How to get induced early

Inducing Labor (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

It's common for many pregnant women, especially first-time mothers, to watch their baby's due date come and go without so much as a contraction. The farther away from the expected delivery date (called the EDD) you get, the more anxious you might become. You may start to wonder — is this baby ever going to come?

Late pregnancy can be challenging — you may feel large all over, your feet and back might hurt, you might not have the energy to do much of anything, and you're beyond ready to meet the little one you've nurtured all this time. Which is why waiting a little longer than you'd expected can be particularly hard.

Still, being past your due date doesn't guarantee that your doctor (or other health care provider) will do anything to induce (or artificially start) labor — at least not right away.

What Is It?

Labor induction is what doctors use to try to help labor along using medications or other medical techniques. Years ago, some doctors routinely induced labor. But now it's not usually done unless there's a true medical need for it. Labor is usually allowed to take its natural course. However, in some situations, a health care provider may recommend induction.

Why It's Done

Your doctor might suggest an induction if:

your water broke but you are not having contractions
your baby still hasn't arrived by 2 weeks after the due date (when you're considered post-term — more than 42 weeks into your pregnancy)
you have an infection in the uterus (called chorioamnionitis)
you have certain risk factors (e.g., gestational diabetes or high blood pressure)
there is not enough amniotic fluid
there is a problem with the placenta
the baby is not growing appropriately

Induction also can be appropriate under certain circumstances, as with a mother who is full term and has a history of rapid deliveries or lives far from a hospital.

Some mothers request elective inductions for convenience, but these do come with risks. Doctors try to avoid inducing labor early because the due date may be wrong and/or the woman's cervix might not be ready yet.

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How It's Done

Some methods of induction are less invasive and carry fewer risks than others. Ways that doctors may try to induce labor by getting contractions started include:

Stripping the membranes. The doctor puts on a glove and inserts a finger into the vagina and through the cervix (the opening that connects the vagina to the uterus). He or she moves the finger back and forth to separate the thin membrane connecting the amniotic sac (which houses the baby and amniotic fluid) to the wall of the uterus. When the membranes are stripped, the body releases hormones called prostaglandins, which help prepare the cervix for delivery and may bring on contractions. This method works for some women, but not all.
Breaking your water (also called an amniotomy). The doctor ruptures the amniotic sac during a vaginal exam using a little plastic hook to break the membranes. If the cervix is ready for labor, amniotomy usually brings on labor in a matter of hours.
Giving the hormone prostaglandin to help ripen the cervix. A gel or vaginal insert of prostaglandin is inserted into the vagina or a tablet is given by mouth. This is typically done overnight in the hospital to make the cervix "ripe" (soft, thinned out) for delivery. Administered alone, prostaglandin may induce labor or may be used before giving oxytocin.
Giving the hormone oxytocin to stimulate contractions. Given continuously through an IV, the drug (Pitocin) is started in a small dose and then increased until labor is progressing well. After it's administered, the fetus and uterus need to be closely monitored. Oxytocin is also frequently used to spur labor that's going slowly or has stalled.

What Will It Feel Like?

Stripping the membranes can be a little painful or uncomfortable, although it usually only takes a minute or so. You may also have some intense cramps and spotting for the next day or two.

It can also be a little uncomfortable to have your water broken. You may feel a tug followed by a warm trickle or gush of fluid.

With prostaglandin, you might have some strong cramping as well. With oxytocin, contractions are usually more frequent and regular than in a labor that starts naturally.

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Risks and Precautions

Inducing labor is not like turning on a faucet. If the body isn't ready, an induction might fail and, after hours or days of trying, a woman may end up having a cesarean delivery (C-section). This appears to be more likely if the cervix is not yet ripe.

If the doctor ruptures the amniotic sac and labor doesn't begin, another method of inducing labor also might be necessary because there's a risk of infection to both mother and baby if the membranes are ruptured for a long time before the baby is born.

When prostaglandin or oxytocin is used, there is a risk of abnormal contractions developing. In that case, the doctor may remove the vaginal insert or turn the oxytocin dose down. While it is rare, there is an increase in the risk of developing a tear in the uterus (uterine rupture) when these medications are used. Other complications associated with oxytocin use are low blood pressure and low blood sodium (which can cause problems such as seizures).

