Wednesday 16 August 2017

How Neuroscience Can Help You Get Smarter

Duke of Argyle's tea plant arching over the sunset.

How Neuroscience Can Help You Get Smarter
What you read about your brain affects how you use it.
Joseph Dumit Ph.D

One of the holy grail of neuroscience research is a brain experiment that shows us
how to live better and teaches us how to think better. From the Bell Curve to PET scans,
we hope that studies of our neurology and psychology will guide us in designing our society too.           Using the latest findings about the brain to raise your child is the latest prize in this search.
One of the most fascinating articles in neuroscience I've read recently was "The Secret to Raising Smart Kids", by Carol Dweck. This article discusses a set of research projects by Dweck and others
on how different views of intelligence held by children affect their school performance.
Those kids with a "fixed mindset" think that intelligence is innate and those kids with a
"growth mindset" think that you intelligence is something you improve through working hard.
What Dweck found is that kids with the fixed mindset gave up when they encountered
really hard problems, apparently because they imagined they had hit their plateau;
if they were really talented, then the problems would have been easy.
Growth-oriented kids, however, treat difficult problems as opportunities to improve
 their intelligence. Not surprisingly, growth-oriented kids continue to improve in school.
Here's the kicker: you can change a child's mindset by having them read neuroscience,
but choose it carefully! Dweck did an experiment where she gave one group of kids
regular instruction and another group instruction plus an article about how neurons
continue to grow throughout life and can be encouraged to grow through effort. Those kids
who read this article tended to adopt the growth mindset, and do better than the other kids.
This is neurosci-therapy, akin to bibliotherapy where psychologists have clients read books
to improve their outlook. Our faith in neuroscience gives these findings the ability
to change our minds (and maybe our brains).
Dweck has been researching and promoting this outlook for years.
Dweck has a book, Mindset, and may or may not be finishing a software program (called Brainology)     that takes this idea further, allowing kids to play with a simulated brain
and watch neurons grow, further cementing a growth mindset.
Most of the discussion online about Dweck's work is concerned with the robustness
of her findings and whether she is careful enough to distinguish intelligence from schoolwork. 
Many psychologists think that intelligence is one of the most innate and fixed parts of our minds,       based upon many of their tests which show that it doesn't change much as you age.
But perhaps their project is a bit circular in that the very act of giving someone a
"test of their intelligence" encourages them to adopt a fixed mindset! Feel free to delve into Dweck's work and the intelligence debates if you want to form a proper opinion about them.
Which brings us the kicker to the kicker. We may wish that neuroscientists could run an experiment which would settle once and for all whether intelligence can be improved or not. But to do that
we'd have to figure out what we really want intelligence to mean, especially for our kids.
And that turns out to be precisely the problem. Both fixed and growth perspectives
have good points, but they disagree on what is worth measuring and for what reasons.
And each article you read reinforces one notion or the other. This is a scientific deadlock, and Dweck is suggesting a radical view: choose the neuroscience you read to fit the society you want to live in.
The real lesson for me here is that every bit of neuroscience you read potentially pushes you
to adopt a particular mindset. Not just about intelligence and performance, but society, relationships, addiction, sexuality, aggression, etc. We need to pay close attention to
this neuroscience-feedback. And this isn't all that different from choosing to watch CNN or FoxNews or IndyMedia -- where they each show facts, but which facts they show
and how they are framed, helps to reinforce a particular view of the world.
Ihttps://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/promiscuous-facts/200804/how-neuroscience-can-help-you-get-smarter 
I didn't expect it to be such a short circuit in neuroscience.
But I do know what I'm going to teach my son about his brain.

Turbo Charged Reading: Read more>>>Read fast>>>Remember more>>>Years later
Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneously recall – or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com     gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourbusinessminds.blogspot.com   development, growth, management. www.mreenhunthappyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.

Thursday 10 August 2017

This Ancient Greek Technique Can Actually Double Your Memory, Say Scientists

Crainbill.

