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The Christmas Tree Brain

November 8, 2011 By 4 Comments

What is a “Christmas Tree Brain?”  Someone who likes to shop? Decorate the house? Take a limo ride to view the holiday lights? Actually, the Christmas Tree Brain is an asynchronous macro-state measured by an electroencephalogram  (EEG).  It is characterized by various brain regions firing at different amplitudes and frequencies.   Colors of blue, green, yellow and red, illuminate the EEG screen, with the overall look resembling a Christmas tree. What’s going on?

From a cognitive standpoint, this pattern is called trans-contextual thinking.  According to UCLA professor Dr. Dario Nardi in his newly released book, , “Regardless what kind of stimulus enters the brain – be it sight, sound, smell sensation- the brain responds by rapidly processing that stimulus in multiple regions, including regions seemingly not applicable to the stimulus.”  Responses to the stimuli tend to be fast, creative, and sometimes seemingly contradictory except to the originator of these thoughts!

Indeed, these are the brain patterns of the ultimate brain stormers in the psychological type world, the ENTP and the ENFP and to a lesser extent, INTP and the INFP.  Another name for these types are the extraverted intuitives. In the case of the ENFP and the ENTP, this extraverted  intuition is a dominant psychological function, occupying half of all of the brain energy these types use every day.

Doesn’t this sound wonderful?  It IS except that with this highly energized state goes creative burn-out.  Another hallmark characteristic of the ENFP/ENTP type is the tendency to work in fits and starts, waiting for the moment of inspiration to hit and set off this powerful pattern all over again.  This pattern of thinking long described in extraverted intuitive personality types scan now be supported by EEG findings.

Recently I was at a brain conference on managing bad habits and addictions. The presenter remarked that, “Nowadays, there has to be some sort of neural correlates as measured by fMRI or other type of scanning or imaging device to lend support to psychological and cognitive theories.”  The Neuroscience of Personality and the work of Dario Nardi is an important first step toward providing supporting evidence via EEG scans.  The Christmas Tree Brain is only one of  the many EEG patterns he has identified that correlate with various psychological types profiles.

On 11-11-11, I will be presenting some of Dario Nardi’s  findings along with a framework describing the challenges that psychologists have today to provide neuroscientific data to support their behavioral theories. In addition, I will offer some insight as to how this can be used in coaching and in uncovering personal potential.

If you would like more details about this upcoming presentation, please contact me at annholm@annholm.net

 

 

Filed Under: Brain Science, Coaching, MBTI and the Brain, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The MBTI Step III: Illuminating the Path to Healthy Type Development

September 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The MBTI Step III is a tool that describes an individual’s progress toward healthy type development.  Psychological  type is not a static label but a dynamic path leading toward maturity of the personality.  At the Association for Psychological Type International meeting in 2011, Dr. Allen Hammer, one of the co-authors of the Step III instrument, listed these possible manifestations of inadequate type development:

  • One being a caricature of one’s type
  • Lack of awareness of one’s type blind spots
  • The tendency to blame others for shortcomings
  • Life stress and dissatisfaction
  • Reduced competency and performance

He also listed possible factors that can detour type development including:

  • Lack of faith in one’s type ( not seeing one’s type as being as valuable as another
  • Lack of acceptance by others of one’s type
  • Lack of opportunity to develop one’s type gifts
  • Lack of challenge to develop one’s type especially the 3rd and 4th functions

The MBTI Step III overview was a 3-hour presentation that covered the essence of the MBTI Step III instrument.  Allen Hammer and Sondra Von Sant, who teach the certification course, presided.  A panel of Step III practitioners including Charles Martin, Laurie Hillis, Sydney Courtice, and me added to the discussion by sharing case stories about how the this tool led to personal examination  of type development for various clients.  Through the discussion of the assessment findings, a release of psychic energy (similar to an “aha moment”) to address life’s challenges and goals is made possible.   Sometimes even one statement on the report can trigger a flood of insight! The panelists shared cases from both counseling and coaching perspective as the MBTI Step III is meant to address both scenarios.