Another potential risk of inducing labor is giving birth to a late pre-term baby (born after 34 and before 37 weeks). Why? Because the due date (EDD) may be wrong. Your due date is 40 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP).

Babies born late pre-term are generally healthy but may have temporary problems such as jaundice, trouble feeding, problems with breathing, or difficulty maintaining body temperature. They may also be more likely than full term babies to have developmental or school problems later on.

Even though inductions do come with risks, going beyond 42 weeks of pregnancy can be risky, too. Many babies are born "post-term" without any complications, but concerns include:

A vaginal delivery may become harder as the baby gets bigger. As babies get bigger, the chance of an injury during delivery, such as a broken bone, increases.
The placenta that helps to provide the baby with nourishment is deteriorating.
The amniotic fluid can become low or contain meconium — the baby's first feces. If the baby breathes in meconium, it can cause breathing problems.

Old wives' tales abound about ways to induce labor, such as the use of castor oil. It is not safe to try to artificially start labor yourself by taking castor oil, which can lead to nausea, diarrhea, and dehydration. And herbs and herbal supplements meant to induce labor can be harmful. Breast stimulation can cause uterine contractions by causing the release of oxytocin. However, some studies have suggested that the baby might have abnormal heartbeats after breast stimulation. Some women feel that having sex in late pregnancy can induce labor, but there is no conclusion on this yet.

Talk to your doctor before doing anything to try to encourage your little one's arrival. Inducing labor is best left to medical professionals — you may cause more harm than good.

As frustrating as it can be waiting for your baby to finally decide to arrive, letting nature take its course is often best, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Before you know it, you'll be too busy to remember your baby was ever late at all!

Medical reasons for inducing labor

Inducing labor (also called labor induction) is when your provider gives you medicine or breaks your water to make labor start.

Your provider may recommend inducing labor if your health or your baby’s health is at risk or if you’re 2 weeks or more past your due date.

Inducing labor should only be for medical reasons. If your pregnancy is healthy, it’s best to wait for labor to start on its own.

If your provider recommends inducing labor, ask about waiting until at least 39 weeks to be induced so your baby has time to develop in the womb.

What is inducing labor?

Inducing labor (also called labor induction) is when your health care provider gives you medicine or uses other methods, like breaking your water (amniotic sac), to make your labor start. The amniotic sac (also called bag of waters) is the sac inside the uterus (womb) that holds your growing baby. The sac is filled with amniotic fluid. Contractions are when the muscles of your uterus get tight and then relax. Contractions help push your baby out of your uterus.

Your provider may recommend inducing labor if your health or your baby’s health is at risk or if you’re 2 weeks or more past your due date. For some women, inducing labor is the best way to keep mom and baby healthy. Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only.

If there are medical reasons to induce your labor, talk to your provider about waiting until at least 39 weeks of pregnancy. This gives your baby the time she needs to grow and develop before birth. Scheduling labor induction should be for medical reasons only.

What are medical reasons for inducing labor?

Your provider may recommend inducing labor if:

Your pregnancy lasts longer than 41 to 42 weeks. After 42 weeks, the placenta may not work as well as it did earlier in pregnancy. The placenta grows in your uterus (womb) and supplies your baby with food and oxygen through the umbilical cord.
Your placenta is separating from your uterus (also called placental abruption) or you have an infection in your uterus.
Your water breaks before labor begins. This is called premature rupture of membranes (also called PROM).
You have health problems, like diabetes, high blood pressure or preeclampsia or problems with your heart, lungs or kidneys. Diabetes is when your body has too much sugar (called glucose) in your blood. This can damage organs in your body, including blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. High blood pressure is when the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels is too high and stresses your heart. Preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition that can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy or after giving birth (called postpartum preeclampsia).
Your baby has a stopped growing. Or your baby has oligohydramnios. This means your baby doesn’t have enough amniotic fluid.
You have Rh disease and it causes problems with your baby’s blood.

What are the risks of scheduling labor induction for non-medical reasons?

Scheduling labor induction may cause problems for you and your baby because your due date may not be exactly right. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly when you got pregnant. If you schedule labor induction and your due date is off by a week or 2, your baby may be born too early. Babies born early (called premature babies) may have more health problems at birth and later in life than babies born on time. This is why it’s important to wait until at least 39 weeks to induce labor.

