Wednesday, September 22, 2010

WORLD OF LEARNING: EMPTY-HEADEDNESS

"Why Thinking of Nothing Can Be So Tiring: Brain Wolfs Energy to Stop Thinking" ScienceDaily 9/21/10

I'm not sure if it's related, but from what I understand, superior cognition involves using less of your brain more wisely. For example, children who are succeeding in learning to read activate narrow and specific areas of the brain; children who have difficulty activate wide and generalized areas. It's as if they are thinking too hard.

Erkki Somersalo, one of the authors of this particular study, notes, "It's a surprising expense to keep inhibition on." Perhaps we cannot just "relax and float downstream," as John Lennon put it, but have to be vigilant and conscientious about switching into a reflective and meditative mode.

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