The Brain And All Its Wonders

from Ben's mom

I just finished reading last week's TIME magazine with a serious of articles on intelligence and mental acuity. I learned that:

1) My best brain years are in front of me. "Far from slowly powering down, the brain as it ages begins bringing new cognitive systems on line and cross-indexing existing ones in ways it never did before. You may not pack so much raw data into memory as you could when you were cramming for college finals, and your short-term memory may not be what it was, but you manage information and parse meanings that were entirely beyond you when you were younger." And when does the brain begin to peak? Ages 35-65 and beyond....(Kluger, Jeffrey. "The Surprising Power of the Aging Brain," TIME, January 16, 2006, pp. 86.) There is hope.

2) That I was wrong as a mother to let my son watch Baby Einstein and Clifford videos. "According to Dimitri Christakis, co-director of the Child Health Institute at the University of Washington, 'The more TV babies watch, the more likely they are to have attentional problems later in life.'" A long term study "found that for each additional hour of daily TV viewing before age 3, a child's chances of later developing problems paying attention increased 10%.... The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV viewing of any kind before age 2." (Paul, Pamela. "Want a Brainier Baby?" TIME, January 16, 2006, pps. 105-106.

3) That caffeine really does heighten mental performance. Studies also conclude that it improves mood, attention/concentration, task management, short-term memory, and reasoning. (Lemonick, Michael D. "Measuring IQ Points By The Cupful," TIME, January 16, 2006, pps. 94-95.) I knew it!

4) Our bodies need more sleep than they typically get. Sleep is more for the brain than the body and helps "consolidate memory, improve judgment, promote learning and concentration, boost mood, speed reaction time and sharpen problem solving and accuracy....Yet 71% of American adults and 85% of teens do not get the suggested amount." (Song, Sora. "Sleeping Your Way To The Top," TIME, January 16, 2006, pp. 83.)

More on sleep soon....