According to Dr. Hammer, healthy type development has these 3 characteristics:

  • The dominant function is developed and used effectively.
  • A developed auxiliary functioning leading to a balance of perception and judgment
  • Awareness and comfort with the tertiary and inferior functions (Knowing when to non-preferred functions best suit a situation)

The MBTI Step III does provide the awareness piece that is so critical to making changes in one’s life.  After all, if you are blind to what may be holding you back from a greater and more satisfying life, it is difficult to decide what to change or how to do it!

For those who did not attend the APTI 2011 conference but would like to experience the Step III, there are several ways to get more information.

  1. Contact the Center of  Application of Psychological Type capt.org
  2. Join the LinkedIn Step III Group to join in a discussion, ask a question, or start a new discussion.
  3. Contact an MBTI Step III practitioner to learn more about it or even experience it yourself.
Filed Under: MBTI STEP III, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Tagged With: , , , , ,

Another NHL Player Gone Too Soon

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Another NHL enforcer was found dead in what should be the prime of his life. Wade Belak was found dead in his Toronto apartment today, apparently due to suicide. He joins Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien in hockey heaven. the causes of death were two suicides and one overdose on alcohol and pain killers.  This is very tragic especially for the families and friends of these players. I believe the culprit here is multiple traumatic brain injuries.  Moreover,  I suspect there are many more of these guys who struggle with pain, irritability, and depression as a result of multiple blows to the head over the course of a hockey career.

In the old days, when someone suffered a concussion on the playing field, court, or rink, it was said that that player, “got his bell rung” .  As soon as he could get back out there, perhaps with the help of some smelling salts, he was encouraged to do so.  However, it is now known that the effects of brain injuries last well beyond the sense of feeling better physically.  Cognitively, they last much longer because the brain has not completely recovered.  The effects of multiple head injuries are cumulative and the effects worsen as the brain ages.

Sports rely heavily on previous motor programming.  In fact, if an athlete is accused of “thinking too much”, it is likely that he is relying too heavily on his prefrontal cortex rather than his finely honed motor skills that are a result of hours of practice. An athlete that is performing in the zone is hardly aware of what he actually did to achieve that level of excellence.  If he thought about it too much, he would lose the flow.  It’s similar to when a golfer suddenly realizes he’s having a personal best round then loses it because he has brought it into awareness.  In my mind, a player could actually appear quite well when his motor functions returned after a concussion, but his executive functions could still be significantly below his pre-injury baseline.

The executive functions are located in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.  They are involved in higher level thinking tasks such as planning, initiating, inhibiting, attention, and decision making. Moreover, the prefrontal cortex is the most vulnerable part of the brain so any concussion would likely involve this area and these functions.  In fact the prefrontal cortex is likely to be the most affected. Is it any wonder why someone who has had repeated blows to the head with little time for full recovery might experience problems in these areas outside of the sports arena?   What happens when they retire and they aren’t earning money using their well-practiced motor skills and having to rely on executive functions?   The worst scenario here is the poor decision to end one’s life.

Now, I am a huge hockey fan.  I love the Detroit Red Wings and have been to 2 Stanley Cup Final games. A close second is football, another head bashing sport. I like these sports very much. However, there are many changes that can happen that will make these sports safer.

1. Enforce the rules that penalize cheap shots that result in head injuries.  No exceptions.

2. Make sure executive functioning of the brain returns to baseline before allowing a return to the game.

3. Provide support and coping skills for individuals who played years before new rules would be in place.  These players are the most vulnerable and need the most help.

 

Note: Last year’s Minnesota Brain Injury Walk for Thought focused on increasing awareness about sports concussions.  Properly treating traumatic brain injury is important at all levels of competition from youth to professionals.

