Throughout recent history, mankind has been determined to understand the workings of the brain. Although we have an abundance of research available to us, there are still just as many questions as ever since the more we know, the more we know we don’t know. Brain function affects almost every aspect of our lives and when dealing with age-related changes in its structure, we begin noticing a decrease in cognitive functioning which can be a bit disconcerting. There are a few misconceptions about brain aging that may prove interesting. The more we understand them, the better we can modify our thoughts and behaviors.
During aging when information processing becomes less efficient, older people do not always become wiser in choosing fact from fiction. For example, in a study, older people were told in advance that the article they were about to read contained both true and false information. Before reading it, the false information was pointed out to each of them. Knowing this, however, did not change their understanding of the article since it was difficult for them to factor out the false information. So it seems that we tend to find it difficult to divert our attention away from irrelevant or untrue details possibly because we are oriented to see the “big picture.” Unfortunately, nothing was offered to ameliorate this, so I’d like to offer a suggestion that may help to increase our focus on the more pertinent or factual information. When reading any story, watching the news, hearing descriptions of other people or incidences, or learning a new task, we are receiving trivial, immaterial, significant and consequential information. If we try to put all this info into one big mental pot, it seems that nothing much gets assimilated and therefore very little of the relevant information is recalled with any accuracy. When learning something or hearing/reading details of a story, lecture, sermon, newscast or conversation, for example, it’s important to dismiss immediately what is obviously impertinent to the main part of the information which is fitting for you. Irrelevant details given can be entertaining or fluffy in order to maintain your attention, but it may not help with remembering what you wanted to learn in the first place. Try to strategically allocate your focus on the main topic of discussion in order to improve recall later. Refudiate “facts” that are unreasonable or obviously fabricated or inflated to win you over to a particular point of view. Gaining wisdom seems to involve the ability to do this more accurately. Even though the brain isn’t functioning like a 25 year old, it is still capable of discarding irrelevant facts if consistently practiced. Significant living involves tossing out insignificant and ineffective information that just clutters up thought processes which can make us crazy. Viewing or hearing information in its entirety is important, but immediately sifting and consciously registering what is pertinent can help us become more logical and centered. Practice this regularly and you’ll soon disentangle messages quickly and see an improvement in discernment, meaningful memories and recall.
The 2nd brain misconception is that people are either left (logical/analytical) or right (creative/thoughtful) brain dominant based on personality and cognitive style. For two years University of Utah neuroscientists scanned thousands of brain regions in 1,011 people in order to determine if people are more likely to use their right or left brain more frequently. They discovered that no one tends to have a stronger left or right brain network which means one’s personality has nothing to do with either hemisphere being more active or “connected” than the other. We do believe that language primarily resides on the left side of the brain, but there is evidence that the right hemisphere controls some aspects of language, too. Being right or left handed enters into the equation, also. So whether you tend to be imaginative or detail oriented, who cares. Anyone can develop either characteristic through music lessons or taking a bookkeeping class, for example. What we usually witness is that artists take art classes and pragmatic people would rather study equations, for example. It’s all about comfort zones, where most of us live so that we don’t rock our worlds too much. Stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as it provokes an optimal level of performance without undue anxiety levels. If, with forethought, we push ourselves out of our safety net, we should experience eustress (positive stress) and an optimal level of cognitive performance and alertness.
The last misconception is that we use only 10% of our brains with the idea that, my gosh, look at how much more we could utilize with a little bit of work. Pet and MRI scans have shown that we use much of it during routine tasks and only about 10% when at rest. Even when sleeping, areas like the frontal cortex control higher-level thinking and self-awareness. The brain only represents about 3 pounds of our body weight but utilizes 20% of its energy during rapid neuronal firing and parasympathetic activities. Over a 24 hour period, 100% of the brain is utilized, according to John Henley, neurologist at the Mayo Clinic. Neurons that control simple movement tend to cluster together. For example, when you move your thumb, the neurons that control the forefinger collaborate simultaneously. What scientists do not understand is how clusters of neurons from different areas of the brain collaborate to form consciousness, since there doesn’t seem to be one brain region controlling inner and outer awareness. The 10% brain function that we presume to understand are the neurons themselves. The other 90% are glial cells which encapsulate and support the neurons and not scientifically explained as yet. So, in essence, only about 10% of the brain is understood……the other 90% that we also use every single day, remains a mystery, as does most of life and the universe. What’s nice is that we can still marvel at and greatly appreciate this mini-universe called the brain, while being relatively clueless as to how it functions.
- Jane Alise
References:
~Cavanaugh, J. C. & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2011). Adult Development and Aging (6th Ed), p.46. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Centage Learning.
~Nielsen, J. A., Zielinsky, B. A., Ferguson, M. A., Lainhart, J. E., & Anderson, J. S. (2013). An evaluation of the left-brain vs.right-brain hypothesis with resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging. PLoS One, 8 (8): 371275. doi:10:1371/journal.pone.0071275
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/