BRAIN RULESPrinciples for Surviving and Thriving

Debbie CrouchSeattle Pacific University

Brain Rules: Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

by John Medina, Pear Press, March 2008

Dr. John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and research consultant. He is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University.

www.brainrules.net

The Full Menu of 12 Rules

1. Exercise 2. Survival3. Wiring4. Attention5. Short-term

Memory6. Long-term

Memory

7. Sleep8. Stress9. Sensory

Integration10. Vision11. Gender12. Exploration

Survival in a Hostile Environment

Our Complex Blender Brain…

Y_ _ r d _ g ch _ s _ d th _ c _ t.

Much of what we know about brain function has been learned from abnormal or injured brains.

Three Brains in One…

Lizard brain Basic functions such as

breathing, heartbeat, sleep

Mammalian brain Animal survival –the four Fs:

Fighting Feeding Fleeing Reproductive behavior

Cortex or “Human Brain” Executive functions Specialized functions

ATTENTIONWe Don’t Pay Attention to Boring

Things

What Captures Our Attention?

• Messages that grab your attention are connected to:

-Memory-Awareness-Interest

• Advertisers know this!

Principles of Attention

Meaning before detail = gist

Familiarity and patternsIRSYMCAIBMKGBFBIIRSYMCAIBMKGBFBI

Advice for Educators, Supervisors, and Parents

• Capture attention by triggering emotion

• Convey general ideas before details• Make sure examples are relevant • Teach complex information and

processes in small segments• Repeat information at discrete intervals

—repeat to remember; remember to repeat!

Limitations of Attention• Attention can’t be maintained

indefinitely—the brain needs a break to digest information.

• We can only pay attention to one thing at a time.

Multi-tasking is a Myth Comparison of cell phone users to drunk

drivers:

4 x higher: The increased rate of collisions among drivers who use

cell phones.

19% slower: The amount of time slower cell phone users were to

resume their normal speed after braking.

24% more variable:The following distance of a driver using a cell phone, as

his or her attentional states shifted between driving and talking.

Effects of Multitasking

STRESSWhat is Stress?

For stress to exist:1. There must be an aroused physiological

response to the stressor, and it must be measurable by an outside party.

2. The stressor must be perceived as aversive.

3. The person must not feel in control of the stressor.

Chronic Stress and Health

Chronic stress:• Dangerously

deregulates a system built only to deal with short-term responses.

• Creates too much adrenaline, leading to high blood pressure, and elevating the risk for heart attack and stroke

• Ravages parts of the immune system involved in producing antibodies.

Stress and Learning

• In almost every way it can be tested, chronic stress hurts our ability to learn.

• Specifically affected are the skills needed to excel in school and business.

Enter the Hero to Battle Stress

• BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor)• Keeps neurons alive

and growing in the presence of hostile action

• However, BDNF can be overwhelmed

The Secret

• Increase your• BDNF levels• Attention span• Reasoning• Long-term memory• Problem-solving

abilities?

• Combat:• Anxiety• Stress• Depression

• Decrease your chance of:• Alzheimers by 60%• General dementia

by 50%?

Want to know how to . . . And also . . .

EXERCISEExercise Boosts Brain Power

• Jack LaLanne: The man who gave us the jumping jack.

• Strength of mind is directly related to strength of muscle.

• Strength of mind and body is also related to quality of nutrition.

EXERCISEExercise Boosts Brain Power

• Building an intricate delivery system.

• How much exercise is enough?

30 minutes of cardio

2-3 times a week.

Stretch Break!

To the Tune of:Take Me Out to the BallgameTake me out to the sidewalk.

Take me out to the track.

Buy me a treadmill and trampoline.

Staying active will be my routine.

I will build an oxygen highway,

Then stressors won’t be a drain.

For just 30 minutes three times a week

Makes a healthy brain!

SLEEPThe Brain Doesn’t Sleep to

Rest

• The brain sleeps to learn• Learning involving procedures and processes,

particularly, is enhanced by sufficient sleep.• Loss of sleep hurts attention,

executive function, immediate memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning, general math knowledge and even motor dexterity.

Sleep Chronotypes

Larks: Early Chronotype (10%)Most alert around noon and feel most

productive in morningOwls: Late Chronotype (20%)Most alert around 6:00 p.m. and feel

most productive in late eveningHummingbirds: The Rest of Us

(70%)Somewhere in between larks and owls

BEWARE THE DREADED NAP ZONE!

How Much Sleep Do We Need?• Most adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night to

function optimally• Study of soldiers found

• One night’s sleep deprivation resulted in a 30% loss in overall cognitive skill and drop in performance

• Two nights’ sleep loss resulted in a 60% drop in performance• Five consecutive nights with 6 hours of sleep or less resulted

in performance equal to that of someone deprived of sleep for 48 hours.

Continue to work on this slide

EXPLORATIONWe are Powerful and Natural Explorers

• Babies model how we learn: by actively testing through observation, hypothesis, experiment and conclusion

• What if . . . ? • How could I . . . ?• I wonder . . . ?

Exploration Time

Google lets employees spend 20% of their time “going where their minds ask them to go.”

50% of new products came from “20 percent time.”

C H A L L E N G E:

• Focus on what you can control• Notice when you are stressed• Exercise—even a little bit—most days of the

week• Feed your body with the right amount of quality

“fuel”• Get sufficient sleep• Use your natural curiosity and imagination to

envision positive outcomes • Direct your attention to things that bring you joy

and peace