 

Filed Under: Brain Science, Minding Your Brain Tagged With:

Rising to the Challenge: Identifying Neural Correlates in Psychological Type

August 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Brain science has been one of the central topics in the scientific world in the last decade. This has been an exciting time for brain researchers. Thanks to PET, MEG,SPECT  fMRI, and even EEG  mapping techniques, many of the theories about how the brain really works have been confirmed or modified.  These days, a certain validation by skeptics is often bestowed, at least reluctantly, if a concept of the mind, cognition or personality can be connected to findings in neuroscience using these measuring tools.At the 2011 Association for Psychological Type Conference in San Francisco, the keynote speaker today was Dr. Dario Nardi who has made significant inroads correlating neurology with the eight distinctive cognitive processes and the sixteen personality types as described by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Here is a just a sample of some of his findings:

  • Dominant judging personality types tend to use the left prefrontal cortex/Perceiving personality types tend to use the right prefrontal cortex.
  • Sensors use less brain activity to write their names with the non-preferred hand than intuitives use.
  • INFP brains tend to show more activity in the areas associated with active listening.
  • ENFP/ENTP brains are “lit up like Christmas trees.”  Indeed, dominant extraverted intuitives have all sorts of brain areas active enabling them to connect the seemingly unconnectable.
  • ENFJ/ENTJ brains appear to have “cognitive superhighways” that efficiently arrive at the left prefrontal cortex to arrive at decisions swiftly and decisively.
  • INFJ/INTJ brains (introverted intuitives) will respond to both new and familiar tasks, always arriving at novel solutions. Areas of the brain associated with creative problem solving are therefore captured on EEG

However what really resonated with me about this lecture were the several qualifiers that he mentioned.  For instance, Nardi acknowledged that not all brains of a certain personality type were going to look exactly alike. Indeed, personal experiences do affect how a particular brain develops.  This consistent with the research on neuroplasticity. The brain can change. He also stated that left handers don’t necessarily have the same brain mapping.  He also clarified that his subjects were college students so it follows that these findings may not be the same for older brains, especially given normal type development.  The research was exciting but there were no wild claims either.  There is nothing that can spoil the scientific stew more than a claim that takes a research finding out of context.

I am eager to read Nardi’s book, Neuroscience of Personality, to learn more about this topic.  Certainly a 90-minute keynote speech cannot adequately cover 5 years of work in this important area of research. Nevertheless, I am thrilled to see that progress is being made toward identifying neural correlates in psychological type.  The challenge is out there and Nardi has hurled a significant opening volley toward skeptics that doubt the validity of psychological type concepts.

 

Filed Under: Brain Science, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Tagged With: , ,

Type Opposites: ISTJ Meets ENFP

August 12, 2011 By 2 Comments

One of the programs I attended at the APTi 2011 conference today was called Learning From Introverted and Extraverted Sensors. The presenter, Wendy Horikoshi, led the group through a variety of exercises demonstrating the difference between sensing and intuition. Although everyone uses both sensing and intuition, which one you naturally lead with is not an insignificant matter. As an ENFP, I tend to encode my perceptions in large, abstract, conceptual chunks rather than giving great attention to details.  Likewise, when I am accessing information, I pull it out of my head the same way, in large pieces with some of the details wanting.  My type opposite, the ISTJ, would encode and access in a different way. The details would be dead on but perhaps abstract interconnections that I so readily provide would be lacking.

This workshop was particularly enjoyable because even as I am intellectually well-versed in type differences, it’s still fascinating to see it in action.  It is truly like I am visiting a foreign country and interacting with a different culture…. the culture of details, the Evil Empire!   One of the exercises in this workshop was to go out and exercise our sensing function in groups.  One of our stops was in an office supply store.  It was notable that the ISTJ in our group was drawn to the simple, clean lines of the black and white thank you cards.  In fact, they were a nice compliment to her elegant and neat appearance. Meanwhile, I fell in love with the multi-colored cards with 4 different fox drawings!

Upon our return to the workshop and couple other interesting exercises illustrating differences in perception, I still kept thinking of those thank you cards.  Why am I drawn to such things?  Could it be that my mind has to have enough varied stimuli to stay active and alert?  The colors reminded me of Arizona.  The foxes made me think of my fox terriers.  I immediately started thinking of who might think these cards were cool. Then I thought, hmmmm, well maybe get them tomorrow…. I am just not sure I could extract that type of mental jolt out of a black and white card!

Well anyway, that’s what is one of the many benefits to being at the type conference.  You get to play around with type, see it in action. Then, more often than not, you walk away for something to mull around in your mind. As for me, I am going back to the store to pick up those fox cards because I keep thinking about all the ways I could use them.   Meanwhile, my decisive ISTJ counterpart bought the black and white ones right on the spot.  Mission accomplished.

