Well, it' been obvious to me since I was a child, that the human mind is a very powerful thing, and you should never underestimate its power to deceive itself, but, still, it's always fascinating to see that in action. New York Times has an interesting article about a study into hypnosis, showing the actual changes in the brain induced.

And the Guardian has a somewhat depressing account of a recently published study looking at the levels of two "attachment" hormones (vasopressin: thought to help us recognise familiar individuals and live in social groups; and oxytocin: the release of which makes us feel secure and protected, and lowers our stress level) in young children who spent their first couple of years in Romanian & Russian orphanages, before being adopted into American homes. It seems that early experience has had a permanent effect on the way their brains have developed, in regards to the ability to form close relationships. (Although there's still hope; the children are still very young).

The New York Times has a very long article about the situation in America for very gifted children, written by the author of "Raising America: Experts, Parents, and a Century of Advice About Children". She discusses the history as well as today's situation, harking back to Lewis Terman (modifier of Binet's IQ test, into the well-known Stanford-Binet), who in 1921 started a study designed to understand and nurture genius, and moving forward to other similar attempts. An interesting discussion, leaving us, as always, in a state of confusion as to what is really the best thing to do for gifted children, both for society and for the individual (I wish I could be sure that the best thing for one would also be the best for the other!).