Brain Function, Creativity, Health, Fat Loss

[Curt :-)]

Hey you beautiful people ;-)
I've been thinking about mental stimulation as it pertains to health and also fat loss. I may be imagining it, but I think artistic people tend to leaner, and perhaps appear to be healthier/happier (of course, this is a gross generalisation based purely on observation).
I recall someone on the forum paraphrasing Dr Peat with something to the effect of "a walk in stimulating surroundings consumes more energy than a jog in familiar surroundings". This leads me to think that perhaps this the reason people tend to loose a lot of weight while travelling, despite usually eating a less than desirable "road diet" supplemented with alcohol.

Dr Peat has also suggested that "stimulating life" is important to health and perhaps increases the metabolic rate.
If healthy amounts of mental stimulation via creative pursuits improves health, then can we safely assume that a lack of it can undermine health and lower the metabolic rate?

Thoughts, experiences, marriage proposals?

 

[Milklove]

Hey. I think you really are onto something here.
About a year ago I got interested in drawing after I read Rays opinion on painterly science. This was during a very tough and stressful time of my life and drawing helped me to cope with all the bad things that were happening to me. I don't think that it's benefits are only short-term (although it can put you in a high-dopamine like state), but it changed the way I look at things. Up to this day I am drawing enthusiastically and it never fails to motivate me.

A few days ago I developed a different habit that is motivating me. I gathered a big collection of pictures I find interesting like places I want to visit, good memories, Art and Style, cool interior designs and much more. Out of this collection I created a dia-show that is constantly running on my laptop and I look at this whenever I enter my room. I had the best mood ever the last few weeks!!!

I can definitely state that "good" stimulation made me more stress resilient and improved my mood drastically.

 

[Curt :-)]

Thats awesome Milklove! I play music, but I've recently began to draw as an alternative kind of outlet. It's really enjoyable! Though I'm not very good at it yet lol. You should share some of your drawings sometime

Check out these self portraits a girl did throughout an LSD trip. AMAZING http://thechive.com/2013/11/14/girl-dra ... 12-photos/

 

[Milklove]

Hey Curt, this article may interest you. It talks about structurally different brains of artists.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26925271
"The people who are better at drawing really seem to have more developed structures in regions of the brain that control for fine motor performance and what we call procedural memory," she explained.

And a study confirming the same: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24691200
BTW, I don't think that artistic talent is innate. I had no artistic talent whatsoever as a kid.
But what I noticed is that metabolism and creativity/ artistic talent effect each other. A good metabolism leads to more "talent", and being creative improves your metabolism.

What kind of music do you play?
If you were writing your own songs or composing, it would probably produce the same structural brain changes, but any creative activity should be beneficial.

Thats awesome Milklove! I play music, but I've recently began to draw as an alternative kind of outlet. It's really enjoyable! Though I'm not very good at it yet lol.

If you are a total beginner the book "Drawing on the right side of the brain" could really improve your drawing skills. For me the Proko youtube channel was really helpful! He is a funny and very talented guy. :) http://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV

You should share some of your drawings sometime

Yeah. We should create an art-subforum. Ray would probably love the idea of sharing art and inspirations in our community.

Oh, and I love these self protraits. They are so mystical.
It makes me want to try LSD even more.

 

[Milklove]

Hey you beautiful people ;-)
I've been thinking about mental stimulation as it pertains to health and also fat loss. I may be imagining it, but I think artistic people tend to leaner, and perhaps appear to be healthier/happier (of course, this is a gross generalisation based purely on observation).
I recall someone on the forum paraphrasing Dr Peat with something to the effect of "a walk in stimulating surroundings consumes more energy than a jog in familiar surroundings". This leads me to think that perhaps this the reason people tend to loose a lot of weight while travelling, despite usually eating a less than desirable "road diet" supplemented with alcohol.

Dr Peat has also suggested that "stimulating life" is important to health and perhaps increases the metabolic rate.
If healthy amounts of mental stimulation via creative pursuits improves health, then can we safely assume that a lack of it can undermine health and lower the metabolic rate?

Thoughts, experiences, marriage proposals?

There is something I want to add. I believe that we are strongly effected by our use of TVs, internet and smartphones. Basically everything with a screen provides a stimulus (negative or positive) and I don't think you can generalize the effects of certain devices. It totally depends on the content you are watching.

For example, if you are watching a movie that really inspires you and you continue thinking about it for a long time, it was a positive stimulation. If you are watching a series/ movie with repeating or simple content, it is negative stimulation. (although one might argue, that you are not getting stimulated at all)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24965030
Television viewing was directly associated with all-cause mortality. However, computer use and time spent driving were not significantly associated with higher mortality.]
This is really interesting. Since computer use and time spent driving are not significantly associated with higher mortality, I highly doubt that the increased mortality of tele viewers is due to being sedentary.
The crucial difference is that watching tele is a passive, using the computer or driving is an active activity.