If your pregnancy is healthy, it’s best to let labor begin on its own. If your provider talks to you about inducing labor, ask if you can wait until at least 39 weeks to be induced. This gives your baby’s lungs and brain all the time they need to fully grow and develop before he’s born.

If there are problems with your pregnancy or your baby’s health, you may need to have your baby earlier than 39 weeks. In these cases, your provider may recommend an early birth because the benefits outweigh the risks. Inducing labor before 39 weeks of pregnancy is recommended only if there are health problems that affect you and your baby.

If your provider recommends inducing labor, ask these questions:

Why do we need to induce my labor?
Is there a problem with my health or the health of my baby that may make inducing labor necessary before 39 weeks? Can I wait to have my baby closer to 39 weeks?
How will you induce my labor?
What can I expect when you induce labor?
Will inducing labor increase the chance that I'll need to have a c-section?
What are my options for pain medicine?

Last reviewed: September, 2018

See also: 39 weeks infographic

Method of control over ejaculation - Panacea XXI century

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12/28/2015

Learn to control your breathing.
It is known that breathing is directly related to the human condition. If a person is excited, then breathing quickens, if he is calm, then, on the contrary, it slows down and becomes deeper. Before ejaculation, breathing and heart rate increase, therefore, to control ejaculation, it is recommended to learn how to breathe deeply and slowly. You can train in controlling your breathing at any time, so that during intercourse, when you feel the approach of ejaculation, stop the friction and concentrate on slow inhalations and exhalations. You can also practice slow breathing during the entire sexual intercourse, in order to "slow down" the excitement. nine0043
Learn to concentrate on sensations.
In order to determine as precisely as possible the moment when it is necessary to stop frictions and slow down breathing, it is necessary to feel the process of excitation very subtly. To do this, you can ask your trusted partner to use her hands to stimulate your penis. So that you can concentrate on your own feelings at this time. As soon as you feel that ejaculation is close, then ask her to stop. nine0004 The fact is that the male orgasm can be conditionally divided into 2 phases. The first is the phase of prostate contractions. It lasts about 5 seconds, when you just experience pleasant sensations. In the second phase, ejaculation occurs. Once ejaculation has begun, it is impossible to stop it.
Your task is to learn how to accurately determine the "point of no return", in order to stop the stimulation of the penis before the ejaculation has begun, and to remain in the contraction phase as long as possible.

Train your sexy muscles.

Stop ejaculation.
In order to stop ejaculation during intercourse, you need to do several things:

Stopping frictions
It is necessary to stop frictions some time before ejaculation, at the contraction phase. At this point, you will already experience pleasant sensations, but are still able to control yourself. nine0043
Slowing the breath
It is necessary to start breathing even more slowly, or hold your breath after taking a deep breath.
Contraction of the PC muscle
Contract your PC muscle to contract the prostate. This will allow you to experience an orgasm without ejaculation.
Continuation of sexual intercourse
When you are sure that you have managed to stay on the phase of contractions and not go through the "irreversibility point", then, having slightly reduced the excitation, you can continue frictions. Such an orgasm can be experienced several times in one sexual intercourse. Thus, you can "finish" when you want. nine0043

In order to master this technique at a good level, you may need from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. But constant training according to the described schemes will allow you to move to a qualitatively new level of sexual relations with your partner.

(according to M. Grafsky)

why boring is boring, and multitasking is a myth - T&P

The human brain is not capable of solving two tasks at the same time.

New technologies are celebrating multitasking, but research provides clear evidence that this approach reduces productivity and increases errors. Why it’s better to do one thing, which makes us bad at remembering details and why emotional arousal is useful - T&P publishes a chapter from molecular biologist John Medina’s book “The Rules of the Brain. What you and your children should know about the brain”, which was published by Mann, Ivanov and Ferber. nine0092

As you read this paragraph, millions of sensory neurons in your brain fire up simultaneously, trying to get your attention. Only a few of them manage to convey a message to consciousness, the rest are partially or completely ignored. It's amazing how easy it is to maintain this balance, effortlessly giving airtime to one of the many messages that had previously been ignored. (As you read this sentence, are you aware of where your elbows are?) Attention-grabbing messages are associated with memory, interest, and consciousness. nine0006

