network of neurons that functions largely outside your conscious thought .
Your Other Brain We usually think of brainpower as our ability to do intense , focused thinking about an idea or problem . Yet your brain works at the subconscious level too . Because it takes advantage of the vast network of synapses not used for conscious thinking , subconscious thought often provides breakthrough solutions that elude the conscious mind .
If your conscious thoughts are like a hare , quick and deliberate but easily tired , your subconscious thoughts are like a tortoise , slow and plodding but relentlessly effective . thinking about a problem , the left side of the brain makes the obvious connections to more relevant solutions . Meanwhile , the right side searches for more novel answers . To be precise , these novel solutions are generated from increased neural activity in a bit of brain tissue located above the right ear , the right anterior superior temporal gyrus . ( Don ’ t worry . That won ’ t be on the test .)
So it is true that the left hemisphere of the brain is better wired for analytical thought while the right hemisphere is more likely to range freely , allowing for more innovative thought . Yet in reality , the two types of thinking are more associated with neural networks or modes than with specific regions .
Scientists have discovered that the brain has many more structures than previously thought , and those structures do more than was previously known . For example , when
There are two networks ( or modes ) of neurons within your brain . The executive network ( or mode ) is guided by you , your conscious self . It thinks about what you tell it to . This
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