左京研討會 第15篇 養腦秘訣
最近在找一些英聽練習材料
聽了幾集TED之後
YT推薦我一個頻道叫做
The Diary Of A CEO
這頻道邀請了一些專家
來介紹一些有深度的知識
這集請到的是腦科學專家
來講解如何保養(或傷害)
我們的大腦
首先給大家一個概念
大腦是可鍛鍊的
就像我們身體其他部分的肌肉一樣
越常使用的話就會越強壯
而這強壯可不是精神上的
而是可以透過腦部掃描
觀察到大腦的肌肉變強壯了
強壯的大腦有助於提高專注力
通常這也意味著
工作或學習效率的提高
相反的
一些不良的習慣
會導致大腦鈍化
例如失眠或久坐
都有可能導致你覺得
自己渾渾噩噩的
無法集中精神
剛剛有提到大腦是可以鍛鍊的
所以有些人可能猜到了
多動腦可以幫助訓練大腦肌肉
持續學習也很有幫助
然而還有另一種鍛鍊大腦的方式
是運動!
運動除了會促使大腦分泌
讓精神愉悅的多巴胺之外
同時也會刺激大腦
分泌各種生長激素
這些激素具有
讓大腦增肌的效果
也就是讓你更能集中注意力
長期來看
有在運動的人
罹患失智症的機率
比沒運動的人少30%
這裡所提的運動
未必是很激烈的
單純的每天散步
也有助於身心健康
而比散步更有效的
則是能提高心跳數的有氧運動
在參加重要的演講或活動之前
進行適度的運動
除了有助於放鬆
透過血流量的增加
也能為大腦提供更多養分
所以想讓腦子好使些
我也該想想怎麼運動了
另外主持人也詢問了一些
關於情緒的問題
其中提到了關於社交軟體帶來的焦慮
對於年輕人
尤其是女孩子
影響特別嚴重
這個我們在課堂上也有討論到
事實上在北美的某些地區
學校開始禁止青少年們
在課堂上使用電子產品
老師問我們對此是贊成還是反對
但我想問題重點不在手機
而是社群軟體
社群軟體的成癮性很高
如果把它當成賭博或毒品來看
既然我們對賭博和毒品都有所限制
那為何對社群軟體沒有呢?
也許我們該透過法規以及教育
開始對此採取一些行動
另外主持人也詢問了一些
其他的情緒困擾
像是失去親人的重大失落感
專家說雖然這是讓人難受的負面情緒
但如果沒到生病的程度的話
這也是讓自己成長的機會
而宗教信仰對她幫助很大
我知道主持人想詢問一些
對聽眾來說很重要的問題
不過以電腦來譬喻的話
大腦是硬體
腦科學專家對硬體有所研究
不代表他們對軟體也專精
而對於人心智的研究
我想心理學可以提供我們一些假設
雖然在這方面
很多事情只能停留在邏輯推理階段
因為難以用科學方法證明
但它們又很重要
回到本篇的主題
如果你想要擁有一個
又肥又大又蓬鬆的好用大腦
就去運動吧!
每天多供點血給它
給自己一個清醒的腦袋
題目參考來源:
The Diary Of A CEO: NEW RESEARCH, The Shocking Link Between Exercise And Dementia!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o-tRub-0pQ&t=3562s
–English version–
Viewpoint Ep15. A Bigger and Fatter and Fluffier Brain
I have been finding materials to practice my listening skills recently. After I listened to a few episodes of TED Talks, YouTube recommended a channel called ‘The Diary Of A CEO’.
It’s a talk show that invites experts from various fields. In one episode, they invited a neuroscientist to discuss how to maintain (or harm) our brain.
First, I want to tell you that the brain is trainable. Just like the muscles in other parts of our body, the more often we use it, the stronger it becomes. And I’m not just talking about mental strength; you can actually see its changes through a CT scan.
A strong brain facilitates concentration, which usually helps with work or study efficiency. In contrast, bad habits can make the brain become sluggish. For instance, insomnia or a sedentary lifestyle can make you feel sluggish and unable to concentrate.
As I just mentioned, the brain is trainable. So, you may intuitively know that using it more can train it, and continuous learning will be beneficial. However, another way to exercise our brain is through physical exercise!
Physical exercise can improve the secretion of dopamine and other growth hormones, which help grow ‘brain muscle’. In other words, it helps you become more focused.
In the long term, people who exercise are 30% less likely to get Alzheimer’s or dementia compared to those who do not exercise. The exercise I mentioned doesn’t need to be intense; simple daily walks can be beneficial. And if you want more, aerobic exercise can help increase your heart rate and provide more blood to your brain.
Before an important presentation or other event, doing appropriate exercise can help with relaxation and concentration.
I want my brain to become better, so I should think about how to exercise now.
On the other hand, the host also asked about emotional issues. He mentioned that social media has made people more anxious than in the past, especially young people, with girls feeling more anxious than boys.
We also discussed this issue in our English class. In fact, in some areas of North America, schools have started to ban electronic devices in classes. Our teacher asked us whether we agree or disagree with this, but I thought the problem is not the hardware, like cell phones, but the social media itself.
Social media is very addictive, just like gambling and drugs, and we have limitations and laws about gambling and drugs, so why don’t we have any limitations for social media? I think we should address this through education and legislation.
Additionally, the host asked about other emotional issues like losing a family member. The expert said that although it is a difficult and negative emotion, if it’s not clinical, it can be a good chance for growth, and religion helped her a lot.
I know the host wanted to ask something important for himself and the audience, but if we consider our brain as a computer, it’s just the hardware. The neuroscientist may know about the hardware, but that doesn’t mean they also know about the software.
I think psychology researches the software in our brain, but it’s a weaker science because many things can’t be proved scientifically but through logical reasoning.
Returning to the subject today, if you want to have a bigger, stronger, and healthier brain, go exercise, provide it with more blood, and keep it awake.