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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ001139A
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00:28 Planet earth is a world of wonders. Many of earth's wonders 00:31 that always draw gasps of amazement and admiration are the 00:36 awesome creations of nature. They include the iconic Three 00:40 Sisters rock formation and the spectacular great barrier reef 00:44 in Australia. The plunging fiords of Fiordland in New 00:48 Zealand, the astonishing Grand Canyon in America, the immense 00:52 Great Rift Valley of Africa or the many other breathtaking 00:56 famous sites scattered around the world. However, equally 01:07 impressive are the earth manmade wonders. Throughout history the 01:12 world is being made a more pleasant place to live in by 01:15 great artists, sculptors and other people of creative genius. 01:19 Our planet has a rich store of magnificent architectural and 01:25 engineering masterpieces created by people over thousands of 01:29 years. We can still admire the great pyramids of Egypt, the 01:35 huge coliseum of Rome, the exquisitely beautiful Taj Mahal 01:40 of India, the awesome tower of London and the incredible sky 01:45 scrapers of New York which create one of the world's finest 01:49 skylines. When contemplating these manmade wonders we're 01:54 filled with admiration and astonishment at the human genius 01:59 behind these marvelous creations Today we're going to consider 02:04 the mastermind behind them all, the source of this human genius. 02:09 A true wonder of wonders, the human brain. Every one of these 02:15 manmade wonders had its origin in a human brain. In fact, 02:20 without the human brain none of them would exist. Join me on a 02:25 journey to explore the amazing and mysterious world inside your 02:31 head. It may just enhance and enrich your life, put an extra 02:35 spring in your step and remind you that there's nothing at all 02:40 ordinary about you. 02:42 ♪ ♪ 03:03 Lucky you. If you're watching this program, you're in 03:07 possession of one of the most sophisticated and complicated 03:10 objects in the known universe. Now it isn't much to look at but 03:16 it's what allows us to experience the world. It allows 03:20 us to communicate, create art and fly to the moon. It's the 03:26 mastermind behind all the creativity and genius that's 03:31 produced the greatest manmade wonders of the world. It is, of 03:35 course, the human brain. Now consider this for a moment. How 03:41 does a 1.4 kilo or 3-pound blob of gray matter between our ears 03:46 a tangle of nerve cells, allow us to sense, understand and 03:52 change our lives and our world? How does it support thought, 03:57 memory, creativity and consciousness? What is our brain 04:02 made of? What happens when it goes wrong? How can I protect 04:07 and care for it? Have you ever wondered what's going on inside 04:12 your head. It's been said that you can manage something 04:16 effectively only when you can identify, label and describe it. 04:21 How does one do that with the brain? Well today's guest, a 04:27 brain function specialist can help us figure this out. Dr. 04:32 Arlene Taylor is the founder and president of Realizations, Inc. 04:35 a nonprofit corporation that engages in brain function 04:39 research and provides unique educational resources. The 04:44 author of several popular books related to brain function and 04:47 practical applications to relationships and everyday 04:52 living and creator of the Longevity Lifestyle Matters 04:56 program. Dr. Taylor speaks internationally. Dr. Taylor, 05:02 welcome to the Incredible Journey. 05:04 Thank you, I'm delighted to be here to talk with you about the 05:08 brain. 05:10 I've never heard someone talk about meeting your brain before. 05:13 You must have a reason for thinking that people should meet 05:17 their brain. 05:18 I definitely do. Let's start with a quote by Oliver Wendell 05:23 Holmes. He thought the brain was so important that the primary 05:28 function of the body was just to carry the brain around. And 05:33 very few people meet their brain You and your brain are the only 05:39 two entities that will be together for your entire life 05:45 and although the brain is way past the average computer you 05:50 can use that computer analogy in that if you haven't met your 05:55 computer, if you don't know how your computer works, you're not 05:59 going to be able to use it by design. And therefore, you're 06:03 going to use a lot of your effectiveness. So there's 06:07 several reasons that I tell people. Your brain is so unique. 06:12 you need to learn about it, you need to meet it. So what are 06:18 some of those reasons? Well first if you meet your brain, 06:22 you're going to have a better shot at using it by design 06:25 because you're going to know some of the research about how 06:28 it works best and how it works not so effectively. You're going 06:32 have a smoother ride through life. If you had two vehicles 06:37 work almost identical, one's automatic and one's stick shift 06:40 and you don't know the difference and you try to get 06:43 into the stick shift vehicle and drive it like an automatic or 06:46 vice versa you're going to have a bumpy ride. So if you start 06:51 using your brain the way it was designed to be used you'll have 06:54 a smoother ride. You need to learn something about how to 06:57 keep it safe, what things are bad for it, what things actually 07:03 destroy cells, what can you do to keep it working effectively. 