Daydreaming or Fantasizing

Daydreaming is a term that was used by Jerome L. Singer whose research programs reportedly formed the foundation for much subsequent research. There is no consistent definition of daydreaming. Some describe is as “dreaming while awake,” musing or lost in thought. It can be one of the best ways to engage your imagination for creative solutions and inspiration. Used constructively, especially creatively, there are great benefits—many of which underlay wonderful inventions. Mismanaged, especially to imagine personal benefits that are highly unlikely if not outright ridiculous, there can be enormous negative costs. That’s where fantasizing can get you in trouble, imagining completely unrealistic ideas (e.g., a live unicorn will be your next birthday present, Oprah Winfrey will suddenly hand you thirty million dollars, an actor you have seen in movies will leave his or her partner and seek you out, or you seriously overspend because you fantasize winning an upcoming lottery).

Daydreaming - Benefits

Although daydreaming is function built into the brain, many people do not develop and hone it and many more are programed to stop using it. Very unfortunately, that. Einstein is often quoted about his belief in daydreaming. He said that he lived his daydreams in music. Many of his ideas reportedly came from daydreaming or his “thought experiences.”. As Einstein pointed out, logic can get you from point A to point B; imagination will take you everywhere. There are indications that other personages appear to have similar perspectives. Deepak Chopra advised: Daydream, imagine, and reflect. It is the source of infinite creativity. And I might add, creativity is the source of effective problem-solving. Neil Gaiman pointed out that you get ideas from daydreaming . . .The only difference between writers and other people being that writers notice when they are daydreaming. If you were one of those individuals unfortunately enough to have perhaps well-meaning although unenlightened adults try to stifle your “daydreaming,’ give yourself permission to do it. 

Dayhdreaming

I grew up being told by parents, teachers, and other adults to “stop daydreaming and get down to business!” I really tried to stop daydreaming and nothing worked. I have felt guilt during these 50+ years because my brain still wanted to do it. Is there something wrong with my brain?  What’s the deal here?

 Many human beings will likely be able to relate to your experience and could tell a similar story—unfortunately. “You a such a daydreamer—get working!” was NOT a compliment or an encouragement to problem solve or use the creativity that is built in the brain and that needs to be honed. Daydreaming functions appear to be built into the human brain. However, like many other functions, it needs to be used and honed. II compare it to being born with innate musical ability but never doing anything with that. The “deal” is that there is definitely a time to pay attention in the present moment and there is definitely a time to daydream. Many of the world's greatest scientists, inventors, writers, playwrights, and artists in almost any genre knew how or know how to use daydreaming to their advantage. 

Specialists & Multipotentialists

Specialists can sometimes use their giftedness in a variety of settings, none of which particularly represent their passion—it being less about the product and more about the opportunity to “lead.” For example, a Prioritizer could lead a company without having personal excellence in the product of that company, relying on other individuals within the company to create the product. In times of economic crisis, an Envisioner could lead a company to look outside the box, to step away from the status quo and reinvent itself, again relying on other individuals within the company to handle the details. A Harmonizer might be asked to lead a company that was fractured from within due to conflict and dissention, pulling employees together toward a common goal. A Maintainer might be asked to lead a company that was in danger of being shut down because of failure to follow rules and regulations. The bottom line is that every brain on the planet is slightly different—and it "takes a village" filled with a variety of talents and expertise to make something really successful. 

Multipotentialists

Multipotentialists tend to excel in two or more different fields. It may be in an field hat is orchestrated by a quadrant beside the one that represents their innate brain "bent." They may do one thing initially, and once they learn everything they want to know in that field, may find it no longer challenging. They enthusiastically branch out into a spin-off field and learn that genre. After a time they may branch out again. They are usually described as individuals of strong intellect and/or artistic curiosity. This can sometimes be seen in individuals who do one thing well during their career. After retirement, they become involved in something quite different and may spend 20 or more years excelling in that area. Unfortunately, an industrial society sometimes looks down on Multipotentialists, asserting that they lack “stick-to-itiveness” or “can’t make up their minds,” or are “unstable.” It does happen, however, that excellence in one area can make a great contribution to a different arena, helping it move forward successfully, because no one brain knows everything. 

