The powerpoint I did for my Brain and Behavior class for my final project.

1. Living by the Brain:
15 Rules to Guide Your Life
Sarah Kimsey
Clemson University
Fall 2010

2. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MORE TO
LEARN ABOUT THE BRAIN
Rule #1
“The more we learn about the
brain the more we learn we realize
we don’t know about the brain.”
–Dr. Igo,
Clemson University
Educational Psychology professor

3. Constant Knowledge Increase
• Understanding the brain is key to using it to its
full potential and to our greatest advantage
• The secret to improvement: keep up with the
newest research and apply it directly to our
personal lives
• We can even work to improve our personal
knowledge about how our own individual
brains work best

4. THE BRAIN IS ALWAYS CHANGING
Rule #2
Large
scale
Small
scale

5. • Neuroplasticity
– Our brains are continually making new
connections and expanding old connections
– Pruning: Our brains are also continually dropping
off unused connections
– Our brains are more plastic when we are younger
and become less plastic over time

6. • Specialization
– As our plasticity
diminishes, our
specialization increases
– Our brains become
more sophisticated and
our brains function
more effectively

7. ApplyingPlasticitytoOur
Lives
• Sensitive Periods
– Most likely need the correct sensory
stimulation
– No indication that the window ever
closes, however, the earlier we learn,
the more proficient we tend to become
• This has a lot of implications for our
children, especially
• We need to attempt to teach our children as
early as we can.
– Languages, for instance, should be taught, or
should start being taught before 7, which is
when this part of the brain tends to be pruned
away
– This applies both to schools and to parents.

8. ApplyingPlasticitytoOur
Lives
• Learning is Key
– Plasticity can work against us in the form of
pruning
– If we don’t use areas of our brains, we will
lose those areas
– We need to continue to keep an active
mind as we grow, especially as we venture
into middle aged and older
– The elderly brain begins to lose some
functions, but if it remains active, becomes
more efficient
• Only the most useful neurons avoid pruning
• Elderly brain may respond more slowly, but
often responds with more reasoned responses

9. THE BRAIN REQUIRES EXERCISE
Rule #3

10. Mental Exercise
• Maintaining an active brain
avoids “pruning” and losing
neural connections
• Forms more connections
• Increases knowledge
• Can improve memory
Physical Exercise
• Exercise releases
endorphins, which increases
happiness and decreases
chances of depression
• Increases blow flow which
increases oxygen to the
brain.
When having trouble with the mind or body, exercise the other.

11. THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM
ARE DELICATELY BALANCED.
Rule #4
Brain
Nervous
System

12. Each instrument in an orchestra
plays a different part often at the
same time, and each part usually
cannot be distinguished from
another. However, if any
instrument is missing, the entire
musical piece is thrown off.
Our brains are divided into separate, specialized
lobes, and each of these lobes are further divided
into glands and such that are even more
specialized. Like the instruments in an orchestra,
parts of the brain are often working at the same
time to form our thoughts and actions, and if even
one part of our brain is damaged, the whole brain is
thrown off.

13. We need to maintain this Balance!
• Our bodies are designed to maintain this
balance through the process of homeostasis
• When we do not feel well, that is a sign that
are bodies are not in balance
• We need to know the norms for our bodies
• Knowing family history of illness can provide
guidelines of what to monitor for in the future

14. This is my grandma. She’s
diabetic, and when I was
about 3 or 4, she had a stroke
which has rendered her entire
right side completely useless.
Others in my family have
diabetes and/or blood
pressure issues. Therefore, I
am aware that it is possible
that one of these issues could
effect me in the future, so I
am educating myself NOW on
the signs of these problems so
that I can catch them early if
need be as well as work to
prevent them.

