332: MindWaves: How to Use Less Brain Energy to Avoid Burnouts and Better Connect With Those Around You

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Time: Aug 7, 3:45 - 5:00 PMLocation: Governor's BPresenters: Eugene Brewer, Arlene TaylorLevel: K-12Specialty: GeneralDescription: Your brain is as unique as your thumbprint. Some

things you do require more expenditure of energy from you than it would of others. Some require less. Understanding more about the amount of energy your brain uses in your own thinking processes and aligning your choices to what your brain does easily will add life to your years and possibly, years to your life. MindWaves will help you understand how people--that's you!--think and learn. (Arlene’s slides follow.)

MindWaves – Implications for everyday living

Arlene Taylor PhD 

References: Selected Brain Facts 

www.arlenetaylor.org 

URL: http://www.arlenetaylor.org/selected_brain_facts/index.htm

Your Brain is as Unique Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

• Give up any expectation of another brain perceiving anything exactly as yours perceives it—and vice versa

• The way your brain functions largely determines your quality of life including the way in which you learn new information

• This section is one brain’s perception of the research

As your thumbprint

No two brains are ever identical in structure, function, or

perception!

The Brain Grows Quickly Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

In some ways and yet matures more slowly than the physical body in others

Myelination of the corpus callosum is generally thought to be complete by age 20 or 21

Development of the pre-frontal cortex may be complete around the mid twenties, by age 25-27

This maturation process may require an additional 1.6 years to complete in the male brain (as compared to the female brain)

• It is dangerous to assume that individuals with adult-sized bodies have brains that are complete and mature

• Decisions made prior to mid-twenties may not work well once myelination is complete and pre-frontal lobes are developed

Generation Gap? Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

In PET Scan studies, when participants were asked to respond to a question:

• Individuals over age 21 tended to process their responses in the thinking brain layer

• Individuals below age 21 tended to process their responses in the emotional brain layer

When questions began with the word why, study participants – regardless of age -- tended to process their responses from the

emotional brain layer where there is no conscious thought

Avoid WHY Whenever Possible Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

In the English language, the word why tends to be perceived as threatening – and can trigger the brain to downshift

Try using other words to elicit information:

What did you want to have happen? What could you do differently in the future? If you exhibit this behavior what do you think might happen? If you make this choice, what are the possible consequences

Use Your Brain by Design Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

In MindWaves, co-authors Brewer and Taylor, highlight four key components of brain function that can impact the amount of brain energy required to accomplish specific tasks

Understanding more about these key components can help you identify, honor, and enjoy your own brain’s uniqueness

It can also help you identify (insofar as possible) and honor the brain uniqueness of others, which can enhance communication/relationships

According to E. G. White, it is the design of God that people with differing types of brains live together in families so they can learn how to get along with those who are not like them

1. Male-Female ContinuumArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

• Takes in 95% of the population• Checklists of psychological maleness or

femaleness give two scores

Some brains definitely lean toward systemizing, others lean toward empathizing, and some are 50-50 Some brains match their external housing while other’s don’t, and about 5% of brains don’t even fall on the continuum No wonder people are confused!

Empathizing Brain(equated more with female brain)

Balanced BrainSystemizing = Empathizing

Systemizing Brain(equated more with

male brain)

Corpus Callosum DifferencesArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Research has shown differences – controversy exists about magnitude and meaning

Female Brain: Has a thicker CC - no chemical bath and an earlier onset of puberty. This promotes a generalized style of brain function.

Male Brain: Has a thinner CC - gets a chemical bath during gestation, and has a later onset of puberty. This promotes a lateralized style of brain function.

The male brain is at higher risk for conditions exacerbated by reduced hemispheric coordination (e.g., dyslexia, hyperactivity)

M-F Brain Energy DifferencesArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Female Brain

• Generalized processing style • If any part of the brain is “on,”

it’s all on • Second for second requires

more energy to run

Male Brain

• Lateralized processing style • While one part is working,

other sections can be “idling”

• Is more energy efficient; requires less energy to run second for second; tends to evaluate and allot energy in advance of the activity/event

Shopping Challenges and EnergyArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

 Female Brain

Tends to browse – for a change or adventure

  Does more comparison

shopping at the time  More spontaneous about following a “list,” if one even exists

Male Brain

Tends to hunt for a pre-identified quarry  Does more research ahead of time  Allots energy based on estimated

time and task, and can run out of energy if the agenda changes

Thought-Processing StylesArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Female Brain

