4 Essential (and Overlooked) Facts About Your Brain and Your Mind

An aspiring clarinetist begins by getting a sense of the way the instrument’s sounds are produced by the air she blows through it. A driver must be acquainted with various vehicle fundamentals, such as adding gas, accelerating, and reading the speedometer. It is no different with the brain. Maximizing your brain’s health and performance begins with a basic understanding of how it works and how it evolves across the lifespan. The human brain evolved to help us operate in complex, changing environments by continually learning and adapting. Successfully doing so involves a variety of brain functions and abilities, including various types of memory, language, emotional regulation, attention, and planning. While these functions are often carried out by distinct neural networks, they are fundamentally interdependent and thriving in the environment we face each day depends on the functionality of all these brain functions, whether cognitive, emotional, or executive. For example, imagine that you are discussing an ambitious new project with a client. The situation is difficult, both because the importance of the deal for your career means you are anxious to close it to your advantage, and because the client is being quite condescending. The pressure to succeed and the need to refrain from getting angry make it hard for you to “stay cool” and think straight. This turns out to be a good illustration of the ways that we depend on “emotional self-regulation”, and demonstrate...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neurologists Authors: Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness attention brain Brain-Fitness brain-reserve Brain-Training cognitive-enhancement dementia emotional-regulation language Lifelong-learning memory mind Neur Source Type: blogs