5 things that dull your brain

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Many of us are gradually overcome by the "brain bugs" of modern info-oversaturation: absent-mindedness, mental fatigue, memory impairment and the extinction of creativity.

We will not talk about sleep, sports and nutrition here. Better to clarify the mental causes of this vast problem from a pseudo-scientific point of view, and develop a detailed plan of action.

(If you have something to add to the list - you are welcome in the comments)

Multitasking and dispersal

Our brains are not designed for multitasking!

He can either assimilate information, or ponder it, or solve a specific problem.

This does not mean that he is not able to switch - just as capable. But this switch (especially in those cases in which the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for cognitive effort) is actively involved, consumes a lot of valuable energy.

To bombard him with both information and deeds is, in principle, harmful. Firstly, because it creates the illusion of productivity due to small dopamine releases. Answered a letter - outburst; posted a photo on Instagram - outburst; checked notifications - blowout; did the smallest part of the job - ejection. At the same time, thoughts rush about without focus, not a single task is thought out 100%, and we lose in productivity and energy.

In the end, there is a sticky feeling that you were a fine fellow in small things, but in a big way - you flew.

But low productivity isn't the biggest cost. We also pay the price for multitasking with our cognitive abilities, according to a 2015 study published on the NCBI website.

The fact is that during constant switching between several tasks:

1. The IQ level decreases in the same way as when you skip a whole night of sleep;

2. The overall level of cortisol rises, and this leads to chronic fatigue.

What's more, some scientists claim that IQ levels drop by 10 points even with the likelihood of multitasking. For example: you have an unanswered letter or an unviewed notification hanging, and you know about it. This knowledge itself will distract you and reduce your ability to think effectively and solve issues.

Well, again, it takes a lot of mental effort in order to, distracted by one lesson, return and re-immerse in the previous one. Each subsequent time to immerse yourself in the task becomes more difficult, more and more difficult to maintain concentration.

This is exhausting and reduces the ability to resist temptation. Our willpower is limited by the amount of available energy, and it has already been wasted on jumping between classes.

Other studies (University of Sussex) even claim that during constant distraction and multitasking, the density of the brain in the anterior cingulate gyrus (this zone is responsible for empathy and emotional control) decreases. Although, this information is not 100% accurate, and they are going to double-check it in the near future.

But if not twisted, multitasking reduces our ability to think well.

How it is not necessary: to start several things at the same time (even small ones) that require concentration and switching: scroll the feed or reply to letters while working, turn on the series in the background while you are studying, etc.

As needed:

- during the execution of the task, avoid and provoke distractions as much as possible;

- start a new business only after the end of the previous one;

- when working on a large task, you can take planned breaks and consciously switch to something else.

Lack of proper mental reboot

The brain needs to switch between the work of its different systems. They are needed primarily in order to give each of the main neural networks a respite and to allocate the time they need to perform their functions.

If this does not happen, the brain starts to freeze hard: it gets distracted, reproduces the previously received information "with bugs", does not get creative.

What will give the brain a break? Definitely not watching TV series, scrolling through Facebook, reading books or playing computer games. For you, this is entertainment, for him - another load on the executive network and the lack of practice for the network of passive mode of operation, which will process all the information received and settle it on the shelves.

What will provide then?

Contemplation. You can contemplate anything: a table, a colleague's bald patches, a park, a lake. Thoughts at this moment need to be released into free swimming - let them hang out in your head, not attached to anything and not aimed at anything.

Monotonous physical action: a walk (either without music at all, or turn on something without words and abrupt transitions), some types of cleaning, fingering something in your hands.

As for meditation.

It also relieves the brain a lot, but on the other hand. During meditation, the default system and the "wandering state of mind" characteristic of its work are turned off with alternating success. In parallel with this, other systems (networks) are turned on, responsible for concentration and willpower, which trains them perfectly.

How not necessary: during obvious mental fatigue, turn on the TV series, read a book, open social networks.

The right thing to do: set aside time to simply “do nothing” and “fly in the clouds,” realizing that this is valuable time to restore brain resources.

Aimless consumption of content

In principle, it is easy and pleasant to consume anything, including content.

But if in one case it can be consumed purposefully and with benefit - to learn, to learn new things in your work or about the world, to have fun - then in another case it can happen aimlessly and, as a result, very destructive.

