THE BRAIN CHANGES ITSELF
- Poonam V
- Oct 21, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: May 18, 2023
Each piece of information enters our brain through three modes: seeing, listening, and speaking. The better you see, hear, and speak, the closer you will be to perfecting yourself and your surroundings. Our eyes, ears, and mouths feed our brains tonnes of information every minute and cause gliotic changes in the brain.
Our brains change as we grow up and get older. The idea of neuroplasticity, which means that the brain can change and adapt, shows how dynamic the brain is. Here are a few ways the brain changes as we get older:
Getting older: As we get older, our brains change on their own. Some cognitive functions, such as processing speed or memory, may get worse, but there may also be changes that make up for this and keep some abilities. The way the brain changes with age can also be affected by things like physical activity, mental stimulation, and social interaction.
Changes in Development: During childhood and adolescence, the brain goes through big changes. This includes the creation of new connections between neurons, the severing of connections that aren't being used, and the growth of specialised brain regions that help with different cognitive functions.
Knowledge and Experience: The brain keeps changing and rearranging itself based on what we learn and what we do. When we get new skills, learn new information, or do certain things, our brains make new neural pathways and change the ones they already have to keep up.
Aspects of the Natural World: Things in the environment, like stress, trauma, and exposure to toxins or substances, can have an effect on the brain. These things can change the way the brain looks and works, which could cause changes in neural circuits and the onset of certain conditions or disorders.
Changing and getting better: When the brain is hurt, has a stroke, or has a disease that affects the nerves, it can show neuroplasticity to change and regain lost functions. This can involve rewiring and rearranging neural connections to make up for damaged areas or to create new pathways for better function.
The Book — "The Brain That Changes Itself"
The book "The Brain That Changes Itself" was written by psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge. The book looks at the idea of neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life in response to experiences, learning, and environmental factors. In "The Brain That Changes Itself," Doidge uses a lot of real-life examples and scientific research to show how the brain can rewire itself and help people deal with different problems. Here are some of the book's most important ideas:
Pain in a phantom limb and sensory substitution: Phantom Limb Pain and Sensory Substitution is a book about phantom limb pain, which is when a person feels pain in a limb that no longer exists. It also talks about how sensory substitution techniques, like using touch or sound to replace lost senses, can change the brain and make it work better.
Neuroplasticity: The book focuses on how the brain is flexible, showing that it is not a fixed organ but can change its wiring based on what it does and what it learns. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt. This ability varies from person to person and can be affected by genes, the environment, and lifestyle choices. Brain-stimulating activities, like learning new skills, staying in touch with friends, and getting regular exercise, can help keep the brain healthy and lead to positive changes over time.
Learning and Getting Better: This book looks at how the brain changes and adapts as a result of learning and developing skills. It gives examples of people who have learned new skills, like playing an instrument or learning a new language and shows how practice and repetition have changed the way their brains work.
Rehabilitation: Doidge tells stories of people who had to go through rehabilitation after getting a brain injury, having a stroke, or having another neurological problem. The book shows how the brain can change how it is built and how it works to make up for damage and get back lost skills.
Health of the mind and brain problems: Doidge looks at what neuroplasticity means for mental health and neurological disorders. He talks about how cognitive-behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and other techniques can change the brain in a good way and help people with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder feel better.
"The Brain That Changes Itself" shows how flexible the brain is and how it can adapt, rewire, and recover, even when it faces problems. Based on the fact that the brain can change itself, the book gives useful information about how learning, rehabilitation, and personal growth can happen throughout life.
How the media change the way our brains work to make us more vulnerable
When talking about how media affects the brain, it's important to look at things from different points of view. Even though some types of media can change how we think, feel, and act, it is not true to say that the media reorganises our brains in a way that makes us more vulnerable. Here are a few things to think about:
The impact of media content: What we see, hear, and read in the media can change how we think, feel, and believe. Exposure to violent or sensationalised media, for example, can change how we think about things and make us feel more anxious or angry. On the other hand, positive and educational media can help people learn and understand other people.
Literacy in the Media and Paparazzi: It is important to learn how to understand and evaluate media content critically. By understanding biases, how the media can be manipulated, and where information comes from, people can make smart decisions and protect themselves from bad outcomes.
Neuroplasticity: The brain has the ability to change and reorganise itself based on what it learns and how it is used. This includes being exposed to the news. But it's important to know that how the brain reacts to media is complicated and varies from person to person.
Attention and Taking on Many Tasks: When people watch or listen to media, they often switch between different platforms or devices and do other things at the same time. Research shows that doing too many things at once can hurt your ability to pay attention and think. It's important to keep track of media use and encourage focused engagement.
Differences Between People: It's important to remember that people react to media in different ways depending on their personality, upbringing, and mental strength. Not everyone will be as likely to suffer from the bad effects of being in the media.
Self-Esteem and How We Compare to Others: Social media platforms can help people compare themselves to others and have an effect on self-esteem. Social media can show you idealised or filtered versions of other people's lives, which can make you feel inadequate or anxious. It's important to take care of yourself and have a healthy relationship with social media.
The media can affect how we think and feel, but it is important to keep a balanced and critical attitude. Being aware of how much media we use, helping people learn how to use media well, and building a healthy relationship with technology can help reduce any negative effects and make media use more positive.
Conclusion: The Sum-up Of All Of The Above
Each and every piece of information passes inside our brain through 3 modes -- Seeing, Listening, And Speaking, the more you see good, hear good and speak good, the more you will be into the perfect attainment of building and constructing yourself and around yourself. Every minute, our brains process a huge amount of information from our eyes, ears, and mouths. These events have the potential to change the way our brains are built and how they work in several ways:
Seeing: When we see something, the information that comes in through our eyes is processed by our visual system. Different parts of the brain are in charge of processing different kinds of visual information, like colour, shape, motion, and recognising faces. When we keep seeing things, these neural pathways get stronger and more refined, which helps us see better and recognise things.
Listening: The sounds we hear are processed by the auditory system in our brain. This includes speech, music, and sounds from the environment, among other things. The information we hear is processed in parts of the brain that help us figure out where sounds are coming from, understand speech, and remember what we heard. Hearing different sounds on a regular basis helps us improve these neural circuits and how well we can process sounds.
Speaking: When we speak or listen to the language, certain parts of the brain, like Broca's area and Wernicke's area, help us understand it. These language-related neural networks get stronger when you regularly do things that involve speaking and listening, like having conversations or reading. Language exposure and practice also help build a person's vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, and ability to speak fluently.
Making a Memory: Memory is made from the things we see and do, as well as the information we take in. Our brain processes this information and puts it into networks of short-term and long-term memory. When you look at the same information over and over again, it gets stronger in your memory. This makes it easier to find that information in the future.
Care and attention: Our brain's ability to filter out irrelevant stimuli and only pay attention to the ones that are important helps form neural connections. When we pay attention to specific visual, auditory, or linguistic cues, we strengthen the neural circuits that go with them. This makes it easier for us to focus on important information and ignore distractions.
Changes in the brain: Our brain has neuroplasticity, which means it can change and adapt based on what we do. Each new experience, whether it's something you see, hear, or say, can cause synapses to change and new neural connections to form gliotic changes in the brain. This constant rewiring of the brain makes it possible to learn, remember, and pick up new skills.
The effects on the brain vary depending on the type and quality of sensory input, individual differences, and other things. Also, the brain's response to sensory information is complicated and involves networks that work together. Understanding these processes can help us understand how our brains change and how our sensory experiences affect how they are built and how they work.
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