Why Do You Need to Train Your Brain Muscles

Improve Your Memory by Training Your Brain Our brain has many different functions. Some of them we’re consciously aware of, like solving a difficult mathematical question, but most we are not aware of at all. This is a shame, as in the absence of such knowledge, we may not realize how amazing our brain really is.

Tony Buzan Discusses Five Brain Functions

Reception; of external stimuli.
Retention; of information through memory.
The memory processes; encoding, storage, retrieval of information.
Analysis; such as processing of information and recognition of patterns.
Expression; such as thinking and conversation.
Control; of all physical and mental functions.

How Does Our Brain Work…

This is nice to know, you might think, but how do these functions actually work? I thought the same. Specifically I wanted to know:

How external physical stimuli are translated into thoughts?
How thoughts arise in our brains?
How the thinking processes take place?

I wanted to know these things so I could stimulate and improve my cerebral functions. Functions such as remembering, analyzing, and sharing of information. But I also wanted to stimulate and improve my creative thinking processes. The first step, therefore, was to understand the brain’s mechanisms. And the first step towards that, is knowing how it’s built up.

How is Our Brain built up?

Your brain and spine form your central nerve system. For the brain’s part, it’s estimated there are a trillion neurons (brain cells), with each neuron consisting of a body, called a soma, a core, called a nucleus, and a great many tentacles. One of these tentacles, the axon (from the Greek word axon which means axis), is long, while the others, the dendrites (from the Greek word dendron which means tree), are short. Dendrites are mostly used to receive information, while axons, generally, send information out. All of these tentacles have knotty ends, called synapses, and these are linked together by a synaptic cleft.

The Actual Processes in Our Brain

Neurons are information processors and messengers that can receive and send signals without any loss of strength. A signal, caused by a stimulus, can either originate at one of our senses (a physical phenomenon is turned in to a neural signal) or at the neurons in our brain (caused by a thought). Both types of signal are electrical and they’re passed on from neuron to neuron by the synapses (the knotty ends of the tentacles). When an electrical signal arrives at the synapse, a chemical substance is released into the synaptic cleft. This chemical substance, the neurotransmitter, subsequently generates a new electrical signal in the next synapse, and the message is passed on.

Did You Know?

The right part of your brain receives signals from your senses and controls the muscles in the left side of your body, and the left part of your brain receives signals from your senses and controls the muscles in the right side of your body. The nerves through which the biochemical-electrical signals are transported cross each other in the medulla oblongata, which is embedded deeply into the lower half of your brainstem.

What Is a Thought or Memory…

The conversion from a physical phenomenon into a sensation, a memory, or a biochemical-electromagnetic signal, is something that science has all mapped out. But the genesis of an actually thought from ‘nothing’ is something that modern science still struggles with. In the case of the former, the biochemical-electromagnetic signal forms a route (or memory track) when passed on from neuron to neuron (Tony Buzan calls this a mental map). But here’s the essential part: the biochemical-electromagnetic resistance along the memory track decreases every time a thought is passed on from neuron to neuron. Buzan even believes that when a thought is repeated, it is more likely to occur again. Let’s compare this phenomenon with the road of a race track. Every time a car goes over the track, the road is made smoother and wider. Therefore, it will be easier to go over it the next time, and the driver can go much faster as well. It’s the same with your thoughts or memories. Every time a thought is repeated, the memory track is made smoother and wider. Therefore, the resistance is lowered, and you can think faster.

Changes in Your Brain: Neuroplasticity

The physical changing of your brain with every emotion, thought, or action, is called neuroplasticity. It’s a phenomenon you can use to your advantage, since the only thing necessary for it is repeating what you want to learn or master. But it will take devotion, you’ll need to repeat it so often that it’s literally carved into your brain. In his book ‘The Winner’s Brain’, Jeffrey Brown discusses neuroplasticity and its links to successful people. He points to much research which proves our brain alters in accordance to our most frequent activities. Cab/taxi drivers, for example, have a strongly developed hippocampus, the part of our brain concerning spatial navigation and memory. This is because they drive around the city all day and have to know all the streets.

TIP: Train Your Brain to Become a Winner

So my first tip in this series on improving your memory and brain abilities is: The more you learn, the easier it gets to learn. Again, the only condition for success here is devotion. You must want to improve and you need to be interested in the subject or activity you want to master. But the thing is, you don’t even need to perform the actual action. This is because your brain can’t differentiate imagination from reality. Therefore, the renowned sports motivator, Tony Robbins, believes that if you visualize yourself carrying out a swing and you can see the golf ball going in the hole, you will actually be training yourself to play golf.

For Further Reading About Why And How to Train Your Brain, I Recommend:

[amazon_link id=”B003DYGOIW” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Winner’s Brain[/amazon_link], by Jeffrey Brown
[amazon_link id=”0983263302″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Brain Rules[/amazon_link], by John Medina