Can our brains grow?
During the late 20th century, scientists conducted an experiment where they divided numerous monkeys into two groups:
Group 1: The monkeys were kept alone in small bare cages.
Group 2: The monkeys were provided with an enriched living environment where they had toys to play with and other monkeys to socialize with.
The scientists observed that the monkeys in Group 1 just spent time eating or sleeping. Whereas, the monkeys in Group 2 were always active: they learnt social skills through collaboration with other monkeys and they also learnt skills to play with toys. The images below show the brain scans of the monkeys in each group.
You can clearly see that the monkeys in Group 2 have more neurons and a stronger neural network. In fact, the scientists reported that their brains were almost 10% bigger and heavier in size than the brains of the monkeys in Group 1.
The human brain is similar. In fact, it can grow at a much faster rate than that of monkeys. Think about it: when babies are born, they are hearing people all around them talk. Their brains are working hard to decipher the strange sounds to learn a new language altogether. This is why once children learn a new language, they don’t forget it because the new skill has created a strong and permanent neural network in their brains. For proof, you can see the brain scans of a human baby at birth and at age 6 below. Clearly, our intelligence and brain can grow.
Wait, but why is this important for us to know?
In my previous article, we busted the myth about greatness and encouraged each other to pivot the conversation from talent to effort and hard work. The natural question that most of you asked was “How do we make the transition and set-off on the path to greatness?” A great starting point is to study the most fascinating creation of all-time: the Brain.
The great Buddha said: The mind is everything. What you think you become.
Our mind is extremely powerful. It has the ability to be programmed for greatness. If used correctly, it can empower us. If not used correctly, it can enslave us. Mastering the mind is no easy task. And surely, there is no quick-fix. In fact, it is a long and strenuous journey. Even Einstein took ten years to achieve his first major accomplishment as a scientist.
When Albert Einstein’s father gifted him a compass, young Albert became fascinated by the invisible magical forces of our planet that operated the needle of this device. As he grew older he would constantly learn more about these invisible forces and his curiosity would make him wonder: “what if there were other forces in this world — invisible to us — that are yet to be discovered?”. He began his thought experiments in 1895 and in 1905, his first revolutionary theory of relativity got accepted. So what was happening to Einstein’s brain as he worked through those ten years to solve the fascinating mysteries of our world?
When we start learning a new skill, such as riding a bicycle or solving complex problems in physics or algebra, like Einstein, the following activities happen in our brains:
A large number of neurons in the frontal cortex (the conscious part of our brain) get activated to help us learn the skill.
More and more neurons are recruited from other parts of the brain into the frontal cortex to accelerate the process of learning. As a result of the influx of additional neurons, the frontal cortex expands in size and becomes bigger.
With adequate practice and effort, the skill becomes hardwired and automatic in our brain.
The additional neurons that were recruited in the frontal cortex to learn this skill are then shifted farther down the cortex to the lesser conscious part of the brain. This frees up the frontal cortex to learn other new skills and solve newer problems.
In the end, an entirely new neuron network is created just to remember the newly mastered skill and this network now sits in other parts of the brain that require much less conscious control.
To multitask or not?
It is important to note that the process of hardwiring decelerates if we are constantly distracted and shift from one task to another. In doing so, we activate completely different sets of neurons for each task. Hence, it becomes very difficult for a new neural network to form dedicated to the new skill. Through constant multitasking, we sabotage our own learning and development. This is why experts recommend that we dedicate two to three hours of our focus learning a new skill instead of spending six to eight hours of dispersed concentration on multiple tasks.
At this point, you might be wondering: Great! So, my intelligence is not fixed and I can become smarter? But…How?
According to the famous psychologist, Dr. Carol Dweck, there are six (6) key actions that can help you master any skill and set-off on the path of greatness:
Belief — the first step is to believe that your intelligence and skills can grow. If you don’t have this belief, you won’t find the motivation for the remaining actions listed below. Hence, you can say that belief is the first step and a pre-requisite for all the steps below.
Focus — on the learning process instead of focusing on the learning outcomes. This is important because the journey to a smarter brain and greatness in skill level is going to be a long one. The results won’t show instantly. If you are focused on positive results and recognition then you are not setting yourself up for long-term success. Hence, the journey requires patience and mundane discipline, as discussed previously.
Effort — whatever your chosen skill, whether it is writing, dancing or football, you have to practice that skill day in and day out. Through effortful practice, the neurons multiply and new neural networks are formed helping you graduate from the beginner level to the expert level.
Challenges — you will come across many obstacles and challenges along your journey. You must embrace each challenge as an opportunity to become better, instead of feeling threatened by the challenges and avoiding them.
Mistakes — you are bound to make mistakes on your path to greatness. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Instead, courageously experiment and analyze each mistake of yours to learn and improve.
Feedback — find trusted coaches or mentors who can provide you with essential feedback. The job of the coach will be to identify your blind spots and help you address them. Use the feedback as an opportunity to grow, instead of feeling defensive.
The all-time-greats in their fields, including Einstein, adopted the above framework to elevate their status and achieve something extraordinary. So the only question remains: What’s stopping you?
Omer is an Educator and Coach who is on a mission to unlock the true potential of our minds. He adopts the design thinking principles to teach students, parents and working professionals about building foundational Non-Cognitive skills.
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Website: www.OmerQadri.com
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