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" Lies can be verbal or nonverbal, kindhearted or self-serving, devious or bald-faced; they can be lies of omission or lies of commission; they can be lies that undermine national security or lies that make a child feel better. And each type might involve a unique neural pathway. "

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" As the brain matures, one thing that happens is the pruning of the synapses. Synaptic pruning does not occur willy-nilly; it depends largely on how any one brain pathway is used. "

Robin Marantz Henig

One Thing

Brain

Used

" In the womb, humans are free of microbes. Colonization begins during the journey down the birth canal, which is riddled with bacteria, some of which make their way onto the newborn's skin. "

" It's almost a rite of passage for the middle-aged, it seems, to invent generational stereotypes for dumping on the young. "

" I regret not working harder to create true friendships with other couples, not seeking out people with whom to go do things and go places - people with whom to have a few crazy, memorable bonding adventures. "

Robin Marantz Henig

Regret

True

" Whatever the reason for any one individual's tendency to gain weight, the only way to lose the weight is to eat less and exercise more. "

Robin Marantz Henig

Eat

Exercise

" Scientists who study play, in animals and humans alike, are developing a consensus view that play is something more than a way for restless kids to work off steam; more than a way for chubby kids to burn off calories; more than a frivolous luxury. "

" Anxiety is not fear, exactly, because fear is focused on something right in front of you - a real and objective danger. "

" The limbic system explodes during puberty, but the prefrontal cortex keeps maturing for another 10 years. "

" When a trait is universal, evolutionary biologists look for a genetic explanation and wonder how that gene or genes might enhance survival or reproductive success. "

" Elderly parents tend to think their relationship with their middle-aged children is smoother than the children do. Adult grandchildren, who have little stake in pulling away from their grandparents, tend to describe that relationship as less rose-colored than do Gram and Gramps. "

" Hardships of early human life favored the evolution of certain cognitive tools, among them the ability to infer the presence of organisms that might do harm, to come up with causal narratives for natural events and to recognize that other people have minds of their own with their own beliefs, desires and intentions. "

" Regret is a bitter emotion, so painful that the urge to avoid it often drives decision-making strategies. "

" If you're satisfied with your social life, according to psychologists, you tend to be satisfied with life in general. "

" The human brain has evolved the capacity to impose a narrative, complete with chronology and cause-and-effect logic, on whatever it encounters, no matter how apparently random. "

" For humans and animals alike, truly vigorous, wholehearted, spontaneous play is something of a biological frill. "

" I'm always made a little uncomfortable by studies that assert that Millennials are the most narcissistic generation in history. To me, being young has always meant being self-absorbed; in many ways, that's what youth is for. "

Robin Marantz Henig

Generation

History

" Beliefs about how lying looks are plentiful and often contradictory: depending on whom you choose to believe, liars can be detected because they fidget a lot, hold very still, cross their legs, cross their arms, look up, look down, make eye contact or fail to make eye contact. "

" Some people, no matter how robust their stock portfolios or how healthy their children, are always mentally preparing for doom. They are just born worriers, their brains forever anticipating the dropping of some dreaded other shoe. "

" Many of us are tethered to bodies that sabotage us in our struggle to keep from getting fat, or to slim down when we do. "

" Through social media, young people are constantly being pinged about a whole slew of potentially better matches or social activities. "

" Biology sets the context, and that is critical, but obesity still boils down to whether a person eats too much or exercises enough. "

" As people construct a life narrative, researchers have found, they tend to remember more events from the teens and twenties than from any other time. It's called the 'reminiscence bump.' "

" The music that was popular in your youth seems to be the music you recall most vividly - and most nostalgically - for the rest of your life. But so is the music that was popular in your parents' youth. "

" The tenuousness of modern life can make anyone feel overwrought. "

" I'm a freelance writer, and I work alone at a big desk in the living room of my apartment. There are many days when I don't utter a single word to anyone but my husband. "

" Angels, demons, spirits, wizards, gods and witches have peppered folk religions since mankind first started telling stories. "

" Even though loneliness affects so many of us, it has gotten scant research attention compared to related conditions like depression or anxiety. "

Robin Marantz Henig

Loneliness

Depression

" Friends and relatives might be surprised that I think of myself as lonely. I'm married to a man I not only love but like, and we spend a lot of time together. If I feel like socializing, I can usually find someone to meet for coffee or a drink. "

" There's very little about being in a functional-M.R.I. scanner that is natural: you are flat on your back, absolutely still, with your head immobilized by pillows and straps. The scanner makes a dreadful din, which headphones barely muffle. "

" Alright, alright, I admit it: my husband is the quiet, kind, accepting parent, and I'm the one who wants so much to be part of our two daughters' lives than I can't even let them finish a story without interrupting. "