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I've never been a fan of this "your brain changes" terminology that news outlets are so fond of, as if a mere change in your brain is somehow meaningful. Obvio

I've never been a fan of this "your brain changes" terminology that news outlets are so fond of, as if a mere change in your brain is somehow meaningful. Obviously, everything you think or experience changes your brain in some way. It's like saying that opening a new browser window changes your screen. Duh! That's the point of a monitor. Its pixels have to change in order for it to work. Change is a necessary part of how any machine works. The only brain that doesn't change in response to stimuli is a dead brain. (This isn't to say that all changes in the brain are equally mundane. Many changes are interesting and meaningful! But the simple presence of change is a low enough bar as to be meaningless.)

hnuser123456 2y ago
I agree. The study seems keen to point out that there are various cycles of the brain with various lengths. They claim to have identified a 2-week cycle. It seems likely the brain has all kinds of cycles at geometric-sequence varying frequencies. A ~100hz cycle for updating your vision. A ~20khz cycle for detecting sound pressure changes. A 90 minute sleep cycle. And now apparently, a weeklong cycle and a 15-day cycle. A bad sleep on Sunday night might dampen my whole week if I don't get a chance to make up. A paycheck only comes once every 2 weeks. My brain is a bit different a few days before receiving a check than a few days after. The rest of the article seems to be advice about "maintain healthy habits so they stick" which is nothing new.
_xiaz 2y ago
Additionally I am bothered by the insistence of these outlets to forego connecting the brain and the mind, as well as hormones and feelings. Like cortisol and dopamine or whatever are just chemical representations of feelings, are they not? And large areas of the brain are just a physical representation of the mind, right? It's like they pretend the brain is just some other organ, like our liver or kneecap, and not the irreducable self. Maybe that's relatable too

hnuser123456 2y ago

I agree. The study seems keen to point out that there are various cycles of the brain with various lengths. They claim to have identified a 2-week cycle. It seems likely the brain has all kinds of cycles at geometric-sequence varying frequencies. A ~100hz cycle for updating your vision. A ~20khz cycle for detecting sound pressure changes. A 90 minute sleep cycle. And now apparently, a weeklong cycle and a 15-day cycle. A bad sleep on Sunday night might dampen my whole week if I don't get a chance to make up. A paycheck only comes once every 2 weeks. My brain is a bit different a few days before receiving a check than a few days after. The rest of the article seems to be advice about "maintain healthy habits so they stick" which is nothing new.

_xiaz 2y ago

Additionally I am bothered by the insistence of these outlets to forego connecting the brain and the mind, as well as hormones and feelings. Like cortisol and dopamine or whatever are just chemical representations of feelings, are they not? And large areas of the brain are just a physical representation of the mind, right? It's like they pretend the brain is just some other organ, like our liver or kneecap, and not the irreducable self. Maybe that's relatable too