This Ancient Greek Technique Can Actually Double Your Memory, Say Scientists
Sherlock Holmes’ ‘Mind Palace’ is real, and it actually works.
Thomas Tamblyn

Trying to remember things can be difficult, we’re only human after all.
Well what if we told you that there was an ancient technique
that could effectively double your memory.
Researchers from Radboud University have found scientific proof
that by creating a fictional place in your mind and then ‘storing’ your memories inside it
you can massively increase your ability to remember.
If that technique sounds familiar than you’ve probably seen it being used in
the hugely successful TV show Sherlock. The detective uses his ‘Mind Palace’
to help piece together clues and remember facts with almost photographic precision.
Well it turns out that not only is a ‘Mind Palace’ a real thing,
but with enough training anyone can create their own.
After just 40 days of daily 30-minute training sessions, the researchers found
that individuals who had typical memory skills and no previous training
could effectively double the amount of words they could remember.
From remembering an average of just 26 words out of a possible 72
the researchers found that individuals could now remember on average 62.
“After training we see massively increased performance on memory tests,” says first author
Martin Dresler, assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience at Radboud University Medical Center.      “Not only can you induce a behavioral change,
the training also induces similar brain connectivity patterns as those seen in memory athletes.”
What makes this research so fascinating though is that it seemingly proves
that having an incredible memory isn’t necessarily tied to you as an individual.
People aren’t born memory athletes; they have entirely similar brains to us
but like all athletes they train incredibly hard.
The idea of location or image-based memory isn’t new; in fact it can be traced back to
the Ancient Greeks where the original idea is credited to the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos.
It’s also a well-documented memory technique used by world-class memory athletes
and as a recognised form of memory training.
What was missing of course was the hard-scientific evidence to back it up.

So how does it work?
The technique is actually remarkably simple.
In essence it’s based around the principle of creating a ‘place’ inside your head
that you can then travel around.
Within that space you then store the information that you want to specifically remember,
such as numbers, words or places.
Once the test subjects had mastered the technique
the researchers found that it didn’t require much more training to maintain the same level of ability.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/this-ancient-greek-technique-can-actually-double-your-memory-say-scientists_uk_58c11521e4b054a0ea6806b9

Turbo Charged Reading: Readmore>>>Read fast>>>Remember more>>>Years later
Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR music, poetry or self development material for internal knowing.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com          gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourbusinessminds.blogspot.com         development, growth, management. www.mreenhunthappyartaccidents.blogspot.com      just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Friday 4 August 2017

Everyone Is Talented In Their Own Way: The 9 Types Of Intelligence You Should Know

Bejewelled iris.

Everyone Is Talented In Their Own Way: The 9 Types Of Intelligence You Should Know
Lim Kairen

We always think of intelligence as one entity.
We think that scientists and academics are brainy and “intelligent” people.
But if we put them in a bank, they may be at a loss for words when speaking to customers.
And what about the misconceptions about people engaged in less intelligible jobs
such as waiting tables or telemarketing who are deemed “unintelligent? Try giving these people
an empty canvas and watch them create a masterpiece for you with just a pencil.
The point is, our perception of intelligence is skewed.
Everything that seems out of our reach is automatically deemed as intelligent
however on the contrary, according to psychologist, Howard Gardner, everyone is blessed
with multiple types intelligence. See the infographic below to have a better understanding.

The Science Behind 9 Types Of Intelligence
The 9 types of intelligence as theorized by Gardner in his book called Frames of Mind:
The Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a great tool to find your individual strengths and weaknesses.         And the scientific concept behind it is simple.
Gardner’s view on intelligence states that there are 9 abilities
that simply make us the intelligent beings that we are today
and these 9 are musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical,
 bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential.

Different Types Of Intelligence To Empower Learners
By learning the theory behind Gardner’s studies, we get to know ourselves a little bit better.               However, Gardner emphasised that by understanding our strengths,
it shouldn’t limit us through labelling ourselves to a specific intelligence. 
Instead, it should empower us to recognise our weaknesses as well as to improve them.

Understand Your Own Intelligence
Simply by  taking the test  based on the 9 types of intelligence,
you’ll be able to have a basic understanding of which intelligence you are strong at.
Take note that you should be providing your most honest answer
in order for the results to be more accurate.

