Vintage Scientific American Mind Magazine November/December 2012 Special Issue Volume 23 Number 5

The November/December 2012 issue of Scientific American Mind (Volume 23, Issue 5) was an edition dedicated to cognitive exploration, focusing on topics like reversing brain aging, altruism and cooperation, and conscious thought. Key articles included "Everyday Stress Can Shut Down the Brain's Chief Command Center" and discussions surrounding how we handle communal assets.

The November/December 2012 issue of the magazine focused heavily on exploring human cognition, psychology, and neural mechanisms. The primary feature pieces included:

"Why We Help": An article exploring the psychological factors and computerized experiments that motivate people to act as good stewards of communal assets (the "commons").

"Everyday Stress Can Shut Down the Brain's Chief Command Center": A feature detailing how acute stress impairs the prefrontal cortex, shifting cognitive and emotional control to earlier-evolved brain structures.

Editorial & "Head Lines": Covered topics such as reversing brain aging, memory bolstering in older age, and psychological traits that track back to childhood trauma.

From the Editor
Tap into Your Inner Einstein
Head Lines
Changing Social Roles Can Reverse Aging
Learn Music While You Sleep
Reasoning Is Sharper in a Foreign Language
A Daily Glass of Wine Is Okay during Pregnancy
Concept of Self Resides in the Eyes
Treating Sleep Improves Psychiatric Symptoms
Schizophrenia Muddles One's Sense of Control
Brain Cells Can Look Ghostly
Meditate That Cold Away
Pets Help Us Achieve Goals and Reduce Stress
How to Use Your Ears to Influence People
Why You Like to Watch the Same Thing Over and Over and Over Again
Planting Seeds of Dementia
Shoes Reveal Personality Traits
Mapping the Mouse Brain
Letters
Readers Respond to "Mortal Thoughts"
Illusions Reign Supreme on Halloween
Perspectives
Unveiling the Real Evil Genius
Self-Awareness with a Simple Brain
Facts and Fictions in Mental Health
Memory in Old Age Can Be Bolstered
We're Only Human
Troubled Childhood May Predict PTSD
Reviews and Recommendations
MIND Reviews: The Ravenous Brain
MIND Reviews: Mind over Mind
MIND Reviews: Are We Getting Smarter?
MIND Books: Roundup
MIND Reviews: In Doubt
Ask the Brains
Why Is it Impossible to Stop Thinking, to Render the Mind a Complete Blank?
As I Get Older, Why Does My Memory for Names Seem to Deteriorate?
Head Games
Mind in Pictures
Your Brain by the Numbers