What we pay attention to often depends on memory. In everyday life, we use previous experiences to determine what to pay attention to. Different environments are associated with different expectations, a fact demonstrated by physiologist Jared Diamond in his book Guns, Germs, and Steel. He described a journey through the jungles of New Guinea. Compared to Westerners who have been schooled since childhood, New Guineans demonstrate very modest academic ability. But they are by no means stupid. They are able to detect subtle changes in the jungle, which helps in tracking down a predator or finding their way home. They know which insects it is better not to touch and where to find food, they will easily build and destroy a dwelling. Before that, Diamond had never been to such places, so he did not have the ability to pay attention to such things. The result of his testing on such tasks would be very low. nine0006

“New cues—whether unusual, unpredictable, or different—are a great way to start a chain reaction of attention, that is, interest. ”

Culture matters, even if the physicality isn't too different. For example, city dwellers in Asia pay particular attention to the depiction of their surroundings and the relationship between foreground and background objects. But urban Americans don't. They pay attention to the central objects, and then to the background; their sensory perception is much weaker. Such differences affect whether a business presentation or a school lecture will grab the audience's attention. nine0006

Fortunately, regardless of the type of culture, all people have something in common. For example, it has long been known that the interest or importance of information is inextricably linked with attention. Scientists sometimes refer to this connection as activation. How exactly this happens is still a mystery. Does it attract attention? It is common knowledge that the brain is constantly scanning sensory perception for potentially interesting or important events. Very important events are given special attention. But is the reverse process possible? Can attention generate interest? nine0006

Marketers think it's possible. They are well aware that new cues—whether unusual, unpredictable, or different—are a great way to start a chain reaction of attention, that is, interest. A prime example of this is the print ad for Sauza Conmemorativo tequila. The poster shows an untidy, bearded old man in a wide-brimmed hat, who smiles, showing his only tooth. The following inscription is placed next to it: “This person has the only drawback”, and below it is written in large letters: “Life is harsh. Tequila shouldn't be like this." Defying most marketing strategies aimed at a group of twenty-year-olds dancing at a party, this ad became very effective, and public attention grew into interest. nine0006

Of course, in order for something to catch our attention, we must understand what it is about. Can you imagine how difficult it is to study such a short-term phenomenon as attention? Scientists do not know in which part of the brain the alchemical process of perception takes place. (According to some data, this process is controlled by several brain systems.) We have a long way to go to understand its mechanism.

Renowned British neurologist and brilliant inventor, Dr. Oliver Sachs, studied perception. In the book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", which became a bestseller, he described an intriguing case from his practice. One of the doctor's patients, a sweet elderly woman, intelligent, well spoken and with a great sense of humour, suffered from a lesion in the back of her brain, which caused an unusual disorder: she could not focus on things to her left. She recognized all the objects that were in her field of vision on the right side, and could correctly apply lipstick on the right side. She only ate from the right side of the plate, so she complained to the hospital staff that her portions were too small. Only after the plate was unrolled and the food came into view on the right could she see it and continue eating. nine0006

Such cases are of great value to physicians and scientists. When a certain part of the brain is damaged, it becomes clear that deviations in behavior are associated precisely with its functioning. Examination of such a large number of patients as Dr. Sachs's makes it possible to get an overview of which areas are involved in turning on attention. The brain is divided into two hemispheres that perform different functions, respectively, patients experience various disorders depending on which part is affected. Marcel Mesulam from Northwestern University found that there are separate centers of visual attention in the hemisphere. A small center in the left hemisphere is responsible for the visual perception of objects in the field of view on the right. The global visual center is located in the right hemisphere. According to Mesulam, damage to the left hemisphere is less critical for health, since in general it is the right hemisphere that provides visual perception. nine0006

Of course, vision is only one of the organs of human sensory perception. Smells and sounds are also analyzed by the brain. However, we are also aware of the internal psychological state created by a variety of events and feelings without the specific impact of external sensory stimuli. What happens in our brain when we pay attention to something?

