How Much Talent Are You Really Born With?
By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. Whether you can do long division in your head, be a virtuoso violinist or display some other talent (and we don't really mean playing the William Tell Overture with your nose) can't just be chalked up to genius you're born with. Scientists are increasingly seeing that what you were exposed to as a child affects whether your "natural" talents are accentuated or diminished.
When you developed as a baby, neurons -- the nerve cells of the brain -- were created at the rate of 500,000 per minute to reach the end result of about 100 billion neurons per baby. But the sheer number of brain cells you produce before your brain is completed isn't the key to your talents; establishing and reinforcing connections between those cells is the key to your learning and brain development. Your brain cells are waiting for signals that enable particular information to be processed.
Early experiences, such as being exposed to both English and Chinese as an infant, lay down neural circuits that are customized to you. The more frequently an experience is repeated, the stronger these circuits grow. The reverse is also true: If the brain has no reason to make connections for, say, Chinese language, it will eventually prune away the branches capable of such learning. Yes, you can learn another language or learn to play the piano when you're older, but it's much more difficult. Parents take note: Expose your kids to lots of different things -- ideally repeatedly -- to allow those connections to be formed, rather than having them try to catch up later.
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The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of "YOU: On a Diet." Want more? See "The Dr. Oz Show" on TV (check local listings). To submit questions, go to www.RealAge.com. (c) 2009 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. The YOU Docs -- Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz -- are authors of the best-selling "YOU: The Owner's Manual" and "YOU: On a Diet." To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home.
Read more about By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. at ArcaMax.com.
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