10 Brainteasers to Test Your Mental Sharpness

To test your mental acuity, answer the following questions (no peeking at the answers!): 1. Johnny’s mother had three children. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Okay, some of these are a bit corny. Thanks to the way our brain works, we have a very strong tendency to see what we want to see and what we expect to see. When we only see what we want or expect to see, we miss competitive threats because our brain tells us a threat couldn’t possibly come from that direction. Our brain doesn’t like information gaps, so we tend to jump at the first answer/solution that looks good rather than take the time to examine all the data. For example, how did you answer question #1 (be honest)? And what about the man with the wooden leg? Perhaps the best example of how we miss things is the egg yolk question. We can’t change how the brain works – at least not yet. Get in the habit of teasing your brain. See also: The Secret Power of Introverts

Even TV in the Background Impacts Brain Development in Children A systematic review for the effects of television... [Pediatrics. 2006 Objective: The purpose of this work was to conduct a systematic review of experimental trials for the effects of television viewing by infants and preschoolers. Methods: Searches were conducted as of January 2005 on several online bibliographic databases for the disciplines of medicine, psychology, education, and communications. Relevant bibliographies were also reviewed. The article contents were critically evaluated to determine whether they met inclusion criteria. Results: Twelve controlled trials met all of the criteria for inclusion in this review. Conclusions: A number of gaps remain in the literature.

Positive effects of family dinner are undone... [J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to test the independent associations of eating dinner as a family and having the television on during dinner with child feeding behaviors. Parents/guardians of children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in New York state were surveyed (n=1,336). Main outcome variables were frequencies of serving fruits, vegetables, and milk. Main exposure variables were the number of days per week the family ate dinner together and the number of days per week the television was on during dinner.