Thirty years ago, scientist Michael Posner developed a theory of attention that is still relevant today. Posner began his research career as a physicist at Boeing shortly after graduating from college. He made his first contribution to science by exploring the possibility of reducing the noise level of an aircraft engine in order to provide passenger comfort. You can thank Posner for this, as his research now gives relative peace of mind during flight, even if the roaring turbine is only a few meters away from the passenger. Apparently, the first work aroused in him an interest in how the brain processes various information. He defended his doctoral dissertation on the basis of this important problem. Posner suggested that a person pays attention to something thanks to three separate but closely interconnected brain systems, which he jokingly called the Trinity. nine0006

One fine Saturday morning my wife and I sat on the terrace of the house and watched a thrush drinking water from a special bird trough; suddenly something whistled over our heads. Looking up, we saw a rufous-tailed owl, which shot down from a nearby tree like an arrow to attack a helpless thrush. Grabbing his prey by the throat, he began to climb up, and drops of thrush blood fell on our table. This end to a serene pastime was a reminder of the cruelty of the real world. We were dumbfounded. nine0006

In Posner's model, the first system of the brain works like a guard in a museum, performing two types of duties: observation and warning. The scientist calls it an alarm and activation system. It monitors the sensory aspect of ordinary activities. This is the overall level of attention our brains give to the world; this state is called immanent activation. My wife and I used this system when we drank coffee and watched the thrush. If the system detects anything unusual, such as the flight of a red-tailed owl, it sends an alarm signal to the entire brain. Then the process of phase activation starts, that is, special attention. nine0006

After the alarm, we focus on the stimulus that activated the second system. We can turn our head in the direction of the signal, listen, perhaps move closer or further away. That is why my wife and I stopped looking at the thrush and turned our attention to the shadow cast by the owl. The purpose of this process is to gain more information about the stimulus so that the brain can decide how to proceed. Posner calls this the orientation system.

The third system, or execution system, controls subsequent behavior. It includes priority setting, improvisation, impulse control, weighing the consequences of actions, or increasing attention. In my case with my wife - dumbfounded. nine0006

Thus, we are able to recognize new signals, rush to them and make decisions about further actions depending on the nature of stimuli. Based on the model of brain functioning and attention proposed by Posner, a number of significant discoveries in the field of neurology were made, hundreds of behavioral reactions were identified. Four of them are of particular practical value: emotions, meaning, multitasking, and time orientation.

Events that evoke emotions are remembered better than neutral, ordinary events. This may seem obvious, but such an opinion underestimates the scientific aspect, since experts are still debating what emotions are. In our opinion, it is very important to find out what effect emotions have on the learning process. An emotionally charged event (commonly referred to as an emotionally competent stimulus) is processed by the brain better than all other external stimuli. An emotionally colored event remains in the memory longer, and memories of it are more clear than of ordinary incidents. nine0006

This human feature is effectively used in television advertising, which, of course, causes a lot of discussion. Let's look at an advertisement for a Volkswagen Passat. The video begins with two men sitting in a car talking animatedly about the fact that one of them constantly uses the parasitic word “as if” in his speech. The viewer then sees from the passenger window as another car abruptly appears directly in front of them. They crash into it. There are screams, the sound of broken glass. The camera then pans to the men being tossed up in the car and the wrecked car. In the last frame, we see men standing near a wrecked car. The paraphrased expression "Safety Exists" appears on the screen. The video ends with an image of the Passat receiving five stars in side impact crash tests. This commercial is memorable, even exciting, although it lasts only 30 seconds, because it is based on an appeal to emotions. nine0006

“With great matching abilities, we are constantly looking for similarities in our environment and trying to remember what we think we have seen before.”

But why does this work? This process involves the prefrontal cortex, the only area of the human brain that controls execution functions such as problem solving, concentration, and suppression of emotional impulses. If you imagine that the prefrontal cortex is the chairman of the board of directors, then the cingulate gyrus is her personal assistant. The assistant performs the function of a certain filtering and helps to maintain communication with other parts of the brain - especially with the amygdala, through which emotions are created and stored. The amygdala is filled with the neurotransmitter dopamine and uses it like a secretary - sticky notes. When the brain recognizes an emotionally charged stimulus, dopamine is released, which is involved in the process of memorizing and processing information, as if hanging notes “Remember this!”. Having received such a chemical note regarding certain information, the brain processes it more carefully. This is what every teacher, parent or advertiser strives for. nine0006

Emotionally colored stimuli can be divided into two categories: events that have individual significance for a person, and events that are perceived by all people in the same way.

