Why settle for 10%?

Sometimes 10% is just right.

God wants 10%. I can live with that.

The IRS wants WAY more than God, and we have to live with that…but it makes us sad.

When it comes to brain power, there’s that myth that “the average person only uses 10% of their brain!” Is that true? Scientists don’t think so, but it makes for good science fiction, when the occasional person is somehow altered to become a combination Einstein-Terminator. The subtle bias that being super-smart means being a freak isn’t lost on us, Hollywood.

It turns out, though, that perfectly normal people, in the absence of script-writers and special effects, can, via disciplined, deliberate effort, substantially – and I mean by up much more than 100 times – improve the speed and efficiency of their neural connections.  Here’s how that works (my apologies to neuroscientists for my gross oversimplification).

First, a little background on our nervous systems.

We have two major categories of nerve cells. Neurons are the ones everyone’s heard of: they’re usually referred to and people often don’t know that any other sort of nerve cell exists. Glial cells are the other kind. Most people haven’t heard of them but the people that have are super-enthusiastic about how much they contribute to our brains. In rock music terms, neurons are the Kurt Cobains: everyone knows who they are and everyone thinks they are great. Glial cells are Chris Cornell: the true nervous system fanatics know how great glial cells are and can’t believe everyone else can’t see past neurons/Kurt (no disrespect to Kurt Cobain intended!). Then we have myelin: it’s made out of fat, particularly those healthy fats such as DHA and EPA. The more you work your brain, the fatter it gets. That’s good – really good.

So…You decide to master a new skill. You focus – hard. The kind of hard thinking that makes your brain tired. It doesn’t matter what sort of skill it might be: kids learning their multiplication tables, a pitcher learning to throw a 90-mph perfect strike, a musician mastering Rachmaninov. Focusing, making efforts, tuning into all the aspects of the activity. Tossing a ball back and forth absentmindedly doesn’t make you a better pitcher. Focusing on the whole body experience – is this foot an anchor or is that leg a spring that, coiled tightly, releases energy at what specific point in the throw? What does it feel like in rib cage, shoulder, elbow, wrist? How is this attempt a little different from the one before? That studied, deliberate focus lights up the neural connections related to that activity, throughout the brain. Over time, as those neurons fire over and over, the glial cells pay attention. Whatever connections are working hardest get glial cell TLC – in the form of extra myelin. Glial cells wrap myelin, that white, fatty substance, around neurons, making the neurons more and more efficient. One hopes, at this point, that the person trying to develop expertise is eating a healthy diet with the right sorts of fats to support this brain development and getting enough sleep. (Consult your physician on this.) Over time, this intense process can improve the speed of the neural connections by up to 100 times! As the neural connection benefits from the support of the myelin, speeding up its efficiency, another change happens: the individual nerve cells themselves become faster by reducing their refractory period (that little, nano-second of rest/resetting between firings) by up to 30%. Factor that into the extra pace of the connections and, well…you do the math. You are upping your brain power by a tremendous amount in this area of interest.

What’s even more exciting is that our options for doing this are a wide-open window: you can go ahead and decide to devote the necessary focus and energy to many areas of interest over a life time, and, given overall health, a good diet and clean living, your brain will continue to dutifully respond to the demands you put on it.

Physical strength training benefits people in their 90s (yes, you read that right) and this sort of brain training – the kind people make naturally when they are interested and self-motivated – likewise can be a lifetime escapade of growth, challenge and fun.

Are you settling for 10%?

Dr. Lori Puterbaugh

© 2015

Posts are for information and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed to be therapeutic advice. If you are in need of mental health assistance, please contact a licensed professional in your area.