Tends to process information verbally and aloud and arrives at a conclusion during the process

  May want only empathy and a

listener rather than help with a solution

  Tends to function better in an

environment with low levels of distraction (e.g., IQ test scores were higher when room was quiet)

Male Brain

Tends to process information internally and silently, and wants to state the conclusion only when process is completed

  Usually want to fix the problem

or come up with a solution that can be implemented

  Tends to focus better in an

environment where there is some distraction (e.g., IQ test scores were higher in noisy room)

Female Brain

Tends to: 

Generalize Integrate Compound Stew  

Male Brain

Tends to: 

Lateralize Compartmentalize Segment Separate

Rumination Styles – Trunk MetaphorArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

2. Extroversion Ambiversion IntroversionArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Labels refer to the brain’s focus – internal or externalAnd has little or nothing to do with how much you like people

Extreme Extroversion

15%

Ambiversion  70%

 

E-I Continuum

Extreme Introversion

15%

You can flex along the E-I Continuum in specific situations / environments to some degree and still function – long-term it will cost you in energy and

can decrease your effectiveness

Extremes – Special Types of GiftednessArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Extreme Extroversion

A special protective Callus protects the brain from being readily hurt or bested in specific situations (e.g., highly stimulating, conflictive, competitive, combative) that could overwhelm less extroverted brains. 

Incoming stimuliare miniaturized

Ambiversion

70%

Extreme Introversion

Has no protective Callus. Brain takes in more data second for second and reflects on it to gain understanding or view it in a new way. May shut out additional input to process what has already been absorbed. 

Incoming stimuliare magnified

Ambiversion is a label of exclusion (e.g., not extremely extroverted or introverted, no extreme needs/giftedness)

Blood-Flow Rates DifferArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Dr. Debra Johnson, PET Scan Studies

Extreme Extroversion

Lower rates of blood flow to the brain (lower internal stimulation) Shorter, fast-acting, less complicated blood-flow patterns; involve areas related to sensory processing (except for smell) and novelty/variety

Ambiversion

70%

Extreme Introversion

Higher rates of blood flow to the brain (higher internal stimulation) Longer, complex blood-flow patterns; involve areas related to pondering internal experiences (e.g., planning, recalling)

Different Neurochemicals FuelArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Dominant pathways - Dr. Debra Johnson

Extreme Extroversion

Short, direct, dominant pathway is activated by dopamine (pleasure, feel good, brief euphoria) 

Adrenalin, cocaine, and amphetamines, can increase dopamine levels 

Crave variety, high intensity, and different types of stimuli

Ambiversion

70%

Extreme Introversion

Longer, more complex pathway is activated by acetylcholine (alertness, paying attention) 

Lecithin (precursor to choline) can increase acetylcholine levels 

Prefer less variety and intensity, and more depth

Characteristics of ExtremesArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Extreme Extroversion

Gain energy by interacting with the outer world 

Tend to spend energy freely 

Need frequent breaks when trying to focus 

Energy is drained in an under-stimulating environment (bored, restless, delinquent, fall asleep)

Ambiversion

70%

Extreme Introversion

Gain energy by interacting with internal world 

Tend to be more conserving of energy 

Can take longer to have energy restored 

Energy is drained in an over-stimulating environment (tired, (withdraw, get sick, become depressed)

Implications for Everyday LivingArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Extreme Extroversion

Excel at tasks that provide high levels of stimulation and variety versus prolonged attention to detail. 

Tend to score higher on “positive” current-mood scales. 

Less responsive to punishment and are likely to continue acting in face of frustration 

At higher risk for delinquency

Ambiversion

70%

Extreme Introversion

Excel at tasks that require careful attention (e.g. reading radar screens, research labs with solitary cubicles). 

Tend to dwell more on the negative features of social situations. 

