The principle most generally mentioned regarding brain plasticity is “use it or lose it.” Although new networks between brain cells are easily created — forming a new synapse takes no more than a minute or two — maintaining synapses is another issue. The number of connections and synapses in the human brain actually reaches its zenith at about three years of age; then, through an incredible pruning process that eliminates unused connections, a stable network is formed.
In this way, nature offers maximum potential to the brain and grants each individual the opportunity to accept and respond to environmental stimuli. By boldly removing unused circuits after a certain period of time, it ensures that frequently used circuits will receive plenty of nutrition and energy.
Quality or density of experience plays an important role — every bit as important as frequency and diversity of experience — in forming new circuits and reinforcing existing ones. The formation of new brain circuits can be quite different depending on a person’s level of interest. Naturally, we learn much more quickly when we’re focused and interested. New circuits can even be formed through experience gained from dreams and imagination, not just direct experience.
For example, although taking a trip provides new stimulation and creates new neural circuits in the brain, you don’t necessarily have to go anywhere to make this happen. Using your imagination to offer the brain vivid images of a place could provide even greater stimulation and cause more change in your brain than actually traveling there.
Many people think that varied and flashy colors or sensory stimuli help stimulate and change the brain. They often intentionally create such conditions as “an educational environment to stimulate the brain.” This is only half true, however. Tranquil concentration and imagination can develop the brain more powerfully than any gaudy external stimuli.
The Brain’s Potential Is Infinite
According to a popular misconception, ordinary people use just five percent of their brain’s capability, while geniuses use twice that. The source of this idea is unclear, but many people still consider it fact. It might be valid in the sense that we use only a fraction of the brain’s incredible potential, but it’s not literally true. In actual fact, we still don’t know the true extent of the human brain’s capabilities.
If we consider the number of possible connections within the brain, we could surmise that there’s no limit to the brain’s potential — that it’s infinite. The brain’s multilevel structure makes it possible for the same synapse to be used in many different ways. The brain’s network isn’t fixed but can constantly change in response to experience, so there’s no definite limit to the potential capabilities of the human brain.
The limitless potential of the brain isn’t confined to its cognitive aspects. Although they evolve very slowly, our physical abilities can also improve ceaselessly, as shown by changes in the world record for the 100-meter dash. Record times for this event, like many other athletic contests, have continued to get shorter and shorter for as long as they’ve been recorded. Only a couple of decades ago it was rare for a runner to complete the race in less than 10 seconds, but now that’s common; and the current record holder, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, ran the distance in 9.58 seconds.
Why is this important in relation to the brain? It’s significant because changes in this record don’t signify an increase in muscle strength. Rather, most cases are the result of improvements in running technique — which means the brain is working better with the body.
That’s why cognitive training is now used along with physical training in the development of athletes. Receiving feedback as they watch scenes of themselves running is commonplace. Other approaches include high-tech medical equipment for recognizing when an athlete’s heart can output the most power. The burgeoning new field of sports science has one primary goal: enabling the body to use the brain’s functions more effectively.
In this sense, changes in the world record for the 100-meter sprint are, in fact, a record of improvements in brain function. They indicate more than just an increase in speed; they show that people have gotten smarter. A few decades ago, it was thought that there was a physical limit to how fast humans could run. The records have already shown such assumptions to be incorrect. The error was in considering only physical and mechanical data — muscle strength, joint flexibility, bone strength — to determine the maximum speed humans could run. What wasn’t recognized was the potential of the human brain.
Now, we merely watch in wonder as we see how quickly a person can run. We’ve begun to understand that even changes in sprinting records, which might seem unrelated to the brain, demonstrate the infinite potential of the human brain.
This article is excerpted from Ilchi Lee’s “The Power Brain: Five Steps to Upgrading Your Brain Operating System.”