15. OUR BRAINS ARE NOT FULLY FORMED
UNTIL OUR MID TO LATE 20S
Rule #5

16. Brain Development begins at
Conception
• Neuron migration:
– Neurons move from their formation point to specific areas
of the brain then begin to develop axons and dendrites
– Occurs in the womb, primarily during first few months
• For the process to occur correctly, must have
appropriate environment for the developing fetus
– In the event of pregnancy, cut out alcohol, cigarettes, even
caffeine.
– Must also keep in mind that this applies even during the
first few weeks—before many know they are pregnant. In
other words, if even possibility of pregnancy we must be
careful

17. Adolescence
• Caught between impulsiveness and control
• Frontal lobe still not fully developed
• Therefore adolescence tend to be more
emotional
• My Future as a Middle School Guidance
Counselor
– Important to understand that they really don’t know
how to handle emotional situation
– I will need to understand this and try to walk them
through a better way to handle the problem but also
understand that they view things differently

18. The Adult Brain
• The brain may be fully formed around 25, but
keep in mind that the brain never stops
changing.
• Need to maintain an active brain to continue
to make more connections and avoid pruning
• Active brain will keep the brain healthy into
old age, which may help stave off Alzheimer’s
diseas

19. OUR SENSES DETECT ENVIRONMENTAL
STIMULI; OUR PERCEPTIONS INTERPRET
IT.
Rule #6

20. Fun with Sensation and Perception
A “street design” by artist
Kurt Wenner. Using angles
and shading, etc, Wenner
can give the illusion that
this particular scene is 3D
when it is really 2D
A vase or two profiles of
faces staring at one
another?
Young woman or old
woman?
Remember: The same stimuli can produce
different perceptions.

21. Simplifying the World
• Because we can’t pay attention every stimuli, our
brains select what to notice
• We tend to see what we want to see—stereotyping
– Stereotyping is usually okay
– We need to realize when it is NOT okay, though, so that we
aren’t not controlled by our stereotypes.
• With each new experience, we begin to form more
stereotypes
• If we have a problem with particular stereotypes, we
can put ourselves in scenarios that will change our
stereotypes.

22. Emotion and Perceptions
• Emotion tends to overtake logic
– Someone highly emotionally attached to a
situation will allow those emotions to guide their
perceptions and are often unaware of doing so
– Try to be understanding of these people when on
the outside looking in
– Also be aware that we all do this, so try not to get
too angry with others trying to provide outside
advice
• Remember: We tend to see what we want to
see. Our perceptions are often skewed.

23. TOUCH IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR WELL-
BEING
Rule #7
Harlow’s monkey experiments demonstrated our intense need for
touch.

24. Americans all tend to have this sort of
“personal bubble” and don’t want others
to invade that bubble, and definitely not
to go so far as to touch us. But it has
been shown that touch improves our
social relations as well as lowers our
stress levels and relieves pain.

25. Massages can help us relieve stress and relieve
pain. Massaging pressure points can stimulate
competitive inhibition and relieve pain—we do
this naturally, but if we know about this
phenomenon we can consciously employ it with
ourselves and others. Learning pressure points can
help make this process more effective.
Holding and stroking
our babies not only
provides comfort to the
baby, but it also
changes our own brain
chemistry. Touch is also
what aids in bonding
with our children.
Using Touch to our Advantage

26. STRESS IS DETRIMENTAL TO OUR
HEALTH IF WE FAIL TO MANAGE IT
Rule #8

27. In stressful situations,
the sympathetic
nervous system
activates which triggers
the “fight or flight”
response. If we stay
here too long, we risk
health issues and even
death
The parasympathetic
nervous system is our
relaxation response.
This is how we
combat the fight or
flight response. We
consciously work to
activate this
relaxation response.
The important question here:
What can we do to combat the
sympathetic nervous system response?

28. Deep, abdominal
breathing helps to
activate the
parasympathetic
nervous system.
This is the primary
focus in yoga and
meditation practices.
Maintaining strong social connections with family and friends
fosters a sense of well-being and helps reduce stress.
Which can often facilitate
L
A
U
G
H
T
E
R
Which release
endorphins
Sleep lowers stress
hormones while sleep
deprivation increases them
E
X
E
R
C
I
S
E
Positive
Thinking!!

29. “THINKING IS FOR DOING.”
Rule #9

30. 1. Thinking about an action expands the
likelihood of actually doing it.
(Conscious intentional behaviors)
2. Conscious, intentional behaviors can
become unconscious, automatic habits.
Consider the Following:
Therefore:
If we are serious about wanting to do something, we need to consciously think about
doing it, the more often the better, to improve the possibility of doing it. If we do this
correctly, eventually this particular thing can become habitual. In other words:
FORM GOOD HABITS!

31. A Personal Example
Eventually, the habit becomes to use those particular set up times to do yoga, and
other free time as well.
Continue to stick to this habit of doing yoga on those particular set up times and
maybe even other times when I think about doing yoga and have the extra time.
On these particular times, make sure to actually get up and bring out the yoga mat
and DO YOGA.
Consciously set up a a time to do yoga. Think about particular times when I am
always free to do some yoga
I want to do yoga more consistently.

