Think yourself to a better state
- By Wits University
Asking students who are about to graduate what they know about their brain might seem like a rhetorical question. After all, the successful completion of their studies is evidence that they are masters of their own brains. However, the question turned out to be one that is necessary in examining the way living beings use their cognitive abilities.
Psychology professor David Maree from the University of Pretoria, a guest speaker at the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Humanities on Thursday, 3 April 1014, shared four illuminating facts about the brain and its capabilities.
His narration of how the human brain stores memory, might have made the guests in the Great Hall question the reliability of their own memories.
Maree said new knowledge shows that when memories are recalled “they are constructed from scratch to form the image or concept you are thinking about”. Essentially, what people remember is not always the truth, something which defence lawyers in the Oscar Pistorius trial will agree with.
Click to listen to his speech sharing how you can think yourself into a better state and erase bad break-ups. Read about Maree’s career and interests.