3 scientific confirmation of the amazing features of our brain

Everyone has mental capacity, which artificially restrict the concept of "natural ability". In fact, there are no limits, and here are some illustrative examples.

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In 2000, researchers from the Institute of Neurology at University College London published a report Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers structural changes in the brain of taxi drivers. Scientists use magnetic resonance imaging to compare the brains of taxi drivers with the brain of people of other professions. It was found that the posterior hippocampus of professional drivers is much higher than that of the members of the control group.

hippocampus - part of the limbic system of the brain (the olfactory brain). Involved in the mechanisms of emotion, memory consolidation (ie transfer of short-term memory into long-term). Generates theta rhythm by holding attention.

The results confirmed that the posterior hippocampus stores spatial representation of the environment environment and it can be expanded to improve the way of thinking in people with high exposure to the navigation skills. In fact, the taxi drivers have improved their brains, just moving to London for a long time.

Of course, any brain changes and adapts in the course of training. All this experience leads to the formation of new neural connections and enhances the previously acquired knowledge. Learning, our brain adapts to perform more complex tasks, including those that we tend to overwhelm. Our uncertainty is based on the popular belief that nature has given to each as much as given. And it would be good to get rid of this prejudice forever.

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For 30 years, the Swedish psychologist K. Anders Eriksson (K. Anders Ericsson) watched as the training lead to an exceptional mental abilities. To one of Ericsson's research has attracted an ordinary student with a standard IQ. Learner dictated sequence numbers of the tens, then replicate all suggested that it could remember. The result sounded seven digits - this is a normal result.

Then the student spent hundreds of studies on memory improvement. It was assumed that the subject will double your score and remember 14 random numbers. In fact, it was postponed in the head just 82 numbers. Rate yourself, a lot or a little:

2 4 7 9 3 6 2 5 3 2 6 8 9 1 1 0 3 6 3 2 6 1 7 3 4 6 2 7 9 0 1 4 9 7 8 2 5 2 3 5 1 7 9 2 8 4 5 2 7 9 2 1 4 0 5 9 6 3 7 0 5 2 7 9 5 6 6 8 2 1 7 2 0 8 6 4 8 6 9 5 2 1

Awesome, is not it? It seems that this is not possible even after long practice. However, as scientists clarify, if you use mnemonic techniques, Then the problem becomes not so difficult. For example, the student transformed random numbers during 247 became 2 minutes 47 seconds.

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Scientists from the University of Florida analyzed a lot of research on how learning affects the brain, and concludedGiftedness and evidence for reproducibly superior performance: an account based on the expert performance framework: There is no obstacle to the motivated and healthy adults have achieved exceptional mental abilities. At the same time, Anders Ericsson and others have found that continuous learning is able to make you a businessman, musician, mathematician, and any other professional with high intellectual capacity.

In this light, it is very revealing experience of American art teacher Betty Edwards (Betty Edwards), who taught ordinary people to draw an impressive self-portraits. No, not for years, months or weeks, and in just five days.

In one of his books, Edwards wrote that a person starts to progress very quickly after grasps the technical components of the picture and start the purposeful practice. The ability to draw quickly improves as the perception of such things as space, lighting, shadows, and the relationship between objects. Notice how people draw for the first and the fifth day of training.

Unfortunately, there is no single approach to learning, which operates in all areas. Each skill requires your workout. However, studies show that many of us are very far from the upper limit of the natural abilities that seemed to implicitly evaluate our brain.

We are capable of incredible, if you show diligence. Trainability - is the main natural ability that we all have and should enjoy.