by Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you want to answer from an expert, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
How does the brain think? – Tom, 16 years, San Diego, California
Have you ever wondered how your brain creates thoughts or why something randomly appeared in your head? It may seem like magic – but in fact the brain is like a supercomputer in your head that helps you to think, learn and make decisions.
Imagine your brain as a busy city with many streets and buildings. Each part of the brain has a certain task to do, just like certain areas of a city or in certain buildings. If you have a thought, it is like a message that travels through the city and passes from one area to another.
As a professor of psychology and neurosciences, I have studied the brain for almost 20 years. Neurologists, neuroscientists and neurosurgeons work every day to better understand the brain. And there is still a lot to learn.
Practice and repetitions create skills
The neuron is an important player in the brain – these are tiny cells that send and receive signals and messages so that they can communicate with each other.
Your brain has between 80 and 100 billion neurons somewhere. Neurons tend to group together to form neural tracts that would correspond to the city’s analogy like the streets and highways. If you have a thought, neurons control electrical impulses in your brain. These impulses tend to move in a similar way and to release tiny chemicals, which are called neurotransmitters.
These neurotransmitters are like the tree team that builds the streets, which makes it easier for the messages to be transmitted. You can imagine it as an unpaved street, but as more traffic – ie neuron signals – travel the unpaved road, the road is upgraded to an asphalt road. When traffic is continued, it will be upgraded to a highway.
When you learn new things and experience the world around you, these connections become stronger. For example, if you learn to ride a bike, you may be unsure and find it difficult to coordinate all different muscles together with your ability to balance. But the more you practice, the more the neurons check your muscles and your ability to compensate for the fire, which makes it much easier when practicing. Cabulate neurons and form neural networks.
For this reason, practice and repetition are important to improve your skills, whether you learn piano or language. Neuronal networks are created and then strengthened the more they communicate with each other. Scientists have a saying in this area: “Neurons that fire together.” Certain thinking or behavior patterns can be creeped up to this type of repeated synchronized activity.
Develop creativity
You are only aware of a very small part of the information that your brain absorbs. She is constantly receiving inputs from her senses – sights, noises, taste, smells and touches. When you see a sweet puppy or hear your favorite song, your senses send signals to the brain and triggers a chain reaction of thoughts and emotions.
The brain also stores memories that are like files in a computer that you can access when you need them. Memories help your thoughts and influence how you see the world.
If you remember an entertaining day on the beach, you can feel happy and relaxed. If you smell an apple pie, this can remind you of baking your grandmother. These thoughts are triggered because these pleasant associations were formed in their brain and strengthened over time by repeating.
Creativity is another superpower of the brain. If you let your imagination run wild, your brain can develop new ideas, stories and inventions. Artists, writers and scientists all use their creative brain to explore new opportunities and solve problems.
Have you ever experienced a “Eureka” moment in which a brilliant idea opens out of nowhere in your head? This is the way to combine the points of your brain and find a solution.
Keep your brain healthy
Most scientists agree that sleep for their brain is really important to process information from the day and rest and rest it. Many people think that they have new ideas or thoughts after a good sleep. The opposite is also true – without enough sleep, you may have the feeling that you can’t think.
Eat healthy food and movement with enough sleep. Just like a car fuel for smooth running, your brain needs nutrients and oxygen to function from its best side and increase your thinking power.
Activities that challenge themselves, they are also great: reading, doing puzzles, playing music, making art, writing mathematics, writing essays and reports and journaling. Positive thinking also helps. Remember that everything you consume – what you eat or what you see, listen or read – has the strength to influence your brain.
Conversely, smoking cigarettes, vaping, alcohol and consumption of drugs kills brain cells. So it can lead to injuries that can occur when playing sports such as football, football and cycling – but wearing a helmet can make a big difference.
The brain is a fascinating organ that works tirelessly to create thoughts, memories and ideas. When technology improves, scientists are learning more and more about how biological processes lead to our conscious experiences. The challenges of learning the brain are like a neuroscientific lunar shot – we still have a long way ahead of us until we fully understand how it works.
Hello, curious children! Do you have a question you want to answer from an expert? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, your age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what they are wondering. We will not be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
This article will be released from the conversation, a non -profit, independent news organization that brings you facts and trustworthy analyzes to help you understand our complex world. It was written by: Jennifer Robinson, Auburn University
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Dr. Jennifer L. Robinson is a professor at the Auburn University’s psychological sciences. It also serves as a paid consultant for VDF FutureCeuticals, Inc. and has received funds for the implementation of clinical studies from the company.