When my grandmother got angry (which was rare), she would go to the kitchen and loudly wash all the dishes in the sink. If pots and pans came across among these dishes, then, when folding, she deliberately knocked them. With this noise, she demonstrated to the whole apartment (if not to the entire residential building) her frustration or discontent. To this day, at the sound of the loud clink of pots and pans, I again get an emotional signal - a fleeting feeling that I am in danger. For my wife, whose mother never showed her feelings in this way, the noise of dishes is not associated with emotions. This is an example of John Medina's unique emotional drive. nine0006

Universal stimuli come from our evolutionary heritage and therefore have a powerful potential for learning and work. Not surprisingly, they clearly follow Darwin's theory of the struggle for existence. Be that as it may, the brain will definitely analyze the following questions:

- Can I eat this? Can it eat me?

- Can I be friends with this? Will it be friends with me?

— Have I seen this before?

Those of our ancestors who did not remember their experiences of facing danger or foraging for food did not live long enough to pass on their genes. In the human brain, there are many systems finely tuned for reproductive function and danger recognition. (The robbery story must have caught your attention, which is why I started this chapter with it.) With our superb juxtaposition abilities, we are constantly looking for similarities in our environment and try to remember what we think we have seen before. nine0006

One of the best television commercials used all three principles. In 1984, Stephen Hayden created an advertisement for the Apple computer. This video won all sorts of awards and set the standards for Super Bowl advertising. At the beginning of the video, we see a blue hall filled with many identically dressed people who look like robots. Fast forward to 1956 and we imagine these people watching a movie about 1984. The whole screen shows the face of a man, from whose mouth the phrases fly out: "Information purification!" and "Unification of Thought!" The people in the audience are absorbing these messages like zombies. The camera then pans to a girl in sportswear with a sledgehammer in her hand, who runs swiftly through the hall. She is wearing red shorts, the only color spot in the entire video. Running down the center aisle, she throws a sledgehammer at the Big Brother screen. The screen explodes and blinding light floods the hall. Then we see the inscription: "On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh - and you will understand why 1984 won't be like 1984."

All of the above aspects are involved. There is nothing more terrible than the totalitarian society described by George Orwell in the novel 1984. Gym shorts bring a bit of sex appeal; however, there is another subtext. So Mac is a girl. So, so, so... And IBM, therefore, is a guy. In the 1980s, women gained new rights, and the focus is on the war of the sexes. Advertising is replete with different semantic messages. Many have read the book "1984" or watched a movie. Moreover, computer savvy people immediately recognized the allusion to IBM, as the company was often called the Blue Giant due to its huge sales volumes.

In advertising, it is the emotional appeal that is remembered better than other details. And there are reasons for that. The brain remembers the emotional components of an experience better than other aspects of it. You can forget the small details of a small accident, but it's easy to remember the fear you felt when you tried to pull over to avoid a collision. nine0006

Research has shown that the emotional response focuses attention on the "substance" of the experience, leaving out the details. Many scientists believe that memory tends to retain the most important of what we encounter, and not the details. Over time, the details can be restored in memory, if you remember the essence. Consequently, the human head tends to be filled with a generalized representation of concepts or events, and not insignificant details that go into oblivion. I am sure that the favorite game of Americans is Jeopardy! exists because we admire people who can do the opposite. nine0006

Of course, at work and at school, detailed knowledge is very important for success. Interestingly, you can learn to remember details based on meaning. We know this well from chance encounters in the 1980s between a brain scientist and a waiter.

Watching JC take orders is like watching Ken Jennings play Jeopardy! JC never writes anything down, but has never made a mistake in an order. The menu offers guests over five hundred different dishes (hot appetizers, side dishes, salads, etc.), which is quite impressive in itself. The waiter takes an order from twenty people and does not make a single percent mistake. JC worked at a restaurant frequented by University of Colorado brain researcher Anders Eriksson. Noticing JC's unusual abilities, Eriksson asked for permission to study him. The secret of the waiter's success lay in a well-developed organization system: he always divided the customer's order into different categories, such as appetizers, temperature, garnish. And then he encoded a specific order using an alphabetic system. Salads with blue cheeses were designated with the letter "G", the dish "Thousand Islands" with the letter "T", and so on. He used the same code for other dishes, and then assigned letter codes to a certain visitor and memorized them in this way. The semantic hierarchy allowed him to remember details with ease. nine0006

“Whether you're a waiter or a brain scientist, if you want to be precise about the little things, don't start with the details. Focus on the key idea and build the details around the core concepts.”

