

# behav: a case of extreme human-proto-bot love

TUKO.co.ke << has learnt Yuri Tolochko married his beautiful doll fiancee Margo in a traditional ceremony to mark their 18-month relationship. According to The Sun, the 'wedding' was official as it had a celebrant and a dozen of excited guests who could not keep calm after watching Yuri's romantic first dance with his doll. TUKO.co.ke accessed a video from the event which was posted on Instagram and it showed how stunning Yuri looked in his smart black dinner suit and bow tie, with his 'bride' rocking a lacy white wedding gown. >> 

Tuko. Yuri Tolochko: Bodybuilder marries doll after months of romance.

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/yuri-tolochko-bodybuilder-marries-doll-after-months-of-romance/ar-BB1bwl4f

Magda Ibrahim. LOVE ISN'T DEAD. Bizarre moment bodybuilder MARRIES sex doll in creepy ceremony saying she’s a ‘tender soul inside’. Nov 25, 2020.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13297608/bizarre-moment-bodybuilder-marries-sex-doll-creepy-ceremony

Hannah Frishberg. Bodybuilder proposes to sex doll after getting it plastic surgery. Dec10, 2019. 

https://nypost.com/2019/12/10/bodybuilder-proposes-to-sex-doll-after-getting-it-plastic-surgery

Also

All things have a bit of soul. FonT. Apr 26, 2018.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2018/04/zen-all-things-have-bit-of-soul.html

Gabe Ibáñez. Autómata. Movie. (2014).

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1971325/

# zen brain: imagine a movement, in total rest, to train and change brains

AA << use NFB [neurofeedback by fMRI] to train healthy individuals to reinforce brain patterns related to motor execution while performing a motor imagery task, with no overt movement.  (..) After 1 h of NFB training, participants displayed increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the sensorimotor segment of corpus callosum and increased functional connectivity of the sensorimotor resting state network. >>

<< this is the first demonstration of white matter FA changes following a very short training schedule (<1 h). >>

T. Marins,  E.C. Rodrigues, et al. Structural and functional connectivity changes in response to short-term neurofeedback training with motor imagery.  NeuroImage. doi: org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.027.  Mar 18, 2019.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811919302046

Train your brain, change your brain. Scientists developed a technique for brain training capable to induce changes of neural networks in less than one hour.  D'Or Instit. for Research and Education. Apr 14, 2019.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/difr-tyb041119.php

# zen: effects of meditation and music on cellular aging and Alzheimer's disease

<< Telomere length (TL), telomerase activity (TA), and plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) levels have emerged as possible predictors of cognitive decline and dementia. >>

<< Practice of simple mind-body therapies may alter plasma Aβ levels, TL, and TA. Biomarker increases were associated with improvements in cognitive function, sleep, mood, and QOL (quality of life), suggesting potential functional relationships. >>

Innes Kim, Selfe Terry Kita, et al. Effects of Meditation and Music-Listening on Blood Biomarkers of Cellular Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease in Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Oct 11, 2018. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180164.

https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad180164

Meditation and music may alter blood markers of cellular aging and Alzheimer's disease. IOS Press. Nov 13, 2018.

https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-meditation-music-blood-markers-cellular.html

# zen: "walking doesn't get the respect it deserves"

<< Walking is one of the things that distinguishes us from all other animals and, according to a Harvard Medical School Review, "walking doesn't get the respect it deserves". >>

<< Our genome has been evolving over millennia and we still have the same genomes as our hunter-gather ancestors who were active and not obese. >> Anthony Hannan.

Jill Margo. Science shows how walking keeps the brain developing deep into old age.

https://www.afr.com/lifestyle/health/science-shows-how-walking-keeps-the-brain-developing-deep-into-old-age-20180820-h147re

Also

Kinhin

https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinhin

# zen: all things have a bit of soul

<< The robot dogs lined up in their dozens Thursday in Japan were no tech fair display. They were the dearly departed being honoured with their own traditional "funeral." >>

<< Bungen Oi, the priest at the 450-year-old Kofukuji temple in Isumi, east of Tokyo, dismisses the idea that holding memorials for machines is absurd. "All things have a bit of soul" he told AFP (Agence France-Presse) after the service >>

Miwa Suzuki. Fido funeral: In Japan, a send-off for robot dogs. Apr 26, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-04-fido-funeral-japan-send-off-robot.html

https://www.afp.com/en/news/2265/fido-funeral-japan-send-robot-dogs-doc-14c3vl1

# zen: compassionate neanderthal

AA << review evidence for Neanderthal healthcare, drawing on a bioarchaeology of care approach and relating healthcare to other realms of Neanderthal social life. The authors argue that Neanderthal medical treatment and healthcare was widespread and part of a social context of strong pro-social bonds which was not distinctively different from healthcare seen in later contexts >>

