“The best exercise for a healthy brain is to use it”

Should the education system be reconsidered if it is still useful for learning memory a lesson to release it in a Examination,

It was useful in its time, in the middle of the 20th century, when there were very few books and no Internet, but it is of little use today. Now the important thing is not to have a memory, but to know how to manage the knowledge gained to acquire new knowledge.

In his book he questions the idea of ​​’reverse Flynn effect’ and we are becoming more stupid And our intelligence is lagging, especially as a result of the latest results of the PISA report, what are you talking about?

I doubt it’s because educational systems have changed, but method of evaluation And measure intelligence numerically It is still the same as 50 years ago. New elements should be included that are also part of intelligence. The environment has changed, should we also demand the same things from our children and students? If we do not give importance to everything together, we risk cheating by playing solitaire.

What effect does passing have? Watch videos on TikTok for two hours 30 seconds, at least if they get past them? Can they be assimilated or does it affect their concentration?

This has a very negative impact. New technologies are not bad in themselves, but the way we use them is. And it is misuse that has harmful effects. Attention is a very limited resource Because it consumes a lot of energy. If I’m on TikTok and watching a series at the same time, I’m not even dividing my attention 50%, but I’m giving 40% to everything. And even less if there are three or four things going on at the same time. But not only social networks, also listening to audio at 1.5 or speeding up a series because we do not have the patience.

If we listen to a podcast while driving or respond to WhatsApp while cooking, do we really have all five senses?

We do everything with half strength. Jumping from one activity to another reduces our flexibility, The important thing is to know how to manage technology and educate for its good use.

Everyone admitted that they knew the street address, at least the address of their neighborhood, and the phone numbers of close friends and family. Now without a mobile phone we often seem useless. For example, when we don’t even know how to contribute. Are we losing our capabilities or is it that we use that memory for other important things that we don’t even get a chance to click on? smart fone or calculator?

Memory exercise is important. What is no longer the same as it was years ago. Digital generations have shorter memories than digital immigrants, but they have the ability to integrate, as the brain learns and adapts to the environment it finds. Memory is no longer as essential as it was before, but it is still essential to develop it for critical and analytical awareness. Because we must know how to distinguish between what is true and what is not, to judge for ourselves, and now even more so. The Internet provides a lot of interesting information as well as a huge amount of nonsense.

Is it necessary to be bored to foster creativity?

For decades there has been a tendency to fill children with activities: sports that are great, music with tools to express themselves better, languages ​​that are essential for tomorrow… However, one of the practices that What I love most about creativity is spending time each day without any scheduled tasks. Having some leisure time does not mean wasting time, but gaining it, It seems that while boredom is bad, when you have worked and studied the relevant hours, it is necessary.

And is it a problem that we have put productivity at the expense of leisure and we feel bad if we are not up to date with that book or series that everyone is talking about?

40% of university students have symptoms stress, pain and anxiety, If we spend some time being bored every day, from a young age, we will help build mental abilities and attitudes that will help create and maintain a better sense of well-being for the future. The reason for this is related to the perception we get about who controls the activities we do, making us behave in the desired way or the environment in an irreversible way.

Can we also educate the brain to avoid the thousands of negative thoughts that dominate us or the fear that prevents us?

Without a doubt, not only can you do this, but you should also find out the most frequent problems to know how to remove them. We live in a society where we have commercialized happiness, when in reality it is a fleeting state., We should connect more with those ideas of happiness, peace and tranquility where a person feels comfortable.

Labels are necessary, because they help us categorize and understand the world but they also limit us. What if we tell a child that it is not a good fit for him? What impact could it have on your future if you integrated it into your belief system?

Some labels are very useful because they free us from thinking and reflecting. As you say, the problem is negative labeling in childhood. Something may be more difficult for a child, but that does not mean it is not useful. the brain is very obedientYou just have to look at what children are able to trust, how they can’t trust an adult who encourages them not to skip singing because it’s raining or not to draw because you feel like painting. Are you bad?

How can we foster a growth mindset?

The opposite is the fixed mindset, people who believe they have reached their limits. Instead, a growth mindset defines people, and I include myself, from what we can always do. Learn and hone our talents, We can accomplish even what we don’t want to do if we try and feel motivated. People with a growth mindset are more optimistic, things are better for them, and they feel more comfortable with themselves.

Motivation can fluctuate, is discipline better for achieving goals?

There has to be self-discipline and it is part of that process. Because It will be easier for a motivated person to maintain his discipline., Without inspiration nothing is achieved.

Are we unmotivated if we’ve already failed at our January goals?

(laughing). Some people won’t even remember what they decided to do. The problem is that we set unrealistic goals and have inertia from our past lives. If I set a target of going to the gym for one and a half hours every day and have yet to go to the gym even for a day, it is difficult for me to stick to it because I also have to add the travel time to the sports center and back. we have to be more realistic And propose, perhaps, to start by going twice a week.

From journals to paper agendas, the habit of writing is increasingly recommended as therapy. Is it liberating?

Without a doubt, keeping a good agenda relieves stress, especially if you have a long list of things to do. Paper allows you to organize your thoughts, better assimilate what you read. When you’re in front of a screen, sometimes you jump from one thing to another, you can’t do a linear reading. This makes learning difficult, which is why the system of one computer for every student is being rolled back.

Is there any exercise to keep the brain healthy?

The best exercise for a healthy brain is to use it. Think, read, go to the theater, see art exhibitions, argue with friends over coffee… not in the sense of fighting, but in the sense of confronting ideas, debating. Reading newspapers is also a good exercise for the brain. I had a grandfather who, at the age of 99, would still visit the newsstand and discuss the news with my grandmother.

Is it never too late to learn, even if children’s brains are more plastic?

That’s right, in the process of learning children establish new relationships and train that flexibility. Therefore the importance of stimulating the brain in the educational system is more important than the curriculum. If the brain is not used, if it is not expanded, if it is not worked on, then its ability to learn becomes limited. That’s why it’s so important Educate and re-educate yourself,