Here is the destructiveness:

We use the remarkable resources of the brain to receive and process information, which, more often than not, is not (let's be honest with ourselves) any benefit. As a result, there are simply no resources left for the information that is really useful and necessary in the form of attention and concentration.

It turns out that we just put something in our head with a spoon, if only it is not empty. And although the main goal of such consumption is initially good (to occupy your thoughts, distract yourself from work, entertain yourself), the result is sometimes disappointing.

When does this happen?

When you don't know the answers to the following content questions:

- Does it improve my real life?

- Is it relevant to me?

- Does it make me smarter?

- Does this solve any of my problems?

- Does it raise my mood, does it give me a rush of motivation?

If not, cut it off immediately. Free your brain from this ballast. After all, you may no longer be interested in what the feed of social networks intuitively loads into your brain, but still passively accept all this unnecessary garbage.

Instead, let your goals determine your content consumption.

Think about what you want to know? What are you interested in, what is useful for work or study, what makes you happy, what do you really need?

Clean up and customize the new information coming to you (in the form of a social media feed as well) and start accepting and processing only what has already been agreed with your internal censor.

How it is not necessary: passively consume content that does not correspond to (possibly unconscious) interests and goals and spend limited brain resources on it.

How you need to: consciously control what gets into your head and in what quantities; define content strictly according to your goals and for your own good, allocating some time for this.

Low quality cognitive effort

"Intelligence is measured by the ability to change" (Albert Einstein)

You are familiar with the theory of 10,000 hours of practice, after which a person becomes a professional? So, there is one (and big) snag with her that few people talk about.

This theory tells us “how much,” but it misses the how equation - how you learn, work, or train. Many have noticed themselves: some have been doing one thing for many years, but they haven’t "grown" into an expert or a pro, and some have already become industry leaders in a couple of years.

And everything is simple: if you spin the same record, do the same thing every day, you simply will not come to different conclusions, knowledge and results.

You will just be busy.

To prevent this, the brain must necessarily receive different information, on the basis of which it will issue new decisions. It is necessary, as it were, to stretch the "muscle of the mind" and grow new neural pathways. Of course, it rides with a breeze along the hackneyed paths, but what's the use of driving in a circle?

It is difficult, because it is much more comfortable to think with what you already know how and know. It is so comfortable that this makes the mind covered with warm moss and loses its flexibility: thoughts run along worked-out patterns, critical thinking plugs in and throws up confirmation of already ossified and non-working conclusions.

Because if the brain doesn't develop, it degrades.

How not necessary: to live on autopilot all the time, to constantly repeat what you already know how, to think in established patterns. This applies to work, study, sports and relationships.

How you need to: master new skills in your activities and learn new things about the world (learn in breadth), hone existing skills (learn in depth).

Mess and chaos

Mind and body are elements of the same system.

Physical disorder leads to mental disorder.

It is already a proven fact that people who tend to accumulate disorder have difficulties with the executive function of the brain, which is responsible for self-control, time management, and concentration.

Why? Mainly because our attention is super-unstable, and the brain automatically "clings" it to objects in our field of vision, distracting and diverting from the main thoughts.

It's like social. networks: it seems like you go there with a specific purpose, and after 10 minutes you emerge from the tape that instantly tightened you and you realize that you have forgotten why you came. This happens, as in a mess, due to an excessive amount of irritants.

But we don't need to see the fMRI of the brain and the report of 20 scientists to notice it, right? The difficulty of this point is not in realizing the problem, but in making yourself at least do something about it, in the absence of further systematic actions. We are afraid to start and abandon, we want everything to somehow "dissolve" by itself.

As practice shows, for the future in this issue (and in many others), the approach “the quieter you drive, the further you will be” works. This way the brain will not sabotage and cheat.

Start small: with a timer or a specific zone, and stop yourself at the end so as not to overdo it and discourage the hunt. And do not strive for the ideal - just do it and praise yourself for it already. More to come!

Make it a daily habit and I assure you - you will be amazed at the results!

How not necessary: to live in a mess and spend a lot of mental effort on focusing; to live in a "swing": in irregular influxes with a frenzy to grab onto cleaning and aggressively clean out the entire apartment, so that then again fall into chaos.

How to do it: Set aside 10-15 minutes a day to clean and organize the space, thereby creating a habit. Then you will not only optimize everything, but without violence against yourself you will always maintain order.