32. SLEEP IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR HEALTH
AND DAILY PERFORMANCE
Rule #10

33. What Does Sleep Do?
• Consolidates memories
– Therefore aids in learning and retaining new
information
– Sleep deprivation can even lead to “false
memories”
• Restores mind and body
• Allows us to deal with emotional stress more
effectively
• Improves general mental well-being

34. Importance of REM Sleep
• If we wake up during a REM cycle, we
tend to feel more rested.
• Vivid Dreams occur during REM
If we set ourselves to wake up during our
REM cycles we can start are days feeling
more refreshed.
But how?
Set alarm clock in 90 min intervals—for
instance, 6, 7.5, or 9 hours of sleep to
increase likelihood of waking up during
REM
Or, if you have the extra, buy a sleep
monitor that will detect when you’re in
REM and wake you up then.

35. DREAMS PROVIDE US WITH INSIGHT TO
THE UNCONSCIOUS, AMONG OTHER
THINGS.
Rule #11

36. Dreams Typically Occur During REM
sleep
• Our bodies/brains require a certain amount of
REM sleep. When we are sleep deprived and
finally get to sleep, we will spend more time in
REM than normal to make up for the loss
– Is this why some nights I feel like I never stop
dreaming?
• There is some evidence that are REM dreams
are more aggressive than dreams that occur
during NREM

37. We Dream About Our Worries
• So, our dreams give insight into what is
bothering us
• This does not mean that we can determine
our entire psyche through dream
interpretation as Freud suggested because the
“self” does not act normally in dreams
• There is some evidence for dreams assisting in
problem solving—“sleep on on it”

38. A few Personal Dreams
One of the dreams I remember most occurred when
I was 15. There had been a lot going on with my
sister, and I had not seen her in a while. I dreamed
that she was calling for my mom, and my mom was
going to go see what she needed, but got
sidetracked, and I heard my sister call her again. My
mom still could not get there. I never heard her
again. I woke up pretty scared and worried about
her, but I already was worried about her, hence why
I had the dream in the first place.
When I was in Calculus in high school, I would
dream about triangles, and sometimes could even
figure out problems I had been having trouble with
when I woke up.

39. EMOTIONS HAVE A TREMENDOUS
IMPACT ON OUR LIVES
Rule #12

40. Importance of Emotions
• Help maintain homeostasis and aids in survival.
Emotions signal that we may have a problem we
need to deal with:
– Fear is nothing to be ashamed of
– Emotions are never stupid, even if they feel that way
• Emotions often communicated through facial
expressions, vocal intonations, etc. ; we are very
sensitive to emotions
• Memories tied to emotions are encoded
differently and more effectively—want to
remember something? Connect it to some
emotion.

41. Negative Emotions
• Negativity Bias: Bad news/negative emotions
tend to stick longer than good
• Negative emotions not always Bad!
– Encourage more rational decisions
– Serve a purpose (Fear can save our lives because it
makes us cautious; anger is protective)
• Still need to be monitored because if negative
emotions become too prominent, problems may
occur such as:
– Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
– Depression
– Anger Problems

42. Anger: My Story
1. Started paying attention to
when I was getting angry
2. Breathing
• Yoga and meditation
• It gave me a minute to stop
and think about it
3. Situation Reassessment
• Benefit of the doubt
• Look at the
• Look at it from the
perspectives of others
I have a bit of an anger issue, and I can
admit this. I am a very picky and
particular person, and I like to do
things/have things done in particular
ways by particular times. I had this
major issue of getting irritated with
something or someone and jumping
immediately to anger before I even
stop and think about situations and
the fact that I was holding people to
my standards for myself, which I found
I cannot do. I usually got past this
pretty quickly, but the immediate
anger response took its toll
After I started noticing, though, that
people were treating me like a ticking
time bomb, that it had gone too far. I
also had roommates, had to work with
people at school, and I work in a
restaurant—this means anger is not
okay, so I started working on it.

43. Positive Emotions
• What makes life worth living
• Negative emotions may promote survival, but
happiness can prolong your life
• Find things that will make us happier and keep
them in our lives—within reason
– Too much of a good thing (chocolate) can be bad
– Some things (drugs) may cause happiness but
should be avoided because of other issues
• Make Happiness a Habit!!

