Reading this Blog May Keep Your Brain Healthy!
Decatur Metro | January 4, 2010For all you middle-agers out there, those most infuriating of DM comments might actually do your grey matter good. From the New York Times…
The brain, as it traverses middle age, gets better at recognizing the central idea, the big picture. If kept in good shape, the brain can continue to build pathways that help its owner recognize patterns and, as a consequence, see significance and even solutions much faster than a young person can.
…Educators say that, for adults, one way to nudge neurons in the right direction is to challenge the very assumptions they have worked so hard to accumulate while young. With a brain already full of well-connected pathways, adult learners should “jiggle their synapses a bit” by confronting thoughts that are contrary to their own, says Dr. Taylor, who is 66.
So click on those comments and jiggle those synapses. Jiggle ‘em!
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So then tell me this. How come our elected leaders, all of whom have at least reached middle age, seem to be the most intractable and unthinking people on the planet, and are incapable of seeing significance in patterns and developing solutions?
By the way, this comment is not a dig at any party or elected official in particular. It’s a general observation of all of our “leaders,” regardless of their affiliation.
Good point Eric.
I would say that most traditional politicians don’t have the luxury of challenging their own thoughts and viewpoints. Any deeply held belief must be weighed against political realities and the fact that they were elected to represent an already stated belief.
And defending your own belief system against others is perhaps a very different way of thinking than honestly challenging your own belief system.
Those fols get labelled flip flippers and lose. Think “no new taxes” for bush1, or any of the Kerry stuff.
This why I sometimes listen to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
Or, as a sentence with verbs would read: This IS why…..
Me Nellie like radio. Conservative make Nellie angry. Grrr.
Just teasing NB! I use NPR for the same purpose.
Honestly, NPR bugs me too. I think anyone but me talking too much bugs me.
I jiggled a synapse too much. Too bad I didn’t get the extended warrenty; I think it broke.