The world appears to be in a rough place right now. If you turn on the TV or open up your web browser, you're almost guaranteed to be bombarded by bad news. But is the world really doomed? Or is your animal brain playing tricks on you? Chin up -- things aren't always as bad as they seem.

You go to take a step up onto your porch when you realise it's covered in shimmering, slippery ice. Your mind wants to stop so you don't hurt yourself, but your body isn't going to get the message in time. Here's what's going on in that brain of yours.

Feeling stressed? Tired? Skipping out on work might seem wrong, but according to one neuroscientist, it could end up making you more productive in the long run.

There are a lot of people that will tell you those brain training games won't make you any smarter, and that's true for the most part. But a recent study suggests you can boost your brain power with the right type of focused training.

Magic tricks, or illusions, make us go, "ooh," "ahhh," and, "how the flippin' crap did they do that?!" They're part sleight of hand, part planning, and a lot of brain confusion. Your brain is a liar.

I don't mind bad dreams. When you wake up, the dream fades away. What utterly terrifies me, though, is when my brain wakes up but my body cannot move. That's sleep paralysis, and it affects anywhere between seven and 40 per cent of us.

Virtual reality is the next big thing in gaming, but wearing the headsets causes motion sickness for some. Even I've experienced a little motion sickness while playing despite the fact I never struggled with it in the past (no vomiting yet). If you're worried about hurling, there are a few things you can do to make the experience more pleasant.

If you're having a hard time waking up on time in the morning, you might need to adjust your schedule to align with your sleep cycles. The closer you can line up with the 90-minute rule, the better.

If you've ever noticed a funny feeling when you eat spicy food, you're not just imagining things. Capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot, causes your brain to release chemicals that make some people feel buzzed or high.

One in every six people will experience a stroke during their lifetime. And by the time you have read this article, it’s likely that someone in Australia will have experienced one. Stroke kills more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer yet you’re unlikely to read much about it. There are lots of common misconceptions in the community of what a stroke actually is, how to recognise if someone is having one, and the treatments that improve stroke survivors’ outcomes.

There are new treatments available for stroke; however these are time dependant. So it’s important for the person having a stroke to get to hospital quickly. These time critical therapies often heavily rely on people recognising stroke quickly, and acting quickly to get emergency medical care.

When your work day is finished, you log out of your computer, drive home and relax. If you then fire up another computer and sit in front of it playing games, it might not be as relaxing as it could be.

Exercise has long been thought to have memory boosting capabilities, but a new study suggests that delayed physical activity might be the best way to take advantage of those perks.

If you're tired of misplacing your keys around the house, this explosive memory trick will help you remember. All you need is a little imagination.

Headaches happen for myriad reasons: dehydration, eyestrain, drinking a wee bit much the previous night and exercising. Yes, exercise too, and they're just as annoying as any other headache. Here's the difference between exercise headaches and regular head pains, and how you can best treat or avoid them.

You know all those times you sit at your desk, staring at your monitor, begging your brain for a breakthrough idea? Yeah, that's not working. If you want inspiration, get away from your desk.

Most of us are probably pretty bad at sleep to begin with. At the least, do yourself a favour and start a "shutdown ritual" so your brain knows it's time to relax.

Having a slow internet connection and being in slow traffic aren't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Then how come it infuriates us almost instantly? Here's why we snap, and how we snap out of it, according to a neuroscientist.

Concussions aren't just for NRL players. They can happen while playing in a weekend sports league or even from an unlucky slip and fall. If you know how to spot a concussion and where to find good treatment, you can avoid the risk of further injury.