Mastering The Brain: Increasing Intelligence

Mastering The Brain

Increasing Intelligence

- A little on the Brain

- What is intelligence?

- Opportunities & Abilities

- Attention

-Modern life & the brain

- Increasing intelligence

The Near Future

“Un-schooled”

Juggling, math, (abstract guy)

Knee surgery,

Positive Psychology,

brain research

David Wolovsky

Name?

What brought you here?

About You

Questions?

(Questions = Curiosity x Courage)

The Brain

Under A Microscope

● 100 billion neurons

● Average of 1000

connections each

● Complex networks,

constantly updatingSource: Quasar Jarosz at en.wikipedia

Mapping the Connections

Gray matter, eh.

White matter, hmm!

What Is Intelligence?

What Is Intelligence?

Berlin Model of Intelligence Structure -

3 types: Figural, verbal, numerical

4 qualities: processing speed, creativity, processing capacity, and...the 4th?

What Is Intelligence?Q: Is there an agreed on definition of intelligence?

[Neurologist Fred] Lepore: There are multiple "intelligences" such as spatial,

linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, and naturalistic. (Howard Gardner, 1983.) I like James Flynn's

definition, which points at "mental abilities that allow us to better deal with the

complexity of the modern world."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/lepore-intelligence.html

My Current Definition

Intelligence

The ability to identify and act on

opportunities in a specific situation.

Intelligence Is A Relationship

between a living thing

and the situation in which it finds itself.

Intelligence Is A Relationship

between a living thing

and the situation in which it finds itself.

A combination of an opportunity and

our ability to take that opportunity

- If I’m a good swimmer, then I can swim

when there’s water around me

- If I am good at leading people, then I can lead people

when there are people with me

- If I’m an electrical engineer, then I can make gadgets

when electrical components are in my hands

Opportunities Are Real

Without Opportunity...

Can’t swim anywhere

Can’t lead anybody

Can’t make any gadgets

- Can be immediate,

intermediate, or long

term

- Can reveal

themselves, then

disappear

unexpectedly

Opportunities

Identifying Opportunities

How do we predict them the farthest

ahead of time?

Pregnant moments. Signals.

Identifying Opportunities

Mindfulness is the act of absorbing more

information about the present moment.

It’s a muscle/skill. We can build it.

Example of Mindfulness

Listening to everything

that comes into awareness.

Watching awareness as it shifts.

(1-2 minutes)

Questions?

(Questions = Curiosity x Courage)

So There Are Opportunities

Which we meet with...

Body Mind

Emotions

Skills on 3 Levels

Balance: Both/AndBody

Mobile_________________________________________Stable

Emotions

Fluid____________________________________________Fixed

Mind

Divergent________________________________Convergent

Physical Intelligence

Body

Mobile_________________________________________Stable

Balance

Physical intelligence: balance between mobility

and stability

Stretch Break

MMMobility!

Emotional Intelligence

Emotions

Fluid____________________________________________Fixed

Balance

Emotional intelligence: balance between fluidity

and fixedness

Problem Solving Steps

Mind

Divergent________________________________Convergent

Balance, Again

Cognitive intelligence: balance between

divergent (creative) thinking and convergent

(analytical) thinking

A Video

Divergent________________________________Convergent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMPuujald

Zk

Maximum Intelligence

Access to the most opportunities:3 balanced levels, plus ability to shift between and

blend them together as opportunities dictate

Attention Acceleration

Attention’s 3 TypesUndirected (DMN)

Directed (FP Control)Directed x Undirected???

Attention’s 3 TypesUndirected (DMN)

Directed (FP Control)

Mindfulness: observing attention as it shifts naturally

How is each one essential

for accelerating our response abilities?

How can we strengthen them?

Attention’s 3 Types

To Summarize (so far)

Questions?

(Questions = Curiosity x Courage)

We used our whole selves for almost everything.

This is what our brains evolved for.

50,000 Years Ago

What Are They Doing?

What are we doing?

With our bodies?

With our social interactions & emotions?

With our thinking patterns?

With our attention?

Modern Culture

Modern Culture

?

My Question

?How

can we

How can we make ourselves

more holistically intelligent?

In Words

1) What increases our sensitivity

to real-life opportunities?

1) What increases our physical, emotional, and

cognitive abilities in a both/and way?

2) What increases all 3 types of attention?

In Other Words

Memory, attention, emotions...

Some Evidence From Science

Rhythm

Some Evidence From Science

School!

Balance (emotions, memory, mental imagery)

Some Evidence From Science

Word games, Languages (verbal thinking)

Some Evidence From Science

Mental math, fine motor skills (spatial thinking)

Some Evidence From Science

Exercise (emotional regulation, even 2 minutes)

Some Evidence From Science

Some Answers From ScienceMindfulness and

MeditationJuggling and other complex motor skills

Teamwork-based activities

Mental games(3D chess)

- Brain Body exercises

- Mindfulness and Meditation

- Stretching

- Yoga and weight lifting

- Journaling / note taking

Some of My Practices

Let’s Do An Example/s!

Please stand up (if you’re comfortable)

Take a ball or 2

Follow along

Brain Body Exercises

3 components:

Brain Body Exercises

Legs Hands Mind

Level of Complexity

Highly integrated Brain Body Exercise

Brain Body Exercise

Uses a lot of attention,

integrating all 3 ability levels

simultaneously.

Compare

Legs Hands Mind

Level of Complexity

Activities on the computer

Compare

Legs Hands Mind

Level of Complexity

Playing soccer as a midfielder

Questions?

(Questions = Curiosity x Courage)

Now The Hard Part

How long do you think it takes to increase

intelligence?

Many people try to take up practices to improve

their lives, but they don’t continue.

Why?

Continuing Practice

- Long-term practices bestow benefits non-

linearly (slow/jumpy)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N883zEr

n5UQ

Emotional Intelligence

Intelligence = Ability to identify and act on

opportunities in a given situation

Key Definition

Both/And Balance

Body Mind

Emotions

Flexibility and Strength

Attention: 3 types. Practice all.

Key Concepts

As humans:

We are each whole

And made up of many parts

Bottom Line

“We have all that we need

And we need to use all that we have.”

- Emiliya Zhivotovskaya

Bottom Line

Image Citations

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/GIRL_USES_A_MAGNIFYING_GLASS_TO_STUDY_PLANT_LIFE_IN_THE_TUNDRA_OF_TH

E_ROCKY_MOUNTAINS._THE_DENVER_PTA_SPONSORED_A..._-_NARA_-_543740.jpg

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Contents/Philosophy_and_thinking#mediaviewer/File:The_Thinker_Musee_Rodin.jpg

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Image Citations

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D0%B9_%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BA_(1).jpg

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Image Citations

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Research Citations

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es_of_representational_space_evidence_from_mental_imagery

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