The 37th original one by one
This article is 6700 words, reading time is 14 minutes
Author | Liu Yiyi
Source|One by one (ID: yiyidaochu)
Reprint|Please contact (WeChat: liu82029088)
Hello everyone, this is Liu Yiyi. Today is the second article in the "Growth Thinking" series: about brain plasticity.
Thinking of growth cannot rely on imagination out of thin air. Only by recognizing the plasticity of the brain and recognizing our own potential can we fully realize the possibility of "growth".
00
Preface
The science fiction movie "Upgrade" tells a story about modifying the brain and upgrading personal abilities.
The protagonist Gray and his wife Aisha are robbed by a group of bandits. In the fight, his wife was shot and Gray himself was seriously injured and paralyzed. Gray, eager for revenge, accepted the scientist's modification of his body: the artificial intelligence program STEM was implanted in his body.
After the program was installed, Gray not only resumed his normal actions, he also achieved a major upgrade!
Gray can make fighting moves that he has never trained before. In the process of finding the truth, he even became a well-trained top killer.
If there is an opportunity to upgrade yourself in all directions, will you seize it as much as possible? The answer is obvious, and no one wants to give up. Breaking through ourselves is something we all desire.
Next, I will add an additional condition: if you achieve the upgrade, your brain will slowly lose control of your body, are you still willing? I believe this additional condition will extinguish most people's thoughts.
Gray in the movie later found out that he gradually lost control of his body.
Isn’t there a strategy that has the best of both worlds? Can be upgraded while retaining control.
In fact, there are, but most of us don't realize it. Of course, this upgrade method is not as exaggerated as the implantation of intelligent programs, and it allows us to become another self in an instant.
Moreover, you need to spend a lot of time and effort to practice day after day. During the entire upgrade process, you may not notice it for a period of time, until a certain point in time, you suddenly realize: "I upgraded."
This upgrade method, although slow and unable to do everything, is absolutely green and harmless.
You always have control over yourself.
In what way to achieve the upgrade? Before announcing the answer, let's first understand the characteristics and operating rules of the brain.
01
Is the brain set by nature?
"Reshape the Brain, Reshape Life" mentions a person named Paidlow who suffered a stroke at the age of 65.
After the stroke, half of his face and half of his body were always in a state of numbness, completely lost consciousness, and also lost the ability to speak.
Fortunately, Pedro did not admit his fate, he began a long self-challenge.
Pedro started climbing against the wall. After a few months of training, I went to the garden to practice climbing and started learning to walk again like a baby. He also did a lot of other exercises, such as putting his hands in the basin and turning, or practicing picking up copper plates and so on.
Can you believe it? A year later, Pedro's mobility was almost restored. Two years later, Pedro was able to work normally, and he often traveled and climbed mountains.
Although Pedro did not upgrade to the same level as Gray, he completed a physical leap based on his actions alone.
Why is it difficult for many stroke patients to return to their previous level of action? This is actually related to the belief behind us.
We generally think that the brain is divided into different functional areas, responsible for different feelings or behaviors. For example, there will be corresponding areas responsible for the sense of touch, as will the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste, and there will be corresponding areas.
Regarding the understanding of the brain, scientists have thought so for a long time. This view is the famous "functional area specific theory".
This view actually views the brain as a rigorous machine. From the moment you are born, it has set up specific areas for you to be responsible for specific tasks. Inside the entire brain, there is an orderly specialization.
The great philosopher Descartes believed that "the brain is a computer." What are the characteristics of computers? Computers have many different components, and their functions have been planned in advance, and each component only needs to perform its own duties.
In addition, if a component is damaged, it can only be replaced. We cannot expect the computer to grow new parts. This is actually our cognition of the brain. If any function is lost or a problem occurs in which area of the brain, we will think that it can only be done.
In the 1830s, the theory of functional area specificity took another step forward. Neurosurgeon Panfil proposed the concept of brain maps.
From the point of view of functional area specific theory, different parts of the brain have completely different functions. The brain map is a panoramic view showing the division of brain functions.
It took him many years to draw the areas responsible for sensation and movement. After completing this map, Panfield discovered an interesting phenomenon. The parts of the body that are close in physical distance are also adjacent in the brain map.
For example, our five fingers are one next to the other in the motor cortex area of the brain.
After this map is completed, the negative impact is that the entire scientific community firmly believes that the functional areas are specific and unchangeable.
02
Can the brain be upgraded and iterated?
The brain has composed music since birth, and we can only sing according to the music. Is this really true?