Everyone Is Unique
So here below are my results that reaffirm that embarking on a writing career is a great choice
for me because I’m linguistically intelligent. It also indicates that I’m typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words as according to Gardner.
However, apart from letting me know about my strengths, it would also mean that
I’ve much work to do in other departments such as logic, interpersonal skills
and maybe on my visual ability to visualize better with my mind’s eye.
So why not give this test a try
and maybe it’ll just change the way you perceive your own unique intelligence forever.
http://www.lifehack.org/485552/temporary-headline-9-types-intelligence?ref=in_content_bottom


M'reen's results.
Your intrapersonal intelligence dominates your brain. You are extremely self-aware and reflective. You have a strong moral compass and passionate opinions on what you believe is right or wrong. 
You constantly contemplate life on a deeper level and take pride in expressing yourself
through creative processes.
This means that you also have very high levels of linguistic and existentialist intelligence.
You see life through a more intense lens than many people and this allows you to create
meaningful relationships in your personal and professional life.

Naïs Flament’s take on this result:  Interpersonal (People Smart)
Your most dominant intelligence type is interpersonal, or in other words... you are people smart! 
You pick incredibly well on social clues and you are fascinated to learn about new people
and cultures. Your strongest fields of study are in history, anthropology and psychology
- areas which study the human condition and social processes.
You also have strengths with your linguistic and existential intelligence. 
You are curious to read and learn about new things and you spend time pondering life
and trying to answer deep and meaningful questions.

Turbo Charged Reading: Read more>>>Read fast>>>Remember more>>>Years later
Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com   gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
 www.ourbusinessminds.blogspot.com   development, growth, management. www.mreenhunthappyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”   

Friday 28 July 2017

How to Memorise Fast and Easily

Periwinkle hiding.


Able to recall 5-7 words out of 10 , not necessarily in the right order – your verbal memory
Now add a sequenced video story – your visual memory 10 to 15 out of 15

Turbo Charged Reading: Read more>>>Read fast>>>Remember more>>>Years later
Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneously recall – or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com   gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourbusinessminds.blogspot.com   development, growth, management. www.mreenhunthappyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.

Saturday 22 July 2017

How to increase your vocabulary

Cheekweed petals are shorter than the sepals.


Here are some great tips for remembering your vocabulary and learning new words. This lesson will show you how to learn more than one new word at a time and how to practice learning and remembering words that will improve all areas of your English quickly. Watch the video, then take the quiz: http://www.engvid.com/how-to-increase...

Turbo Charged Reading: Read more>>>Read fast>>>Remember more>>>Years later
Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR music, poetry or self development material for internal knowing.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com  gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourbusinessminds.blogspot.com                         development, growth, management. www.mreenhunthappyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Sunday 16 July 2017

The Neuroscience of Imagination

Hornbeam

The Neuroscience of Imagination
Aerobic Exercise Stimulates Creative Thinking
Christopher Bergland

Albert Einstein said of the theory of relativity, "I thought of it while riding my bicycle."

Anyone who exercises regularly knows that your thinking process changes when you are walking, jogging, biking, swimming, riding the elliptical trainer, etc. New ideas tend to bubble up
and crystallize when you are inside the aerobic zone. You are able to connect the dots
and problem solve with a cognitive flexibility that you don't have when you are sitting at your desk. This is a universal phenomenon, but one that neuroscientists are just beginning to understand.
Aerobic exercise clears the cobwebs from your mind and gives you access to insights
that are out of reach when you are sedentary. On the complete flip side, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (when we are dreaming) is probably the most creative state of mind we experience daily.
Keith Richards came up with the song 'Satisfaction' in his sleep. There are thousands of anecdotes
of creative greats having eureka moments when they dream. Each of us knows from first-hand experience how our imagination streams unrelated ideas together when we dream.
Regular exercise and sleeping well go hand-in-hand. Regular exercise allows you to sleep deeper
and dream better. The more regularly you exercise, the better you will sleep
and the more of a creative powerhouse you will become.

Creativity is the ability to bring together disparate ideas in new and useful combinations. 
What is happening to the electrical, chemical and architectural environment of our brains
when we exercise that stimulates our imagination and makes us more creative?
What is the parallel between the waking dream state induced by exercise and the REM dream state experienced during sleep? Although these questions remain enigmatic, neuroscientists
have identified that the non-thinking 'default state' of consciousness is key to creative thinking.
In this entry I will focus on the architectural changes that occur when you are in a dream-like
default state. I will explore the chemical and electrical changes that take place during sleep
and aerobic exercise that make us more creative in future Psychology Today entries. 
Many scientists believe that the creative process springs as much from the subconscious
as it does from a conscious thought process. Most often, creative solutions are not wrestled
from your mind through sheer force of will. Eureka moments tend to occur spontaneously,
almost always when the conscious mind is thinking of something else, or nothing at all.
This is where the daily athletic process is crucial to creative breakthroughs.
The creative hunter must be intensely interested in solving a particular problem
while having a laid-back attitude about finding a solution.