AA << suggest that the time has come to accept Neanderthal healthcare as a compassionate and knowledgeable response to injury and illness, and to turn to other questions, such as cultural variation or the wider significance of healthcare in an evolutionary context >>

Penny Spikins, Andy Needham, et al.
Calculated or caring? Neanderthal healthcare in social context.  World Archaeology. doi: 10.1080/ 00438243.2018.1433060. Feb 22, 2018.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2018.1433060

University of York. Compassion helped Neanderthals to survive, new study reveals. Mar 13, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-03-compassion-neanderthals-survive-reveals.html

Also

# s-ethnomed: ancient flexible eat; self-medication among Neanderthals with aspirin and penicillin like.  Mar 18, 2017.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2017/03/s-ethnomed-ancient-flexible-eat-self.html

# zen: short daily mental practices induce structural plasticity in socio-affective and socio-cognitive brain networks

AA << have recently discovered that different types of mental training positively affect either our attention abilities or our social competencies such as compassion and perspective-taking. These improvements in attentional-, socio-emotional or cognitive capacities are parallelled by structural changes in dissociable brain networks supporting these skills. In addition, the scientists were able to show that the release of the stress hormone cortisol after exposure to a psychosocial stressor was significantly reduced only after practising mental techniques aiming at improving social competencies but not by mindfulness-based attention-increasing techniques >>

Tania Singer,  Verena Muller. Improving social skills through mental training changes brain structure and reduces social stress. Max Planck Institute. Oct 4, 2017

http://www.cbs.mpg.de/press-release/improving-social-skills

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171004142653.htm

Sofie L. Valk, Boris C. Bernhardt, et al.  Structural plasticity of the social brain: Differential change after socio-affective and cognitive mental training. Sci Adv  2017; 3(10) e1700489    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1700489 Oct 4, 2017
   
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/10/e1700489

# zen-brain: a low-cost approach (without genetics and/or pharmacology) to become (hypothetically) smarter

<< ‘Superbrain Yoga’ is a quick exercise that can help to enhance your brain’s sharpness and clarity. The method is scientifically validated, according to Queensland Academics, and the practice is based on the principles of subtle energy and ear acupuncture. >>

Kelsey Drain. What Is Superbrain Yoga? How To Improve Cognitive Function With This Yogi Practice.
Nov 7, 2016 01:31 PM 

http://www.medicaldaily.com/what-superbrain-yoga-how-improve-cognitive-function-yogi-practice-403639

Jane Sleeman. SuperBrain Yoga – a simple exercise to maximize brain power. Oct. 30, 2014

https://qahs.eq.edu.au/superbrain-yoga-a-simple-exercise-to-maximize-brain-power/

Kelsey Drain. The Science Of Acupuncture: Treatment Activates Opioids, Lowers Hypertension.
Nov 2, 2016 10:48 AM

http://www.medicaldaily.com/science-acupuncture-treatment-activates-opioids-lowers-hypertension-403084

# s-age: dietary restriction to extend lifespan

<< Dietary  restriction  is  known  to  extend  lifespan  in  many  species.  It  has  now  been  shown  to  reduce  DNA damage  and  extend  lifespan  in  mice  modelling  human  DNA-repair  disorders. >>

J.  Oshima,  G. M.  Martin. Ageing:  Dietary  protection  for  genes. Nature   537,   316–317  (15  September  2016)   doi:10.1038/nature19427 Published  online   24  August  2016.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v537/n7620/full/nature19427.html

W.  P.  Vermeij  M.  E.  T.  Dolle'. Restricted  diet  delays  accelerated  ageing  and genomic  stress  in  DNA-repair-deficient  mice. Nature Volume: 537, Pages: 427–431 Date published: 15 September 2016 DOI: doi:10.1038/nature19329

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v537/n7620/full/nature19329.html

FonT: nella costellazione di "ricette" anti- invecchiamento la restrizione alimentare, intesa non come "dieta" ma come "stile di vita", e' l'approccio che nel corso degli ultimi decenni ha avuto (e ha tuttora nella letteratura scientifica internazionale) conferme sperimentali significative; uno stile che sa  associare (giornalmente) controllo alimentare bilanciato e attivita' fisica "dolce" (secondo una generica pratica zen, ad es.) sembra  l'approccio meno rischioso e il piu' efficace tra quelli proposti.

