Modern smartphone technology has effectively eliminated the brief, empty intervals of daily life—such as waiting for an elevator, standing in line, or sitting at a red light. This paper defines this phenomenon as the loss of "micro-boredom." While historically dismissed as trivial, these transient periods of understimulation serve crucial cognitive functions. This article explores how the...
Cognitive neuroscience has accumulated robust findings (e.g., order effects in judgment, multi-path motor preparation, perceptual binding, attentional selection, and the recursive construction of self and time) that systematically resist explanation within classical probabilistic and causal frameworks. We argue that these are not anomalies but signatures of a deeper, non-commutative...
Background: In digital and social ecosystems with a high degree of collectivism like Japan, user participation metrics and interpersonal interaction obligations often trigger massive cognitive and emotional pressure. The concept of Ohitorisama (the behavior of consciously celebrating solo activities) has emerged as an antithesis to these exhausting social obligations. This phenomenon indicates...
We argue that a distinctive form of intersubjective experience – shared minimal-dual awareness (MDA) or “intercorporeal present” – can be jointly enacted by individuals. In this mode, two embodied persons co-engage in a present-centered attentional field such that each person’s habitual self-narrative falls silent, while a mutual salience‐space forms between them, yet without erasing their...
European Journal of PharmacologyJuly 10, 2026Amanda Gollo Bertollo, Vinicius Alexandre Wippel, Maiqueli Eduarda Dama Mingoti et al.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a debilitating mental health condition that significantly impacts quality of life. Despite available pharmacological treatments, response rates remain suboptimal, with a considerable number of patients experiencing treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Indeed, classical antidepressants, primarily targeting monoaminergic systems, exhibit a therapeutic delay due...
Biological PsychologyJuly 9, 2026Nattanon Bunrodchu, Ekkasit Kumarnsit, Wan Khairunizam Wan Ahmad et al.
Long-term cannabis use can result in the development of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and dependence via the endocannabinoid system pathway. A brain network that has been consistently linked to various stages of addiction and various substances is the default mode network (DMN). By comparing EEG features between cannabis users and healthy participants, this study sought to identify EEG-based...
While contemporary psychology focuses on developing a cohesive self for wellbeing, Indian philosophical traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti provide a critique of the notion of a fixed self-identity. This conceptual paper compares them at a phenomenological and functional level and relates these comparisons to contemplative neuroscience, particularly...
Self-referential processing (SRP), the mental activity of linking experiences and stimuli to the self, is fundamental to shaping identity, regulating affect, and navigating complex social environments. Disruptions in SRP are increasingly recognized as a transdiagnostic hallmark across psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia spectrum disorders, major depressive disorder, and anxiety...
Most research on meditation and mental health has focused on short-term interventions in novice populations, leaving the cumulative effects of long-term and advanced practice underexplored. Advanced meditation is defined as states, stages, and endpoints that arise with the maturation and mastery of mental-activity skills. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 52 studies across four...
Mindfulness meditation has been studied for its many health benefits, yet the neural mechanisms that facilitate these benefits are still opaque. The present review examines adaptive attention processes and associated dynamic brain networks (e.g., executive control network, default mode network) that are engaged during mindfulness meditation, demonstrating emerging evidence of durable...