Brain Myths That Need To Be Crushed

This is a great write up brought to you by the team at praxisnow, it outlines some truth around common slogans and concepts that people pass around so frequently about the brain. So often we hold onto facts that have no merit, but sound so plausible. We are sold on concepts and spread the same ideas around without checking the facts. The blind leading the blind leaves us all in ignorance!

Facts > Fiction

Brain Myth #1: The brain slows down with age.

Fact: Neuroplasticity actually increases with age. However, when too much information comes in, it can create confusion and anxiety. Our Neuro-Training exercises lower stress, which is one of the key culprits associated with neurogenerative disease.

Exercise, a healthy diet, and intense intellectual and social stimulation work best for slowing down the aging processes of the brain. Have as many friends as possible. Build strong family ties. Engage in meaningful work and philanthropy. And, remain steadfastly optimistic, no matter what.

Brain Myth #2: You only use 10% of your brain.

Fact: You do use your entire brain. Some parts are resting, while others are active, but if neurons are not activated, they die off. Usually this happens in childhood. We are born with 200 billion neurons, but most adults only have half that amount. The rest are “pared off” in childhood, when the useless beliefs and perceptions stored in certain neurons are replaced by neural networks that have value and meaning in our lives.

Brain Myth #3: There are right and left-brain personalities and traits.

Fact: Both of your brain’s hemispheres are intricately interconnected and information is constantly shared with every activity we perform. As adults we need both sides, and there are certain brain-entrainment strategies that appear to enhance hemispheric dialogue.
Each person has unique areas of the brain that can play a dominant role. Thus, one person will have a talent for music, another for math. Some people have brains that allow them to excel in sports, while others will be gifted in language. For each area that we are strong in, there will be an area in which we are weak.
Can we stimulate the whole brain? Yes! That is why we embed a dozen different strategies in our programs so that your brain can “choose” which ones work best for creating greater neural coherence between both hemispheres and specific regions of the cortex.

Brain Myth #4: Video brain games improve cognition.

Fact: Yes, but not enough to make any practical improvement. They only work for elderly individuals experiencing specific forms of cognitive decline. Memory improves, but not in ways that improve day-to-day life. This is why PraxisNow does not use these technologies.

Brain Myth #5: EEG readings predict improvements in health

Fact: Maybe yes, maybe no. Different behaviors and different ways of thinking will generate different brainwave frequencies in different parts of the brain.
In the 1980s and 90s, considerable attention was given to EEG readings that record faint electrical activity along the outermost surface of the brain. Biofeedback and neurofeedback devices showed that we can consciously alter the brainwave frequencies in some parts of the brain, and when a person learns how to do this, certain improvements in behavior, cognition and emotional regulation could be made. The research remained controversial because there was no agreement about which frequency would bring about the desired changes.
New brain-probing technology shows how different parts of the brain simultaneously generate different frequencies. Furthermore, these frequencies change from moment to moment, even when the same task is being performed. Today, we know less about what brainwave frequencies mean, nor can we say that one frequency creates a specific state of alertness, relaxation, or mental improvement.
We now know that you can train yourself to alter the brainwave frequencies in different regions through concentration and relaxation. Like physical exercise, this form of mental “Innercise” teaches you how to have more conscious control over nonconscious neural processes.
The secret lies in the correct development of concentration, not in generating or maintaining a specific brainwave frequency. PraxisNow makes use of this new finding by teaching you how to pay attention to each unique neural states generated by the audio entrainment frequencies we use.

What other ideas are you holding on to that hold no truth?