Why the brain needs to be given a “break”

For some vital functions to work, the brain must be at rest.

Attention is one of the most valuable resources, and it is often difficult to do anything.

A substantial part of it is devoted to work and social communications. The remaining crumbs imperceptibly go to incentives of one kind or another: listening to podcasts, watching various shows, etc. For many of us, thoughts go into free swimming only when we take a shower or try to fall asleep at night.

And it would seem: what's wrong with that? Why waste time doing nothing when you can do something interesting or productive? If the mind is busy with a high-quality (mostly) product, what harm can it do?

“Research into learning theory provides an extremely clear picture,” says Lauren Frank, professor at the Center for Integrative Neurobiology at the University of California, San Francisco. “For effective training, you need to take rest breaks at short intervals.”

Studies of learning abilities show over and over again that it is best to remember new information when the brain has time to calmly transform and combine it. Even if it is not about learning, small breaks after learning new material - for example, a news article or an important letter - help the brain analyze and remember the information just received.

To better understand how the brain processes new information, Frank spentin rats brain scanning experiments . Together with colleagues, he showed that if the rats were given the opportunity to relax after passing through an unfamiliar maze, their brain automatically reproduces the path that has been traveled through the maze. Later, once in the same maze, rats overcome it faster.

Translated to Alconost

“We know that the brain can very quickly go into a state of rest. Studies in the field of teaching theory indicate that just a few minutes of this state - from five to fifteen - help to better absorb new knowledge. "

If, after passing through the maze, the rats are forced to immediately solve a new problem, their brain cannot reproduce the information just received. And later, when they are placed in the same maze, the rats overcome it no faster than the first time.

The human brain, according to Frank, works in a similar way: "The brain needs free time to process new information and turn it into a more permanent form of knowledge."

How much time is required depends on the circumstances: “We know that the brain can very quickly go to rest. Studies in the field of teaching theory indicate that just a few minutes of this state - from five to fifteen - help to better absorb new knowledge. " The amount of time it takes for the brain to form a long-term memory seems to be individual, and also depends on the complexity of the information received by the person.

There is reason to believe that such "inaction" helps trigger mental processes, which are much more complicated than storing information and retrieving it from memory. Mary Helen Immordino-Young, professor of educational, psychological and neurobiological sciences at the University of Southern California, explains: “In a deeper state of reflection, in which you comprehend what is happening, connect with yourself, your" I "and combine pieces of knowledge into a logically connected storytelling "the brain only moves when you are not focused on any particular activity at the moment."

According to her, if new stimuli or new information continuously enter the brain, it will be difficult for him to determine the appropriateness and semantic content of the knowledge gained. Due to such an overload, a sense of aimlessness may appear - and even worse: "We know that if a person gets stuck in the stimulation cycle with a continuous stream of new data, this can be associated with a feeling of loss of control, isolation, anxiety and loss of a sense of reality of what is happening."

At the same time, giving the brain a "rest", we, apparently, contribute to the manifestation of creative abilities and a more effective solution to problems. Jonathan Schooler, professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, actively studied “mind-wandering”: “Our study found that“ mind-wandering ”can contribute to a certain type of productivity. ” Scooler argues that overcoming deadlocks - including in cases called enlightenments - often occurs when a person’s brain is “free-floating”.

“I think we must admit that the internal flow of thoughts in the brain can be of value in itself.”

He recalls a problem familiar to many when it is not possible to recall a word that revolves in a language, no matter how hard we try. But it is worth switching the brain to another task - and the word is immediately remembered. The professor explains it this way: "It seems to me, it is quite possible that when we" go into our thoughts ", some unconscious processes occur, the result of which are surface insights that pop up to the surface."

It is also possible that depriving the brain of “free” time reduces its ability to do such an unconscious job: “I think we must admit that the internal flow of thoughts in the brain can be valuable in itself. We may lack "leaving our thoughts" as well as a lack of sleep. "

“Many of us find it difficult and even impossible to do absolutely nothing,” Scooler adds and notes that “undemanding” activities that do not involve significant brain resources can help solve this problem and stimulate productive “leaving your thoughts”: for example , a walk in silence, washing dishes and laying out linen are small, routine tasks that occupy the arms and body, but do not require the brain to strain.

Sometimes, “falling into ourselves”, our brain may fall into useless and even unhealthy thoughts, but this does not mean that protection from these thoughts by the constant presence of distractions is a good solution: “I think we need to find a balance between busyness with the present moment and the time when you can let your brain “go into your thoughts” - and also between positive thoughts and thoughts about obstacles that may get in your way, ”concludes Scoler.

It is not known exactly how much time should be left to the brain for casual thoughts in order to achieve the optimal balance. Immordino-Jan on this occasion says that if in your case attempts to break away from the usual sources of mental stimulation require considerable effort, then there are reasons to believe that you need to give the brain more time to “freely swim”: “Just sitting and thinking is not the most exciting occupation, if it’s unusual for the brain, but it is very important for well-being. ”

Frank recommends starting small - for example, you can take a 15-minute walk in the middle of the day, eliminating all the distractions: "It is possible you will notice how your perception of the world changes."

About the translator

Translation of the article was done in Alconost.

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