Neuroplasticity

#GenericScience

IT’S SCIENCE

At GenericPuzzles – we’re not here to spiel some psych 1-0-1, Freudian complexities.

We’re the laymen’s psychologists – located just below armchair psychologist in the psych-knowledge-league table!

But. We’re on the up…. Self-styled-pseudo psych came somewhat easy at the Generic Puzzles ‘laboratory’, amongst the tweed jackets, monocles and cigar smoke; it was a natural progression.  

So here we are, Neuroplasticity it is – fasten your seat belts, you’re in for a rough ride.

Before we begin…. It’s time for a shameless plug. You know what helps exercise brain plasticity – you guessed it…. beer.

*cough*! I mean puzzles!

First Rule – Your Brains are Plastic

You’ve probably heard that your brain is plastic, if you took this literally – then yours could well be and in which case, you’ll need more than a few puzzles to help straighten you out.

No, luckily your brain is not made of Tupperware, although many of Generics cohorts act as if theirs is.

Plasticity means the brain has the ability to change. Our brains constantly change as we learn new things – like it literally changes, both chemically and physically. By exercising your brain you can IMPROVE its functioning. I know, great right?

NEVER COMMONLY BELIEVE

Much of “commonly held belief” is not factual – research shows that the brain can actually improve with age, and we don’t mean new age science or guys trying to shift puzzles – we mean real-life guys in lab coats and spec with resplendent beards – like the UCLA.

When Generic, was a young whippersnapper it was believed that your brain would never change, except for ‘critical’ periods– like when you were a young ‘un to your angry teenage years…

At which point you perpetrate an unfathomable amount of stupidity that the mere notion of intelligence is thrown out the window.

It was assumed (to assume makes an ass out of u and me) that the brain, which consisted of nearly 100 BILLION with a B, neural cells never generated new ones… basically each one of us was born with a finite number of cells – that we had to use as best we could.

We all knew better of course: despite what he media tells you, your brain is not “programmed” to shrink and fail as you age.

Good brain health comes down to a culmination of exercise activity and good diet and your brain can function at ever increasing standards.

HAVE SMARTER CHILDREN – BEFORE THEY ARE BORN

We now know that intellectual and mental activity can induce brain activity when applied to healthy adults – (yes, you and me) and older adults. Another curious fact – the brain is amendable before birth. Studies have shown that pregnant mothers put in stimulating environments, are more likely to have intelligent offspring. The future depends on it!

Our complex reasoning skills continue to improve as we get older. Albert Einstein famously said:

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking as when we created them.”
Puzzles require a unique approach. The older brain is resilient and can be stimulated to innovate, create and contribute in phenomenal ways. Without the ball and chain of teenage chemicals.

Taylor Small UCLA Dean says:  “Shake things up. Stay physically active. Keep doing different things. Challenge your assumptions. Become comfortable with ambiguity. Listen to differing points of view and develop the ability to accept differences. Travel. Learn different languages.”

It is no longer a matter of “losing” brain cells – the brain is more than a gas tank. These puzzle are a gift that keeps on giving.