The Human Brain – Cortex, Lobes, Neural Networks and Problem Solved!

Abstract

The human brain is a fascinating and fabulous thinking machine. Although scientists understand a lot about how the brain works, not all is revealed yet. But between neuroscientists and psychologists the world of the mind is slowly becoming clearer and less mysterious. The way the human brain processes information has a huge range, including sensory reception, affective perception, memory, multiple intelligences (e.g., musical, logical-mathematical, spatial and linguistic intelligence), thinking, learning, intuition, decision-making, problem-solving, and creativity. The chapter focuses on the biological, genetic, neuroanatomical, and physiological perspectives of creativity. The most important finding is that creativity involves the whole brain. The chapter will answer, to the best of our current knowledge, questions such as: Which parts of the brain associate with what type of thinking? Which parts of the brain are involved in creative thinking and problem solving? And can we improve our creative intelligence, or is it genetically endowed, given our brain structure? Can we enhance our creative capabilities given the human brain’s capacity to adapt and learn?

CREATiViTY LABORatory

1.1 Activity I: Auto-suggestions

Your mind is your most precious asset. Think carefully and write down the auto-suggestions you habitually use. These could be statements about your knowledge, your inter-personal skills, or your fears. Now consider hetero-suggestions (suggestions by another person). Which of these suggestions limit your creative competencies? Can you re-write or re-word them (using the example in this chapter as guide) as positive auto-suggestions? (These new auto-suggestions will rewire your subconscious mind and create new positive beliefs that can drive your CiQ towards a better, more productive and happier you) Phrase the auto-suggestions as positive, definite and specific positives in the here-and-now tense and active voice (see the section on memory improvement above.)

1.2 Activity II: Story-Telling & Visualization

Story-telling and visualization can help with memory and exercising memory. This story is told by Jackie Guthrie and Tim Preston in their book Improve your Brain Power [49]. Read the story and see how many of the questions you can answer, without returning to the story. Focus on registering important details.

Brock Lovett, a treasure hunter, is hunting a famous diamond that went down with the ill-fated ship, Titanic. The stunning diamond once belonged to Louis XVI. What Lovett actually discovers, however is a sketch of a young woman wearing the diamond on a necklace. Before long, the sketch appears in the media and an old lady called Rose Dawson comes forward, claiming to be the woman in the drawing. She doesn’t know what happened to the jewel, but much to the fascination of Brock and his companions, she tells her own story of the fateful trip.

At the time she was a rich and miserable 17-year-old girl sailing to the US with her fiancé, Cal Hockley. She planned to commit suicide, but was talked out of it by a third-class passenger called Jack Dawson, who had won his ticket on the Titanic in a pub.

The two were passionately in love when the “unsinkable” ship hit an iceberg, Rose jumped out of her lifeboat and vowed to stay with Jack. They were together in the freezing water when the ship sank. Jack perished but Rose was rescued. In his memory she gave her name as Dawson and set out to start a new life.

• 1. What was the name of the treasure hunter?

• 2. Who was Rose’s fiancé?

• 3. How old was Rose when the Titanic sank?

• 4. What did Rose say happened to the diamond?

• 5. How did young Dawson obtain his ticket?

1.3 Activity III: Mental Categories

Create mental categories to help yourself to remember the pictures in this activity.

Do not read the questions below. Study the picture for no more than 30 s. Study the pictures first. DO NOT READ THE QUESTIONS before you have studied the images. Cover the picture with a piece of paper and try to answer the questions below without looking at it again (Fig. 2.5).

Fig. 2.5

Visual memory aid

• How many fruits and nuts are in the picture?

• How many objects are not living creatures?

• What is the biggest object (in life size) depicted in Activity III?

• How many mammals can you name (depicted here)?

• How many spiders are pictured here?

• How many creatures are kept as pets? Which living creature is unlike to be kept as a pet?

• There are a few items that you might find in a school. Name them.

1.4 Activity IV: Subconscious Trigger Technique

Using Leonardo da Vinci ’s Subconscious Trigger Technique

To make invention a mental habit, and to make subconscious connections come to mind more and more easily, implement various mental exercises such as “internalizing” features of objects by regularly drawing and redrawing them. Do this with great regularity. Combine essential key features of various objects into new objects, either mentally or in drawings. Use Leonardo da Vinci’s trigger technique, which is to see vague shapes in everyday objects such as clouds, cracks in the pavement, spots on the walls. Squint your eyes at things and try to imagine that other things are residing within them. For example, look at a fish and see how its shape could by used to design a new car, or pen, or a new elegant font. Squint at an everyday object and see what sort of animal might spring forth from it.

1.5 Activity V: Focus and Memory

Complete the 10 simple mathematical equations in less than 20 s:

Now close the book. See how many of the equations you can recall? (not the answer but the actual numbers and their numerical equation, i.e., the symbols used to express the equation).

1.6 Activity VI: How the brain works

See this video to understand more about the brain’s workings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNTW5sIx9gw; and TED-X re brain SEPCT scans by Daniel Amen.

1.7 Activity VII: Memory Gym

Look at the pictures below. Try to recall the pictures in Activity III. Which of the objects from the picture in Activity III are missing here, and what items have replaced them? (Fig. 2.6)

Fig. 2.6

Memory gym