How To Unlock Your Brain | Unveiled (+Mystery Ep.)

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How To Unlock Your Brain</h4>

Do you ever feel like you wish you had more knowledge? Like you could do with being just a little bit more intelligent? Or a little less confused? Do you ever wonder whether your cognitive gifts as a human being could be put to better use, or extended to a higher level? Clearly the question of “intelligence” is all the rage right now, as we seemingly stand on the cusp of an AI revolution. But, actually, do we also have all we need for a true transcendence still hidden untapped inside our own heads?

This is Unveiled, and today we’re taking a closer look at how to unlock your brain.

The human brain is sometimes described as the single most complex structure in the known universe. We’ve simply found nothing else that’s quite like it, and we owe everything to our brains in terms of our species story up until this point. The human brain is a marvel of evolution, packing about 100 billion neurons into something that weighs approximately three pounds only. Despite its relatively small size, however – it's only about 2% of our total body weight – the brain consumes roughly 20% of our energy intake. Ultimately, it has enough processing capacity to handle a billion-billion operations per second.

In general, it’s the high neuron density inside our brains that distinguishes us from other species. For example, while an elephant's brain is physically larger, it's not as densely packed with neurons as ours is, plus elephant neurons are spread differently within their brains, and so elephants aren’t as intelligent as we are. The human brain is also remarkably adaptable. It exhibits plasticity, which means it can reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout its life; allowing us to learn from experiences and react to change. It’s due to our brains that we can see, think, touch, move, remember. Everything that makes us human is channeled through our cerebral center. Of course, it’s also due to issues (or even shortcomings) in our brains that we can forget, display bias, misunderstand, or fail to notice something. As such, and over decades of modern research, the race has long been on to uncover how to get more out of what we all have inside our skulls.

Before we get into it, though, there’s one key and related concept that always comes up; the often-cited idea that we only ever use 10% of our brains. Thanks to science fiction, including various characters with seeming superintelligence, it’s then assumed that 90% is just sitting there, forever humming with potential but never actually accessed. Broadly, however, modern neuroscience has debunked this as a myth. Brain imaging studies have consistently shown that even simple tasks engage multiple brain regions, indicating that the entire brain is active and involved in various functions all the time. It’s simply the quest for efficiency that shapes how the brain is used at any one moment, rather than any (or most) of it being shut off by default. Indeed, much of our brains are already “always on”, busily completing all the tasks necessary just to keep us alive. If 90% of our brains really were to go dark, then we actually wouldn’t live to tell the tale. If 90% were never to have been used in the first place, then we likely wouldn’t have reached this point, either.

The allure of a literally untapped well of brain potential persists due to several factors, including the complexity of this immense organ, and the existence of unconscious processes. It’s certainly true, then, that there’s a lot we still don’t know about the brain. Efforts toward mapping it are becoming more and more refined, and the unknowns are steadily being removed, but there are gaps that remain. Which brings us back to our desire to make more out of what we have.

One seemingly quite simple way in which scientists believe we can enhance our mental capabilities is by building what they call "cognitive reserve”; broadly referring to the mind’s resilience against damage or decline due to aging or even due to diseases like Alzheimer’s. It’s said that you can grow this reserve through lifelong learning. That is, by always engaging with new information, theories, and ideas; with anything that may challenge your beliefs and routines. Pursuing mentally stimulating activities such as learning new languages, playing musical instruments, or solving puzzles could, it’s thought, increase the neural connections in your brain and thereby build up the reserve… with studies suggesting that individuals with higher cognitive reserve may experience slower rates of cognitive decline, particularly as they grow older. There is some debate as to exactly how far these kinds of conclusions can be taken, especially when it comes to specific neurological conditions. But, in general, it seems that it really is never a bad thing to learn something new.

Meanwhile, and another straightforward way to optimize your brain health is through diet and exercise. Today, scientists know that your diet plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal brain function. Consuming foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins E and K, in particular, can support healthy cognition. Omega-3 helps with memory; antioxidants slow the death of neurons; vitamin E helps with that plasticity; and K is said to keep the brain young. Here, though, there’s perhaps no “secret trick”, and the best advice is to follow the general advice given by almost all nutritionists; to follow a varied and balanced diet, without stacking up on processed and unhealthy foods.