Tend to be more sensitive to punishment and to negativity, and may be easier to condition 

 At higher risk for depression

3. Sensory Preference Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

The type of sensory stimuli that registers most quickly in your brain

The brain’s decoding centers can receive up to 10 million bits of sensory data per second Early in life human beings tend to use the senses almost equally  

By age 5 or 6 the brain begins to organize toward a sensory preference 

Sensory preference impacts how you prefer to absorb sensory data, the type of data you miss, the way you tend to communicate with other, and how you learn easily

Population Estimates of IncidenceArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

20% AuditoryPreference

More females than males

60% VisualPreference

More males than females

20% KinestheticPreference

Equal males and

females

It requires less energy to process sensory stimuli that match your sensory system preference

M-F Vision Differences Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Female brain has m ore P cells in retina – are designed to process color and texture Prewired to be more interested in faces - tend to be less physically active overall More sensitive to red, orange, green, and beige

Male brain has more M cells in retina – are motion detectors Prewired to be more interested in moving objects - tend to be more physically active and move more overall More sensitive to black, gray, silver, and blue

Females tend to have a short-range, wider, peripheral-vision style

Females may find it easier to locate specific items in cupboards, drawers, and refrigerators as their vision takes in more of the immediate environment

Males tend to have a long-range narrower, tunnel-vision style (e.g., built-in binoculars)

Males may find it easier to locate items that are a further away (e.g., signs, markers, hunting quarry)

M-F Vision Style DifferencesArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Females tend to hear better overall

As early as age eleven, girls tends to become distracted by noise levels that are approximately 10 times softer than the levels that comparable boys find distracting.

Males tend to have less acute hearing overall

Hearing differences become more pronounced throughout life

M-F Hearing Differences Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

When communicating with only females, keep room as free of extraneous noise and distraction as possible When communicating with males, speak up and/or use a microphone

Female brain typically processes voice sounds in Wernicke’s area in the L. hemisphere, regardless of age or gender

Male brain typically processes male-voice sounds in Wernicke’s area; female-voice sounds in the auditory portion of the R. hemisphere that processes music / melody lines.

Hearing Differences ApplicationsArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

A female voice is more difficult for the male brain to process – typically processes it as a “melody line” or as “background music” 

To increase the likelihood of being “heard” by a male brain, a female must lower her voice pitch and keep it even, speak louder, and allow inflections to fall at the end of sentences

Study at University of Sheffield and published in the journal NeuroImage

4. Thinking Preference or Brain LeadArlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Refers to brain’s energy efficiency for processing information

Based on PET Scan Studies, the human brains is believed to possess an innate biochemical energy advantage in one of the natural cerebral divisions over the other three

It is stable, energy efficient, and impacts: Level of competence Ability to sustain high performance Health and longevity Overall success

PET Scans Have Shown Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

When performing non-preferred functions, the brain expends more energy and requires:

• More oxygen, glucose, and micronutrition • A longer rest time to recover

To use a monetary metaphor, the difference in energy expended may be pennies on the dollar

• 1¢ per second versus $1 per second -- and that’s after the skills have been developed

• Based on brain lead, you will tend to excel at some tasks (energy-efficient expenditure), and procrastinate or struggle with others (energy-intensive expenditures)

Nothing in Life is Free Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

You always give up something to get something – and the bottom- line unit of exchange is energy

To be a good steward, minimize your brain-energy drain! Learn to evaluate relative energy expenditures and ask:

How much is this something going to cost me in energy?

Do I want it badly enough to exchange that amount of energy?

Knowing the way in which your brain functions most energy-efficiently can enable you to make pro-active choices about the types of tasks you undertake and the relative amount of time you devote to them

Brain Energy Drain Arlene Taylor PhD Realizations Inc

Can negatively impact your health, longevity, and long-term success

Estimates are that you can shorten your lifespan from 14-2 years when you spend large amounts of time requiring you brain to complete tasks that are a mismatch with what it does energy-efficiently

Long term you are more likely to be happy, healthy, and successful when there is a match between what your brain does energy-efficiently and a majority (e.g., 51%) of your life’s activities. 

The life you save may be your own!

Speaker InformationIf you ask Arlene Taylor what she does in life that absolutely energizes her, she will likely reply, “I’m a brain-function specialist and I help people thrive!” She incorporates cutting-edge brain-function research into her empowering seminars, highlighting strategies that, when practically applied, can help people be more successfulby design.

A recipient of the American Medal of Honor for Brain-Function Education (American Biographical Institute Inc, 2002), Taylor holds earned doctorates in Health and Human Services and in Clinical Pastoral Counseling. In 1989 the Loma Linda University Nursing Alumni Association selected Taylor as Alumna of the year. She has life membership in the National Registry of Who’s Who, 2000 edition. A member of the National Speakers Association, Taylor is listed with the Professional Speakers Bureau International.

Access her web site (www.arlenetaylor.org) for descriptions of seminars, Taylor-on-the-Brain Bulletins, SynapSez newsletter, Selected Brain Facts, Frequently Asked Questions, lecture schedules, and more.

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