Specialists

Specialists tend to be those who excel in one specific area, often attaining world-class status. Individuals tend to excel within the quadrant that possesses their energy advantage. Starting from the top left and moving counterclockwise, let's treview stereotypical leadership characteristics for each quadrant. These include: 

Prioritizers: Exhibit an authoritarian leadership style and excel in being in charge and delegating. Competitive, they want to “win.” Tend to use time well and generally make money, especially in a stable economy.

Maintainers: Exhibit a status-quo leadership style. They excel at storing and retrieving data accurately, meeting deadlines, and following rules and regulations correctly.

Harmonizers: Exhibit an accommodating leadership style. Attempt to avoid conflict and controversy, facilitating collaboration harmony. They have high concerns for people (less for results, quotas, budget compliance)

Envisioners: Exhibit an entrepreneurial leadership style. Have high concerns for problem-solving, innovation, and trending, (less for routines, details, status quo). Facilitate inventing, birthing a project, and moving quickly at the cutting-edge margin of an idea

 https://www.arlenetaylor.org/practical-applications/brain-bent 

Brain Quadrants & Energy

Understanding a bit about the brain may help you understand the concept of multipotentialism and the types of brain “bent” that might align with each. The cerebrum is divided by natural fissures into four chunks of tissue. They all work together, however, it is believed that most (if not all) human brains have an energy advantage in one of these four chunks over the other three. Research by Richard Haier has shown that this energy advantage involves a reduced resistance to the transfer of information across the “synapse” or space between neurons. It is significant, estimated to be 1/100 of the energy required for the same process in the other three quadrants. This drawing illustrates the four cerebral chunks and I have assigned a label for each based on a key brain function led by that quadrant—less confusing for those of who tend to easily mix up left and right. 

Multipotentialism & the Brain

I hear there was a TED talk recently that involved something called multipotentialism exhibited by multipotentialities. I had never heard of these terms before. Can you help me understand this and how it involves the brain—especially one’s brain bent?

 I have not seen the term multipotentialism in print. I am guessing it might refer to a theory that some individuals have multiple fields or creative interests in a lifetime versus those with just “one true calling.” The term multipotenialite is an educational and psychological term referring to the ability and preference of an individual to excel in two or more different fields. A multipotenialite, therefore, is an individual, particularly one of strong intellectual or artistic curiosity, who excels in two or more different fields. On a metaphorical continuum, Specialists would be at one end and Multipotentialites at the opposite end. Yes, it involves the brain because everything involves the brain. Everything starts in the brain.

Origin of Term - Confirmation Bias

The term itself is believed to have been coined by English psychologist Peter Wason to describe the tendency of people to favor information that confirms or strengthens their beliefs or values and is difficult to dislodge once affirmed. Since then many studies have been done on the topic. Michael Shermer has been quoted as saying that smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons. Wikipedia points out that “confirmation biases contribute to overconfidence in personal beliefs even in the face of contrary evidence. Poor decisions due to these biases have been found in political, organizational, financial, and scientific contexts. For example, confirmation bias produces systematic errors in scientific research based on inductive reasoning (the gradual accumulation of supportive evidence). Similarly, a police detective may identify a suspect early in an investigation, but then may only seek confirming rather than disconfirming evidence.” Can confirmation bias be avoided or eliminated entirely? Probably not. However, individuals can learn to identify their biases and manage their confirmation bias—if they purpose to do so. 

Confirmation Bias, 4

Confirmation bias can often be seen in relation to highly charged issues such as those that involve or are related to religion, politics, race, gender, chauvinism, etc. But it can involve any personal belief. Bias assessments may be the fastest decisions the brain ever makes, occurring at nano-second speeds. They tend to be related to one’s personal perception of safety—physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, ideologically, and so on. Again, no surprise, confirmation bias can impact the strength of one’s beliefs and behaviors related to inequality, bigotry, bullying, racism, chauvinism, and so on. If perchance, an individual’s brain is experiencing some imbalance, illness, or dysfunction, the confirmation bias may be so strong it triggers behaviors that can lead to injury or even death—especially toward another brain that harbors a different bias or little if any negative bias toward a specific ideology. More tomorrow.