In an essay from 1911 called On Vital Reserves: The Energies of Men and the Gospel
of Relaxation William James said, "when you are making your general [creative] resolutions
and deciding on your plans of campaign, keep them out of the details. When once a decision
is reached and execution is the order of the day, dismiss absolutely all responsibility and care about the outcome. Unclamp, in a word, your intellectual and practical machinery, and let it run free;
and the service it will do you will be twice as good." In order to stop over-thinking a problem remember to UNCLAMP and let ideas that are buried in your unconscious mind surface into the light of your conscious mind where you can access them intellectually.
Sweat is like WD-40 for your mind-–it lubricates the rusty hinges of your brain
and makes your thinking more fluid. Exercise allows your conscious mind to access fresh ideas
that are buried in the subconscious. Every thought that you have is a unique tapestry of millions
of neurons locking together in a specific pattern-this is called an engram.
If you do not 'unclamp' during the day, you get locked into a loop of rut-like thinking.
If for any reason you are unable to do aerobic activity,
focused meditation is also an excellent way to create a default state.
The urge to force a creative solution by never letting up is a mistake that many "
Type-A" personality types typically make. Loosen up! Allow yourself to 'space out' and daydream--doing so will allow the creative juices to flow more easily. If you do not break apart the engrams connected to the static thinking of your daily routine, you will not create new neural networks needed for imagination. The answer will come, if you keep hunting it down consciously,
but you must also step back and unclamp in order for ideas in your unconscious mind
to bubble up and reveal their wisdom.

Arthur Koestler once described the experience of finding the conscious truth
by connecting to the intuitive subconscious when he explained the 'a-ha' moment by saying:
The moment of truth, the sudden emergence of a new insight, is an act of intuition.
 Such intuitions give the appearance of miraculous flushes, or short-circuits of reasoning.
In fact they may be likened to an immersed chain,
of which only the beginning and the end are visible above the surface consciousness.
The diver vanishes at one end of the chain and comes up at the other end, guided by invisible links.
I like to use a split-brain model of "Down Brain/Up Brain" to visualize the divide between
the conscious and subconscious minds. Although the entire brain is always working in concert,
I find that it is useful to imagine your conscious mind as being housed north of the mid-brain
in your 'Up Brain' of the cerebrum and prefrontal cortex and that your subconscious mind
is tucked below the mid-brain in the 'Down Brain' of the cerebellum and brainstem.
These are terms that I came up with as a hypothetical model to help make abstract concepts of neuroscience easier to visualize and apply to daily life. It's easy to picture ideas incubating
'down below' before they 'pop up' and reveal themselves in your concscious mind
because this is how it actually feels and is universally described.

THE 5 STEPS TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS
In a landmark study of the creative process Nancy Andreasan found the same general descriptions
of the creative process repeated again and again. The common phrases that Dr. Andreasan heard repeatedly were things like: "I can't force inspiration. Ideas just come to me when I'm not seeking them-when I'm swimming or running or standing in the shower." "It happens like magic."
"I can just see things that other people can't, and I don't know why."
"The muse just sits on my shoulder." "If I concentrate on finding the answer it never comes,
but if I let my mind just wander, the answer pops in."

The creative process moves through five stages.
It begins with preparation--an analytical time when the basic information or skills are assembled.
It continues on to incubation–a more intuitive and subconscious time in which you connect the dots in a default state. If you stick with it through perspiration, this process will eventually lead to revelation–the eureka experience when you literally feel the tumblers of your mind click
into place and you say: 'A-ha, I have found the solution!' The creative process ends with production, a time when the insights are put into a useful form and shared with others.