In fact, the theory of functional area specificity, or the theory of brain maps, can only be said to be partly correct. In the normal state of the brain, it does seem to be specialized division of labor.
Different areas are responsible for different activities. Moreover, since birth, it seems that what area does have been determined.
Why can only be partly right?
First of all, the functional areas of the brain are not actually divided from birth, but gradually formed through interaction with the environment again and again.
When we were first born, the functional areas of the brain were still a rough draft, without professional and detailed differentiation.
When does the brain structure begin to change? When you begin to have your first external experience, this draft will slowly be described in detail.
This means that different ways of drawing will result in different regional differentiation.
For example, the right brain of most of us is responsible for physical coordination, art, music, emotions, etc., while the left brain is responsible for language, concepts, numbers, and logical thinking. However, some people who were born with only the right brain can also develop language and calculation skills because the right brain will take over the work of the left brain.
At birth, the development of the left and right brains is similar. Some babies’ MRIs show that both the left and right brains can process sound. Later, the division of labor began to appear. The reason is that the left and right brains have their own strengths. But this does not mean that our left and right brains can only do these things by default.
Secondly, our brain is extremely plastic. Even the regional differentiation that has been formed can be trained to produce major changes.
In one study, researchers blindfolded subjects so that they could not see any information with their eyes. Five days later, the researchers discovered that the subject's visual cortex had begun to process auditory and tactile information.
The brain is very flexible. An area does not promise to only deal with something. When necessary, help is provided between areas, for example, the visual area to process auditory information, or the auditory area to process tactile information, and so on.
The brain has a strong adaptability, and often adjusts its functions according to the situation to adapt to the environment.
The plasticity of the functional areas of the brain tells us that at any time, as long as you want, you can achieve upgrades.
03
Why the brain can be reshaped
The formation, differentiation, and change of functional areas of the brain are the root cause behind this plasticity, because the brain has always followed the principle of "use advancement and abolition retreat".
From small to large-scale activities, the brain follows this principle.
Let's first look at the use of neurons on a small scale.
The brain trims off neurons that are not used frequently. When we grow up to puberty, the brain undergoes a large-scale pruning. After adulthood, small-scale pruning will continue.
Neural circuits in the brain are also used to advance and abolish.
If some neurons often cooperate and work together, they will establish a connection and form a neural circuit.
Then, if you often use a certain neural circuit that is formed, it will become stronger and stronger.
It's like we walk. The road that everyone often walks must be clear and easy to walk. If you don't go for a long time, the road will be overgrown with weeds.
Finally, let’s take a look at the use of a large scale.
The functional areas of the brain, or maps, for example, the areas that process vision, if they are not used frequently, they will lose the ability to process vision.
In the brain map of the blind, the index finger map with point reading is larger than the index finger map of the other hand, and also larger than the index finger map of ordinary people.
When an area is left unused, it will soon be occupied by other nerves. This is the use of advancement and abolition.
If different neurons are active at the same time, connections will be established between them. After repeated repetitions, the connection will become closer and closer. At this time, a new map is formed.
If you want to preserve or even expand your own territory, you must continue to use it, otherwise, you may completely lose the territory. On the contrary, if it is used more frequently, the area will become larger.
The reason why the brain can be reorganized quickly to produce the effect of using up and down is because any part of the brain has never promised to only process certain information.
Scientists believe that in a certain area responsible for processing a certain function, only the neurons in the central area will be highly engaged in work, while the peripheral neurons are in a state of "two minds".
Other surrounding areas will compete with this area to snatch neurons. The object of snatching is the neurons in these border areas. Which area wins, these neurons will run to deal with new jobs.
04
What capabilities can we reshape?
The brain can be reshaped, which means we can reshape many abilities.
The most common is the reshaping of athletic ability.
Earlier we mentioned Pedro. After a stroke, through long-term self-training, he not only recovered his normal mobility, but was also able to climb mountains.
In addition to sports ability, our memory and learning ability can also be reshaped.
A researcher in the United States has designed a course with a total of 7 different exercises that involve distinguishing and understanding speech. For example, there is an exercise to accurately distinguish long and short sounds, and another is to distinguish vowels and play sounds during practice. The speed will become faster and faster.
Children with language barriers should practice for 1 hour and 40 minutes a day. There are more than 500 children. After 6 weeks of training, their language comprehension ability is no different from normal children, and some of them surpass normal children.
Later, the researchers scanned these recovered children and found that their brains had been normalized.
Many people will find slow response, decreased thinking ability, and poor memory when they are old. Research has found that these capabilities can also be reshaped.
