Ongoing learning process and brain stimulation

Ongoing learning process can keep your brain alive and stimulated. We know that brain stimulation means 'good brain health'.  Learning process can cause the birth of new brain cells, so to keep our brain healthy we should stay focused on learning at any age.

"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live." ~Mortimer Adler 

Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. But can process of learning at any age can keep the brain sharp?
Let's learn how learning can enhance brain development and keep us mentally fit!
What is learning?

Learning is acquiring information or ‘knowing a lot’.

Learning as memorising. Learning is storing information that can be reproduced.

Learning as acquiring facts, skills, and methods that can be retained and used as necessary, etc etc.

 Scientists now believe that “learning” can actually cause the birth of new brain cells. In recent animal studies, researchers have found that there was a direct relationship between “learning” and the survival rate of newly-birthed brain cells. When researchers taught certain rodents a wide-variety of cognitive tasks which involved a wide-range of brain areas – scientists found that the more the animal “learned” – the more new neurons were able to survive in the hippocampus. Scientists have made it clear that “learning” can increase the presence of new neurons in the brain. Brain cells that are born in the hippocampus, which normally die off, are literally “rescued” by “learning” experiences. There is still plenty of research being conducted in this area and not all sources agree. However, your best bet is to keep your brain power boosted and your mind sharp. Always try to learn something new!

You can stimulate your brainactively taking part in problem-solving activities or learning games and use your memory. Just as physical activity keeps your body strong, mental activity keeps your mind sharp and agile. The more we think, the better our brains function - regardless of age. Without something to keep us mentally charged, our brains, like unused muscles, can atrophy, leading to a decline in cognitive abilities.
A study conducted by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, found that mentally active seniors reduced their risk of dementia by as much as 75 percent, compared to those who do not stimulate their minds. Researchers from the Princeton University found that simple cognitive stimulation such as Bingo can be of great value to the daily management of Alzheimer's patients.
Few proverbs and quotations about 'learning'

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. ~Vernon Howard

Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. ~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. ~Chinese Proverb

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ~Henry Ford

Related:4mind4life.com 
First published on 'factoidz':How Process of Learning Can Keep Our Brain Sharp?

Study Shows Brain Activity Influences Immune Function

ScienceDaily (2003-09-04) -- Staying healthy may involve more than washing hands or keeping a positive attitude. According to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it also may involve a particular pattern of brain activity.

Theory:Numerous scientific studies show that keeping a positive attitude can keep a person healthy.

"This study establishes that people with a pattern of brain activity that has been associated with a positive affective style are also the ones to show the best response to the flu vaccine," says the Wisconsin researcher. "It begins to suggest a mechanism for why subjects with a more positive emotional disposition may be healthier."

Read more at: Science daily

Keep learning at any age to stay mentally active

Learning is usually associated with young age, and as we get old we think that now we can't learn like young persons. But the fact is that more we use our brain and use our mental skills, more we become mentally stronger. This researched based article can help you understand that we can keep learning at any age and this process keeps us mentally active and mentally healthy.

Research studies prove that "people who keep learning and stay mentally active increase their odds of retaining good brain function as they age. The more you use your brain, the stronger it gets — and the longer it stays strong."

Memory difficulties caused by the aging process are relatively minor — they won't interfere with your ability to do your job or run your household. And there are many things you can do to protect and improve your memory. Some health conditions that become more common with age can impair memory, such as high blood pressure. Memory impairment is also among the side effects of some medications, such as sleep aids and some pain relievers. In such cases, controlling health problems and switching medications can often restore memory function.

Contrary to what we once believed, our brains keep growing new neurons (brain cells) and making new connections between them throughout life. This capacity for rejuvenation raises the potential for medical treatments to stop and reverse memory loss, whether from disease or from aging.

Report: Aaron P. Nelson, Ph.D.
Medical Editor, Chief of Neuropsychology, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital

source link: Improving Memory

How to stimulate creativity?

If you want to stimulate creativity within you, then you should learn about how brain works. The more we use our brain, more we can be creative or intelligent. But we need to know how to stimulate the skills we have.

How brain works?
Brain actually uses different parts for different types of thought processing.
- The 'now' brain
One part of our brain does a fantastic job busily working away on all of our current tasks, but this is not always the best with coming up with new ideas or problem solving.
- Creative brain
Another part of the brain processes the more complicated or creative thoughts and this tends to process away without any conscious effort. So without realising it, our brain is actually working hard for us on all sorts of ideas. All we need to do is take the time to listen.

The real key to creative thinking is to find ways to turn down the busy 'now' processing part of the brain, which tends to shout over and block the creative part of the brain. This explains why so many of our problem solving ideas come at rather random moments.

Tips helping you listen to your creative brain.

1. Take a shower
Don’t rush, but let the hot water wash away any limitations to thinking freely. This is where I get all my best ideas.
2. Go for a long run or walk
Go at a steady pace and let your mind do the rest.
3. Get a massage
Close your eyes and let your imagination float while your “quiet” massage therapist works away.
4. Yoga
This really stretches and relaxes the body but is really good for unwinding the mind.
5. Talk, talk, talk
Talking things through can be a great way to untangle the knots inside your head. Find a great listener.
6. Listen
Take time out and just listen to other people. This can be at work, in the street or anywhere. Ideas are often found floating on the wind.
7. Stop!
Just stop what you are doing, leave it and go do something completely different for a while.
8. Meditate
Great for turning off the world and opening yourself to new possibilities.
9. Go for a long swim
The repetitive nature is really great for freeing the mind.
10. Go home and sleep on it
A new day with new energy and new ideas.