LESSONS FROM WRITERS ON AEROBIC INDUCED CREATIVITY
Ralph Waldo Emerson said of Thoreau: "The length of his walk uniformly made the length
of his writing. If shut up in the house, he did not write at all." I have dedicated an entire chapter
of my next book (Origins of Imagination: Exploring the Neuroscience of Creative Thinking) to examples of writers throughout history who have used physical activity as part of their process. Because it is nearly impossible for neuroscientists to track the link between exercise and creativity using current brain imaging technologies, I like to look at the daily habits of creative greats
to find empirical proof of how aerobic exercise facilitates the creative process.
Below are a few examples of writers who use aerobic exercise as part of their creative process.
Louisa May Alcott tapped into the power of running in a way that must have seemed bizarre
in the 1800s. She had an ecstatic connection to running that seemed embedded deep in her cells. She loved to run through the woods, in fact, she was an unexpected 'ultra-runner' of her day.
Louisa May Alcott famously said:
Active exercise was my delight from the time when a child of six I drove my hoop around
the Common without stopping, to the days when I did my twenty miles in five hours
and went to a party in the evening. I always thought I must have been a deer or a horse
in some former state, because it was such a joy to run. No boy could be my friend until I had beaten him in a race, and no girl if she refused to climb trees, leap fences, and be a tomboy. . .
My wise mother, anxious to give me a strong body to support a lively brain,
turned me loose in the country and let me run wild.
Henry Miller, who was an avid endurance cyclist,
described the importance of creating a default state to improve his writing process by saying:
Each man has his own way. After all, most writing is done away from the typewriter,
away from the desk. I'd say it occurs in the quiet, silent moments, while you're walking or shaving
or playing a game or whatever. . .You're working, your mind is working on this problem
in the back of your head. So, when you get back to the machine it's a mere matter of transfer.
Joyce Carol Oates, who is a devoted runner,
has written one of the best descriptions of how running facilitates her writing process:
Running seems to allow me, ideally, an expanded consciousness in which I can envision
what I'm writing as a film or a dream. I rarely invent at the typewriter but recall
what I've experienced. I don't use a word processor but write in longhand, at considerable length. (Again, I know: writers are crazy.) By the time I come to type out my writing formally,
I've envisioned it repeatedly. I've never thought of writing as the mere arrangement of words
on the page but as the attempted embodiment of a vision: a complex of emotions, raw experience. The effort of memorable art is to evoke in the reader or spectator emotions appropriate
to that effort. Running is a meditation; more practicably it allows me to scroll through,
in my mind's eye, the pages I've just written, proofreading for errors and improvements.
Haruki Murukami published a book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running in 2009.
When describing his daily writing process Murukami says:
When I'm in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 am and work for five to six hours.
In the afternoon, I run for 10km or swim for 1500m (or do both), then I read a bit and listen
to some music. I go to bed at 9:00 pm. I keep to this routine every day without variation.
The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it's a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself
to reach a deeper state of mind. But to hold to such repetition for so long - six months to a year - requires a good amount of mental and physical strength. In that sense, writing a long novel
is like survival training. Physical strength is as necessary as artistic sensitivity.

A VIGOROUS INNER AND OUTER LIFE IS KEY TO CREATIVE OUTPUT
Researcher Dean Keith Simonton has compiled strong evidence that consistent creative output results as much from a vigorous spirit as it does from creative 'genius'. If you want to foster creativity, you need to foster a curious, bold, and tenacious personality and mindset.
In every occupation Simonton studied-from composers, artists, and poets to inventors and scientists, the story is the same: a high number of creative breakthroughs is directly linked to the quantity 
of work produced and a refusal to let failure dampen enthusiasm or persistence. Regular physical activity reinforces the personality traits needed to be a creative dynamo across the board.  
Renowned creative greats like Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci didn't create a constant stream of brilliant works. They had the stamina and boldness to keep going after failure
and the confidence to admit that most of their ideas were probably going to be duds
without losing enthusiasm.  Thomas Edison once said "I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that don't work....genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."            
Creative greats have the resilience and drive to not get beaten down by 'losing'
at a creative challenge. Just like athletes, they have the tenacity to get up, dust themselves off
and refuse to quit. This mindset of determination is key to the creative process.
Being creative is almost like throwing spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks.
The more prolific and uninhibited you are about tossing out new ideas,
the better your odds become of having creative breakthroughs and being an innovator.

