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Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a former radio medical editor and talk show host in the Boston Metro area. His "Medical Minute" of health and wellness news and commentary was a regular weekday feature on WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM. His popular two-way talk show, Dr. Howard Smith OnCall, was regularly heard Sunday morning and middays on WBZ.

Dr. Smith has adopted audio and video podcasting as conduits for HEALTH NEWS YOU SHOULD USE. Based on the latest medical, health, and wellness literature these reports provide practical information you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Many reports have video versions, and Dr. Smith’s YouTube Channel may be found at: http://bit.ly/2rNw6XQ

Trained at Harvard Medical School and a long-time faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, he practiced Pediatric Otolaryngology for 40 years in Boston, Southern California, and in central Connecticut.  He is now based in New York City.

If you have questions or suggestions about this content, please email the doctor at drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com or leave him a message at 516-778-8864.  His website is: www.drhowardsmith.com.

Please note that the news, views, commentary, and opinions that Dr. Smith provides are for informational purposes only. Any changes that you or members of your family contemplate making to lifestyle, diet, medications, or medical therapy should always be discussed beforehand with personal physicians who have been supervising your care.

Oct 18, 2019

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/3V6fqO7M0sg

 

Capuchin and Rhesus monkeys think outside the box better than people when it comes to problem solving.  Psychologists at Georgia State University pitted 29 monkeys against 60 college students in a computer game contest.

 

The monkeys figured out shortcuts to victory faster and used them more often than the students.  Other experiments show that chimpanzees and baboons also perform better than humans, who tend to rely more on familiar strategies demonstrating less so-called cognitive flexibility.

 

We humans are often victims of our learned biases about vaccines, climate change, race, and politics.  Be a monkey’s uncle, and make the most of your innate brainpower by opening your mind and unleashing your imagination.

 

Julia Watzek, Sarah M. Pope, Sarah F. Brosnan. Capuchin and rhesus monkeys but not humans show cognitive flexibility in an optional-switch task. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49658-0

 

Monkeys, problemsolving, creativity