Thinking
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
is normal. Mental work takes energy. Scientists estimate the brain consumes 20% of our resting energy; around 12 watts. Physical fitness is important for thinking. If you get out of breath running for a bus, thinking is going to be harder for you. Studies are mixed about whether the additional work involved in solving a difficult problem causes you to use more energy. We certainly see an increase in the flow of glucose to the appropriate part of the brain, but the overall energy use in the brain is quite high in the first place, so it is hard to see the incremental effect. Unlike muscles, which store energy locally as glycogen, brain cells ‘burn’ glucose and oxygen from the blood stream in real time. If scientists detect glucose and oxygen flowing to a part of the brain they know it must be working on a problem. As we know, there are several ways to make glucose and oxygen show up in brain scanners. You can, therefore, inject someone with the right chemical markers, wheel them into a brain scanner, and watch them learn new skills. On a practical level, there is limited space within a scanner and you can't wield a golf club, for example. Julien Doyon, a researcher at the University of Montreal, was recounting this problem to a friend and she suggested knitting. Knitting is a physical activity you learn just like a golf swing or a tennis stroke, with all the initial fumbles and jerky activity, settling down to a fluid learned skill. Most experienced knitters can engage in a full conversation while knitting complex patterns, only needing to break off and concentrate during a pattern change. Luckily, there are ceramic and bamboo knitting
E you feel mentally exhausted reading this book, don’t worry. This
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