# s-A.I.: a Buddhist-like A.I. can hack humans via Turing test; the begin ...

<< The Turing test, the quintessential evaluation designed to determine if something is a computer or a human, may have a fatal flaw >>

<< The test currently can't determine if a person is talking to another human being or a robot if the person being interrogated simply chooses to stay silent >>

<< Warwick [Kevin Warwick] was organizing Turing tests for the 60th anniversary of Turing's death when he and his colleague Huma Shah, also a computer scientist at Coventry University, noticed something curious: Occasionally, some of the AI chatbots broke and remained silent, confusing the interrogators. >>

Tia  Ghose. Robots Could Hack Turing Test by Keeping Silent.  LiveScience. July  13,  2016.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/robots-could-hack-turing-test-by-keeping-silent/

more:

# zen: silence revolutions

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2016/04/zen-silence-revolutions.html

# s-zen-tai-chi: comparative effectiveness of tai chi versus physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis (by nccih.nih.gov)

<< For  patients  with  painful  knee  osteoarthritis,  tai  chi  was  as  helpful  as  physical  therapy  in  reducing  pain and  improving  physical  functioning,  according  to  a  new  study  partially  funded  by  the  National  Center for  Complementary  and  Integrative  Health [NIH-NCCIH] >>

<< Previous  research (..)  has  shown  that  tai  chi—a  traditional Chinese  mind  and  body  practice  that  combines  meditation  with  deep  breathing,  relaxation,  and  gentle movements—can  reduce  pain  and  improve  physical  functioning  in  patients  with  knee  osteoarthritis, but  this  is  the  first  study  in  which  tai  chi  was  compared  with  a  standard  treatment  that’s  known  to  be helpful >>

Study Shows Tai Chi and Physical Therapy Were Equaly  Helpful  for  Knee Osteoarthritis. May  17,  2016.

https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/tai-chi-knee-osteoarthritis_2016

Wang  C ,  Schmid  CH , et al. Comparative  Effectiveness  of  Tai  Chi  Versus  Physical  Therapy  for  Knee Osteoarthritis:  A  Randomized  Trial. Ann.  Intern. Med. 2016  May  17.  doi:  10.7326/M15-2143.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27183035

# zen: silence revolutions

<< Every  person  on  earth  has  a  field  of  silence  within.  Innate  to  the  ability  to  run  is  the  ability  to walk,  and  the  ability  to  walk  contains  the  ability  to  stand  still.  It  is  the  same  with  the  mind. Inherent  in  the  ability  to  talk  is  the  ability  to  think;  the  ability  to  think  contains  the  ability  to  think quietly--to  feel  or  intuit.  The  ability  to  think  quietly  holds  the  possibility  for  the  mind  to  be completely  still.>>

Ann  Purcell. The  Silence  Revolution 04/05/2016  04:18  pm  ET

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/the-silence-revolution_b_9612766.html

also: Inchingolo GM. 2123 - le dislocazioni pausali di Theo. Monday, February 26, 2007

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2007/02/2123-le-dislocazioni-pausali-di-theo.html

# s-zen-art-chem-tech: Miura-ori approach to self- tessellations

<< Harvard scientist L. Mahadevan and his team have devised a way to make virtually any shape out of a flat sheet of paper, using a fundamental origami or tessellation fold >>

http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-make-almost-any-shape-out-of-a-flat-sheet-of-paper

Levi H. Dudte, Etienne Vouga, et al. Programming curvature using origami tessellations. Nature Materials (2016) doi:10.1038/nmat4540

http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4540.html

# s-zen-behav: a compassionate, fundamental approach

<< compassion — and intentionally cultivating it through training — may lead us to do more to help the wronged than to punish the wrongdoer. Researchers found compassion may also impact the extent to which people punish the transgressor >>

http://news.wisc.edu/a-compassionate-approach-leads-to-more-help-and-less-punishment/

Helen Y. Weng, Andrew S. Fox, et al.  The Role of Compassion in Altruistic Helping and Punishment Behavior. PLOS ONE, 2015; 10 (12): e0143794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143794

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0143794

<< Un punto focale del pensiero di Shih T'ou e' il concetto di mutua interazione (hui hu) tra chiarezza e oscurita'. Questo significa che il mondo delle contaminazioni e quello della purezza sono interdipendenti. Se abbandoni uno, abbandoni anche l'altro >>

"6. Meta' combacianti (Ts'an t'ung ch'i) del maestro Shih T'ou Hsi Ch'ien (700-790)";  in "La poesia dell'illuminazione ". Astrolabio, Ubaldini Ed., Roma (2001); pag.97. " The poetry of enlightenment". Dharma Drum Publications, New York (1987).

# s-zen-brain: exercise may enhance ...

<< (..) moderate levels of physical activity enhance neuroplasticity in the visual cortex of adult humans >>

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/cp-pam113015.php

Lunghi C.,  Sale A. A cycling lane for brain rewiring. Current Biology, December 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.026

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)01288-9

# s-zen: tai chi as physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis

http://www.newswise.com/articles/tai-chi-found-to-be-as-effective-as-physical-therapy-for-knee-osteoarthritis