44. Sleep and footie Pajamas My Adorable Lego Yoga—in particular, restorative
P!nk Winnie the Pooh Supernatural
coffee Mark, my fiancé
Books-this is
my favorite
My Siblings My Mom
Things that Make Me Happy

45. A Note About Emotion and Sleep
The point?
Stress, Emotions, and Sleep must be kept balanced.
Each of these things have particular ideal levels that
must be evened out. Learn what your points are and
work to maintain them!
Increased Levels
of Stress
Heightened
emotions
Decreased sleep
time and quality
Consider
This:

46. LEARNING IS ACQUIRING NEW
INFORMATION; MEMORY IS HOW WE
STORE THE INFORMATION.
Rule #13

47. The Relationship between Learning
and Memory
• We often use these two terms
interchangeably.
• When teachers want us to learn, they really
want us to REMEMBER and therefore use our
memories.
• Learning can occur without the information
actually sticking.
• How do we move from learning to memory
and remembering?

48. Remembering
• Maintenance vs. Elaborate Rehearsal
– Maintenance rehearsal
• keeps information in your working memory for a short
time.
• This is good for keeping a phone number for the pizza
place in mind or possibly passing a quiz, but not for
actually remembering the information
– Elaborative rehearsal
• Involves ELABORATING on the information you’re trying
to learn and remember
• Helps make connections in your mind

49. Remembering
• Its all about connections
• Analyze the new information for meaning,
think back to what else you know
• Emotional reactions involved? Can you tie this
information to something similar that is
emotional for you?
• Tie it to something physical
– Method of Loci: Associate information with
locations
– Pacing can even work for help remember material

50. An Example of Elaboration
864-940-6140
•I have not dialed this number for over 4 years. It once belonged to my now
fiancé, but then friend, Mark.
•I made it a point to remember this number, for a variety of reasons. But how
did I do it, and how do I remember it now?
o864: This was easy. It was the same area code as I had
o940: when my mom, stepdad, and sister first got cell phones, this was
the first 3 numbers of their phone numbers. In fact, almost everyone I
knew had a 940 number for a while.
o61: My mom was born in 1961
o40: For some reason, I perpetually think of my mom as 40.
•So why did this work?
oI took seemingly random numbers and grouped them
oI elaborated on these groups of numbers with my own meanings to
form a way to remember a phone number…even 3 years after it is
necessary
•I also want to note that it took me all of 20 minutes, tops, to remember this
number and throw away the paper that I had written it down on.

51. OUR MEMORIES CAN BE FLAWED
Rule #14

52. We cannot trust our memories
• Studies have shown that we can literally
implant memories in other’s minds and our
brains will construct the memory and even
add in details. We begin to believe the story
ourselves.
• Sleep deprivation can cause errors in memory
retrieval, but we will still be confident that are
memories are real

53. Whatdoesthismeanfor
collegestudents?
• That all-nighter was probably a bad
idea
• Sleep deprivation at the time of
retrieval (when you take the test)
enhances the chances of false
memories
• So what do you do?
– Obviously, stop procrastinating
– Learn the material as you go
– And if you find you waited until the
last minute, try to learn the material
the best way you can, and get some
sleep. At least you’ll be rested,
therefore less stressed, and less apt
to recall something you never actually
read

54. And if all else fails:
Sometimes, caffeine helps

55. The brutality of Double
(and triple) Checking
I have always been guilty of double
checking to make sure that the door is
locked, or that the oven is turned off
or that I have the right burner turned
on.
But then I learned about false
memories. Suddenly I moved from
double checking to triple checking,
even when I just knew I had locked the
door, etc. Even if I could picture it in
my mind, because I know that one can
convince oneself of something even if
it never actually happened.
And this is just one example of how
majoring in psychology has both
improved and complicated my life.

56. WE CAN BE WHATEVER WE CHOOSE
TO BE IF WE WORK AT IT
Rule #15
“If you see a difference between where you
are and where you want to be - consciously
change your thoughts, words, and actions to
match your grandest vision.”
- Neal Donald Walsch

57. The brain is who we are, but that
doesn’t mean we have no control over
ourselves. Remember, we can change
automatic processes by exercising
conscious control over them. We hold
the power, we just have to figure out
how to exercise it.