Brain Function "Boosted For Days After Reading a Novel" 110
cold fjord writes "The Independent reports, 'Being pulled into the world of a gripping novel can trigger actual, measurable changes in the brain that linger for at least five days after reading ... The new research, carried out at Emory University ... found that reading a good book may cause heightened connectivity in the brain and neurological changes that persist in a similar way to muscle memory. The changes were registered in the left temporal cortex, an area of the brain associated with receptivity for language, as well as the primary sensory motor region of the brain. Neurons of this region have been associated with tricking the mind into thinking it is doing something it is not, a phenomenon known as grounded cognition — for example, just thinking about running, can activate the neurons associated with the physical act of running. "The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist," said neuroscientist Professor Gregory Berns, lead author of the study. "We already knew that good stories can put you in someone else's shoes in a figurative sense. Now we're seeing that something may also be happening biologically."'"
This is verging on pseudoscience (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Boosted For Days After... (Score:3, Insightful)
If someone other than you is going to have to maintain it one day, then yes, yes it does. In a professional environment, the answer is always yes.
Just because I can figure out what a piece of code is doing doesn't mean I'll know why that was the chosen implementation. No comments means I and anyone else who has to look at it have to waste time figuring out if the person had a good reason for a certain approach or they just didn't know what they were doing.
Code tells the what. Comments tell the why. Both are important in a team environment. Sadly, most people seem incapable of writing meaningful comments.