Conformation Bias, 3

The effect of Confirmation Bias may be strongest for deeply entrenched beliefs, for desired outcomes, and for emotionally charged issues. Beliefs are tricky concepts. Your brain creates your beliefs from what you are taught and from what you learned—two different things. This may include cellular memory from biological ancestors, role-modeling by adults around you, interactions with people you admire or don’t, your own life experiences, what you watch on TV and movies, what you read, what political or religious leaders tell you, what scientists report from studies, what those you hang out with the most think and believe, and so on. Once beliefs are firmly entrenched, they can strengthen your brain’s bias assessments along with your resulting choices, and behaviors. Anger or fear for something that is “different” may surface when that might not otherwise have been the case. New information can be ignored or discarded. More tomorrow.

Confirmation Bias, 2

A confirmation bias can be defined as a tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior belief or value. The more fervent one’s belief, the likelihood of a more fervent confirmation bias. Nickerson, Raymond S Nickerson has referred to it as “A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises.” Confirmation bias can distort evidence and, consequently, impact evidence-based decision-making. How is this displayed? Individuals gather and/or recall information selectively, or interpret information in a biased way, or ignore any information or evidence that does not support their strongly-held beliefs. This can include scientific evidence (e.g., the world is round and not flat, Planet earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around). They may also interpret what they believe to be ambiguous evidence as supporting their beliefs. Depending on the individual, he or she can become defensive, argumentative, irate, or even destroy property or other attempt to injury or do bodily harm to persons who disagree with or challenge the individual's belief. More tomorow.

Confirmation Bias

I just don’t get it. People are not wearing masks, shooting some who tell them to do so, catching and spreading Covid-19. I heard on the news about a young man who voluntarily went to a party where he knew some of the people were infected with Covid-19 because he said he believed that the virus was not as contagious or as serious as some people were saying. No one, including himself, wore a mask. He caught the virus and was dead a week or so later. What is going on in that type of brain, and where was any concern for NOT infecting others on the part of those with the virus?

I would like to be able to give you a specific answer—however with about seven billion brains on Planet Earth, each slightly different, that is not possible. It is a question many are having around the world, especially in the US where there are a lot of cases. Every brain appears to have some innate bias, describes as an inclination for or against something. A healthy and balanced discrimination bias based on accurate assessments can help keep you safe—unmanaged, it can be deadly. There is a phenomenon, however, known as a Confirmation Bias. It involves overconfidence in one’s personal beliefs. More tomorrow.

IBD-Dementia link, 4

 

According to a Harvard Medical School report, chronic inflammation plays a central role in some of the most challenging diseases of this time I world’s history, including cancer, heart, disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and dementia. Some have said that another name for IBD could be Enteric Neuropathy. Meaning the neurons in the gut are unhappy because something is not working properly. It does not seem to be just one thing that triggers IBD, but a combination of factors. Some of these factors are stress, smoking, excess fat intake, excess consumption of added sugar and refined and highly processed carbohydrates. These factors are also linked with LDL cholesterol, weight gain, and gut permeability. Until more definitive research comes out one’s best shot is likely to live as balanced and healthy a lifestyle as possible.

IBD-Dementia link, 3

It is important to remember when attempting to understand research conclusions that they represent “on average” findings and do not say anything about a specific person. Researchers are taking a long hard look at inflammation. It is triggered by the body’s Immune System to protect the body from foreign substances or to help heal an injury. Blood flow increases to the area along with numbers of white blood cells. This process may result in swelling, warmth, and pain. If the inflammatory process is needed to heal an injury, that’s one thing. If it is triggered unnecessarily by ingestion of foreign materials it can cause a great deal of harm. For example, having too much added sugar in one's food and beverages and high levels of foods made with refined carbohhydates are inked with elevaed levels of inflammation in the body--along with insuin resistance and weight gain. More tomorrow.

