How can my mind forget something I've been doing or saying or writing or thinking for many years?
That question led me to this video on how the brain works. The target audience are students still in school, but because we're all students as long as we live, I think you'll find it helpful, too.
Video Takeaways:
How Your Brain Learns New Things
The human brain is about three pounds in weight, and can fit in the palm of your hand. Imagine that. Everything about you—in fact, a whole universe of knowledge—fits into an organ so small you can carry it in your purse. Talk about handy, unlimited hard disk drives wherever you go!
As you already know, our brain is in charge of all the thinking, remembering, doing and feeling that we do. And it does that through the neural pathways that connects the over 100 billion of neurons that make up our brain.
Through our brain, we solve problems, communicate with each other, create art, daydream...everything that we do, as a matter of fact. Whenever we learn new things, new connections (or pathways) are created between neurons. And the electricity that these connections make? Up to 25 watts, enough to power a light bulb. Simply amazing!
If we practice often enough, these pathways are firmed up overtime so that you remember how to do it without thinking. Which is part of the brain's efficiencies. It's thanks to these neurons that we don't think about how to brush our teeth, how to eat, how to walk or talk...basically how we perform all the basic functions of living.
(So what they say about riding a bike is true. You never forget how to, even if it's been years that you haven't. The connections are already there. You may be rusty, but the more you bike, the more the connections will strengthen.)
And, gurl, there are many things that can make learning new things difficult. Some you already know. Some, though, may be a bit surprising.
Learning New Stuff the Easy/Hard Way
It's no secret. To stay on top of your game, to be able to move forward in anything (especially at work), you have to be constantly changing for the better. That means gaining new skills...which means learning new stuff.
But how can you learn new stuff if you don't take care of the main tool that makes it possible for you to do so?
A brain that's in tip-top shape will make learning easier. I always think that with determination and a healthy brain, you can do anything that you can set your mind to. The converse is true, too, and here's why learning becomes difficult:
1. We don't challenge are brains enough.
Some say that you're born with intelligence—either you got it or you don't. Research says...Not so. The main fact that we all have the same amount of neurons in our brains (more or less, maybe) means that we're all equal in the smartness department. The secret is in helping our brain create new neural pathways.
Science has already established that we learn new skills and things when neurons connects to other neurons. The way to make the connections, they say, is to exercise the brain. That means doing more challenging activities, like solving puzzles, sketching, reading... In trying to learn new things, in fact. Our brains are changing constantly but if we don't challenge it, then neurons will continue to be unconnected and we continue not to know anything about anything.
The simplest advise? Use your brain more to make it more efficient. Practice, practice, practice. It's the only way to firm up those neural connections.
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| Image credit: hyena reality/FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
2. Our brains are not stimulated.
Building on the brain challenge tip, an idle brain is an empty mind. Of course, our brain constantly works on the physiological functions—the things that keep us alive. Beating heart. Flowing blood. Breathing air. Digesting food. These are all involuntary activities though and are all passive. They don't stimulate the brain.
The best way to make the brain work for its dinner, figuratively speaking, is to combine audio, visual, and kinesthetic ways of learning new stuff. Listening to experts about what they know. Watching them do things. Doing those things that they do. Again, practice, practice, practice. (What can I say, practice makes perfect, even in riding bikes and cooking dinner!)
So how do you stimulate your brain?
Besides drawing, sketching, solving puzzles, and dancing, one of the best ways to fire up your neurons is to learn challenging stuff. Like a new language (I plan to study Korean). Or taking up a new hobby that you don't know anything about (like photography or flying a plane, hee.)
Set up high targets for your learning challenge. Don't settle with the easy stuff. It may be time to get around to enrolling that course in oil painting that you've always wanted. Me, I've just started a self-study on sketching.
Most importantly though, feed your imagination and your curiosity. When you ask how things are and why they work the way they do, and start looking for answers, your brain is being stimulated big time.
3. Stress and intense emotion freezes up the brain.
Or at least, you take in new information with extreme difficulty.
When we're stressed or upset, our body releases a host of hormones that respond to the threat that our brain perceives. When our minds do that, then our chances of learning new stuff are effectively and highly diminished.
Have you ever driven home when you were crying and extremely upset? I bet you don't remember how you got from point A to point B. It's the same with our brains. It's dealing with the extreme emotions that's threatening your body's balance. All of its resources are so focused on that threat that it has little energy to deal with the challenge of learning something new.
So the best time to study, experts say, is when we're happy and relaxed. It's a no-brainer, ha!
4. Your brain is hungry and dehydrated.
A healthy brain is a smart brain...so says our scientists.
First, it needs plenty of water. Water helps create those neural pathways when you're learning new stuff. When your brain can't get enough of the H20, it becomes stressed and unfocused, making learning really difficult.
And it also needs oxygen...plenty of it. Did you know that our brain needs three times more oxygen that our muscles do? The survival and function of our brain cells depends on the oxygen it receives (and it's very sensitive to fluctuations, too).
Our neurons can't survive without oxygen—witness stroke patients who lose function in one part of the body because they didn't have this precious element for a period of time. And inactivity—including being chained to your desk, sitting, the whole day—takes away the smarties because it reduces oxygen levels in your brain.
One of the best ways of increasing our body's—and therefore, our brain's—oxygen levels is through aerobic exercise. Regular exercise will supply the much needed oxygen, and will keep those eensy weensy neurons firing like mad.
And don't forget eating well. The minerals that we get from our food keeps those neurons healthy and our brain functioning well. But not just any food will do. A diet high in sugar and food additives makes concentrating difficult...which in turn makes learning a tough job.
5. Lack of sleep dulls the brain.
One third of our life—if you sleep eight hours daily—is spent sleeping. Our survival depends on how much sleep we get. So does our brain. In fact, 21 hours without sleep is on par with driving under the influence of alcohol. In one study, drivers who went that long without the Zs performed equally to drivers driving above the legal limit (0.08 bal).
Why is sleep important to our brain?
It's those neurons again. When we don't sleep, the nervous system don't work as well. And if our neurons aren't connecting, we're more likely to lose concentration, become uncoordinated, forget a lot of things, and generally become cranky or depressed. Not a good context for learning.
The takeaway to all these?
If you want to be competitive and remain relevant wherever you are, especially at work, then you have to take care of your brain. Exercise it. Feed it. Water it (ha!). And sleep—plenty of it.
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