Have you ever wondered why some people appear naturally gifted at things? Has it ever frustrated you that you may struggle at a task that you think should be simple? If you answered yes, it is time to take a deep breath, release the frustration, and read on.

Recent scientific research on the brain has given us great insight on how it burns energy. The results are fascinating! Studies show that while some people spend up to 1/100 the amount of glucose to process a cognitive function, others may spend more than 100 times as much to process that same function! Knowing this helps us to understand why people vary in processing similar tasks and concepts. Also, this will cause their capabilities and their fields of interest to be different as well.

For example, one person will be good in math because their brain energy used to solve math problems may be the 1/100, while someone else may have to use so much more of their brain energy to solve math equations that it causes them not to like it as much. The application of this information is far-reaching. For example, suppose you are trying to help your child with their homework! Taking this information into consideration will help you help them to work with frustrating subjects since you can fully understand the reason why they are having difficulty. Think too about relationships. When you realize the fact that people differ in their cognitive processes, it can be a huge help in improving communication!

What are you good at doing? By learning this information, you can make a reasonable estimate of what your brain strength area is; which in turn can prove to be invaluable in what you do in your life. Let’s face it; we only have so much energy! Why don’t we begin focusing on areas of interests that could turn into areas of expertise instead?

Now that we know where our brain energy is more at use and where it isn’t, we can begin focusing more on things that we know we could genuinely be good at doing. Learning this about ourselves can motivate us to invest more time and energy into doing something that we like or love, and less time on things that aren’t productive for us. The results will be a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled life and you!

Julie “Brain Lady” Anderson