the shelves inside my mind

[anotheranon]

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (44%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (58%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

My sister has a Shelf Theory of Mathematical Retention, to wit: The part of your mind that remembers mathematical calculations has only a limited amount of space, rather like a bookshelf. The amount of shelf space is different for everyone, but it always works the same way: at one point or another, the addition of a "final straw" of advanced math will knock the math you first learned off of the other side.

The result is that you might be able to do, say, advanced calculus, but the second you truly understand it, basic addition and subtraction will fall off the shelf. Hence, my sister got through calculus and then some in college, and hasn't been able to remember her multiplication tables since high school.

Me, my shelf is much smaller - I lost addition/subtraction when I gained geometry and fractions, a fact which came to the fore today when I had to do a bunch of subtraction/addition the old fashioned way: 60 minus 49 equals 6 5, carry the one, 10 minus 9.... with the aid of pen and paper, mind, I can't do this in my head anymore!

Ask me to half a recipe or calculate fabric yardage, I'm your girl. How many minutes to bake the cake? Let me get a calculator :P

I think the shelf theory can also be applied to other forms of memory, namely retention of names, dates, and appointments. I thought I had the date shelf under control, but the addition of new dates (when to take my car into the shop, appt. to get my hair cut, etc.) has knocked a few birthdays and probably anniversaries clean off. And my name shelf was never more than about 6" wide at best, I am lucky when I can remember my OWN name :P

Anyone know any brain pushups or similar?

Comments

more fun than talking election crap

[nminusone.livejournal.com]

Personally, I know without a doubt that my brain works better now than it ever has in my life. Even the areas in which I'm not strong have been at least holding even rather than deteriorating. (e.g. I have never been good with names and faces, but at least I'm no worse now than ever.) In the areas that really matter to me, such as reasoning, factual memory and intuitive understanding of systems, I feel that I'm the best I've ever been, often by a wide margin.

Surely it is no shock that I attribute a lot of my improvements to supplements. I would not say all of the improvements, because I really do feel there is a lot of learning that relies on integrating facts and patterns from different spheres, and a lot that relies on coming to understand structural similarities between systems, just to name a couple areas.

There's also a good bit of evidence to support the idea that "use it or lose it" applies to mental functioning. So exercise wise, try to work your brain in the ways you need it to work. It sounds simple, but if you (for instance) need a calculator to work percentages, how often do you practice doing them in your head? It's hard to get better without some practice. And just like physical exercise, mental exercise seems to be pretty specific as far as the benefits, meaning that you have to exercise the specific ability you're looking to improve.

Another brain issue that's very important and (as far as I can tell) widely underreported is the deleterious influence of chronically high cortisol levels. Chronic high cortisol literally eats your brain, causes it to physically degenernate and shrink. This happens over a long time, so even if you do eventually notice it, and connect it to stress (or other cause of high cortisol), a lot of damage will have already been done.

From my point of view, the good news is that there are things you can take that will probably help. The bad news is, it may be hard to figure out which one or ones. (I get around this by taking them all, or approximately so, which is not ideal for normal people.)

There are a couple of good books to look for:
Smart Drugs and Nutrients, John Morgenthaler and Ward Dean
Smart Drugs II: TNG, Dean and Morgenthaler
If I can find them, I'll loan them to you. (We unpacked most of the books, but they're not what you'd call sorted just yet...)

A couple of others:
Brain Boosters : Foods & Drugs That Make You Smarter
by Beverly Potter, J. Sebastian Orfali
I have this book but was not impressed with it relative to the Morgenthaler and Dean books.

Mind Food and Smart Pills by Ross Pelton
I don't think I've read this one. It's an older work, unless it's been updated recently.

(Looks like Amazon has a package deal on the 2 above.)

There are a few other books out there, just search for "smart drugs".

One thing that I have not seen in any book is a guide to what sort of improvements you might expect from each different supplement. They do different, and often very specific, things. This is something you have to get through trial and error, though I have collected some information in this area.

Another issue that's not well covered is the difference between supplements that have a direct effect and ones that have a rejuvenating effect. Some things have an effect while they're in your system, but the effect fades as they wear off. Some others actually seem to help repair or improve your brain, so you retain some benefit even after you stop taking them. Some few substances seem to act in both ways.

One of the problems is that the effects can be hard to notice. This is because most smart drugs do not have an obvious druggy effect. So it becomes even more important to sort out which are most likely to help, unless you plan to take a wide array of them. This is another area where the books have some suggestions, and I have a few as well.