Dr. Allison Lamont, Brain and Memory Foundation.
Do You Believe It? How well do you know your brain?
Can you sort out the truths from the old wives' tales?
There are many myths about our brain and memory – check out the Brain Quiz. Are these brain statements true or false? You may be surprised!
Which of these statements are true or false?
1. We only use 10% of our brain.
2. We use our brains 24 hours a day.
3. Growing new connections in the brain can continue into old age.
4. We need plenty of sleep because that's when the brain shuts down and rests.
5. If an area of your brain is damaged, other parts of the brain can take over its duties.
6. The brains of boys and girls develop in the same way, at the same rate.
7. Boys have bigger brains than girls.
8. If students don't drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, their brain shrinks.
9. Differences between the right and left brain hemispheres helps explain differences between learners.
10. Learning can be affected by not eating breakfast.
11. Information is stored in networks of cells throughout the brain.
12. Learning happens through the modifying of the brain's inter-cell connections.
13. The development of the brain involves the birth and death of brain cells.
14. Mental capacity is determined by genetics and can't be changed by experience.
15. Enthusiastic exercise can improve mental functions and memory.
16. Children's concentration is affected by eating sugary snacks and drinks.
17. It has been proven that fatty acid supplements (omega-3 and -6) improve academic achievement.
18. Practice of some mental exercises can change the shape and structure of parts of the brain.
19. Short bouts of co-ordination exercises can improve integration of left and right hemisphere function.
20. There are sensitive periods in childhood when it is easier to learn things.
21. There are critical childhood periods after which certain things can no longer be learned.
22. Brain development has been completed by the end of secondary school.
23. The left and right hemispheres of the brain always work together.
24. Learning is due to the addition of new cells in the brain.
25. Adolescents' reluctance to get out of bed in the morning is due to a change in the circadian rhythms (the body-clock) in the brain.
You can find the answers here
Perhaps you have other questions, or would like to discuss the quiz answers further. If so, email me at Dr.Lamont@memoryclinic.co.nz or visit my website, the Auckland Memory Clinic, for more information.
For an interesting article 'Does Brain Training Work?' visit the Brain and Memory Foundation website, founded with my sister, Gillian Eadie. On the Foundation Homepage you will find where you can sign up for an ABSOLUTELY FREE 6-day mini memory course.