The media is buzzing with conversation about the brain. Our brains evolve continuously, and our neural networks continue to develop our entire lives. Neuroplasticity is exciting stuff. We can actually remap entire sections of our brain to take on new functions. This is fundamental to recovery from stroke or brain damage, something that I find almost miraculous.

There is a corollary: If we can remap our brains, and our neural networks develop and change all life long, then it follows that our environment and actions rewire our brains. That is a good thing, because if rewiring didn’t happen, you wouldn’t be able to remember your cell phone number, your user name for twitter or how to drive your new car.

The Good and the Bad

According to Dr. Teena Moody, of UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, there is evidence our brains wire differently depending upon environmental influences and our behavioral choices. (Hotchkiss, 2009) Now, researchers are finding that the way we engage with the internet changes how we think. (more…)