Friday Feature: How Too Much News Fosters Fake News

Ever feel overwhelmed by information? A recent study suggests that that feeling, often exacerbated by social media, can be part of a vicious circle. A flood of information can make it harder for us to be discriminating about what we believe (and what we share), perpetuating the spread of information that is, shall we say, less than reliable.

Strangely enough, the problem and the cure are one and the same. Only by gathering more information -- checking sources, reading carefully (or simply reading beyond the headline, in some cases) -- can we make sure that the news that we're sharing is information rather than misinformation.

Or, to quote Eldridge Cleaver, "There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem."

I know which side I hope to land on. Unfortunately, that means a bit less Twitter and a bit more critical thinking.

Friday Freebie: What I'm Reading in Ten Minutes or Less: Brain Training

www.humanconnectomeproject.org

Did you ever wonder if all those claims about Lumosity and similar brain training games were true? Yeah, me too. As a matter of fact, I wrote a blog about it last month for CatholicMom.com -- one that was motivated by my free subscription to Lumosity coming to a close at the end of October.

Lumosity and its ilk make a lot of claims based on the science surrounding neuroplasticity -- the brain's ability to form new networks, and even reassign tasks to a new part of the brain when the area specific to a particular task is somehow damaged. It's pretty miraculous stuff.

But can playing a few games on your phone encourage this neuroplasticity? Seems difficult to believe.

So, I was very interested in an article I found yesterday at ScientificAmerican.com that talks about the research behind the claims -- warts and all. If you've ever thought about paying for games that promise to train your brain, it's worth a read.

I only wish this article had existed when I was researching that blog.