Filed Under: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Tagged With: , ,

Tapping Into Positive Psychology Using the MBTI

June 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

A primary focus of positive psychology is to help people identify and build on their unique strong points. Strengths are built-in capacities for certain thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  Everyone possesses the  full range of  these assets, but the ability to draw upon one capacity over another varies among individuals.  People tend to enjoy using their strengths and naturally call upon them when presented with a challenge. Your particular range of strengths are a blend of your natural propensities, your growth as a result of  personal experiences, and your deliberate effort to develop a certain areas of your personality. Your particular array of strengths is part of what makes you unique.

When you use your strengths, there is a tendency to  feel energized. Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi describes a state of mind known as flow, wherein the difficulty of a task  and the skill level are matched and at a high level. When we are in flow or the zone, we are rewarded for using our strengths by a feeling of  concentration and absorption that has been described as blissful engagement. However to tap into the benefits of your personal strengths, it’s key to know what they are.  A 2001 study presented at the British Psychological society in 2001 found that only 1/3 of the people have a deep enough understanding of their strengths to be able to consciously use them.  It may be that your particular strengths were not honored or valued or it may be that since they feel so natural to you that  you don’t even recognize them as a strengths. Whatever the reason, there are many people who are not acquainted with their powerful and unique special qualities.

The work of Isabel Briggs Myers  and Katherine Briggs pre-dates the current positive psychology movement but is seldom included in the supporting works that are cited in the positive psychology literature.  Gifts Differing, written in 1980, describes the strengths of each personality type as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  Moreover, this book only scratches the surface of the contributions made by Myers and Briggs toward advancing the need to honor individual differences and strengths, a body of work that stretches over a period of decades.

One of the foundations of the MBTI sytem is that all  psychological types are fundamentally valuable and that each type has particular situations in which they tend to shine more brightly than other types.  Psychological preferences form the foundation of strengths because as noted in the positive psychology literature, one is drawn to or prefers activities that tap into strengths. Many tools have been developed since the venerable MBTI  to mine for these strengths such as Strength Finders and the new questionnaire from the VIA Institute on Character called the Inventory of Signature Strengths Survey. Many groups are interested in tapping into this phenomenon of using strengths to bring about happiness and satisfaction in everyday life.

It must be noted that the positive psychology movement isn’t just about finding strengths. There are elements of developing mindful behavior through meditation and awareness, cultivating a grateful mindset, compassionate behavior, and savoring one’s blessings.  However a cornerstone of this movement is to focus on one’s special gifts first and foremost rather than looking at problems and shortcomings.  In this key area, the MBTI assessment tools were not only pioneering  but continue to have relevance today.

***This article was recently featured in Bulletin of Psychological Type, September 2011.


Filed Under: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Tagged With: , , , , ,

What Color is Your Spark: Using Psychological Type to Energize Your Exercise Plan

May 10, 2011 By 1 Comment

It’s becoming indisputably clear that exercise not only benefits the body, it benefits the brain.  I just returned from the Learning and the Brain Conference in Chicago and the importance of physical exercise for learning, mood stability, and mental acuity was reiterated.  However, what  if we aren’t motivated to exercise or have a well-meaning trainer or friend who is trying to steer us toward a program that is workable for the short term, but tedious and likely to fizzle in the long run.

Shortly after I published a review on John Ratey’s Spark book, a scientifically based but very readable text on the benefits of exercise on brain health and function, I had several people step forward praising his work.  One of these was Suzanne Brue, author of The Eight Colors of Fitness and the former president of the Association for Psychological Type International.   One of Suzanne’s major projects is help match fitness approaches and goals to one’s MBTI type.

There are 8 major types based on the perceiving function.  Hence, as an ENFP, I am grouped with ENTPs because we both share dominant extraverted intuition.  Morever, instead of trying to remember a letter code, I am assigned a color, in this case silver, to help me remember what my type is.  Silver exercisers prefer variety and the opportunity to disguise exercise as fun..  Of course, we all prefer to have some degree of fun when we exercise, but is essential to silvers in order to sustain effort over the long haul. Other colors, such as the blues, respond better to goals and objective parameters.

