Dawn's Big Three This Week:
1) đ„ Food For Thought đ
The dirt on Mother Nature's sexiest underground vegetable.
2) đ„ Motivation Station đââïž
Relationships and the other V-word.
3) â Make It Brain
Well-aged love is all in your head.
Want More of This? Get Some Brain Food Every Week.
đ„ Food For Thought đ
BEETS: THE UNLIKELY APHRODISIAC
TL;DR:
With Valentineâs around the corner, healthy aphrodisiacs are on the menu.
Dark chocolate is too obvious.
We decided to explore Mother Natureâs other sexy delicacies.
We werenât expecting to dish up the goods on beets this week but those curvy root vegetables are surprisingly titillating.
Packed with nutrients to boost your brain and fuel your libido, we think beets deserve the top spot on this weekâs shopping list.
Nature's Viagra
According to the history books, beets got around. Ancient Romans believed the ruby vegetable stimulated desire.
Aphrodite feasted on beets to enhance her appeal and Pompeiiâs dominant brothel displayed them in all their juicy glory. You can spot them on the erotica-infused frescoes.
Why? Beets are performance enhancers. Rich in nitrates, they increase blood flow. They also deliver boron, a trace mineral that ups the production of sex hormones.
Beets are also loaded with folic acid, which triggers the production of histamine. (This matters to you because a lack of histamine might keep orgasms out of reach. Youâre welcome.)
And just when you thought they were finished...
Beets significantly crank up cognitive performance and overall well-being too.
Theyâll also keep inflammation at bay and prevent your insides from oxidising like a forgotten apple slice.
So what if the flavourâs a bit of a turn-off? They still deserve affection.
Just beet it.
Head to your local juice bar. You might get lucky.
As for you romantics, why not fix up a mean roasted beet tartare with goat cheese and candied hazelnuts? Weâd go to second base for that.
FOR THE NERDY: A healthy supply of beet deets
đ„âMotivation Station đââïž
MORE THAN A GOOD TIME
TL;DR
One night stands and shallow relationships are one thing; meaningful social connection is another.
One might put a spring in your step. The other keeps you alive and on your feet.
The trouble is, people are excellent at sabotaging relationships. Just ask Taylor Swift.
Human beings need connectionâromantic and platonicâbut we arenât wired to pull it off.
Whatâs the solution?
Practice.
Critical condition
Studies back that social connection is vital for psychological and physical health.
Scholars at the University of Utah even discovered that âsocial isolation is on par with high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise or smoking as a risk factor for illness and early death.â
So if itâs so important, why do we struggle to make it work?
Love Stinks
Weâve all been hurt. Our hard-wired response to physical pain is defence. Itâs no different in relationships. Self-preservation often overrides warmth and affection to thwart connection.
So if youâre serious about human potential and healthy living, chances are youâve got work to do in this department.
We suggest becoming your own relationship expert.
Focus on the most meaningful connection first: your relationship with yourself.
1. Smarten up. Brene Brownâs epic Ted Talk on vulnerability is an absolute must if you havenât already watched it.
2. Commit to solo dates. Stay centered by scheduling recurring alone time. Spend it however you see fit. We're not judging.
3. Figure your sh*t out. If connection is excruciating, get help. Find a therapist. It's far more normal than you might think. You need to love yourself before you can genuinely love others.
FOR THE NERDY: Reasons to get connected
ââ ââMake It Brain
LOVE ON THE BRAIN
TL:DR
It seems thereâs an unspoken belief that all romantic love is destined to fizzle. The Brangelinas of Hollywood back it up. So does the UK Office for National Statistics.
Some might feel that if theyâre not presently training to be that skinny-dipping elderly couple on greeting cards they may as well start plotting their conscious uncoupling strategy.
But a study out of New York proves people who report being madly in love even decades after saying âI doâ are not living in an alternate universe. Theyâre legitimately madly in love.
Crazy love
Researchers at Stony Brook University performed MRI scans on couples who had been married an average of 21 years. They compared scans to those belonging to frisky new lovers.
The team discovered a striking similarity between the sets of scans. Each revealed intense activity in dopamine-rich brain regions.
The study suggests that the excitement attached to young love can remain long after fireworks subsides.
Good news for me, I'm only 6 months into this 'husband' thing.
It still takes two
Relationships require significant devotion and not everyone makes it to their thirtieth anniversary (or even past the seven-year-itch) but those who do arenât necessarily slogging through some beige love-starved existence.
Thereâs hope for all of us.
FOR THE NERDY: The juicy details live here.
What We Love This Week
đœ This TED talk on horny bugs is a fun watch. Warning, these bugs are way too insectxy.
đ Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - John Gray - 'Twas the bestselling work of non-fiction in the 90s and itâs sold 15 million copies since its 1993 debut. It's a must-read for understanding the other side.
đ§ Addicted to love? Maybe you'll like this Naked Neuroscience podcast. Oxbridge content sans red trousers and deck shoes.
Community Feedback (thank you, keep it coming đ)
âAmongst a sea of extreme diets and bad science, Dawn is a joyful reminder that real growth comes from choosing to make small, regular improvements in the right direction.â
Toby Moore, CEO Coach and ex CTO of Mindcandy, & Co-Founder Space Ape Games
âDawn gives me weekly ideas on how to look after my mind and brain, citing latest research and condensing it into actionable advice. I look forward to it every Sunday morning.â
Evgeny Shadchnev, Founder of Makers Academy
Hereâs a fun fact: Sexually rejected male fruit flies drink four times more alcohol than their friends who get lucky. Be kind to your neighbourhood fruit flies and put out beet juice instead.
Show yourself a good time and weâll see you next week, and if you are feeling kind - FEEDBACK please - just hit reply!
Dan
PS. Wanna give the gift of Brain Food? Forward this to a friend.