All work and no play makes Jack...dumber?

mapmaker.curtrosengren.com

I posted this over on the Worthwhile blog, but found it so interesting I decided to share it here as well...

I'm always fascinated when science backs up the things we intuitively know. Take this post by Kathy Sierra over at Creating Passionate Users, for example, who riffs off an article in Seed magazine about findings on the effect of our surroundings on our brains.

You always knew that dull, boring cubicles could suck the joy out of work, but now there's evidence that they can change your brain. Not mentally or emotionally, no, we're talking physical structural changes...What the research suggests is that in unstimulating, unenriched, stressful environments, the brain STOPS producing new neurons.

It wasn't so long ago that scientists thought the brain was static, with no ability to develop new neurons at all. Turns out they were wrong, and that the structure of the brain is highly influenced by one's surroundings.

One of the most interesting (and, in hindsight, "doh!") discoveries was that one of the main reasons researchers kept finding NO evidence of new neuron development in their test primates is because they kept them in an environment which shut that process down. In other words, it was the caged-living that stopped the neurogenesis process. By giving her animals a rich, natural enviornment, Gould "flipped the switch" back on, allowing their brains to work normally, and sure enough--the happier, more stimulated animals showed a DRAMATIC increase in neurogenesis as well as dendrite density.

Put in absolute layman's terms, a stimulating environment is like going to the gym for your brain. A dull, monotonous environment is like sitting on your couch and eating chips. Or, as Kathy sums it up...

Apparently all work and no play makes Jack not just dull, but dumber. So don't forget to have fun...

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Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM

 

Comments

[Mary Beth]

You always knew that dull, boring cubicles could suck the joy out of work, but now there's evidence that they can change your brain.

When I worked in cubbyland, it was always fun to walk around and see what people had done to the inside and tops of their little spaces. Of course this was at the peak of the dot.com thing, but we even initiated a weekly exhibit of personal collections and interests that were based on what we found in cubbys. It really helped people get to know each other as people.

[Hiren Shah]

I read somewhere that Newton, Einstein and all the great scientists got the best ideas while relaxing; ie while they were off their work.