Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Brain Plasticity Can Be Changed By Learning

Brain plasticity is a common word used in science to refer to the brain’s ability to change at any age. It is a physical process where your gray matter can actually shrink or thicken and new connections can be made inside your brain or even made more efficient. Each time you learn something new your brain makes a new “connection.”

Over time the more of these connections you make the more efficient your brain is and it becomes much better at processing information. When we are young we are constantly learning new things and as a result this is though of as the biggest period of brain plasticity in our life. When we get older and more set in our ways we spend less time learning new things which results in a decline in our brain plasticity.

Neurogenesis is the concept that the brain can recreate new neurons. Even though we lose a lot of neurons everyday, by leveraging brain plasticity and challenging and exercising our mind regularly, we can create new neuronal pathways in our brain. This is an important biologic and chemical process as this helps us learning new information and processing new experiences.

Having this information is very powerful because it means you have the ability to improve your thinking and memory. Keeping your brain sharp will mean improved cognitive memory and making better decisions. When you are able to solve problems better that means your life won’t be filled with so much stress and you can manage the day to day better. Having a healthy mind and a good brain health is proven to be an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. You want to take care of your brain in the same way you are taking care of your body.

Sounds good right? So how do you make it happen? The best way to keep your brain plasticity in top operating condition is to stimulate the brain. That doesn’t’ mean you need a head massage but instead you need to always be learning. You can stimulate the brain many different ways including reading a book, learning something new or even physical activity.

You can also do a brain training game on your computer. There are several different types of “brain game” software’s that have short exercises that are designed to improve your cognitive skills and brain plasticity. These only require a few minutes of your day and give your brain the workout it needs daily.

Learning is the best way to improve you brain function. It doesn’t have to be learning out of a school book either it can be something that you are very interested in. If you like fast cars learn about how the engine works. If you love to bake teach yourself many different techniques both easy and complex. You can find memory programs and other ways to exercise your brain in many different facets of life.

So start improving your brain plasticity and function today by thinking about ways you can push yourself to learn new things. Having a healthy brain goes a long way in having a much less stressful life and being more productive in your day-to-day activities.

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