Saturday, February 6, 2016

Common sense explained.

 I have seen the ads for those programs to increase your neuroplasticity. Well, not to increase it per se,  but to exercise it. It seems scientists have decided you can teach an old dog new tricks.  The dog just has to be willing to learn. With exercise you can remember more of what you already know and store more information as well. This exercise can be accomplished by playing games, just like when you were young. All you need to do is read, practice and repeat. In other words, switch off auto pilot and think about things ! I can see the need for that in todays' world alright. Seems like a lot of folks just do for the moment without any thought for the future. They see the task at hand, accomplish that task in any manner they can, and tackle the next task. The most perplexing thing I observe about these folks is their inability to see the consequence of the first action they have taken. Like the proverbial person painting themselves in the corner, they just don't see ahead. I guess their neuroplasticity isn't so plastic ! Either that or the old memory banks are disconnected. You just did that same task yesterday and today I have to teach you to do it all over again ! It is like it was a surprise to you.
 This neuroplasticity is the brains ability to form new connections. As we age or become injured in some fashion some connections may be lost. That is when we can not do what we used to do or remember things as well. The answer is, if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. Just how that became a science I have no explanation for. It is an age old axiom and holds true. If you really want to do something you can. Just because you used to do that, and can no longer do it, doesn't mean you can't do it again. You just need to keep trying. Yes there are physical limitations on your ability. Natural ability and age figure into that. You can practice and improve your performance. If you use your brain you can figure out a way to accomplish the task.
 Those ads imply that you can increase your intelligence. That is not true. You are who you are. I believe you are born with an intelligence level. It is your desire to reach that potential that is measured on those tests. Do some folks have more connections in their brains than others ? That is what scientists are studying I think. We still don't really understand how the brain works. We understand what makes it not function though. A lack of blood flow, physical damage and a lack of exercise all impact the brain in a negative fashion. Neuroplasticity seeks to exercise the brain. The thinking is by exposing the brain to new challenges we will force new connections. That is learning.  Makes sense to me. When we were children that is what we did. Well at least until we became teenagers and " knew it all. "  Some folks never recover from that and go the rest of there life convinced they do " know it all. "
 As I watched those ads for neuroplasticity I couldn't help but think about this. An entire science has now been created around that old axiom, if at first you don't exceed, try, try again. Shouldn't that be common sense ? Makes me wonder about the neuroplasticity of the scientists behind this. I have another axiom for their consideration, the more you know, the less you think you know. Today I'm convinced, I don't know a thing. Do we need science to prove common sense ? Can it be explained ? 

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