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1-Page Summary of Brain Rules

Overview

Can you multiply 9,978,678 by 2 in your head? That’s what some people can do. They don’t have high IQs either. The brain is a powerful network of cells that can do incredible things, but most of us don’t know how it works.

Author John Medina lists 12 rules about how the brain works and what they mean in our daily lives: Survival is a basic instinct, and the brain has evolved to help humans survive. Exercise helps give your brain an extra boost. Sleep helps your brain work better. Stress is hard on your brain and makes it more difficult to learn. Wiring of every brain is different. Attention of the brain is drawn in by stimulating things. Memory is built by repeating things to your brain. Sensory integration comes into play when you stimulate all your senses. Vision is your most important sense. Music improves cognition. Gender affects how brains work. Exploration is good for the brain

Survival

Early humans were weak and vulnerable to stronger animals. But they had a good strategy: they became smarter by developing the prefrontal cortex, which allows them to solve problems, pay attention, and control their emotions.

Humans are different from other animals because of their ability to interpret symbols. Without this ability, written language would be meaningless squiggles on a page. This skill contributed to our survival by giving us ways to communicate about dangerous situations.

Imagine trying to fight a mammoth by yourself. You would probably die. Early humans needed to work together in order to survive, and they had the ability to understand each other’s interests and motives. Humans are the only animals that can predict what others will do, which is an important skill that helped early humans survive.

Exercise and Sleep

Exercise and mental alertness are closely related. Our ancestors walked or ran a lot, so their brains developed in an environment of constant movement. Nowadays, we don’t move as much and our brains aren’t working at full capacity because of that. Essentially, if you don’t exercise your brain won’t be as sharp.

If you’re not an active person, don’t worry. It’s never too late to start exercising and improve your mental abilities. One study found that elderly people who exercised regularly experienced improved brain function after only four months of regular exercise. Exercise is also beneficial in reducing the risk of age-related diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as mood disorders like depression. You should do some form of aerobic activity twice a week to reduce your risk by 60%.

Exercise also helps to improve blood flow. This gives your body a better system for getting nourishment and oxygen to your brain. Because the more oxygen your brain has, the better it works, schools should find ways to get students moving during class time. Mental alertness and sleep are directly related as well. However, when you look at sleep from an evolutionary standpoint, it doesn’t make sense because sleeping makes you vulnerable to predators. But in fact while you’re sleeping your brain is very active and doing important work that can help you learn things better.

Sleep is very individual. It varies with age, gender, and other factors such as pregnancy. If you don’t get enough sleep for your body, it can have a negative effect on the way you think and feel. In one study, people who slept less than six hours a night for five days had the same level of cognitive decline as someone who hadn’t slept in 48 hours.

According to new research, American businesses lose $100 billion each year due to the effects of sleep deprivation. It’s better for employees if they work when their body clocks are best suited for it—a flexible schedule would allow them to be more productive and get more done.