Problem solving skills-ten ways to stimulate creativity

Doodling is a way to stimulate creativity. Doodles are fun and effective creative thinking exercises.

- 10 Steps for
Boosting Creativity
- 10 Creative Myths
People have a lot of misconceptions about creativity. This article tells you about typical bad assumptions people make about creativity and innovation.

For more articles on creativity: articles on creativity

Related posts:

What is creativity and how to be creative?
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How to increase your brain powers?

This topic is very sensitive as many people won't believe that you can increase your brain powers. But often it is said that more you work with your brain, more you involve in creative and brain enhancement activities, you can increase your brain powers.

"Increase brain power" is a site where increase your IQ, creative thinking, and a lot more topics are discussed mainly about "brain".

* 5 study habits are:
- Find a Quiet Place to Study
- Organize Your Papers
- Tackle the Most Difficult Assignment First
- Focus on One Subject at a Time
- Take Breaks

For full article: Study Habits
Few article links from many titles:

* More Ways To Solve Problems - Techniques and tricks.

* Creative Thinking

* Brain Foods
The weekly Brainpower Newsletter can help you to know more about brain enhancement tips and techniques. You get the "How To Have New Ideas Invent things" with the newsletter, It is about write new stories, think new thoughts, and be the life of the conversation - just use the powerful techniques in this report.

Sign up for their newsletter here.

Expand your mind by playing puzzles and brain teasers!

From my own experience I can say that if you want to be creative and intelligent, use your brain by keeping it busy to get more from it. I believe that the more you think about utilizing your brain more skillful you are.

From my teenage, I was fond of playing puzzle games, and scrabble was one of my favourite game at that time. It was only a hobby, but now I realize that it helped me in brushing up my English language.

I can still challenge my colleagues about vocabulary and spellings. This good command over spelling or vocabulary was due to my habit of playing "scrabble", and having a dictionary beside me all the time. Still now, sometimes I enjoy playing the word games at my computer.

Puzzles or brain exercises may look like childish plays but there is scientific prove that these activities enhance our brain.

To expand our mind we need to learn more, as learning is a way to make our brain work more and working of our brain keeps it healthy. Another way of to challenge our mind is by playing puzzles and brain teasers, which is a good pass time also.

Quote: “I have always treated and considered puzzles from an educational standpoint, for the reason that they constitute a species of mental gymnastics which sharpen the wits and train the mind to reason along straight lines. Puzzles are a school for cleverness and ingenuity.
Sam Loyd, one of the world’s great Puzzle Masters 1841-1911 “

Today I am here with review of a site providing you a lot of puzzles and exercises. Although site is a professional one, and they sell their products also. But still there is a lot of free stuff to look and use.

Smart Kit
About the site: Smart Kit brings you a fresh daily supply of captivating puzzles to exercise and train your brain.
The Smartkit site was founded and is updated by a fellowship-trained, Board Certified Neurologist (M.D.) who is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Only doing crossword puzzles is not enough to keep your brain sharp, but there are a wide variety of challenges and puzzles types, which can stimulate and exercise many areas of your brain.

This blog provides you many interesting and new puzzles. I liked browsing it due to all new stuff.

Link to the site:

Some more resources:

* CR Puzzles is a free online puzzle magazine (daily updated).

* Another site: Scientific Psychic is the web site dedicated to the exploration of language and the human mind with the objective of encouraging critical thinking and a healthy life style. The site owner Antonio Zamora has a blog, where health and mind related articles can be read.

scientific psychic Blog

* This site not only provides you puzzles but also links to other puzzle sites, wher you can decide which puzzle sites to search. A page of the site provides puzzles in education.

"Everyone knows that playing with and solving brainteaser puzzles is a wonderful way to promote creative thinking and exercise problem solving skills. When you are playing a manipulative, hand-held puzzle, you're doing your solving using hand-mind coordination, which is about as good as it gets for exercising your gray matter. In the broadest sense, of course puzzles are educational."

Link to the educational puzzle page: Puzzles in Education

* More sites about puzzles can be found at this page: Link list

Does blogging effects positively the brains of bloggers?

From the day I have started blogging, (It's been a year ago), I can feel a good improvement at my skill level. I can judge it sharply, because I am also an educator.

English is not my mother tongue, and being in blogging, there is a lot of stuff to read and write, and I can feel a distinguished improvement in my written/spoken English.

I love to learn and in blogging, every second/minute I am learning something and applying it to my blogs. I feel like more creative and practical person than before.

It is very interesting to know the effects of blogging, and this post is very informative, inspiring and giving you more reasons to be addicted of blogging. (I am an addict of blogging )

There is a very interesting blog ,which is run by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide. They are physicians and related to education industry in practice for children with learning differeces.

Their blog has tons of posts, maily on the topics of brain, learning and self improvement. Today's post is about "What effects blogging have on the brains of blogge?"
The whole post is impressive, I am just quoting the points:

1. Blogs can promote critical and analytical thinking.

2. Blogging can be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking.

3. Blogs promote analogical thinking.

4. Blogging is a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information.

5. Blogging combines the best of solitary reflection and social interaction.

The post link:

Brain of blogger