At the same time, and today arguably more than ever, researchers know that regular physical exercise isn't just for bodily health but also for mental performance. For example, cardiovascular exercise increases blood flow to the entire body including the brain which it’s thought may directly encourage neurogenesis - the creation of new neurons. In this case, then, exercise is more than even just the endorphins that are now so famously released, and which can tackle various mental health issues. As well as that, exercise could be an easy opportunity for you to tap deeper into your brain, potentially enabling you to become smarter. In fact, there are now multiple studies revealing a positive link between regular exercise and increased intelligence. 

But finally, and if running everyday just isn’t for you, then there’s reason to believe that there is another way. And, although it’s a field that’s attracted its fair share of skepticism in the past, it is increasingly believed that mindfulness and meditation offer certain key and specific benefits - including toward enhancing neuroplasticity. Mindfulness meditation has been shown not only to reduce stress but also to potentially increase gray matter density in some parts of the brain. Such as in regions associated with memory, with processing emotion, and with broadening perspectives.

Here, we can see how this once vague practice has come to be associated with, again, challenging the brain into forming new ideas. Which is something that science in general knows is important as we move through life. It’s now thought that mindful practices help us become more aware of the present moment, yes, but also to increase our concentration in other parts of our lives, to improve our focus, and to advance what our brains are capable of knowing and storing. Clearly, when trying to master complex tasks, or even just trying to solve problems in everyday life, these are potentially crucial cognitive skills.

So, what’s your verdict? Which of these methods do you think (or have you found) to be best when it comes to getting the most out of your brain? Is there anything in particular that you wish you knew more about? Or that you’d like to become better at? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Of course, and circling back to that AI revolution we referenced at the top of this video, it could soon be that we’ll have new ways to push our minds further. With the advent of brain implants and the potential arrival of other seemingly more insidious tech wearables, there are countless possible routes down which humanity might travel. Perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse… although that’s for another episode. For now, what’s clear is that you can make meaningful tweaks and changes even without near-future machines. You can see your own mind, and raise it. Because that’s how you can really unlock your brain. 

You are a conscious being, but what does that actually mean? Consciousness is something that’s difficult to define, but it is universally understood and experienced. It’s been described as the most familiar and yet most mysterious aspect of our lives. But where does it come from and what is it exactly?

This is Unveiled and today we’re answering the extraordinary question: What Is Consciousness? 

Consciousness is such a strange phenomenon that no one really knows how to explain it. Despite debating for thousands of years, philosophers haven’t been able to reach a consensus on its nature, and neither have scientists in the modern era. Some argue that it cannot be studied, or that it’s nothing more than an illusion. Even a definition is hard to agree on. But one that academics tend to use is that a conscious being is aware of its environment, itself, and its perception. 

Deciding which beings fulfill these criteria is another story. Testing for consciousness in other animals is challenging, as while it's relatively easy to test for environmental awareness, determining self-awareness is much harder. One way to do so might be to communicate with an animal directly - but even then, there’s still room for doubt. Koko the gorilla, for example, was able to learn sign language, use personal pronouns, and discuss her emotions. However, there’s debate over whether this indicated consciousness, or whether Koko was simply following unconscious cues and prompts from her trainers. 

Throughout history, many have viewed consciousness as a special attribute that separates humans from other animals - a gift from the gods. It’s been seen as something that we all have, but which can never be explained and doesn’t have a physical basis. However, that perspective began to change in the 17th century, as thinkers like René Descartes began to struggle with the relationship between the mind and the brain. In the 18th century, physicians and physiologists started to uncover the importance of the brain in how we think. One of the most famous cases during this time was that of Phineas Gage, a railroad worker whose accidental frontal lobotomy in 1848 dramatically changed his personality. 

Thanks to advances in neuroscience, we now understand that thoughts have a basis in neural networks, and emotions in certain neurotransmitters. Is there a physical basis for consciousness too? This idea also raises questions about the evolution of consciousness and when it first emerged. While some point back millions of years to the first great apes, or hundreds of thousands to the first archaic humans, others look to a much later date. One particularly surprising view comes from psychologist Julian Jaynes, who argued that consciousness emerged between 1230 and 850 BC, based on his interpretation of Homer’s Greek epics “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”.