I suppose, that there is also a difference between looking a pictures and looking at videos. I would like to illustrate this using the porn vs. no porn/no fap debate as an example.
You don't need to be a genius to realize that constantly looking at porn videos is damaging for your (brain) health. You get the reward (orgasm) without actively doing anything. I could rant about the bad effects of porn videos for ages, but I am just going to name decreased libido, objectification of women and decreased sexual performance.
As a result there are people praising the no porn/ no fap method. I have never done this, but I can't imagine that this is healthy as well.

Ray Peat -
London taxi drivers were recently found to have an enlargement of part of the hippocampus, compared to the brains of other people, and the difference was greater, in proportion to the time they had been driving taxis. Their brains have been shaped by their activities.

Our brains are shaped by our activities. If we experience no sexual stimulation, that part of our brain responsible for enjoying sexual activities will degenerate. Of course the best would be having sex.

The next best thing is our mind. Anything that stimulates our imagination is great. This could mean fantasizing about sex, looking at stimulating pictures or reading sex stories. If you masturbate while doing it is up to you.
The difference with looking at pictures is that your brain knows that it is not real and has to actively imagine the sexual activity.

I haven't watched porn videos in ages. A few weeks after I stopped I experienced increased libido and extremely increased stamina (holy ***t ). I also enjoy sex/orgasms a lot more and I became more sex-creative (if that is a word).

 

[Curt :-)]

Firstly, "sex-creative" is a rad word and I am adding it to my vernacular right this minute to be used and abused out of context just to annoy people.

A lot of great points there MilkLove I'm a singer/songwriter/guitarist.
Totally agree about TV; it's the worst! I don't even own one. My mate just told me that when he lived in Germany there was no free-to-air TV (there still isn't, as far as I know) and at the time he was so broke that he opted out of having one. Now he raves about how stupid and useless they are, and how if he never ditched the idiot box he would never have learnt how to do the rubix cube in half a minute, among other cool things that result from so-called "boredom".

I can't get LSD anywhere (I'm in Australia). It sucks, I really want to try it.

Porn is probably worse than TV! I've been trying to quit, but it's not easy, though I have managed to keep porn and masturbation separate from each other (baby steps, right?).

 

[Milklove]

Firstly, "sex-creative" is a rad word and I am adding it to my vernacular right this minute to be used and abused out of context just to annoy people.

A lot of great points there MilkLove I'm a singer/songwriter/guitarist.
Totally agree about TV; it's the worst! I don't even own one. My mate just told me that when he lived in Germany there was no free-to-air TV (there still isn't, as far as I know) and at the time he was so broke that he opted out of having one. Now he raves about how stupid and useless they are, and how if he never ditched the idiot box he would never have learnt how to do the rubix cube in half a minute, among other cool things that result from so-called "boredom".

I can't get LSD anywhere (I'm in Australia). It sucks, I really want to try it.

Porn is probably worse than TV! I've been trying to quit, but it's not easy, thouugh I have managed to keep porn and masturbation separate from each other (baby steps, right?).

As a singer/ songwriter you are definitely exercising the creative part of your brain. On a side note, did your voice, especially your singing voice, change when you started Peating? Mine totally changed and improved quite a bit.

I didn't even know that there are places where free-to-air TV exists I don't own a TV and I rarely watch a movie on my laptop. Also I get easily bored when I am watching a movie that isn't absolutely mind blowing. Apparently my brain isn't used to mindless entertainment anymore

Some of my friends tried LSD and they all got in Australia. So maybe you can find it somewhere.

Actually I think keeping porn and masturbation seperate is much more than just a baby step! Keep it up.

 

[pboy]

maybe that's why ive been so thin my whole life...especially in recent times, im pretty much always in a high state, reciving and sprawling personal and spiritual insight. That is something I noticed also, as with musicians too...the best ones are always fit to some degree and/or thin. I think there are many factors to this...any and every time you express yourself deeply, its like a release in a way...makes digestion and gut very easy, stress levels low. In the case of musicians you are always physically and mentally stimulating yourself, even getting stronger while playing...and excersizing, even a singer. But that Peat quote about a stimulating environment rather than a familiar...that sums it up, in terms of thought also...those having more unique novel thoughts...willing to go out on a limb and trust themselves and who they are, the spiritual support, its highly consumptive to energy as compared to replaying a known routine...not to mention its a million times more fun

 

[Milklove]

maybe that's why ive been so thin my whole life...especially in recent times, im pretty much always in a high state, reciving and sprawling personal and spiritual insight. That is something I noticed also, as with musicians too...the best ones are always fit to some degree and/or thin. I think there are many factors to this...any and every time you express yourself deeply, its like a release in a way...makes digestion and gut very easy, stress levels low. In the case of musicians you are always physically and mentally stimulating yourself, even getting stronger while playing...and excersizing, even a singer. But that Peat quote about a stimulating environment rather than a familiar...that sums it up, in terms of thought also...those having more unique novel thoughts...willing to go out on a limb and trust themselves and who they are, the spiritual support, its highly consumptive to energy as compared to replaying a known routine...not to mention its a million times more fun

I couldn't agree more! I also realized that I get very hungry and seem to lose weight when I learn something, like a new skill or a foreign language.

