THE NEUROSCIENCE OF THE GENIUS BRAIN

 

 

 

THE BRAIN

The genius brain has physical characteristics that differentiate it from the non-genius brain. The good news is that the brain constantly is growing and adapting and there are things that you can do to foster a genius brain. 

 

NEURAL CONNECTIONS AND NEURAL NETWORKS

The brain has neurons that constantly communicate with one another through electrical and chemical signals. Axons send out information to dendrites. The space in between in which this communication happens is called the synapse. These perpetual communications are known as neural connections. The neural connections happen across our personal neural network. The genius brain has neural connections that are more active and more complex. 

 

CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

In a normal brain, there’s a relative equal split between the long and short connections within the cerebral cortex. Short connections are correlated with our aptitude in something that interests us. Long connections pertain to aptitude outside of our interests. In the genius brain, the split between long and short connections usually leans heavily toward one or the other.

 

GRAY MATTER

Gray matter refers to the darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord. It is made up of dendrites, branching out, literally waiting to receive information from axons. When studying the brains of those with high IQ scores – in this case, over 130 – greater volumes of gray matter were discovered. In addition, the white matter of the brain, where the axons live, was also more abundant. The larger quantity of nerve cells in the gray and white matter means that communication happens more quickly and effectively. Recently published pictures of the brain of Albert Einstein had not only a thicker and greater amount of gray matter, but also more intricate folds throughout the gray matter, suggesting that this may also be a factor in identifying the genius brain.

 

THE THALAMUS

The dopamine receptors in our thalamus determine what information gets through. Our brains process thoughts faster than we are able to sort through them. The thalamus and the dopamine receptors are fundamentally the place that all of these thoughts bottleneck. Ones that are valuable are allowed to proceed, where others are stifled and, most likely, not ever going to reach conscious thought. In the genius brain, there tend to be less of these dopamine receptors. Thus, the neck of the bottle tends to be wider, letting more thoughts come through. Consider the level of creativity and problem-solving a person could have if more thoughts and solutions are allowed to emerge.

 

FRONTAL LOBES

The frontal lobes help determine the consequences of our actions. We make a decision to do or not do something based on the consequence of the particular action. The frontal lobes also help us retain memories long term. The genius brain has frontal lobes that are more differentiated making processes in this area more efficient. 

 

RIGHT BRAIN

The right side of the the brain is the creativity, intuitive, and problem solving center. The genius brain is more honed than the normal brain. It is less compartmentalized - the brain is wide open space where thoughts can flow more effortlessly and are less stifled by less neural partitions. 

 

CULTIVATE THE GENIUS BRAIN

 

Engage in Novel Experiences

This will allow you to create new synaptic connections 

The connections build on each other 

Puts your brain in primed state for learning

Triggers dopamine which kicks motivation into high gear and stimulates neurogenesis - the creation of new neurons - and prepares your brain for learning

 

Challenge Yourself

Engage in a challenging activity 

Move onto another challenging activity when you have mastered the first

In order to keep your brain making new connections and keep them active, you need to keep moving onto another challenging activity as soon as you reach the point of mastery. 

You want to be in a constant state of slight discomfort, struggling to barely achieve whatever it is you are trying to do. 

 

Think Creatively 

Creative cognition involves divergent thinking, making remote associations between ideas, switching back and forth between conventional and unconventional thinking, and generating original, novel ideas that are also appropriate to the activity you are doing. 

 

Surround Yourself with Creative People

The catalytic substrate for genius is the intellectual exchange of ideas with other creatives. You are more likely to be more original and productive if surrounded by other creative people. By engaging with other creative people, you are exposing yourself to the kinds of situations that are going to make the previous objectives easier to achieve (break out of old and oppressive boundaries, explore new ways to  express yourself, encourage the ferment of new ideas. 

 

Get Up an Move

The brain drives the skeletal muscles and the skeletal muscles help drive higher brain function. Movement deficiency is the leading cause of degenerative disease and early death. Lack of healthy motion cause the neural synapses to atrophy. 

 

Meditate

Research shows that meditation increases gray-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.