07:07 You can enhance your communication with yourself and 07:13 then with everybody else. And finally, my goal is to stay 07:19 healthier and younger for longer and the only way I'm going to be 07:24 able to do that is to understand as much as I can about my brain 07:29 and about the research that tells me how I can keep it 07:32 functioning that well. 07:34 Let's say you're talking to someone for the first time and 07:37 they're interested in their brain. What do you tell them? 07:40 That sort of depends on the context; you know their age and 07:46 things like that. But what I like to start out with is to say 07:50 everything starts in your brain, everything. Everything plus your 08:00 brain is unique. There's only one brain like yours on the 08:04 planet. There's never been another one like it, there will 08:09 will never ever be another one like it. This is it. 08:11 never ever be another one like it. This is it. Because of this 08:14 you are special. You have something no other brain has 08:21 exactly like you do and unless you identify that and use it you 08:31 have deprived the universe, the entire universe, of something 08:37 that only your brain could offer. 08:40 Dr. Taylor how do you suggest we go about meeting the brain? 08:44 Well let's start with a little bit about what it looks like. 08:49 Your brain is about the size of your two fists held together 08:53 like this. This particular brain model would be for someone who 08:59 is much larger than I am because their fists would be much larger 09:06 So your brain is the size of these two fists. Now imagine 09:10 that you put a gray glove on your left hand and a whitish 09:15 glove on your right hand and that's about the color 09:19 differences between the two brains. How come the right one 09:24 is white? That's because there's a difference in function between 09:29 the two hemispheres although in the normal, healthy, functional 09:33 brain they work together all the time. But the right hemisphere 09:37 actually has more white matter in it. The long pathways, nerve 09:44 pathways, that are wrapped with insulation, myelin to help you 09:49 think more quickly and since there's more of those white 09:53 fibers in the right side of the brain, it looks whiter; pretty 10:00 basic. Simple. The other thing is the brain can be described as 10:06 three functional layers. So here's a metaphor for the three 10:11 layers of the brain and I think this is something that people 10:14 need to meet about their brain. If you think of your wrist as 10:20 the first brain layer, there's no conscious thought there. 10:24 There's a lot that happens in this part of the brain but it's 10:28 not the cognitive part in the third layer, so this, your wrist 10:34 is the first layer. Make that hand into a fist. Now you have 10:40 the second brain layer. It's called the limbic system, again 10:45 subconscious but a lot goes on there. It's the home of 10:49 emotional impulses which I find interesting because it's also 10:55 the relational part. It's the part that wants a relationship 10:59 and that part comes out of a subconscious part of the brain 11:02 so no wonder we mess up with relationships so much. So we 11:06 need to make sure they're all working together. Now take your 11:11 other hand, put it over the top like an umbrella and there's the 11:17 third brain layer called the neocortex or cerebrum or gray 11:21 matter; there's lots of names. In this part of the brain there 11:26 is some conscious thought. Only part of the brain that has any 11:29 conscious thought. Don't get too excited about that because 11:34 research suggests that maybe 15 to 20 percent of what goes on in 11:39 this part of the brain comes to conscious awareness. So part of 11:43 meeting your brain is staying perceptive and aware of what's 11:49 going through your mind in trying to bring more of it to 11:53 conscious awareness because you can only manage what you can 11:59 identify, label and describe. 12:02 We often hear people talk about the brain as if it's a living 12:07 computer. Is that just a euphemism or metaphor or does 12:11 the brain actually resemble a computer? 12:13 The brain has a number of critical functions. When 12:20 computers were built they can do some of the functions that a 12:24 brain can do, but not all of them. There are some ways that 12:30 the computer and the brain are similar. For example, they both 12:32 need an energy source. You know you plug into some type of 12:37 electrical current for a computer but the brain needs 12:42 glucose, enzymes, oxygen, all kinds of things. Secondly you 12:49 have to boot it up and when I turn my computer on in the 12:53 morning, I'm booting it up. Well you have to boot up your brain 12:56 as well. How do you boot it up? Well for one thing you can do 13:01 some deep brain breathing when you first wake up. You can eat a 13:04 really good breakfast to give it some fuel because it's been, 13:08 what would you say, not starving all night but it's been giving 13:12 your digestive system a break and you can do some exercise. 