EXERCISE AND THE COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION OF OUR NATION
Part of the work I'm doing politically is to help create public policies and initiatives
that make physical activity available to people from all walks of life.
The more Americans we have being physically active and sleeping well at night the more innovation, trademarks and patents our nation will have and the more competitive we will be
in the global economy. In my eyes, the effect of inactivity and obesity in our nation
goes well beyond health-care costs, absenteeism and a collective depressed mood.
I believe that having more Americans: exercising regularly, getting outdoors,
living in the 3-dimensional world (not the 2-dimensional interface of a digital screen),
sleeping well at night and dreaming big will lead to a revitalization of our collective creative output, our vital energies and our economic strength.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201202/the-neuroscience-imagination


Turbo Charged Reading: Read more>>>Read fast>>>Remember all>>>Years later
Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneous recall – or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster
www.ourbusinessminds.blogspot.com                       development, growth, management. www.mreenhunthappyartaccidents.blogspot.com      just for fun.
To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Monday 10 July 2017

Toward a New Split-Brain Model: Up Brain-Down Brain

Salad burnett.

Toward a New Split-Brain Model: Up Brain-Down Brain
Bridging the gap between your intellectual and intuitive minds.
Christopher Bergland

In The Athlete's Way, I present a revolutionary split-brain model that I coined
"Up Brain/Down Brain." I am not a neuroscientist, but through lengthy conversations with my father (who was a world-renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist) we developed a revolutionary concept that would complement the outdated and controversial concept of "Left Brain/Right Brain."
My father was a visionary and renegade. His ideas about the mind and brain caused him
to be labeled a heretic by many people in the medical establishment, but he was also a mainstream author and wrote the The Fabric of Mind (Viking). My dad was always fascinated by the mystery and beauty of the cerebellum, which is why I focused on all of these in The Athlete’s Way.
In 2007, I published this revolutionary split-brain model in which I designated the cerebellum
as our “Down Brain” and the cerebrum as our “Up Brain." These brain "tags" were a direct, simple, and cogent response to the concept of Left Brain/Right Brain. As an athlete, coach and writer
I am eager to put the cerebellum in the spotlight and explore how it interacts with the cerebrum.
Leonardo Da Vinci made wax castings of the brain in 1504 and coined the term cerebellum
(Latin: little brain). The mysterious and powerful cerebellum is only 10 percent of brain volume
 but holds more than 50 percent of your brain’s total neurons. 
This is a perplexing ratio to neuroscientists.
What exactly is the cerebellum doing that requires so many neurons? Nobody knows for sure. 
My dad always said, “We won’t know in our lifetime exactly what the cerebellum is doing,
but based on the disproportionate number of neurons it holds we can be assured that
whatever it’s doing, it’s doing a lot of it!”
Have you ever heard the word cerebellar before? If you had to pinpoint where the cerebellum is
in your skull, would you know where to point? My spell check always tries to correct the word,
which is a constant reminder of why I am on this crusade to get the word cerebellar
into circulation. Before reading any further, please take the time to watch this quick two-minute animated video here.
Muscle memory has long been known to be held in the cerebellum. Anything that you learn
through practice and do without thinking, like riding a bicycle, hitting a tennis ball or driving a car
is cerebellar. As a kid practicing tennis religiously, my father would coach me by saying things like: “Think about hammering and forging the Purkinje cells of your cerebellum into muscle memory
with every stroke, Chris.” For more on this check out: No.1 Reason Practice Makes Perfect.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain 
In the 1970s my father was one of many neuroscientists intrigued by the concept that the left brain may be our 'reasoning' brain and the right brain our 'creative' brain. He was one of the experts referenced in the bestselling book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,
which was one of the first books to create a prescriptive based in neuroscience 
directed at teaching readers how-to master a skill. 
The empirical proof from my life experience combined with observing and coaching others suggests that the cerebellum holds so much untapped power. I know from first-hand experience
and researching the daily routines of creative greats, thought leaders and high achievers
that most of them are tapping into the power of their cerebellum by choices
they make everyday—and you can too.
Being sedentary, isolated from face-to-face contact, plugged into a two-dimensional digital device, and disconnected from nature shrinks your cerebellum and restricts your ability to maximize
your intuitive and intellectual capabilities, be more creative and ultimately feel fully alive.

