It is commonly stated that what we do not know won’t hurt us, but is this really true? The consequences of not knowing how our brain works can be very detrimental and interfere with our ability to max out our brain’s full potential. Although the human brain is very complex numerous amounts of research have allowed scientists to unleash what they like to call “brain rules”. What is a brain rule you might ask? A brain rule is one thing scientists know for sure about how our brains work. Details about our brain have been uncovered such as how we learn, exactly what sleep and stress do to our brains, why multi-tasking is impossible, why it is so easy to forget—and so important to repeat new knowledge, and how men and women’s brains differ.

In the book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, explores his passion in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach, work, and approach learning. With each chapter a particular brain rule is characterized by an informative fact on how our brains work followed by a personal idea from Medina on how we can revamp our daily lives. Something you’ll be able to distinguish is that the ways we do things everyday are not productive or beneficial at all. Studies have proven that “every brain is wired differently, exercise improves cognition, we are designed to never stop learning and exploring, memories are volatile, sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn, vision trumps all of the other senses, and stress dramatically changes the way we learn.” So why is it that we still talk on the phone and drive, or listen to the teacher and take notes when we can only do one thing at a time efficiently? At the workplace we are surrounded by a stressful atmosphere even though it is a fact that a stressed brain is not as productive. Research states that to learn in an educational environment that was completely opposite to what was best for the brain, one would design a classroom. Ultimately the goal is to take the facts about how our brains work, apply the knowledge to create the best conditions so the brain can work, learn, and retain knowledge to its fullest extent.