Can a basic understanding of the evolution of your brain improve and maximize your ability to learn, think, adapt and thrive in today’s world?
You bet it can!
If you feel intrigued or even daunted by brain science or the many folds and overlapping structure of your brain’s anatomy, just know that studied from an evolutionary and practical standpoint, it becomes easier to grasp.
Where did you come from…or better yet, how did you get here?
Over a seven million year time span, the human brain has tripled in size. Most change occurred in the last two million years. Our skull shape morphed to accommodate this growth. During the first two thirds of our history, the size of our ancestor’s brain was within the ‘ape’ size range.
The final third saw nearly all the action in ‘Brain Change’. Homo habilis, the first of the Home genus, appeared 1.9 million years ago and saw a notable jump in brain size, including an expansion of a language center of the frontal lobe where our executive functions reside.
Interesting, this came at a time in our environment when interaction with others and forging effective alliances between individuals and groups was crucial to survival. It’s fascinating to see how the human brain evolves according to outer influences.
This insight can be applied in a useful way to your life today.
The environments you spend time in, your goals, needs and stressors will affect and determine the state of your brain…for better or for worse.
Unique to our current stage of evolution, as modern day Homo sapiens, we now have access to enough information to effectively nourish and care for our brains and make having a “Fit Brain” part of our evolutionary journey.
This is a game changing historical breakthrough!
Your brain is in a continual state of change, because its folds and structure adapt based on environment and needs.
Conscious and targeted brain growth is gift that our modern day awareness can tap into. We can directly impact how we evolve ourselves now and into the future.
What could be more exciting?
More recent shape changes accentuate regions relating to depth of planning, communication, problem solving, and other advanced cognitive functions.
Our evolution is at an all time high – figuratively, biologically and neurologically!
Paul MacLean, famous for the Triune Brain Theory (a simplified but highly useful approach to understanding the brain), demonstrates that 3 distinct brains emerged successively over the course of evolution and now inhabit the human skull.
THE 3 PARTS OF THE TRIUNE BRAIN:
The Reptilian Brain is the oldest of the three brains. It controls the body’s vital functions such as heart rate, breathing, body temperature, and balance. Although reliable, it can be rigid and reactionary. It contains the brain stem and the cerebellum.
The Limbic Brain emerged in the first mammals. It is responsible for emotions and value judgments we unconsciously make that influence our behaviour. The main parts are the hippocampus, amygdale, and thalamus.
The Neorcortex (frontal lobe) evolved into the human brain. It has two large cerebral hemispheres responsible for the development of human language, abstract thought, imagination, problem solving and consciousness. It is flexible and has almost infinite learning abilities!
These three parts of the brain work interdependently and influence each other through numerous established interconnections.
The cerebral cortex has assumed greater and greater importance compared with the brain’s older structures which appeared over 200 million years ago. The older parts have proven their effectiveness for meeting certain fundamental needs however, so there was no reason for them to disappear.
Favouring a process of adding and expanding, rather than rebuilding everything from scratch, evolution is clearly resourceful and predicated on the ‘use it or lose it” model.
The growing complexity observed everywhere in nature is not the “objective” of evolution, but rather a side effect precipitated from changes of environment, survival needs, and an intrinsic desire for efficiency.
Since our life experiences make, create and evolve the brain. This knowledge puts incredible power literally into one’s hands.
Imagine a car…you are the driver, so get into the driver’s seat. You are the person who is in charge of your own evolutionary process. You can positively and strategically impact the growth and development of your brain on a day to day, moment to moment basis.
Take the high road and build your brain map in such a way that you positively influence your mental, emotional and physical health, as well as your learning, development, relationships and productivity at work, and in life.
With Brain Fitness resources and tools, you can be the sculptor of our brain, our life and our results.
Join us for an upcoming presentation or workshop, would love to have you and grow our Brain Power together!
Warmly,
Jill