In the world of science, new technology can often reveal exciting insights about our everyday life.
One such groundbreaking technology is MINDWATCH, which emerged from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Created by Associate Professor Rose Faghih, MINDWATCH is not just any algorithm.
It reads our brain activity using data from wearables that can track electrodermal activity (EDA). This activity gives clues about our emotional stress, which can affect our brain’s performance.
The Study Details
To understand how simple pleasures like listening to music or sipping coffee affect our brain, a study was set up.
People were asked to wear wristbands and headbands that could monitor their skin and brain activity.
Then, they took tests while listening to music, drinking coffee, and even smelling perfumes they liked. They also took these tests without these stimulants.
The study found that music and coffee changed how the brain worked. Specifically, they increased brain activity in the “beta band.”
This type of brain activity is linked to being at our cognitive best. Even perfumes had a small positive effect, but more research is needed on that.
What This Means for Us
These findings are more than just interesting. They come at a time when many are stressed due to the global pandemic.
Professor Faghih points out that there’s a need for tools to monitor how everyday stress impacts our brain function. That’s where MINDWATCH can help.
In the future, it could tell when someone’s brain is stressed or not focused. When that happens, the system could suggest listening to music or other activities to help them focus better.
The Memory Test
For this study, participants took a specific memory test. They saw or heard a series of items and had to remember if the current item matched the one before it (1-back test) or the one three items back (3-back test).
The 3-back test is harder, and interestingly, the positive effects of music and coffee were more evident in this test.
When it came to music, songs that were familiar and energetic helped people perform better. Interestingly, even AI-generated music made a big difference, but more studies are needed to understand this fully.
While coffee also improved performance, it wasn’t as impactful as music. And the boost from perfume was even smaller.
Ongoing Work and Future Studies
The MINDWATCH team is now looking to see how well their technology works over time. Just because some interventions like listening to energetic music work for some doesn’t mean they’ll work for everyone.
But finding general patterns can be a start.
This research was part of a bigger project focused on understanding brain states. The findings are available for other researchers too.
This way, more studies can be done on how simple things like music or coffee can help our brain be at its best.
The primary contributor to the paper was Hamid Fekri Azgomi, who used to study under Professor Faghih and now works at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about low choline intake linked to higher dementia risk, and how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.
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