IBD-Dementia link, 2

T

he gut is being referred to as your 2^nd brain. It is now believed to contain as many thinking cells—neurons—as are in your brain, if not more. Granted, gut neurons do not “think” consciously in the same way as do brain neurons. However, gut neurons are continually communicating with brain neurons over the vagus nerve, said to be the longest and perhaps most complex nerve in your body. Some believe that the wisest decisions are made with a combination of input from the brain, heart, and gut (e.g., ‘a gut feeling’). First author Dr Bing Zhang, reportedly said that their research does suggest that there may be a connection between IBD and neurocognitive decline. It is too early to tell if IBD causes cognitive decline but there appears to be a link between the two. Chronic inflammation may trigger processes involved in dementia and/or disruptions to the microbiome in the gut. More tomorrow.

IBD-Dementia Risk

 

I just heard that people who suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease are at higher risk for developing dementia. I have relatives with that diagnosis. How do IBD and dementia go together?

That is a good question. A physician friend sent me an excerpt from a study that was just released a few weeks ago. Apparently, this study is the latest to find a high degree of correlation between gut health and mental health. Researchers are linking gut-heath to neurological diseases. Apparently, those with a diagnosis of IBD are at more than twice the risk of developing dementia. This growing body of research suggests that changes in your gut (gastrointestinal system) may impact the brain through a two-way communication system—the gut-brain axis. More tomorrow.

Genetics & Pandemics, 2

Hopelessness begins with a choice to believe that there is nothing you can do that would help you to be healthier. There is always something that can be done to improve one’s health, wellness, and potential longevity. Mindset is critical because self-talk, choices, and behaviors follow what you think. If you think you can do something or think you cannot do something, either way you are correct. Because of this, estimates are that 70 percent of how well and how long you live is in your hands. What do you want? If you keep on doing what your ancestors and you have always done, you will continue to get the same outcomes. Start with one aspect at a time and build healthier skills into your daily routine. This is the purpose of the Longevity Lifestyle Matters program . . . 

Genetics and Pandemics

Q: I come from a long line of “physically sickly” ancestors. Because of that, are my own decisions regarding lifestyle choices, especially during communicable disease outbreaks, really going to matter much? Seems rather hopeless to me.

 

No doubt you have heard the old saying: “Prevention beats cure.” That can apply to almost every area of life. In my brain’s opinion, current research indicates that there is a huge amount of hope if you grab onto it. For example, Genetics (genes and chromosomes you inherit from your biological ancestors) is believed to have about a 30 percent impact on your health, wellness, and potential longevity. Epigenetics (everything that is not genetics including your own lifestyle choices) appears to have a 70 percent impact on your health, wellness, and longevity. Where is any hopelessness in that?                                  

                                                                                                                 More tomorrow.

ABO Blood Type and Covid-19, 2

 

Recent studies also have shown evidence of a difference between Type A and Type B blood types. Compared with Type O, Type A seems to have a higher risk for Covid-19 related venous thromboembolism, such as pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. Again, researchers believe it is too early to link blood types definitively to outcomes.

 Knowledge is power. If a person has type A blood, knowing this research could motivate them to follow recommended guidelines carefully and avoid any unnecessary exposure. In my brain’s opinion, individuals with the other blood types would be well-served to do the sam

ABO Blood Types and Covid-19

Q: Is there anything to the rumor that some blood types may be at higher risk for contracting Covid-19

 A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that blood group O was associated with a lower risk of acquiring Covid-19 as compared with non-O blood groups.

 Blood group A was associated with a higher risk than non-A blood groups. researchers concluded. A potential explanation may be because the immune systems of people with Type O blood already have antibodies for both A and B in their plasma. Thus, their bodies are more equipped to identify foreign proteins—including those on the surface of viruses. Researchers do not yet know, however, if type A has an increased susceptibility to infection or to severity.

More tomorrow

ABO Blood Types, 2

Blood type is determined by the presence or absence of specific antigens named A and B, molecules that are attached to red blood cells.

 

     - Type A: individuals with Type A have an A antigen on red blood cells and B antibodies in their plasma (the almost transparent liquid that is part of the blood).

  -    B: individuals with Type B have the B antigen on red blood cells and A antibodies in their plasma.

 -  Type AB: individuals with Type AB have both A and B antigens on red blood cells but neither A nor B antibodies in their plasma.

 -   Type O: individuals with Type O have neither A nor B antigens on their red blood cells but have both A and B antibo

dies in their plasma.