In an experiment, 60-87-year-old seniors performed hearing exercises for 8-10 weeks, training for one hour a day, five days a week.
After the training, many people's memory has improved to the level of ten years ago, and some people's memory has even returned to the level of 25 years ago.
One's habits can also be reshaped.
Many people suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be said to be a very stubborn bad habit in the brain.
Scientists have discovered that the reason why people have obsessive-compulsive disorder is that the brain has lost the function of shifting gears. In other words, the brain cannot actively interrupt one thing, the attention will always be trapped in it, and it cannot pay attention to other things.
When the researchers scanned the brains of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, they found that three parts of the patients were abnormally active: the orbital frontal cortex, the cingulate gyrus, and the caudate nucleus. The orbital cortex is responsible for transmitting the wrong signal to the cingulate. After receiving such a signal, the cingulate will produce anxiety.
The caudate nucleus is the part of the brain responsible for automatic gear shifting. If the caudate nucleus is overactive, it will be stuck and there is no way to switch attention.
During the entire process, the orbital cortex will continue to send information, the cingulate gyrus will continue to produce anxiety, and the caudate nucleus cannot skip gears, forming a vicious circle. This is the root of OCD.
To stop obsessive-compulsive disorder, the most critical step is to make the caudate nucleus actively shift gears.
How to shift the caudate nucleus? Researchers asked patients to actively shift their attention to a positive and happy behavior.
For example, once the obsessive-compulsive disorder has an onset, and constantly want to go home to check whether the door is locked, the patient can take the initiative to do a happy thing, which may be planting flowers, weeding, listening to music, or playing football ,Swim.
New ways of activity will generate and solidify new neural circuits. This new neural circuit will compete with the old neural circuit. This strong must be the other weak. Only when neurons fire together can they be tightly connected.
When paranoid thoughts and paranoid behaviors are forcibly interrupted, related neurons will no longer continue to fire together as before.
As the old paranoid circuit is used less and less, this neural circuit will become weaker and weaker.
In addition to obsessive-compulsive disorder, in fact, the remodeling of various other habits is the same.
To solve an old habit, it is necessary to replace it with a new one. When the old neural circuits in the brain degenerate and new neural circuits are formed, you successfully reshape a new habit.
Finally, let me talk about a malleable ability: emotional style.
Emotional style refers to the difference in the type, intensity and duration of a person’s emotional response.
Neurology expert Richard Davidson proposed six dimensions of emotion: emotional adjustment, attitude towards life, social intuition, self-awareness, situational sensitivity, and concentration.
Emotion adjustment: Can a person adjust their emotions even after getting into trouble? Is it a depression, a slow recovery, or a return to normal in a short time.
Life attitude: In life and work, a person is optimistic or pessimistic.
Social intuition: awareness and understanding of other people's emotions and feelings.
Self-awareness: Understanding of oneself. For example, do you know why you are angry about something, your inner desire, etc.,
Situational sensitivity: Awareness of different social situations, whether you can adjust your words and actions according to different social environments.
Concentration: the degree of concentration.
These six dimensions can be used to measure and observe what kind of emotional style a person has. Different people will behave differently in the six dimensions, and the final emotional style will be very different.
How to adjust your emotional style?
Each of these six dimensions corresponds to brain activity. For example, the transmission of signals between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala determines the ability to adjust emotions; the activation level of the fusiform gyrus facial area used to identify the face determines whether a person's social intuition is sharp or slow...
Therefore, if you want to change your emotional style, you can do it by training your brain, such as meditation for a longer period of time.
Meditation can change the brain. After the brain changes, the six dimensions will change accordingly, and the emotional style will also change accordingly.
05
The scientific method of reinventing yourself
To reshape the brain and reshape behavior, you need to complete a lot of exercises very focused.
"Reshaping the Brain, Reshaping Life" mentioned a doctor, Tao Bo, who established a rehabilitation center. In his clinic, patients need more rehabilitation training than other rehabilitation centers.
Generally speaking, it is three days a week, one hour at a time. The Tauber Clinic requires six hours a day and continuous training for 10-15 days, without rest. In addition to the large amount of time, there are also many training items, with 10-12 different items to practice at a time.
After such hard training, many stroke patients have made obvious changes. A 53-year-old patient has had a stroke for 45 years. After one year of training, he reduced the number of wrestling times from 150 to 36 times a year. After training, he only fell 7 times in three years.
After scanning the brains of stroke patients, Tao Bo and his colleagues found that the brain map of the damaged part shrank by about half.