13:16 That's how you boot up your brain. 13:18 So those are really practical suggestions that we can all take 13:22 note of and implement in our lives. 13:24 And we need to do that. Third both the brain and computer 13:29 system are susceptible to viruses. Different kind of 13:32 viruses granted but you can get such a lethal virus in a human 13:36 being that it can just kill the brain and you can get a virus 13:41 in your computer that will shut down your computer. So it's 13:44 really important to have viral protection for your computer but 13:48 also to do things that can protect the brain. Four: Both of 13:53 them work better when they're cool. If a computer gets too hot 13:57 it can get fried. And if you get sick and your body temperature 14:02 rises too quickly, that can kill the brain as well. Now there are 14:08 computers that can do some things faster than the human 14:11 brain. Certain mathematical computations for example. But 14:18 as far as I know there's no computer on this planet that can 14:23 do the type of creative, sophisticated abstract thinking 14:28 that is done by the human brain. 14:30 So it's a marvelous, a marvelous organism. 14:34 Some call it the most amazing piece of biological real estate, 14:41 not just on this planet but in the known universe. 14:44 Dr. Taylor, I've heard perhaps on the television ad something 14:49 to the affect that the brain is developed by the age of three, 14:54 three years of age. Is that really true? 14:57 Well it's probably true, however that is not mature so developing 15:07 is one thing, being developed. Being mature is an entirely 15:12 different concept, which is why even though the brain is 15:16 developed a three-year-old cannot do high level cognitive 15:21 thinking because the prefrontal cortex isn't even done yet. The 15:27 corpus callosum. Here's a cut away of the brain just like we 15:32 did the wrist, the fist and the other hand over it, here's that 15:37 first layer, brainstem and cerebellum. Here is that 15:40 mammalian layer. Here is the neocortex. You see this. This is 15:48 the largest of the three or four or five ridges that connect 15:54 these two hemispheres. This is almost like if you cracked a 15:59 walnut out of the shell and got it out whole and pulled this 16:03 apart a little bit and imagined that there were bridges 16:07 connecting them, it's very much like a walnut. The corpus 16:13 callosum is not paved. Those long axons are not wrapped 16:19 completely with myelin until about age 20 or 21 and until 16:24 that happens I say that the brain is at risk of shorting out 16:30 at any particular time. Going down a highway and you hit a 16:35 pothole or there's a patch of gravel or something like that. 16:38 So until this is paved you don't have really continuous 16:45 interaction at a quality level or at a predictable, consistent 16:51 level. That's the good news. Here's the bad news. Right here 16:57 behind your forehead, which is part of this third layer, neo 17:03 cortex, the prefrontal cortex where you have those executive 17:08 functions: Planning, will power, morality, choosing, so on and so 17:16 forth. That's not done until mid to late 20s and in many 17:26 cultures we push the brain so quickly to grow up and we expect 17:32 that a 17-year-old is going to have the cognitive capacity of a 17:39 27-year-old and when they don't we punish them and say how come 17:43 you're so dumb, when you can only do what the brain is 17:47 developed to do. So it's important to understand that 17:52 many people make life impactful decisions before this is done. 17:56 You know, I had a girlfriend, she got married at 15, had her 18:00 first child at 17, had one at 18 and one at 19. Her corpus 18:06 callosum wasn't even done yet. And by the time she was about 28 18:10 and her prefrontal cortex was done, she calls me on the phone 18:14 and she says Arlene, I woke up this morning and I looked around 18:17 the house and I said to myself, what are all these people doing 18:22 here? Because if I was making the decision now as much as I 18:27 love them none of them would be here, not even the dog because 18:31 the life impactful decisions were made... Who do you think 18:37 you want to wake up next to every day for the rest of your 18:39 life at 17 can be light years away from who you really want 18:46 to wake up to every day for the rest of your life when you're 18:49 27, 28 or 29. 18:51 Dr. Taylor, it's been a pleasure and a privilege to have you on 18:55 The Incredible Journey today. Thank you for being with us 18:59 and sharing such practical and relevant information. 19:02 You're so welcome. 