Imagine a silver, who prefers variety and loosely defined objectives receiving exercise direction from someone who sees objective parameters as essential to a successful exercise program.  Here you may find a client and trainer who are initially attracted to each other because of the differences in approach but over the long haul, may grow weary of each other because of these differences.    Apart from the interpersonal element, an individual may also choose a regime that worked for a friend but become discouraged because it doesn’t work for him.   The exercise plan is not the problem but the fit may be.

The Eight Colors of Fitness website has many useful components. First, there is a quiz that will help you identify what type of exerciser you are-your fitness color.  It also has suggestions on how to energize your inner exercise warrior by giving concrete suggestions on what types of activities are likely to appeal to you in the long run.   There are also several links to articles that have featured the Eight Colors system including Arthritis Today, The Chicago Daily Herald, and the  Lifetime Fitness magazine.  Please visit Suzanne’s website and browse the offerings to see if this might help you get moving and stay moving.

Long ago in my career as a speech pathologist helping brain-injured people recover, it was intuitively clear to me that individual differences in the personality of the client dictated what approach would yield the best long-term results.  For any resilient changes to occur, a brain must be engaged and anything that goes against cognitive preference is likely to be discarded in the end (unless the client deliberately chooses to operate out of natural preference).   How one prefers to approach a challenge serves as the underpinning for the strategies he chooses to meet the challenge.

So it is with exercise!  Match your personality with the vast array of methods to achieve fitness goals. We now know that exercise and brain health are inextricably bound so start exploring your preferences for the sake of your body and your mind!  In  the words of  Thomas Jefferson:  A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind.

For more information on the Eight Colors of Fitness system, there is a free webinar this Thursday, 12-12:12:45 EDT.  Click this link for more information and to register.

 

Filed Under: Brain,Behavior, and Business, Coaching, Exercise and the Brain Tagged With: , , , ,

Q and A from the I-Brain Conference Part III: Exercise and the Brain

April 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Exercise releases a substance that is  ”Miracle Grow for the Brain”, according to John Ratey, an expert on the effects of exercise on optimal brain functioning. The release of brain-derived neuroptropic factor (BDNF), in effect, fertilizes brain cells to keep them functioning and growing, as well as spurring the growth of new neurons.  This was one of  the several benefits of exercise that Dr. Ratey shared at the Learning and Brain Conference I attended recently.   We were designed to move and yet our culture has evolved to the point where we sit more often than we exercise. Tight clothes, lethargy, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease aren’t the only threats from inactivity.  Our brains pay the price too.

Our ancestral brains and bodies were used to walking/running 10-14 miles per day. We kept active because we were searching for food or avoiding a threat.  Our brains benefited from this exercise. When we move, 3 important brain chemicals, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are released and the organism becomes patient, optimistic, focused and motivated. From an evolutionary context, these are the qualities that make if possible for man to zero in on it’s prey (food). Likewise, when an individual gets consistent and sufficient exercise in today’s world, these same neurochemicals  helps him or her keep a stable mood, focus on tasks, meet challenges and engage in purposeful activities .  The more we exercise, the more nerve synapses in the brain are primed to be alert to these chemicals making these beneficial states of mind available to us.

Another benefit of exercise is that it regulates the stress hormone cortisol.  The brain and body needs a certain amount of cortisol to respond to stress but excessive levels of cortisol has a toxic effect on neurons.  The neuronal connections erode in the presence of high and unrelenting levels of cortisol, causing difficulty with learning and memory.  The hippocampus structure in the brain is the way stay station that bundles new and stored information together making learning possible.  This structure is highly sensitive to the effects of cortisol. It is also a structure that benefits from BDNF, the chemical that nurtures neuronal growth.   Exercise attenuates the damaging effects of cortisol and at the same time, increases the growth of new brain cells via the action of BDNF.