Jaynes presented his theory of consciousness in his 1976 book “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind”, which provides a fascinating view on the nature of consciousness and its possible role in human history. His hypothesis was that for much of human history, we lived in a state of 'bicameral mentality’, in which the right hemisphere of the brain spoke and issued commands, while the left listened and followed habits and routines. The commands of the right hemisphere were experienced as auditory hallucinations - as the voice of an outsider. For this reason, people may have mistaken their inner voices as those of gods. In an increasingly complex world that required more problem solving however, this split mentality eventually broke down, allowing a deeper connection and leading to consciousness. 

As evidence, Jaynes cited the aforementioned Greek epics, as well as the Bible. He claimed that “The Iliad”, and the earliest biblical books, indicate a mental world without introspection, where the gods seem to speak to us directly. We allegedly see the first signs of introspection in the Odyssey and later biblical writings. The theory has been used to try to explain imaginary friends, religion, hypnosis, and schizophrenia. However, it remains controversial among scholars. Some critics have pointed to signs of introspection in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates back to around 2100 BC, as counter-examples. In response, Jaynes insisted that these signs must date to revisions in post-bicameral times. 

A further problem is that Jaynes’ theory sees humans as the only animals with consciousness, an idea that not everyone shares. Many experts argue that the neural substrates of mammals, birds, and some cephalopods are complex enough to potentially support consciousness, and that their behavior suggests a level of self-awareness. 

All the way at the end of the spectrum is panpsychism, the idea that mind is fundamental to reality, present in all natural bodies. Proponents argue that consciousness is something like an omnipresent force in the universe, and is not specific to any kind of organism or object. This was a popular viewpoint in Western thought during the 19th century, and is also found in some Buddhist traditions, which teach that even non-sentient objects are part of a larger, interconnected “Buddha-nature”. 

Panpsychism began to fall off with the emergence of the verification principle of logical positivism, as it could not be empirically verified. But it's experienced a resurgence with advancements in neuroscience, quantum physics, and psychology. Some modern thinkers have even returned to panpsychism, such as German-American neuroscientist Christof Koch, president and chief scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. Koch believes that any complex system “has the basic attributes of mind and has a minimal amount of consciousness in the sense that it feels like something to be that system”. In this view, consciousness is not a hard line but a gradient, and many animals possess conscious traits. For example, bees showcase the ability to communicate information and remember faces from photographs. Elephants can remember people and hold grudges against individuals who have harmed them. Even earthworms are smarter than people assume. Charles Darwin, after dedicating decades of his life to studying them, came away with the impression that earthworms acted consciously and displayed remarkable mental power.

These theories are all possible answers to the hard problem of consciousness, which asks why and how we have conscious experiences. In the philosophy of mind, these conscious, subjective experiences are known as “qualia”. Explaining what they are is thought to be more difficult to explain than simply specifying the physical mechanisms in the brain that make consciousness possible. Neuroscientists have made remarkable progress in solving this “easier” problem, uncovering what are known as the ‘neural correlates of consciousness’. Research into patients who have had parts of their brains damaged or removed has allowed scientists to narrow down where consciousness lies physically. For example, those who have lost parts of their prefrontal cortex or cerebellum may lose certain abilities, but are still as conscious as they were before. Research suggests that consciousness may live instead in the posterior cortex - the back part of the cerebral cortex. 

Scientists have even developed a detector for consciousness called the zap-and-zip. By applying magnetic energy to the brain, scientists can record how active the brain is, based on how many connections light up. Having developed a scale, researchers have been able to test this on people who have been injured and those in vegetative states, showing reliability in predicting whether someone was still conscious inside of their bodies. 

Eventually, scientists will be able to create a detailed map of the parts of the brain that create consciousness. However, there are some who argue that even that will still leave the hard problem unanswered. If we recreate a human brain in a computer, for example, will it truly be conscious? There are many different theories for explaining what consciousness is and how it emerges. One popular theory today is the Global Neuronal Workspace, which posits that consciousness arises from many areas of the brain having access to the same information. Instead of data being localized, it is broadcast to the entire brain, which creates conscious experience. 

When we come closer to instilling true conscious thought into machines, maybe we’ll learn even more about it. But, for now, that’s what consciousness is.