Crunch, Process
The human brain and its eating habits
The human brain and its inputs
The brain is a very complex structure which governs many of the human activities. Often the CPU of a computer is compared to the human brain, controlling the activities, processing the inputs it received and providing necessary next steps. Our brain takes in input from many different sources. Our senses provide the beginnings of the inputs and those inputs lead to more as the neural networks in the brain processes these initial data.
While there’s a lot of effort to emulate the workings of the brain through the various fields in computer science and beyond, it still remains a very under-discovered marvel of creation. The input of interest here is the intellectual intake. When we have too much to take in, there’s very little time left for digesting, processing, outputting and also having idle time.
Intellectual Intake
Today and for many years, we have been using the metric of intelligence quotient commonly abbreviated as IQ to calculate the intellectual intake, and retention. This IQ metric measures cognitive abilities, the capabilities of the person to learn and use the concepts. IQ is important for this purpose. Science has shown that IQ can be improved, even in adults. In pursuit of a higher score, or the general keenness of improving our intelligence, we do go overboard with our intellectual intake.
Below are some considerations before we push our children towards improving their intelligence. Please note that the word “intelligence” is loosely and inappropriately used to refer to cognitive intelligence which is a fraction of the different types of intelligences.
- Overloaded schedule A very common myth amongst parents that IQ can be improved with a lot of exposure. Definitely IQ can be raised by this method but the point to consider is the cost of such a exposure. Of course, there’s a physical cost associated with a crowded calendar, as all the classes often cost money. But there’s a huge hidden cost as well. What’s that hidden cost? Vegetables, fruits, nuts and other nutritional foods are very good for the body but imagine having the entire day filled with consuming just those. We will need time to consume other aspects in balance. In addition, there needs to be time to digest the consumed food and to send to other parts of the body for usage. The real value of the consumed food is when it is retained. Similarly, regardless of the quantity of information consumed, retention (and appropriate usage) is necessary.
- Unfocused time Structure is essential for a child but too much structure is also detrimental. Just like the food takes time to digest and doing other activities during the digestion period causes problems, so too it’s important to have a balance between focused and unfocused time. During this time, the brain is able to process the information which was accumulated until then. In addition to the brain needing the processing time, the kid needs this time as a vent, to the otherwise structured day
- Creative expression Music, movement, art, drawing and other creative expressions are essential for the brain to assimilate the information. Science has shown that these outlets have a calming effect on the brain, creating a mindfulness experience. However, classes that teach these topics in a structured manner don’t count as a vent of the stress.
- Time itself When too much time is spent on collecting information, there’s very little time to do other things. It is analogous to eating constantly and having no time for anything other than eating.
- Building stress Emphasis that is put on intense collection of content boomerangs back as a stress buildup. This stress has several deeper impacts on our physical and mental health.
Conclusion
Continuous learning makes us more intelligent but constant learning doesn’t. Children need to have time to play outside, ability to be unfocused, space and time to have some creative moments, in order to learn more. Just like exercise, gap between meals and time for digestion are needed to eat a good quantity of food during every mealtime, so too these above elemental not just help the brain comprehend the collected data but also enables its power to collect more.
