September 3, 2024
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Together, despite our differences
One’s reality is unique to him or her and is often unique.
In 2015, a woman posted a photo of an under-exposed striped dress on Tumblr. It quickly sparked a divide on the internet. Some saw the dress as blue and black, while others saw it as white and gold. Amazingly, once you’ve seen the dress as blue/black or white/gold, it can be very difficult to change your stance. That people can have such different perceptions of the same lace-trimmed dress is a reminder that each human being has a unique brain, influenced by their environment and developmental experiences. Disagreements about the color of the dress aside, research shows that humans have a rich diversity of minds that, when combined, can lead to new insights and innovations.
Where do our individual minds come from? A tightly connected network in the brain produces a kind of symphony from the activity of approximately 100 billion neurons. Reality is perceived by every human brain, but one person’s reality is different from everyone else’s. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex appears to hold the neurological “seat” of our core sense of self. But a person’s personality can also change from hour to hour.
The brain learns in different ways, even in adulthood. Constructive feedback on schoolwork (rather than rote correction) engages young minds as agents of their own learning. Neuroscientists and educators have teamed up to find that lessons in map reading and other spatial skills boost verbal thinking in high school students. New insights into how to assess and support children with dyslexia and dyscalculia (similar to dyslexia but with numbers) are revitalizing research into the different ways the brain processes information. The better children understand how their minds work, the more eager they will be to learn and the better their academic performance will be.
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Rather than “curing” neurodiverse people, the focus is now on how individuals can thrive in ways that work for them. Many autistic people crave connection with others, but stereotypes of neurotypical people can get in the way of intimacy. ADHD has been misunderstood as simply a lack of attention, but a new book explores how the condition can also result in incredible focus and creative problem-solving abilities.
The brain is complex and prone to disorders. There is significant overlap in the genes associated with conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Research is now debunking misconceptions about conditions such as borderline personality disorder and narcissism. Tailoring treatment strategies for teenagers to their brain development may provide long-term protection from anxiety and depression.
Emily Makowski, Copy Editor Scientific Americandescribes ticker-tape synesthesia, a fascinating brain process in which spoken words flow into your mind’s eye like subtitles. Like many people with synesthesia, Makowski didn’t realize until he was in his twenties that other people’s brains don’t process the world in the same way. One person’s reality is entirely their own, and often unique. However, when we first published Makowski’s essay, several people wrote to us and were excited to find that other people “see” words the same way they do. Our minds are different, sure, but there’s a sense of belonging in it.
