Emptying (half of) your mind

The idea that humans only use about 10% of their brain capacity was a meme even before memes existed as we know them today. I remember hearing about it when I was a child, alongside the secret alien investigations in Area 51 or the occasional sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. These urban myths were born and propagated way before the internet or even the computers were commonplace, and still the word-of-mouth process worked well enough to keep them alive over decades to the point that they can be fully considered as memes. The funny part is that a great fraction of urban legends are absolutely false.

These days 10% brain usage is widely recognized a myth not supported by science in any way. Brain mapping has demonstrated that every section of the brain is used for one function or the other, which would hint at 100% usage. The fact that under intense cognitive demands the brain undergoes visible morphological changes just shows its plasticity, its ability to adapt to whatever challenge we might put it to, but that takes time and a lot of training, and the ability to adapt is definitely not endless. The same applies to the occasional brain damage: the history of (un-) fortunate head accidents has helped show how concentrated lesions on one part of the brain or another might rob us of the ability to speak, move one hand, remember the near past or many other annoyances. The plasticity of the brain also helps that, under the right circumstances, the brain might be able to rewire itself and cover the missing functionality with other regions of the brain, but that does not mean that the brain is underutilized.

Photo: Naphisharity Syiem

One feature that I find particularly remarkable is the existence of different "circuits" in the brain that get activated or remain idle depending on the nature of the activity you are conducting. For instance, driving on the highway or through a familiar area requires a moderate use of your spatial awareness, to help you navigate, plus a certain amount of muscle memory, to translate your decision into actions on the control of the car. This is the reason why it is not difficult to have a conversation or listen to a podcast while driving on a long stretch across the country or on your way to work. However if the traffic situation becomes taxing, suddenly the spatial circuit commandeers all your mental resources and you became unable to follow the podcast anymore. The same applies to going through a crossing where you have to read the names on the sign: having to retain those words in your mind, to be able to choose the correct ramp, means that the "verbal circuit" is busy and you do not register the words in your audio-book or, if you were talking, you will automatically stop (even mid-phrase) to be able to serve the urgent needs of the driving.

There are plenty of examples of combinations of how speech does not interfere with another superior brain function: the workers chatting on an assembly line, the old ladies opening pea pods in the front porch and even my grandmother used to furiously knit away while she was engaged in a conversation with my mother. I remember her interrupting herself when something in her knitting did not match, but then catching up very quickly once the situation was resolved.

The meditative properties of physical work were described already in the middle ages by the Rule of St. Benedict (516 CE). Most orders of monks require cultivation or scripture duty as part of their daily routines, not only for their own sustenance, but also as a matter of mental hygiene: performing the job means that you brain has to devote some resources to the task, preventing any other thought from taking over the entirety of your thought processes and forcing it to run on a limited budget. In short, is the polar opposite to turning and tossing in your bed, where your brain can focus to 100% in the task at hand, frequently running wild and lacking any kind of control.

When I was a teen my mother advised me to read the 1974 book by American writer Robert M. Prisig "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" at a time where my mind was probably too full with thoughts. There I learnt the term chautuqua, which refers to that meditative state where you are doing something in an almost automatic manner, so that you still have a chance to reflect on something. Almost at the same time I discover the charm of weaving knot bracelets and for a few months I spent inordinate amounts of time tying knots in different colors while trying to sort out my own thoughts.

In this time where knowledge and information where we have grown used to applying our brain power to everything all the time our chances of engaging in physical work have been substantially reduced. Chopping wood, kneading bread, fetching water from the well were all physical activities that, out of convenience, have been either assigned to others or simply phased out through technology, but that also means that we do not have a legitimate reason to occupy some of our brain resources in this way. Surprisingly, pumping iron in the gym or killing your bike in a spinning class are frequently too physically demanding to allow any brain space for sorting our ideas out. That is probably the reason why these days so many people turn to yoga or other meditation techniques: to find a way to let your thoughts flow in a somewhat orderly way and find their place together.

The act of writing (actually the preparation for writing) is, in some way, very relaxing for me. It forces to focus all my attention in the subject at hand, trying to find an angle, a new connection, ideas that I had in the past, and thereby they remove all the other troubles from my head. Admittedly, it is does not allow for meditation, because it requires all my resources, but it provide some order to my head. My solution to the need for meditation is pace is mostly focused on gardening work and ironing: it is great to see how the bucket of pulled weeds fills up minute over minute, or how the pile of clothes slowly transform into stacks of neatly folded T-shirts and jeans. Sometimes I undertake this activities with a podcast in the background, but when I am really troubled I normally take the chance to empty the other half of my mind and let the thoughts flow. Do you also have a meditation routine? Have a nice weekend.