This is your brain on rosemary

The scent of Aveda’s Rosemary Mint Shampoo may make you smarter — OK, that’s totally my unscientific conclusion based on the following study findings (and I may only be looking for an excuse to splurge on a bottle of the stuff):

A study published in Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology found that the scent of this pine-y herb helps to boost cognitive performance thanks to a component called 1,8-cineole (which is also found in sage, eucalyptus and bay).

So  next time you need to cram for an exam, use this shampoo (or throw an herb-encrusted pork tenderloin in the oven — or both!).  You can thank me when you ace your test.

Leave a Comment February 28, 2012

Speed and smarts

I’m a much faster runner than a few years ago — and it turns out that I’m smarter, too, or at least a better learner (but let’s just say super duper intelligent…).

See, a study from UCLA conducted on mice found that running and learning use the same brain waves. The pattern of these brain waves are controlled by attention and learning, but they’ve found that they’re also governed by how fast you’re running. The study found that when the mice ran faster, there was a spike in these brain waves.

More incentive for speed training

(and I seriously need these Nike Free+ 2 in this colour — hot!)

Leave a Comment June 29, 2011