Who do you think has the highest math and science scores in the world?  An Asian country?  We know it’s NOT the United States.  We aren’t even in the top 10.  It’s Finland.  The typical school day in Finland has 45 minute class periods followed by 15 minutes of compulsory exercise. Students don’t use these 15 minutes to check cell phones and laptops.  They go to the gym or step outside to throw a few snowballs.  The best time to learn new information and have it stick is after a period of physical activity.

The take-away:

1. Exercise every day not only to stay physically fit but to stay mentally fit.  The same activity can provide multiple benefits.  What an efficient use of time!

2. Keep challenging your mind so your brain takes advantage of it’s readiness to learn something new as a result of exercising.

After the conference, I purchased Dr. Ratey’s book Spark that covers this topic.   He makes the case that if you can’t find the motivation to exercise for the sake of your body, it is certainly a good idea  to move for the sake of your brain. This is a highly readable book that will inspire most couch potatoes to get moving once and for all!

Filed Under: Brain Science, Brain,Behavior, and Business, Coaching, Exercise and the Brain Tagged With: , , , , ,

Q&A From I-Brain Conference Part II: The Implications of Multi-Tasking

April 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It wasn’t that long ago when the ability to multi-task was considered a valued and even necessary skill in the workplace.  Perhaps multi-tasking meant something else in those days, the ability to manage several projects at once, take on several roles, effectively or to demonstrate flexibility.   Nowadays, multi-tasking has morphed into a massive task shifting endeavor that is both tiring and inefficient for the brain.  Ten years ago, no one could have envisioned the incredible growth of  cell phones, internet usage, social networking ; growth has been exponential with no end in site.   This growth has set the stage for creating tired, inefficient brains.

Our brains were designed to do one thing at a time particularly when the task involves attention rich inputs.  Certainly we can walk and chew gum at the same time.  However, automatic tasks such as walking and chewing gum use different brain structures than those used in deliberate task completion.  Automatic tasks draw on the basal ganglia whereas focused task completion relies heavily on the prefrontal cortex.   We can’t  effectively write a term paper and respond to e-mails and Facebook messages at the same time.  That involves task shifting and it taxes the brain mightily.

There are short-term consequences from multi-tasking as well as long-term effects on the brain.  Studies show that when a person is interrupted, it takes 50% longer to accomplish a task and the there are 50% more errors.  Here’s why:

1. To begin a task, blood rushes to the prefrontal cortex alerting the brain that it is about to shift attention to the particular task.

2.Then the brain must search for the neurons to complete the task and then rouse the neurons to engage in the task.

3. If the task is interrupted, the brain must now disengage from the task and re-engage in a different task.

4. The brain has to search for different neurons to complete the task and rouse them to engage in the other task.

This sequence of events takes place every time someone has to switch tasks.  In the old days, interrupting an individual’s train of thought was considered to be an intrusion and it was done in only the rarest of circumstances. These days, we do it to ourselves all day long!

There are also long-term consequences to chronic multi-tasking.   Chronic multi-taskers have difficulty with effective task switching, have decreased memory capacity and there is evidence even emotional intelligence suffers because the multi-tasker cannot engage with someone long enough to read social cues.  Multi-taskers also tend to write rambling documents with longer sentences-a byproduct of the struggle to regain a train of thought after being chronically interrupted.

The evidence continues to mount that multi-tasking, today’s multi-tasking that involves trying to complete tasks while constantly trying to manage emails, social networks, and cell phone use, has both short and long-term implications for the brain.  We have inherited a brain from our ancestors that can only focus on one task at a time and we subject it to a dizzying array of stimuli it wasn’t meant to handle simultaneously.  Yes, neuroplasticity suggests that the brain can adapt to certain environmental challenges but this capacity is not unlimited, particularly in the realms of attention and focus.  In fact, it is exactly adequate attention and focus that allows us take advantage of the adaptability of the brain to create change.

Filed Under: Brain Science, Coaching Tagged With: , ,

Q & A from the I-Brain Conference/Part 1:Video Games

February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There were several excellent lectures and workshops at the Learning and the Brain Conference- The I-Brain.  The presenters were from Stanford, Cal-Berkeley, Harvard and other cutting edge institutions studying the state of the human brain as it interfaces with the latest technology.  Although much of the conference was geared toward the student brain in the age of information, the principles apply to anyone who uses technology.  Rather than try to summarize everything that was presented, I will answer the questions I had leading into the conference and what I learned.