When you are expressing yourself you start to view the world in a different light. Most people, especially office workers, are so close minded, but doing something creative can really open your mind.

 

[Curt :-)]

Did my voice get better? I think it's gotten better because I have more confidence, not because of anything physical (I assume that's what you meant?). I've always been really turned on by aggressive vocal performances, and lately I've been playing around with roughing up my voice in a way that feels incredibly expressive. I've always had a such an energy inside me that I feel is hard to contain but at the same time hard to express. For me, this kind of vocal delivery, perhaps because it's so physical, feels more expressive than melody, lyrics, or playing the guitar. This kind of self expression gets me so excited I could scream; it makes me feel so close to where I want to be, if that makes sense (I cant really explain it lol).

Most TV in Australia is free.

Yup, me too. Movies have to be GOOD. Buddies are always like "lets watch a movie!" and I always think "god, if I have to sit through 2 hours of this ***t I'm going to kill myself".

I find it a little frustrating when shut-down, "right-brain" types criticize artistic people, saying they're aloof or silly, or assuming they're on drugs. My ex girlfriends family, and to a lesser extent my own, sometimes treated me like a child in regards to my attitudes. Not cool. I am an adult, I should be able to choose my views and hobbies without being patronised.

 

[pboy]

curt, I know exactly what you mean man. Powerful solax plexus expression of voice is huge for health, especially when things that you want to share or express, especially positive vibes and an expression of your capability and goodness. Whenever I can and im sure everyone sings and bellows and there are times where people spontaneously yell (don't agree with this but ive done it myself in the past, I know where its coming from and sometimes semi justified), but singing and things like drumming are probably the most let it all out expressive with power things you can do...even a sport like basketball or gymnastics and stuff like that is another way of potentially doing this. Theres something about the voice though, its like directly connected. In old systems they died the lungs/voice and bowels in the same system, respiring system, so pretty much how you breath is how you move and clear, and withholding any expression of yourself coming from the solar plexus basically pinches off this system...especially the powerful expressions, especially positive, that you want to share or express yet for one reason or another dont

 

[Milklove]

@Curt
Very cool what you wrote about your voice and expressing yourself.

From my point of view, being creative and expressing yourself is an indicator of intelligence. And no-one should patronize you for your hobbies!

There are two cool quotes I want to share with you:
Keith Jarrett
“People expect beautiful melodies. But I already know the melodies. So does everybody else. Rather than look for more beautiful melodies, everyone’s purpose should be to find blind spots.”
Ray Peat
“Our present lives are usually divided between routine work and entertainment. The entertainment is supposed to enliven us, to help us recover from the deadening effects of routine work. Some people put great energy and concentration into their hobbies, because they find the activity intrinsically interesting. Such intrinsic value and interest is what should be demanded of our work. But for many people, free time is routinized too. To them, Jarrett’s suggestion sounds like nothing but hard work. This is where the whole person has been affected by a certain approach to work, and work is seen as something to avoid – the idle rich seem to have found the only satisfactory life.”

Many people can't even imagine that life could be different or that their views might be wrong, etc.

@pboy
I found (aggressive) dancing also quite expressive and positive. Maybe it is the physical component of singing and dancing that is so valuable in dealing with stress. Both gives me the feeling of letting go.

 

[Curt :-)]

I think I agree on every single thing you guys just said

@Milklove, those quotes are amazing!!

 

[Filip1993]

Any thoughts on singing and how it affects Co2 levels in the body?

 

[tara]

Any thoughts on singing and how it affects Co2 levels in the body?

I think it depends on how you do it. I think there are methods and styles that conserve CO2 more than others. Rachimov had something about singing on his normalbreathing site. He reckoned professional singers were often short-lived, and reckoned it was due to frequent and prolonged singing lowering CO2.
I imagine that exercises that involve holding a note for a long time would support CO2 retention?

My experience has been that singing in the car is one of the better preventatives against motion sickness (second to hot, salty, greasy potato chips). I guess that may indicate that it was metabolically supportive?

 

[Filip1993]

I have seen that article before. Cherry-picking singers who died young to support the hypothesis that singers die early is a bit of a stretch. So many factors can be involved, for example lifestyle. Still, hyperventilation is not good.

Someone over at peatarian wrote this: "You know, I was just thinking about this today in the context of singing. I have a feeling singing is beneficial at least in regards to CO2 retention because it forces one to breathe out more slowly than they normally would, especially when singing higher notes (shorter vocal cords = less air needed)."