Body processes

Thinking – Function, Task & Diseases

Think

Thinking refers to processes in the brain that lead to knowledge, from which a variety of actions are derived Thinking is used for problem solving and consists of ideas, memories and logical conclusions.

What is thinking

Human thinking is a sought-after research area in psychology, philosophy, biology and anatomy. For thousands of years, humans have wondered about thinking and how it works. In this context, memory training, learning and forgetting play a major role.

What happens in the brain when thinking has not been researched in detail to this day. Thought processes are far too complex to be divided into fixed categories. Although thinking is often logical, it is also guided by intuition. The thought process is a purely mental process that is not visible to others. Thinking brings back memories and can generate strong emotions. Thinking leads to gaining knowledge and helps to solve problems in different situations.

Inner activity is controlled by the brain and is the result of the interaction of millions of nerve cells communicating with each other. Chemical and electrical processes are activated in the thought process. Learning and experience can strengthen the connection between the neurons required for the thought process and lead to strong further branching of the entire neural network.

Function & task

People can think long-term or short-term, some think systemically, others in completely new directions. The brain is a versatile and extremely fascinating research object. Thinking includes memory , language , motivation and intelligence . The brain changes over the course of life.Over the past few decades, scientists have been able to accumulate immense knowledge about how the human brain works. This is how they managed to create artificial intelligence. But even robots are far from being able to match the capabilities of the human brain in terms of their performance.

A person uses intelligence when he does not know what to do. Intelligence is made up of areas such as social, mathematical and emotional intelligence. Intelligence cannot be clearly defined, but everyone knows what constitutes it. A larger brain does not necessarily mean that the person is more intelligent. It depends on the connection of the individual brain areas.

When thinking, cognitive building blocks are activated. Some of these building blocks are inherited, but can be optimized through learning. Without our memories we would be completely helpless. During the learning process, the brain receives new cognitive building blocks that can also be modified. Learning is the lifelong basis of human existence.

The development and modification of the modules led to the fact that humans as a species are so successful. However, the thought process is not exclusively rational. Thinking is influenced by many other factors. One of the main influencing factors is individual intelligence. This, in turn, is not defined by the number of nerve cells present in the brain, but rather by the variety and type of connection between the individual nerve cells.

Intelligence can be trained through certain ways of thinking and often develops from a spontaneous feeling of a situation in which special sensory impressions are perceived. The human brain can also think abstractly.

Memory distinguishes important information from unimportant information, stores it in different places in the brain and retrieves it whenever we need it. The ability of the brain to learn or store things decreases as a result of stress . Physical movement also influences the brain and supports the correspondence between different brain areas.

Diseases & Ailments

The performance of the brain can be impaired by accidents, tumors and inflammatory diseases of the organ. The reaction of the sick person often reveals abnormalities. For example, he speaks inarticulately or shows motor disorders .If the brain is severely damaged, the human being is hardly viable and is partly kept alive by artificial respiration. Stroke is a typical example of disease-induced brain damage. Depending on the severity, different numbers of brain cells are often irreversibly destroyed. In the case of mental disorders, there is only a dysfunction of different building blocks and modules, which can often be restored.

Our thinking can influence the psyche as well as cells and organs and thus promote the development of some diseases. It is not for nothing that doctors and therapists speak of the power of thoughts, which is immense but cannot heal all illnesses.

Undoubtedly, thinking plays a big role in how we organize our lives. Because as soon as the brain produces an electrical command, a thought, a chemical reaction also begins. The chemical substance acts on the central nervous system , where it creates the physical readiness to act.

The dysfunction of individual modules in the brain manifests itself in different ways. There are people who have high intelligence and cognitive abilities but lack the skills for social interaction. In the case of a neurosis or obsessive-compulsive disorder, some modules are stimulated far too strongly, while in the case of other psychological restrictions, certain areas lie completely idle. In this context, the subconscious plays an important role and is still used today to treat mental disorders.

Brain training can improve thought processes, memory, speed of thought and concentration . Logical thinking can also be trained. The training protects against mental deterioration and can minimize the risk of dementia .

Lisa Newlon
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Hello! I am Lisa Newlon, and I am a medical writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry. I have a Master’s degree in Medicine, and my deep understanding of medical terminology, practices, and procedures has made me a trusted source of information in the medical world.