[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]HERE WERE SOME A-MAZ-ING things that happened in the 90s! And one thing in particular that absolutely will expand your mind.
Here’s the crazy thing… it was overlooked, or forgotten, or maybe suppressed – until recently rediscovered.
But, let’s back up a second. Just to make sure we’re on the same page, I’m talking the 1790’s. But don’t get your pantaloons twisted or flip your powdered wig – this is actually late breaking news.
To show you how groundbreaking this is, let’s set the stage with what else was happening in the 1790s’.
- President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address.
- The U.S. patent system is established.
- The first blast furnace was constructed in Pittsburgh by George Anshutz.
- Eli Whitney is granted his patent for the cotton gin.
- Coffee is forbidden by royal decree in Sweden (don’t ask me why).
- Mozart’s creating a prolific amount music.
- And there’s fighting and warring all over the place.
Meanwhile in the 1790s, an Italian anatomist name Michele Malacarne was asked to come up with some experiments to determine if mental exercises could in fact have an impact on the growth of the brain. He came up with a pretty clever experiement.
He took several pairs of brothers and sisters from birth (NOT people, but dogs and birds), and for a few years, he trained one of the siblings extensively. I’m not sure what the training was, but am guessing it was learning how to do tricks or remember a path through a maze – and be rewarded with a nice scratch behind the ear and probably some bacon (or whatever Italian dogs and birds enjoyed, maybe Salami). Meanwhile, the siblings, were allowed to just hangout, and do whatever the equivalent is of watching daytime TV.
After a few years, Malacarne sacrificed the animals and compared the brains of each to one another. What he found was astounding. The animals that were trained had larger brains and with more folds than their siblings who were untrained. This was big news, as previously, nobody thought you could change the very physiology of a brain.
His work was so advanced for the times, that it was promptly forgotten and in fact it played no part on the brain research (albeit little) that happened over the following nearly two hundred years.
In fact, during most of the 20th century, scientists believed that the brain was basically a fixed organ, and that it’s structure was immutable after a critical period of early childhood development. It wasn’t until around 1950 that this long-held belief was even challenged by others, including a Canadian named Donald Hebb who has since been described as the father of neural networks.
Work over the past couple decades now proves the principle of neuroplasticity – basically that your brain is constantly creating new connections and is doing so based on what (and how) you’re thinking.
In fact, a study completed in 2005 shows that the human brain rewires faster and more robustly than previously ever imagined. Brain imaging, which was previously not possible, was used in the study and it showed that when medical students studied for their exams, that in a matter of just months their gray matter increased significantly in the posterior and lateral parietal cortex.
It’s a shame the work of Malcarne and his dogs and birds, was forgotten for nearly two hundred years!
So, how can you expand your brain and its capacity? Here are ten ways (none have been tested on my dog).
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1. Keep Thinking
Learn new things. Struggle to understand new concepts. Maybe that’s why Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM had the simple word “THINK” on a plaque on his desk. Also, “Use your brain everyday so it gets better” wouldn’t fit.
2. Exercise
Your brain needs oxygen to function. Getting plenty of oxygen to your brain is good.
3. Eat Healthy
The brain weights about 3 lbs. That’s just 2% of your body weight (if you weigh 150lbs). Yet, amazingly, your brain uses 20% of your resting 1300 calories used a day. Give yourself, and your brain, good nutritious food. Note to self: “goodbye Twinkies, I shall miss thee.”
4. Meditate
There have been several studies that link meditation to increased gray matter, including one from Harvard University. In addition to the increase, studies show improvements in a multitude of areas, including: decreases in anger and sadness, and improved clarity, etc.
5. Be A Lifelong Learner
Stay curious. Stay interested. Ask “why?” and more importantly look for answers. Stop saying “I don’t know,” and go find out. Don’t Be An Over-Consumer (of Content). Be aware of the difference between creating content (or art) and consuming content. Sure, it’s ok to consume some content – to watch the game, or some news, or your favorite show. But according to a recent report from Nielsen, the average American watches 5 hours of TV per day. That’s frightening.
6. Be Creative
Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in education and business says, “Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it’s produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” Yea, not only that… it makes your brain stronger. Take some photographs, learn an instrument, make a collage of whatever it is you like, write a letter or a story. Go create.
7. Enjoy Music
If you’ve not yet seen the documentary “Alive Inside” – you should watch it. Excellent. Get started by watching the trailer. It shows how music remains alive in parts of the brain that are essentially untouched by the ravages of Alzheimer’s. Go put some beautiful music (whatever that is to you) into your brain. It’ll always be a part of you.
8. Drink Water
Your brain is 75% water. It functions, and you think, through chemicals and electrical impulses traveling at unimaginable speeds. Best to provide a clean medium.
9. Get Your Rest
Just because scientists don’t know a lot about sleep, doesn’t mean you don’t know why it’s important. Even as an experiment of one – YOU know this for sure. You think better when you’re rested, when the restorative powers of sleep allow your brain to work it’s magic. Rewire, store, dream, remix, whatever. Let your brain do its best by letting it sleep.
10. Love (BONUS)
I’m adding this without the benefit of a clinical study, or any advanced molecular, cellular or brain imaging studies. I’m just going to flat out tell you what my brain is thinking… it needs love to function at its best. The chemicals of dopamine, phenylethylamine, norepinephrine, oxytocin and serotonin are released, and they stimulate thinking and that will make you feel all tingly and connected to each other and the universe.[/message]
In closing, my brain wants to wish your brain well. Despite our outward appearances, we’re really much (much) more similar than dissimilar. Regardless of what’s on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that matters. Let’s continue to think and grow.