For example, after the hand is paralyzed, the brain map of the hand is only half of the original total area. After intensive training, Tauber scanned the patients' brains again and found that in six patients, the brain maps of their hands had doubled.
A lot of sustained practice can completely change the brain map.
This kind of exercise is not just about physical exercises such as movements and actions. It includes virtual exercises when we train our learning ability, such as reading, writing, logic training, meditation, meditation, and so on.
No matter what kind of exercise it is, the amount must be sufficient. Also, focus enough when practicing.
If you are not focused, or the amount of practice is not enough, the brain will not change permanently.
Today I mainly want to talk about the next second practice method: mental practice.
In the brain, the complete completion of an activity and movement only through imagination is a mental exercise. For example, instead of actually exercising, you complete a certain exercise in your brain.
Mental exercises can also reshape the brain, allowing us to possess certain abilities, or achieve a major breakthrough in certain abilities.
In an experiment, the subjects were divided into two groups, one group actually did exercises and practiced finger muscles.
The other group only exercises the muscles of the fingers through mental exercises. The time and intensity of the exercises are still the same. They are all four weeks of exercises, five days a week, 15 times a day.
The final result may surprise you, but the muscle strength increased by 22% in the imaginary exercise group, while the muscle strength in the actual exercise group increased by 30%.
The man played by Shen Teng in "Flying Life" advocates relaxation and was banned for five years.
In these five years, Zhang Chi is completing racing practice through virtual mental activities. Every day, he practiced in his brain how to fly in Bayanbulak, how to cross the 1462 turns, and how to complete the 109-kilometer race. He also imagined the washbasin, dart board, steaming board, etc. as steering wheels.
Zhang Chi said: "I have run this track more than 20 times in my mind every day, for five years, more than 36,000 times, I can remember every corner."
Therefore, although I have not touched a car for many years, the technique of relaxation is not unfamiliar.
Let me tell you another story. The protagonist is Saraski, a Russian. In 1977, because he was accused of being an American spy, he began a nine-year prison life.
In these 9 years, for more than 400 days, Saraski was locked up alone, the room was dark, and there was no light coming in, he was alone in the whole room.
In this environment, Saraski invented a game he played with himself. He played chess with himself. In his brain, there seemed to be two villains, one with white chess and one with black chess, and then played the whole game step by step.
After Saraski was released from prison, he won the then chess champion.
I have never played a real chess game in 9 years. With a lot of mental exercise alone, Saraski can beat the world champion.
Why can mental exercises really change the brain? Isn't this really a metaphysics?
This is because imagining an action and actually performing an action are not very different for the brain.
For example, if you imagine the whole process of raising your arms, the way is the same as when you actually raise your arms, and the time it takes is similar.
For another example, imagine you are reading a Chinese phrase "white". When you imagine, your visual cortex will become active, as if you actually saw these two words.
When scanning the brain, scientists discovered that when you actually perform actions and just imagine a group of actions, there is a large overlap in the active areas of the brain.
This means that our mental activities, in fact, like real activities, will call the same neurons and form the same neural circuits.
Learn to do mental exercises, you are like a life cheating device. You can crush others easily.
06
Conclusion
There is a people on the west coast of Thailand called "Chao Ley", that is, sea gypsies. This is a water people.
For hundreds of years, half of them have been on board from life to death. The children have already learned to swim before they can speak. Moreover, some children can dive to 30 feet deep to find food without the aid of any tools.
They do not need to wear diving goggles to see things in the sea clearly.
Researchers did an experiment in which both sea gypsy children and European children read playing cards on the seabed. The accuracy of the former is more than twice that of the latter.
Can you imagine? They can even control the size of their pupils.
It is mentioned in "Life 3.0" that Life 3.0 is the third version of Life. A person can upgrade hardware devices and update software systems. This is the form of Life 3.0.
Just like sea gypsies, their control of pupil size is an upgrade of the hardware.
Under version 3.0, life individuals can be regarded as the true masters in control of their own destiny.
When a person has mastered the way to reshape himself, you will find that he has embarked on the road of upgrading close to version 3.0.
Indeed, we cannot directly install a new physical hardware. However, we can break the shackles. As long as you are willing to work hard, your power will be unblocked.
We often talk about lifelong growth, but we neglect the awareness of our own potential.
The fact is that only when a person fully realizes his infinite potential can he not be restrained and finally achieve incredible transcendence.
Main reference materials:
1. "Reshaping the Brain, Reshaping Life", author Norman Dauic, China Machinery Industry Press
2. "The Emotional Life of the Brain", author Richard Davidson, Shanghai People's Publishing Group