September 4th, 2009 → 12:52 am @ andre // No Comments
Ever heard someone compares the brain to a microchip? Or the computer? I’m sure you have.
I hate that metaphor. Why? Because it doesn’t reflect the true nature of your brain. You see, when modern neurology was first founded, it was assumed that the brain is like a machine. It has fixed parts and if one of those parts breaks down, there’s nothing that we can do to rectify that misfortune.
But modern researchers have shown the opposite to be true: That your brain evolves to adapt to the environment it is exposed to. Take a look at the case of Michelle Mack, the girl who was born with only half a brain.
How do you think she live her life? Struggling to survive with life support machines attached to her 24/7?
Michelle lived a relatively normal life. She speaks fluently, except when frustrated, and she walks, read and hear just fine. Yes, she did learn the basics of human life a little slower than other children, but that’s just because her brain required that extra time to adapt.
How could that be? Aren’t we taught that the left hemisphere perform certain tasks while the right hemisphere perform others? How could a girl with half a brain live a relatively normal life?
The answer lies in brain plasticity. Your brain is NOT like a microchip. It is, in fact, unlike any other thing in this world.
But just like any other tools we have, brain plasticity can both be a curse or a blessing.
If you live your life constantly learning new skills, your brain will adapt and “learn how to learn”. If you live your life moving your limbs, your brain will adapt and learn how to keep them moving.
Unfortunately, of course, most people live a life of repetition. Studies have shown that about 80% – 90% of the things people think and do today, are the same things they did and thought yesterday. Add to that the fact that most people hardly ever exercise and that more than 60% of the people who left college never again read a book…
Taking brain plasticity in consideration… Is it any wonder that as people get older, they are having a hard learning anything at all? Or that they can hardly balance themselves anymore? Or that their memory are always slipping away from their grip?
Your brain fitness, depends on what you do with your brain. Sure, nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the resources for your brain to change… but if you don’t use your brain, it will adapt and turn itself off. Quite literally.
