Not something that you'd want to see unprotected

Part 2 in the Brain Development Principles series

“The brain is a survival organ. It is designed to solve problems related to surviving in an unstable outdoor environment and to do so in nearly constant motion (to keep you alive long enough to pass your genes on). We were not the strongest on the planet but we developed the strongest brains, the key to our survival.

The strongest brains survive, not the strongest bodies. Our ability to solve problems, learn from mistakes, and create alliances with other people helps us survive. We took over the world by learning to cooperate and forming teams with our neighbors.

Our ability to understand each other is our chief survival tool. Relationships helped us survive in the jungle and are critical to surviving at work and school today.

If someone does not feel safe with a teacher or boss, he or she may not perform as well. If a student feels misunderstood because the teacher cannot connect with the way the student learns, the student may become isolated.

There is no greater anti-brain environment than the classroom and cubicle.”

Community, confidence and activity. There are some real gems in there as far as understanding behavior. We thrive when our activities involve some risk. There is an enormous hormonal response when fear is involved. Getting through a scary situation releases endorphins. A huge take away is the last sentence. It’s been clear that people wallow when sitting stagnant for long periods of time, and yet we create our work and educational systems to force the great majority of us into this environment.