Several months ago I finished reading Brain Rules by John Medina and I’ve been raving about it ever since. Medina is a noted brain researcher and the book contains the 12 things he wishes the lay public knew.
The 12 things (with my notes in bold and italic)
- EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power. – The most important chapter. Short version – if you exercise your brain will be smarter and it won’t get dementia. I’ve put this to the test, and I am more focused with exercise than without.
- SURVIVAL | Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too. – Not that memorable, good background information.
- WIRING | Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.- Not that memorable, good background information.
- ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things.- Intuitive, and general background information
- SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to remember. – Important, counter intuitive info on memory.
- LONG-TERM MEMORY | Rule #6: Remember to repeat.- Important, counter intuitive info on memory.
- SLEEP | Rule #7: Sleep well, think well. – The second most informative chapter. I had always thought of sleep as a time of rest, it turns out to be a very active process for the brain. Sleep is when the brain cleans and restocks itself.
- STRESS | Rule #8: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way. – I had no idea that stress was the physical reaction that it is. This is the third most important chapter.
- SENSORY INTEGRATION | Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses. – Good advice for graphic designers.
- VISION | Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses. – mostly background information.
- GENDER | Rule #11: Male and female brains are different . – we knew this already, but Medina tells us how male and female brains differ.
- EXPLORATION | Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers. – mostly background information.
From this book I have made the following changes in life
- I am distance cycling again
- I sleep eight hours or more per night
- I structure presentations differently (in accordance with the memory chapters).
- When I do graphic and information design I use more graphics and less text
After reading this book I life a more positive, more effective, and less stressful life. Thank you Dr Medina.
photo credit: laszlo-photo
This post originally appeared on the Stronico blog – with the absorption of Stronico into Digital Tool Factory this post has been moved to the Digital Tool Factory blog
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Written By Steve French |
4 responses to “Everyone should read Brain Rules by John Medina”
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This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
[…] in life, health and productivity. I made most of these changes based on what I learned in Brain Rules. Here is a snapshot of my changes so […]
Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article
Exercise is important. Exercising your brain is even more important.