Maybe it's a cultural difference. I prefer kefir, myself. But then, I'm pro-biotic...
--Doug On Sat, Sep 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM, Nicholas Thompson < nickthomp...@earthlink.net> wrote: > I cannot … for the life of me …. Understand what the mind-body “problem” is > any more than I can understand what the computing-transistor problem is (if, > indeed, there are still transistors in computers.) We would never wonder > why a better transistor would make the computing better; why would we wonder > why a better stomach would make the mind work better. To me, the > interesting psychological question is why people see it is a problem. What > is that they want to make of the mind that makes the mind-body problem a > problem?**** > > ** ** > > Nick **** > > ** ** > > *From:* friam-boun...@redfish.com [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] *On > Behalf Of *Victoria Hughes > *Sent:* Saturday, September 17, 2011 1:09 PM > *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > *Subject:* [FRIAM] Fwd: The Psychology Of Yogurt**** > > ** ** > > Probiotics, reduced anxiety, and thoughts about the weird, wrong perception > that we exist separately from our bodies, somehow. **** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *Date: *September 17, 2011 12:18:17 PM MDT**** > > *Subject: **The Psychology Of Yogurt***** > > *Source: *Wired Science » Frontal Cortex**** > > *Author: *Jonah Lehrer**** > > ** ** > > My latest WSJ > column<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904265504576566820066488938.html> > uses a new study on probiotics as a launching pad to explore the > mind-body problem, perhaps the most perplexing mystery in modern science:* > *** > > One of the deepest mysteries of the human mind is that it doesn’t feel like > part of the body. Our consciousness seems to exist in an immaterial realm, > distinct from the meat on our bones. We feel like the ghost, not like the > machine.**** > > This ancient paradox—it’s known as the mind-body problem—has long perplexed > philosophers. It has also interested neuroscientists, who have traditionally > argued that the three pounds of our brain are a sufficient explanation for > the so-called soul. There is no mystery, just anatomy.**** > > In recent years, however, a spate of research has put an interesting twist > on this old conundrum. The problem is even more bewildering than we thought, > for it’s not just the coiled cortex that gives rise to the mind—it’s the > entire body. As the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio writes, “The mind is > embodied, not just embrained.”**** > > The latest evidence comes from a new study of probiotic bacteria, the > microorganisms typically found in yogurt and dairy products. While most > investigations of probiotics have focused on their gastrointestinal > benefits—the bacteria reduce the symptoms of diarrhea and irritable bowel > syndrome—this new research explored the effect of probiotics on the brain. > **** > > The experiment, led by Javier Bravo at University College Cork in Ireland, > was straightforward. First, he fed normal lab mice a diet full of > probiotics. Then, Mr. Bravo’s team tested for behavioral changes, which were > significant: When probiotic-fed animals were put in stressful conditions, > such as being dropped into a pool of water, they were less anxious and > released less stress hormone.**** > > How did the food induce these changes? The answer involves GABA, a > neurotransmitter that reduces the activity of neurons. When Mr. Bravo looked > at the brains of the mice, he found that those fed probiotics had more GABA > receptors in areas associated with memory and the regulation of emotions. > (This change mimics the effects of popular antianxiety medications in > humans.)**** > > Furthermore, when he severed the nerve connecting the gut and brain in a > control group of mice, these neural changes disappeared. The probiotic diet > no longer relieved the symptoms of stress.**** > > Though it might seem odd that a cup of yogurt can influence behavior, the > phenomenon has been repeatedly confirmed, at least in rodents. Earlier this > year, Swedish scientists showed that the presence of gut bacteria shapes the > development of the mouse brain, while French researchers found that treating > human subjects with large doses of probiotics for 30 days reduced levels of > “psychological distress.” There’s nothing metaphorical about “gut feelings,” > for what happens in the gut really does influence what we feel.**** > > Nor is it just the gastrointestinal tract that alters our minds. Mr. > Damasio has shown that neurological patients who are unable to detect > changes in their own bodies, like an increased heart rate or sweaty palms, > are also unable to make effective decisions. When given a simple gambling > task, they behave erratically and lose vast sums of money. Because they > can’t experience the fleshy symptoms of fear, they never learn from their > mistakes.**** > > This research shows that the immateriality of mind is a deep illusion. > Although we feel like a disembodied soul, many feelings and choices are > actually shaped by the microbes in our gut and the palpitations of our > heart. Nietzsche was right: “There is more reason in your body than in your > best wisdom.”**** > > This doesn’t mean, of course, that the mind-body problem has been solved. > Though scientists have ransacked our matter and searched everywhere inside > the skull, they still have no idea why we feel like a ghost. But it’s now > abundantly clear that the mind is not separate from the body, hidden away in > some ethereal province of thought. Rather, we emerge from the very same > stuff that digests our lunch.**** > > If you’d like to learn about the microbiome lurking inside your pipes, I > highly recommend this wonderful > slideshow<http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/08/08/an-introduction-to-the-microbiome/> > by Ed Yong.**** > > Read > more…<http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/the-psychology-of-yogurt/> > **** > > ** >
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