YOUR THINKING BRAIN

" I think; therefore, I am.” —Rene
Descartes, French mathematician and
philosopher (1596-1650) If there is one thing that makes you
different from other animals, it is your
extraordinary ability to think. Like other
thinking species, humans don't just react
to the world as it is: We reflect on the
past, imagine what could be, and then plan ways to make our thoughts
become reality. Our brain's advanced
outer layer, or cortex, enables us to
remember past events and predict the
future consequences of our actions
before we make decisions. We can think about thinking, and use language to
exchange these thoughts with others.

HOW IT WORKS

Your brain is key to your intelligence.
There are many different ways to define
and measure intelligence, though,
because it involves many kinds of
thinking and uses many parts of the
brain. Intelligence includes things like processing speed, memory, empathy,
creativity, and connectivity—and the
ability to knit these all together. Where
does your unique, individual intelligence
come from? Some of your abilities are
encoded in your DNA. But your brain is also shaped by your individual
experiences—the interaction between
your genes and your environment.

Here are some critical functions that
your thinking brain oversees:

LANGUAGE.

The human brain is built for language.
But language doesn't just communicate
our thoughts. Language also helps make
those thoughts possible—by providing
the concepts we think with and rules for
linking them together. What differentiates our ability to use
language from the ways in which
other animals communicate?

MEMORY.

Memories are the refiring of the same
neurons that fired when you first had a
particular thought or experience. You
can actually see changes in the neurons
when memories form. Synapses can
grow stronger as you learn. But memories are often messy and
unreliable. So why, then, do memories exist?

REASONING.

The powers of your brain are
astonishing. You can live in the moment,
reflect on the past, or imagine the future.
You can allow your thoughts to wander
in new directions—or train them to shut
out the world and focus within. How does your brain help you reason,
plan, make choices and set your
mind on your goals?