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| Brain power - use it and develop it | |
| Good news Research proves that you can do 2 amazing things 1. You can actually GROW the size of your brain 2. You can get more from each brain cell The familiar “use it or lose it” theory is only partially true because exercising the brain doesn’t just halt brain cell loss it can reverse it – at any time of your life – age is not a restriction. (Rozenzweig & Diamond research). The evidence shows that stem cells can not only create NEW neurons but that idle neurons can be reactivated vastly improving communication between the cells. The gain is in both quality and quantity. In other words you don’t automatically have to lose brain cells as you get older you can actually increase them or at worst have them work better. Indeed follow up research at Illinois University not only found that exercising the brain resulted in more densely packed neurons but that the brain was able to solve problems in shorter timescales – confirming gains in both quantity and quality. The four foundation stones for increasing brain power are shown below with a prime factor being left brain hemisphere development. “Use it & Develop it” takes over from use it or lose it. Bad News – More Good News “Bad News”- men tend to be more right-hemisphere specialised than women “More Good News” – it doesn’t matter as the Use it & Develop it rule applies. Brain researcher, Robert Ornstein states “The right-hemisphere specialisations develop to their fullest when informed by a fully developed left side” in other words a healthy left hand side helps produce a healthy right hand side. Develop the left side and you further increase the functions in the right – win/win. “Even More Good News” developing your left brain is not a long drawn-out procedure it happens surprisingly quickly. The Four Foundation Stones for Use it & Develop It From a trainer’s point of view more recent research from the Salk Institute and from Princeton University details not only how to achieve the growth of new brain cells but where the growth occurs which is in the hippocampus area of the brain, the area involved with memory and LEARINING. The four foundation stones are: 1. Physical Exercise 2. Good Diet 3. Social Interaction 4. Left Brain Stimulation There is more than enough material elsewhere on the first three foundation stones which leaves me to concentrate on Left Brain Stimulation – but why bother? Researchers state three reasons why building the left hand side of the brain is worthwhile, in addition to helping overall brain development, it affects: • Emotional Outlook • Career Opportunity • Quality of Life in Later Years. Emotional Outlook In 1982 research by Harold Sackheim noted that that patients suffering from brain damage or disease displayed different symptoms depending on which side of the brain was affected. He concluded that the right hand side was linked to crying and the left to laughing. Since then research neurologists using PET scans and imaging technology have confirmed that the right side of the brain is linked to negative emotions and the right to positive ones. The majority of people FEEL A SENSE OF POSITIVE SATISFACTION WHEN THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE BRAIN IS BUSY AND ACTIVE. So cheer yourself up with the left brain exercises. Career Opportunity A balanced and well developed whole brain with both sides mutually supporting each other can only result in a more rounded approach to career development. Better communication skills – left language based and right visually based – are one of the greatest assets in career choice and development. Problem solving abilities where the left hand side deals with conscious recall of data, language, planning future goals, mathematics the right with spatial awareness, configurational issues, sorting new data, visual clues and intuition leads to quicker and more creative solutions. The more rounded manager/engineer/teacher/etc has the ability to plan ah |
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| Contributor: Peter Dilger @ http://www.keystone-associates.co.uk | |
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