Inside Your Mind

A Journey Into the Core of Cognition, Perception, and Learning with “The Brain: The Story of You”

In an era where AI's writing poetry and there’s a GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformers) for anything - we might be tempted to offload all cognitive tasks to our silicon-based counterparts. Maybe one day we will trade all our neurons for a shiny new LLM - but our organic gray matter isn't ready for retirement just yet. And that’s exactly why I am still fascinated by books on the brain, and why I think books on it still have a place in this blog.

So with that cautionary intro - let me introduce you to David Eagleman's "The Brain: The Story of You".  It's a fascinating and informative book that will teach us about the inner workings of our brain. And it will remind us why it's so important to take care of our most important organ. Now, as I have done in my prior reviews, I am not summarizing the entire book, but just writing about the three most practical ideas I learned from it. 

The Mind's Flexibility: How the Brain Adapts and Evolves Through Life

A baby is born with approximately 100 Billion brain cells. By the time the baby gets to a teenager - the brain cells are reduced to approximately 90 Billion. And, as a mature adult that further reduces to 80 Billion, and then again in considerably older adults, it could be as low as 70 Billion. 

That sounds like a bad way to go, but luckily for us, it is not just about the quantity, but also the quality. Elephants are supposed to have 250 Billion plus brain cells, and Blue Whales are estimated to have a number between 200 Billion and 1 Trillion brain cells. Apparently, they are not 2x smarter than us (or maybe they are? 😉)

So, the power of the brain doesn't reside solely in its cells, but in the connections between them. Enter synapses, – the biological junctions that permit a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. These synapses form the essential bridging point in the neuronal circuit, defining the way signals flow through the brain's circuitry.

It’s the richness of these interconnections - synapses - that truly gives us our cognitive prowess. We're talking about an astronomical number of connections; each neuron forms thousands of links with other neurons, resulting in a complex and extensive - to the tune of 100 trillion - synaptic network. Every thought, memory, or skill we have is a direct result of these synapses and the strength of their connections.

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. The brain has the capacity to reorganize itself, creating new neural pathways to adapt to its needs. This incredible ability is what allows us to learn and change throughout our lifetime. The synaptic connections that make us, us, are the result of everything we’ve ever been exposed to. In other words, every person we meet, film we watch or book (and this blog 😉) we read shapes who we are!

As we age, maintaining this synaptic wealth is crucial for cognitive health. Just like a muscle that strengthens with use, synaptic connections can grow stronger or weaker over time. Regular mental exercise - reading, solving puzzles, learning new skills - can reinforce these neural circuits, boosting the brain's speed and accuracy. 

But having said that, how can we use this?

• For a student - this is great news. Use your relatively very high levels for brain plasticity to your advantage. You can take on a diverse array of subjects and skills, from foreign languages to coding to artistic endeavors and easily excel at them. The more varied the stimuli, the more robust the neural networks become.

• As an employee, we can leverage neuroplasticity for career advancement. This could mean learning a new software, taking up a leadership course, or mastering a new area in their field. Such learning not only enhances their skill set but also keeps their brain engaged and adaptable.

• Even in our 60s - when our brain may not be as plastic as it was in our younger years, it can still learn and adapt. Continue challenging it with new tasks, activities, and experiences.

The Master Narrator: Decoding the Brain's Storytelling Abilities

Every moment of every day, we all rely on our senses to navigate the world around us. We believe we see reality as it truly is. Yet, the hard truth is that our reality is actually a subjective interpretation, carefully crafted by an ingenious storyteller lodged inside our skulls – our brain.

Our brain, akin to a seasoned novelist, translates sensory information into a comprehensive narrative that forms our perception of reality. It processes colors, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches, weaving them together to create a coherent story that we believe to be an objective reality. This perception is the world as we know it.

This narrative ability of the brain is perhaps most starkly highlighted by optical illusions, those beguiling mind-benders that trick us into seeing things that aren't there. One second we see a duck, the next it transforms into a rabbit. The image hasn't changed; instead, our brain has simply rewritten the story it tells us about that image.

Similarly, our sense of reality can sometimes get wonderfully entangled, creating a condition known as synesthesia. Synesthetes experience an extraordinary cross-talk between their senses, leading to intriguing sensory combinations – tasting the bitterness of written words, seeing a kaleidoscope of colors in a symphony, or associating numbers with specific colors. Far from hallucinating, these individuals are simply experiencing another version of reality, another story spun by their unique brains.