19:04 Well, Dr. Taylor has certainly reminded us that our brains are 19:14 something special. Truly marvelous. And when you think 19:19 about it, it's just mind blowing to realize that sitting on your 19:24 shoulders is the most sophisticated and complex 19:28 object in the known universe. The brain's memory capacity is 19:33 about a quadrillion bytes, the same amount needed to store the 19:37 entire internet. Our brain is capable of over 1000 processes 19:44 per second. It makes us who we are and controls everything we 19:49 do. And yet, it weighs less than one-and-a-half kilos and could 19:55 fit into your hand. No wonder the psalmist exclaimed this to 19:59 God in the Bible book of Psalms: 20:13 The brain, the human body and all its intricacies is just too 20:19 wondrous, too wonderful, too awe inspiring for David to 20:24 remain silent. As he contemplates the wonder of it 20:28 all he's overwhelmed and he exclaims Wow, I'm fearfully and 20:34 wonderfully made. And he's spot on. Absolutely right. We're not 20:40 the product of chance or haphazard construction. At the 20:44 beginning of the Bible it tells us how everything was originally 20:48 made. Here's what it says in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1: 20:58 And then it continues to list what God made on each of the six 21:02 days of creation. And at the end of each day when God surveyed 21:08 his work he commented that it was good. So everything God 21:12 created on each of those days was good. Day, night, sky, 21:18 atmosphere, land, sea, vegetation, sun, moon and stars, 21:24 sea life, birds, animals. God said that they were all good. 21:30 But now notice what happens next. In Genesis chapter 1 and 21:34 verse 26: 21:42 After God had created us humans, I'd like you to notice what he 21:47 said here in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 31: 21:57 Before creating human beings God had already created everything 22:02 else in the world, and it was good. But when he created human 22:07 beings God looked over what he'd made and said it was very good. 22:12 In other words, we're more than just good to God, we are very 22:17 good to God. We were made in the image of God and he highly 22:22 values each and every one of us. In fact, we are the pinnacle of 22:29 everything he created. We are God's masterpiece. Listen to 22:35 what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10: 22:50 You're not average. There's nothing ordinary about you. 22:55 You've been custom made. You are God's masterpiece. In you God 23:03 made something special, something very good. You are a 23:07 masterpiece of exquisite and unique design. You are God's 23:13 most prize possession. You're extremely valuable to God and he 23:19 has a purpose and plan for your life. He loves you and wants to 23:24 be with you forever, for all eternity. Here's what the Bible 23:28 says in John chapter 3 and verse 16: 23:42 If you want true happiness and inner peace, if you want to see 23:48 yourself the way God sees you and experience all that he has 23:53 for you, why not accept Jesus and invite him into your life 23:56 as we pray. 23:58 Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of life and for 24:03 making us in your image. Thank you for making us your master 24:09 piece and giving each one of us such a marvelous brain and all 24:12 of the abilities it give us. Thank you for giving us 24:16 everything we need for life here and for eternity. We accept 24:22 Jesus and invite him into our lives. In Jesus' name we 24:26 pray, Amen. 24:29 Dr. Taylor has reminded us that our brains are something 24:37 special, truly marvelous. And when you think about it it's 24:43 just mind blowing to realized that sitting on your shoulders 24:47 is the most sophisticated and complex object in the known 24:51 universe. Our brains also remind us that we are fearfully and 24:58 wonderfully made and that we are God's masterpiece. If you want 25:03 true happiness and inner peace, if you want to see yourself the 25:06 way God sees you and experience all that he has for your then 25:11 I'd like to recommend a free gift we have for all our viewers 25:15 today. It's the book Bible Secrets to Unlocking the Genius 25:21 Within. This book is our gift to you and is absolutely free. 25:27 There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 25:29 Thousands have been blessed and inspired by this book, Bible 25:34 Secrets to Unlocking the Genius Within. So make the most of this 25:39 wonderful opportunity to receive the gift we have for you today. 25:43 Here's the information you need Phone or text us at 0436333555 25:53 or visit our website www.tij.tv to request today's free offer 26:02 and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with no 26:07 obligation. So don't delay. Call or text 0436333555 in 26:14 Australia or 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our website 26:23 www.tij.tv to request today's offer. Write to us at: 26:48 Don't delay. Phone or text 0436333555 in Australia or 26:56 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our website www.tij.tv to 27:08 request today's free offer. Call or text us now. If you've 27:19 enjoyed today's journey to the last great frontier, the human 27:24 brain and our reflections on God's masterpiece then be sure 27:28 to join us again next week. Until then remember the ultimate 27:33 destination of life's journey. Now I saw a new heaven and a 27:37 new earth. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. 27:40 There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There shall 27:45 be no more pain for the former things have passed away. 27:49 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2020-11-04