Our Wonderful brain- Part 2 ( sorry, it is one long post )

 

4. Our brain on ROAD RAGE

Why road rage? Well it is the most common behaviour among us. Abusing, yelling, being fined are common and we blame it on bad drivers, bad roads and traffic. Just a minute.

Our brains are built to overreact to a perceived threat. The same neuronal machinery that protected our ancestors from a charging animal eons ago is activated when we encounter ordinary stresses like traffic! Our body releases cortisol, a hormone which sets off the brain’s alarm bells by stimulating the emotionally charged amygdala while damaging neurons in the hippocampus, which in turn shrinks the calming part of the brain that puts things in perspective.

To bring this stress response under control we can take the help of our newer brain i.e. the frontal cortex to regulate the older ones.

Another common example is, nearly everyone has an involuntary reaction to a stressful situation like public speaking. We feel our stomach churning, our mouths going dry because that’s how evolution has trained us. Some can channelize this fear into a positive energy to surge ahead and connect with the audience. So the next time if we feel angry behind the wheel, let us force ourselves to refocus by thinking and saying to ourselves- I will be a little late or I might as well enjoy the nice day/ listen to some music in the car etc. this would definitely help in toning down our emotional reactions.

5. Our Brain while DREAMING

Deidre Barret, Asst. Clinical professor of Psychology at Harvard University says that after we conk off the brain becomes quiet, but after about 90 minutes it dramatically reactivates with rapid eye movement, REM sleep. It is as active as when we are awake. But this activity comes from a different distribution of brain regions. The primary visual cortex is less active while sleeping but the secondary visual cortex is most active. The ‘censoring’ prefrontal cortex is also less active.

This new distribution of activity match the unique feature of dreams- visually rich environments where we perform over the top actions and events take bizarre twists- but it also makes dreams fertile grounds for solving the problems of our waking life. Increased activity in the secondary visual cortex allows our dreaming mind to visualise new solutions to problems.

To maximize dreaming’s problem solving benefits, Barret suggests that at bedtime we repeat our concerns to ourselves before bedtime. Then visually represent the concern and tell ourselves that we want to dream an answer. Equally important is that we keep a pen and notepad on the bedside table so that we jot down the dream on waking up. Dreams are held in short term memory but writing it down helps it to be stored in the long term memory.

6. Our brain while listening to MUSIC

Imagine we are listening to a popular song. We begin to hum, tap our fingers/feet and we are happier. This is because the song has turned on the brain’s reward system-ancient powerful circuitry triggered by essentials for survival like eating and sex. While listening to music, Robert Zatorre, Professor of neuroscience, McGill University, Canada found that the brain releases dopamine the chemical linked to pleasure and reward. So it may be that music fuels our brain’s innate desire to detect patterns and solving problems.

7. Our brain while MEDITATING

Meditating may be a powerful way to build our brain’s old rowboat into a sleek race!

The practice can grow brain tissue, improve our moods and make us more resilient. Meditation involves metacognition- thinking about thinking, paying attention to attention. Meditation involves the entire brain, especially the newer parts.

In one study it has been found that those who meditated for 40 minutes every day showed thicker grey matter in areas involved in attention, decision making and working memory compared to those who didn’t meditate.

Yet another study reveals that 8 weeks of mindfulness led to boosted grey matter in the hippocampus( learning and memory) and decreased grey matter in the amygdala ( which plays a role in stress)

Sitting down, focussing on breathing and relaxing every day actually builds brain matter!! How cool is that!!