How does the brain think?

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Have you ever wondered how your brain creates thoughts or why something randomly pops into your head? It may seem like magic, but actually the brain is like a supercomputer inside your head that helps you think, learn and make decisions.

Imagine your brain as a dense city with many streets and buildings. Just as certain areas of a city or certain buildings serve different purposes, each part of the brain has a specific job. When you have a thought, it is like a message that travels around the city, from one area to another.

As a professor of psychology and neuroscience, I have been studying the brain for almost 20 years. Neurologists, neuroscientists, and neurosurgeons work every day to better understand the brain. And there’s still much to learn.

Practice and repetition build skills

The neuron is an important player in the brain; these are small cells that send and receive signals and messages so they can communicate with each other.

There are between 80 billion and 100 billion neurons in your brain. Neurons tend to come together to form neural pathways, like the streets and highways in the city analogy. When you have a thought, neurons in your brain activate and create electrical impulses. These impulses tend to travel along similar pathways and release tiny chemicals called neurotransmitters along the way.

These neurotransmitters are like construction crews building roads, making it easier for messages to be delivered. You can think of it as a dirt road, but as more traffic (i.e. neuron signals) moves down the dirt road, the road is transformed into a paved street. If traffic continues, it will be upgraded to a highway.

These connections become stronger as you learn new things and experience the world around you. For example, when learning to ride a bike, you may be unbalanced and have difficulty coordinating all the different muscles as well as your ability to balance. But the more you practice, the greater your ability to balance the neurons that control your muscles and fire together, making your job much easier with practice. Neurons connect to each other to form neural networks.

So whether you’re playing the piano or learning a language, it’s important to practice and repeat to improve your skills. Neural networks are created and strengthened as they communicate together. Scientists have a saying in this field: “Neurons that fire together are wired together.” Certain patterns of thought or behavior may be linked to such repeated synchronized activities.

improve creativity

You are only conscious of a tiny fraction of the information your brain receives. The brain is constantly receiving input from your senses (sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch). When you see a cute puppy or hear your favorite song, your senses send signals to the brain, triggering a chain reaction of thoughts and emotions.

The brain also stores memories, which are like files on a computer that you can access whenever you need them. Memories help shape your thoughts and influence how you see the world.

If you remember a fun day at the beach, it might make you feel happy and relaxed. If you smell apple pie, it may remind you of your grandmother’s pastries. These thoughts are triggered because these pleasant associations have formed in your brain and become stronger over time through repetition.

Creativity is another superpower of the brain. When you let your imagination run wild, your brain can come up with new ideas, stories, and inventions. Artists, writers, and scientists all use their creative minds to explore new possibilities and solve problems.

Have you ever had a “eureka” moment when a bright idea suddenly came to your mind? This is your brain’s way of connecting the dots and finding a solution.

keeping your brain healthy

Most scientists agree that sleep is really important for your brain to process information from the day, allowing it to rest and make new connections. Many people find that they have new ideas or thoughts after a good night’s sleep. The opposite is also true; Without enough sleep, you may feel like you can’t think clearly.

In addition to getting enough sleep, eat healthy foods and exercise. Just like a car needs fuel to run smoothly, your brain needs nutrients and oxygen to function at its best and boost your thinking power.

Activities that challenge you are also great: reading, doing puzzles, playing music, making art, doing math, writing essays, book reports, and journaling. Positive thinking also helps. Remember that whatever you consume, eat, watch, listen to or read has the power to affect your brain.

Conversely, smoking, vaping, drinking alcohol and using drugs kill brain cells. So can head injuries that can occur while playing sports such as football, soccer, 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. As technology continues to advance, scientists will learn more and more about how biological processes give rise to our conscious experiences. The challenges of learning about the brain are like a neuroscientific moon trip; We have a long way to go before we fully understand how it works.

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This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent, nonprofit news organization providing facts and authoritative analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by Jennifer Robinson Auburn University

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Dr. Jennifer L. Robinson is a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University. She also serves as a paid consultant to VDF FutureCeuticals, Inc. and has received funding from the company to conduct clinical trials.