1. Are video games good or bad for the brain?

There are many angles to this question, and to give credit to the Learning and the Brain Society, an even-handed perspective was presented.   In some ways, video games are good for the brain especially if they encourage problem solving and visual-spatial challenges.  Processing speed and reaction times can be positively affected as well.  The best scenario is if the gamer is engaged with other gamers in communities where they are discussing the games and possibly solving problems together.

There were many beneficial games that were listed including The Sims, Waste of  Space (a physics videogame), and even the venerable World of WarCraft.  One presenter stated that she has organized a WWC club at school where the gamers play, discuss strategies, and learn the social skills of group interaction.   Another presenter stated that “schools should abandon yearly standardized tests in favor of the ongoing progress model used by videogame developers.  As you master a level, you move on.”

There are several downsides to video games too.  First and foremost is that they are potentially addicting, especially in susceptible individuals.  Much of gaming involves dopamine reinforcement so individuals who tend to be dopamine driven might become addicted.  There are several signs of withdrawal that are typical of addiction including moodiness when the stimuli are withheld, neglect of basic needs (such as eating, sleeping, and human interaction) in order to keep interfacing with the addicting force, and requirements for more of the stimulus in order to achieve satisfaction.   Video games show the capacity for addictive behavior.  One presenter even described a video game rehabilitation program in China where addicted clients go cold turkey to break the addiction. Those with ADHD tendencies are particularly at risk.

Another drawback is that there are several critical time periods in human development where individuals learn emotional intelligence via interaction with real human faces, emotional regulation, and empathy.  One of the skills that will be required of the 21st century mind will be the capacity for empathy as the world becomes smaller.  These opportunities to develop capacities that make us human are potentially at risk in the absence of the opportunity to develop them.

Yet another drawback to videogames is that it if you are plugged into a videogame, you are not getting any exercise. Statistics on rising childhood obseity were given.  In addition, our brains were wired to benefit from physical exercise.  The school system that leads the world in science, math and other measures of critical thinking is Finland.  It should be no suprise that every 45 minute class period is followed by a 15 minute period of compulsory exercise.  Either you go to the gym and do a few exercises or you go outside and throw snowballs!  More on exercise and the brain later…

An additional drawback of videogames is that it reduces freeform creativity.  When interacting with a videogame, you are confined to respond to an algorithm.  There is something human and creative to figuring out how to amuse oneself with whatever is available, perhaps creating a game that is completely unique.  A child’s brain is endlessly capable of unique play schemes.

Bottom line and Suggested Guidelines:

1. Not all videogames are bad.  It is important to remember that they are potentially addicting, and they can create conditions where an individual is out of balance.  If an individual becomes moody, does not address physical and social needs, then he needs to cut back or stop altogether.

2. Since there are critical developmental stages, especially for social development from age 0-12 years, videogame use should be limited.  Some studies suggest there should be no screen time for children under 2.  The general rule is less is more, especially for the very young.

3. Negotiate how long someone can spend on a videogame.  Involving the child in the process rather than merely setting a rule will help him/her understand his own brain and his own capacity to be moderate overuse.

4. Give a wind down time so that a child can begin to disengage with the game.  The idea of a “cool down” might need to be coached.

5. If you have agreed to let the child play the videogame, allow them to play in peace.  Make that part of the agreement.   You will allow uninterrupted gaming if they stop, wind down, and agree to do something else when the time is up.

Videogames and technology will always be available.  The genie is out of the bottle and there is no stuffing him back in.   There is no black or white verdict on whether vdeogames are good or bad.  What is clear is that balance is required.  Remember the days when we had to be forced to come back home or inside after a day of play?  Now that there is plenty to do inside, it is critical to counterbalance this reality with encouragement to go outside for fresh air, exercise, and social interaction with friends absent any technology to interfere.

Next up: The I-Brain,Multi-tasking and Memory

Time to go for a walk!

Filed Under: Brain Science, Coaching Tagged With: , ,
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