Cerebellar “Implicit Memory” Vs. Cerebral “Declarative Memory”
The cerebrum is responsible for "cerebral" things that you do consciously ("know-you-know")
or do with volition; "cerebellar" things are things you do automatically and learn through practice. When you are chopping vegetables and you drop the knife
and in a millisecond move your foot to avoid the falling knife, that is cerebellar "thinking."
This is the difference between declarative memory and implicit memory. 
The cerebellum learns through trial and error, and once the Purkinje cells have encoded
the "long-term depression" necessary to fine-tune motor skills like riding a bike,
flipping an egg in a skillet, or serving a tennis ball, you will be able to do that skill automatically
for the rest of your life with a little warm-up.
Can you think of a time recently when a cerebellar skill or memory resurfaced after years or decades of hibernation? I had an experience playing tennis this summer as the recreational director
of Camp Lightbulb. When we arrived early at the tennis courts the instructor wasn't there
and I realized that I would have to be a tennis instructor for campers. I hadn’t held a tennis racquet for over a decade, but the second I had the racquet in my hand, all of my 'cerebellar' muscle memory came rushing back like I had been on the court yesterday.
I was excited to read professor Rob Mancuso’s latest blog called Think Less, Feel More 
about “mastering the art of intuitive intelligence.” Although the blog is written from a business perspective, there are a lot of parallels to the message of The Athlete’s Way. The blog points out that cognitive “book smarts” and intuitive “street smarts” are equally important.
Mancuso talks about the key to intuitive intelligence as being able to "allow subconscious thoughts to percolate into your conscious mind where they can be processed cognitively."
He states that "if you spend too much time watching TV, on your computer or smartphone
where information and entertainment is spoon fed to you that your intuitive intelligence will shrivel and you’ll end up sabotaging your chances for success. On the flip side, the time you spend unplugged from digital devices, meeting new people, traveling, exploring nature, moving your body, bonding intimately with family and friends will fortify your intuitive intelligence and make you
more likely to create your own luck and truly succeed.” I couldn’t agree with this sentiment more.
Conclusion: Screen Time Shrinks Your Cerebellum
The importance of being more physically active is not just about body-mass index
and the health costs associated with the “obesity epidemic.” It is much more complex.
Another unspoken toll of inactivity is that it causes your down brain to shrink,
and without your cerebellum working in unison with your cerebrum, we as individuals and a nation are stunting our ability to create and innovate. Cerebellar thinking is the mysterious engine
 that drives many aspects of cognition, including creativity.  
As a parent, I want my daughter to lock in as much muscle memory as she can at a young age—
and to be exposed to as many enriched environments, cultures, and languages as possible.
Yes, she can learn things in school and by interfacing with an iPad, but this doesn't really flex
her cerebellum to the degree exploring and living in the three-dimensional world does.
What will the long-term impact be on our youth if they grow up in a two-dimensional virtual reality and have shriveled cerebellums with no muscle memory to go back to when they're adults?
I believe it will result in a weaker brain pool, less creativity, and innovation, which is one reason
 that it is so important that we make sure that young Americans stay physically active,
spend time outdoors exploring nature, and are encouraged to be adventurous
and engage all of their senses everyday. This bulks up both the white and gray matter
of all hemispheres of the up brain and down brain.
The same is true for senior citizens. If you don’t use the cerebellum regularly, it shrinks
and you lose its most basic function which is proprioception and balance. People who sit all day
or are on bed rest can lose up to 25 percent of cerebellar brain mass. Senior citizens who don’t get up and move around regularly are more likely to have falls and break a bone, which is often
the beginning of a downward spiral. The same is true for flexing both hemispheres of the 'up brain' by attaining new knowledge and connecting ideas in new and useful ways
whether it be through crossword puzzles or brain teasers. 
People of all generations need to understand the importance of doing things every day
to keep every hemisphere of the brain healthy and strong. Below is a quick "map" I drew illustrating THE SUPER 8 LOOP which connects all hemispheres of Up Brain/Down Brain & Left Brain/Right Brain. This happens automatically when we do rhythmic, aerobic cardiovascular exercise like: running, biking, swimming, dancing, riding the elliptical etc.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201209/toward-new-split-brain-model-brain-down-brain


Turbo Charged Reading: Read more>>>Read fast>>>Remember all>>>Years later
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The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”