Brain Plasticity in Action

Brain function and how it grows over a lifetime has been a very mysterious subject for many scientists. Not until just recently has it been discovered that the brain can increase in functionality over a persons lifetime, and in turn, make the person happier.

This is due to brain plasticity, the brains ability to overcome certain challenges by enhancing specific parts that control specific functions. Neurons in the brain will clump together in areas of high activity, so that function will become more functional for a person over time. So even when you don't think you're learning, your brain is working to make sure you are at all times.

Do you think brain function relates to happiness in life? Why?

The Brain Slows Down Time

Have you ever seen how time slows down in movies when the actor is extremely scared, or needs more time to think over the situation? Well that is exactly what this topic is about.

A researcher named David Eagleman studied this phenomenon where he had a set of people record the time they felt it took for them to reach the ground from an extremely scary drop on a thrill ride. Later, they were asked to watch as other fellow participants were dropped. After the calculations were done, they found that those that were being dropped felt that they were in the air for a 36% longer fall than those they observed. This may also be the case when you are on a roller coaster, compared to when you watch others on it.

Question: Do you believe that the brain can actually slow down time? Or does it just seem like that to give the person experiencing it more time to figure out how to deal with a stressful or fearful situation?