November 25, 2008 Vol. 1, Issue 11
More than anything else, NASA depends on the brainpower of its workforce. Dr. John Medina’s Brain Rules spells out what we need to know about the care and maintenance of our brains.
Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, looks at the evolution of the human brain for clues about what it needs to be healthy. He has distilled his findings down to 12 key brain rules:
- Exercise
- Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
- Survival
- Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
- Wiring
- Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
- Attention
- Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things.
- Short-term memory
- Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
- Long-term memory
- Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
- Sleep
- Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
- Stress
- Rule #8: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.
- Sensory integration
- Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
- Vision
- Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
- Gender
- Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
- Exploration
- Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.
The rules sound like common sense, but they are rooted in science. Medina explains them in an engaging way for non-specialists using fascinating anecdotes and case studies. The book also comes with a DVD introduction.
