There are situations that change the brain and we are not aware of that, they are not strange or unusual situations, but normal and everyday situations, sometimes they generate positive changes in brain structure, but sometimes they do not.
The brain is a fascinating organ, about which we discover new information every day. Thanks to advances in neuroimaging techniques, we now know that there are situations that change and stimulate the brain or damage it.
- The interesting thing about knowing these brain-changing situations is that it allows us to adjust our lifestyle.
- Some habits make us smarter.
- While others only hurt us.
- This is a guide for you to distinguish yourself from each other.
“Neuroscience is by far the most exciting branch of science because the brain is the most fascinating object in the universe. Every human brain is different; Does the brain make every human being unique and define who it is?”Stanley B. Prusiner (Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1997)?
It sounds amazing, but reading novels is one of the brain-changing situations. In fact, research from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, found that reading a novel alters brain connectivity.
Another research, published in Psychological Science, presented the case of a group of volunteers who, after reading Franz Kafka’s work, showed new brain parameters, in a word: they have become smarter.
Poor sleep is another brain-changing situation. Harvard School of Medicine (USA) It has been able to show that spending more than three days sleeping only four hours a night leads to the death of certain neurons.
Similarly, lack of sleep affects the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure that functions as a center of emotional control.
Therefore, not sleeping well also affects the emotions of the person, basically becomes more irritable, intolerant and pessimistic.
Physical pain causes significant changes in the brain, which often persist even after relief. A Northwestern University study found that pain lasting more than six months causes structural changes in the brain.
The most significant changes were observed in the hippocampus, a gray matter structure linked to learning and memory, which not only affects brain function, but also affects the control of emotions.
Learning something new generates changes in our neural connections; by acquiring knowledge that we didn’t have before, several regions of the brain come into action; in this process, called myelination, nerve impulses begin to travel faster, increasing neural activity.
Myelinization is a process that occurs mostly during childhood, over the years it becomes less frequent and slower, however, by acquiring new knowledge, myelination is activated again, improving the performance of neurons.
Research from the University of Oxford (UK) has shown that the white substance of the brain increases by up to 5% during juggling, this white substance affects the rate at which the brain works.
The study involved 24 volunteers juggling bullets for 30 minutes a day; after a while, they all showed changes in the brain, in particular, increased peripheral vision and the rate of capture of stimuli.
Fat accumulation is another situation that changes the brain negatively. Paul Thompson, a researcher at the University of California, after several studies, has found that obesity reduces brain size in the elderly.
From a certain age, overweight people have brains that look 16 years older than they should be depending on their chronological age. Fat tends to clog arteries, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain.
There are many studies that demonstrate the excellent effect of meditation on brain function.
Research by Dr. Sara Lazer, a specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States, has shown that half an hour of meditation for eight weeks produces lasting changes in the brain.
What clinical trials have shown is that meditation increases the density of gray matter in the hippocampus and elsewhere, and the effect is greater learning capacity, less stress, increased awareness and ability to introspection, among others.
In short, it’s important to keep an eye on the situations that change your brain, both good and bad, basically the brain is who we are and most of our lives depend on how well it works, so let’s take good care of it.