So, do you ever think about how our brain allows us to learn new things?
Whatever you want to learn today is possible. Our brain is still proving to us that everything is achievable and there is a scientific explanation behind it.
What does science state about the way that our brain learns?
As you have probably learned in school, our brain is made up of billions of nerve cells called neurons. Neurons are responsible for sending motor signals to our body parts and are also involved in the nervous system. Our neurons can communicate to each other through chemical messengers, otherwise known as neurotransmitters. These chemical messengers are used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons or from neurons to body parts, as mentioned earlier.
Incoming electrical signals travel through a listening neuron causing it to fire or send signals of its own.
What is interesting is that those signals rush over so fast without the brain being aware of the action. Along the way, they are triggering the adjacent cell and the process repeats… wiring the neurons together.
This is why when you touch a hot plate, your hand jumps away on its own before your brain has registered what has happened. Aren’t our brains incredible?
Visit our official YouTube channel and explore the Daily Brain Workout playlist to learn more about neurons.
The most interesting thing is that learning is thought to occur at the connecting points between neurons, called synapses. Yet the synapses alone store recollections of only the most elementary reflexes.
Why are we able to remember certain things we do every day?
On the other hand, the activity of millions of neurons in many different regions of our brain must become linked to produce a coherent memory that interweaves emotions, sights, sounds, smells, event sequences, and other stored experiences.
So, what we retain depends on our emotional response to an experience, our level of attention and motivation during the event, and how, where, and when the event occurred.
Maybe as you walk past that bakery you recognise that vanilla brownie scent from those peaceful Sunday mornings in front of the TV as a child.
Why is visual information so important when it comes to learning new things?
Almost 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Our eyes can register 36,000 visual messages per hour because 40 percent of nerve fibers are linked to the retina. The brain processes visual information more efficiently than text – 60,000X faster.
This speed of processing is why when learning material is attached to an image it is more likely to be retained in memory. Text is more likely to be lost in short term memory.
Art galleries may give you a boost in brainpower!
In fact, looking at a beautiful piece of artwork increases blood flow to the brain by as much as 10% – which is the equivalent of looking at someone you love.
Learning comes as a result of the steady accumulation of information.
Moreover, as we learn something new, cells that send and receive information about the task become more and more efficient. So stick with that hobby and your abilities will improve! Practice makes perfect.
Whilst you may think that the best way to learn something new is to dedicate 5 hours per day to learning about it, learning a little bit at a time is more effective. Acquiring new knowledge and skills over many days allows links between neurons to steadily strengthen, increasing your ability to recall and apply the knowledge or content that you have learnt.
The brain builds on existing knowledge
After practice, cells become more efficient. This is because they use less energy to signal the next cell in the process of chemical messaging as described earlier. Learning new things makes the brain work faster and better and also makes the process of learning easier the next time you decide to learn something new.
Are you ready to learn something new today and spark your neurons?
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