Chewing Gum And Learning Are Linked

Teachers have a ‘thing’ about chewing gun in class – it freaks them out. They never think ahead – that when the dam bursts – the gum can be used to occlude the cracks and save us all. Just kidding. Chewing gum is a learning-tool – as real as a big, red,
juicy apple.

If you want to seriously improve your memory up to 28%, improve your IQ about 15 points, and concentrate like Al Einstein…
Did you know that Al was a lifelong ‘dyslexic’, and was
totally frustrated by reading because his brain reversed words and spelling?
Dyslexia taught Einstein to rely on his ‘imagination’ – the right-brain.

To access your memory and concentration – become a master-learner …Chew Gum. What happens is that the act of chewing speeds up your heartbeat and blood pressure just enough to wake up both left-and right hemispheres to get “in-sync”,
to work together.

Does it have to be Gum that you chew?

Nyet, an apple, a turkey-bone or a slice of bread works – but in class or the library
chewing on gum – (sugar-free) is more unobtrusive – right?

Who Says So?

The original research began in 2001 and made it to the major-leagues in the following year at the University of Northumbria in Great Britain. The lead-
researcher is professor Andrew Scholey who used control-groups for his
experiments. Later research using fMRIs (brain scans), reinforced his conclusions.

How Does it Work?

It turns out that the chewing-action creates a bodily (mouth and jaw) rhythm which the brain copies - so that mind-and-body get into ‘entrainment’ – (in-sync).

What happens next is that “insulin” starts flowing because mind-and-body are fooled into expecting real-food coming to the stomach – not just the saliva produced by the chewing-action.

The first discovery was that there are ‘insulin’ receptors (catch-basins), on both the left and the right hemispheres (cerebral cortex). When the insulin pops into the
grooves of the left-and-right brains – they excite the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex into cognitive-activity. In plain English – not neuroscience – our attention (concentration), memory, and comprehension (Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas), kick into gear and boost our learning-skills.

The Test Itself?

Dr. Scholey’s team uses a group who chewed-gum, a second that did not move their
lips and jaws, and a third that had no gum, but pretended to chew by moving their
jaws up-and-down – they chewed “air”.

The results were revealing – the gum chewers doubled the scores of those who did
nothing but keep their jaws shut. The ‘pretend’ group improved – but less than 25% of the ‘gun-chewers’, but significantly compared to the ‘normal’ (non-chewers), people.

What is Going on in The Mind-And-Body?

We conducted our own experiments over a twelve-month period and reproduced Dr. Scholey’s results – he made believers of us.

What happens is that the insulin-connection helps switch the Central Nervous System from Sympathetic to the Parasympathetic System; from fight-or-flight
to-relaxation-mode.

The hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters activate ‘acetylcholine’ instead of epinephrine (adrenalin). When we go to Parasympathetic
and ‘inhibit’ fight-or-flight (cortisol), we learn and think with fluidity and speed.

You probably know that your three-pound coconut uses 22% of all the body’s oxygen and glucose (body-fuel). When you study and learn you require an additional 10% oxygen to run the brain in high-gear.

The parasympathetic system leads to an increased amount of oxygen and glucose – and it disposed of larger amounts of Carbon dioxide, than the Sympathetic Nervous System. It’s the insulin that triggers it all to happen.

Endwords

Don’t remember when we chew gum our heartbeat increases about three (3) extra beats per minute. Just stick into your long-term memory that “insulin’ is
produced by the chewing-action. Everything good happens from the physiological changed – more oxygen, more glucose (body-and-mind fuel), and disposal of more
CO2 – (the debris and toxins that harm our blood vessels and immune system).

Chewing-gum during a test, study-session, giving a presentation or listening to one,
is a Speedlearning 100 strategy because it works. You have ‘will’ (volition), and
can exercise ‘effort’ (persistence and determination), to improve the language areas
of your brain – (left-hemisphere), and ‘pattern-recognition’ area of your right-hemisphere. Getting both to work ‘in-sync’ permits you to access your personal-best
talents and gifts - to ace your objectives.

But – it requires a personal decision – Professor Jeffrey M. Schwartz, UCLA School of Medicine calls it DWE – Directed Willful Effort. You must activate: your Intention – your Attention - and finally your Volition.

It is your job to first, ‘pay-attention’ (concentrate), second, ‘intend’ - to reach the goal of your ‘burning-desire,’ and third, make a decision, (choose).

Volition’ is using your will-and-effort, and requires making a new choice each time.

Tell me - Don’t you require a ‘hoop’ to shoot at - to know if you scored?
The score is a result of you making a decision to be persistent-and-determined to obtain your goal.

That’s DWE – Directed Willful Effort.

Please never forget - you - are the boss of - you – so decide whether you really want to win by exerting the effort necessary. You are hardwired with Freedom-of-Choice,
and can choose the correct behavior or veto working at your desired goal.
Volition is using your will to choose.

Oh yeah – reading while chewing gum increase your reading-speed up to 80%.

See ya,
copyright ©

H. Bernard Wechsler

www.speedlearning.org

hbw@speedlearning.org