And the storytelling doesn't stop there. Our brains can be “primed” to subtly manipulate our thoughts and judgments.

• You’re much more likely to think of someone’s behavior as immoral if there’s a bad smell in the air.

• If you’re holding a warm drink in your hand, you’re more likely to describe your relationships with others warmly

Okay, so having known this: what can we do to benefit from this?

• As a student - maintaining a clean, organized study space with a pleasant aroma (like a scented candle or essential oils) can subconsciously create a positive mood and enhance focus. You could also prime your brain by color-coding notes, associating different topics with different colors to remember information better.

• Remember the connection between warm drinks and warm perceptions? You could try warm beverages during team building sessions to foster a more cooperative and friendly atmosphere

• Healthy Eating: Using smaller plates and bowls can prime your brain into thinking you're eating more than you actually are, helping control portion sizes and promoting healthier eating habits.

• As a parent , creating a calm and warm environment can help children feel more secure and behave better. This could mean decluttering their rooms, using calming colors in their spaces, or implementing a predictable routine.

In each of these scenarios, understanding how our brains process sensory data and narrate reality can help us engineer our environments and behaviors to positively influence our lives. As we get better at 'priming' our brains, we can effectively guide the narratives our brains spin and thus shape our reality.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

The reference to the Daniel Kahenman title is intended, as there’s a lot of synergies between the concepts of the books and what we describe here.

Life is full of decisions, from mundane questions about which shoes to wear to life-defining choices about which career to pursue.

But how do people make choices?

How much control do we have over your actions?

If we’re using “we” to refer to the conscious self, the truth is that we have little access to the part of your brain that controls the steering wheel. But that's a good thing. If we had to consciously process every desire, action and gesture, life would become impossible. Simply drinking a cup of coffee would be utterly draining. And while you are at it, don’t forget to take 12 breaths per minute - you could die otherwise.

But thankfully, we don’t have to. Practiced skills are performed subconsciously. Put simply, you’re better at doing things when you don’t think too hard about them.

The book talks about an interesting experiment with Austin Naber, a ten-year-old champion sport stacker. The author raced against Austin stack cups in different shapes. You can see the video here. This was a demanding task for the author because it was unfamiliar. His brain expended huge amounts of energy trying to complete the task. Austin’s brain, on the other hand, was at rest. He’d performed similar routines so often that stacking cups no longer required him to engage his conscious brain!

When you reach a certain level of proficiency, conscious effort actually leads to mistakes. Basketball players can dunk the ball without consciously making a decision to do so. That’s just as well, because the human brain isn’t fast enough to accurately gauge the distance and the angle while measuring the speed of opponents to accurately estimate this.

But what does this mean for all of us? Let’s connect back to the first topic - forming Synapses. When we practice, we form synapses, and more of those activities get to the subconscious brain. 

• Practice Makes Perfect: Whether it's a mathematical formula or a musical instrument, the repetitive practice will help in forming synapses, making the information second nature.

• Enhancing Life Skills: Apply this principle to everyday life skills like cooking, driving, or even parenting. Building a routine and consistently practicing these skills can lead to more effortless and effective execution.

• Mindfulness and Decision Making: Understanding when to trust your 'gut feeling' or subconscious mind can lead to quicker and often more accurate decisions. 

• Learning New Skills: It's never too late to learn something new. Taking up new hobbies and practicing them can lead to cognitive growth and a more fulfilling life.

Democratizing the Brain

I would like to close this review  with a reference to the ever growing popular science section. The genre of popular science books, like David Eagleman's "The Brain: The Story of You", plays a crucial role in democratizing complex scientific concepts, making them accessible and engaging. They have the power to incite curiosity, foster critical thinking, and spur conversations about scientific phenomena that shape our lives and the world around us. 

However, the nature of “pop” science books invites some caveats. In the pursuit of simplicity and broad appeal, there's a risk of oversimplifying complex scientific concepts, potentially leading to misunderstandings or misconceptions. The desire to captivate readers leads to sensationalizing scientific ideas or highlighting speculative theories as accepted fact. So take it with a grain of salt, remember that your reading simplifications - and yes - keep those synapses strong and connected.

Thanks for reading and i appreciate your feedback. Share your thoughts in a comment. If it resonates, don't forget to like, share, recommend and subscribe.