JC's strategy is based on a principle well known to the scientific community: memory is reinforced by associations between concepts. The experiment was carried out hundreds of times, and the result was always the same: logically grouped words are remembered better than randomly presented ones, on average by 40 percent. This question occupies scientists to this day. Including associations in data representation increases the number of remembered objects. More pieces of intellectual baggage should have made learning difficult, but research suggests otherwise. We are able to reduce the meaning of several words to one, which makes it easier for the brain to remember the details. Therefore, the meaning is above the details. nine0006

John Bransford, a gifted researcher and author of the successful book How People Learn, once wondered: what separates a beginner from an expert in a particular subject? Bransford identified six characteristics, one of which relates to our question: “Knowledge (of experts) is not just a list of facts and formulas on a particular topic; on the contrary, they are organized around a central concept, or concept, which leads their thought to a certain area. nine0006

Whether you're a waiter or a brain scientist, if you want to be precise about the little things, don't start with the details. Focus on the key idea and build details around core concepts.

Multitasking is a myth. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time. At first glance, this is an incorrect statement: after all, some things can be done at the same time, for example, walking and talking. Or, say, the brain controls the heartbeat when you read a book. Pianists play with their right and left hands at the same time. Of course, all this applies to multitasking. But I'm talking about the ability of the brain to pay attention to something. You are trying to forcibly use this resource while listening to a boring lecture at school. The same thing interferes with the flight of thought during an uninteresting presentation at work. Attention cannot be paid to different things at the same time. nine0006

I recently agreed to help a friend of my high school son with homework, an experience I will never forget. Eric had been working on his laptop for about half an hour when I entered the room. He had an iPod around his neck, and the voices of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Green Day came from his headphones; with his left hand he tapped out the rhythm. At least eleven windows were open on the screen, in two of them there was an active correspondence with friends from the MySpace network. In another window, an image was loaded from Google. In the background window, there was an image that Eric was redesigning for a friend from MySpace, and in another window, a video game of tennis was paused. nine0006

Somewhere in the middle of all these tasks, a text program was running containing a document that needed my help. “Music helps me concentrate,” Eric said on his cell phone. - At school, everything is fine with me, I'm just stuck. Thank you for coming". He's really stuck. Eric read a sentence or two, then started typing a message into MySpace, then looked to see if the download had finished, and went back to work. Of course, he was not focused on the task. Does he remind you of someone you know? nine0006

Research has put an end to this discussion, proving that humans are not capable of multitasking. The brain is not equipped to process several signals that require attention at the same time. Eric, like all of us, just jumped from one thing to another. To understand this, you need to study the third component of Posner's Trinity - the execution system. Let's look at how it works for Eric when he tries to work on a task and this process is interrupted by the message "You got an email!" from his girlfriend Emily. nine0006

When Eric starts writing a task from a low start, blood rushes to the anterior prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain, part of the execution system, works like a switchboard, alerting the brain to divert attention to another object.

Step 2: Activation Rule for Job #1

The alarm generated is a two-part message; an electrical signal crackles through Eric's head. The first part of the message contains a request to search for neurons capable of completing the job writing task. The second is a command that will allow you to activate neurons after they are detected. This process is called an activation rule and lasts tenths of a second. Eric begins to carry out the task. nine0006

Step 3: disconnect

While Eric is typing, the brain's sensory system picks up a signal that he has received a new letter from his girlfriend. Since the order in which the task is written differs from the rules for writing Emily's answer, Eric's brain must switch off from one task and switch to another. That is exactly what is happening. The switchboard notifies the brain about the upcoming change in the object of attention.

Step 4: Activation Rule for Job #2

A new two-part message looking for a suitable activation protocol to respond to Emily's email. As in the first case, the first part sends a command to find rules for writing a response to Emily, and the second sends an activation command. Now Eric can pour out his soul to his beloved. As in the first case, the switching process took tenths of a second. nine0006

Incredibly, these four steps must be completed each time Eric switches from one task to another. But this process is quite laborious, moreover, continuous. Therefore, people do not tend to multitask. You must have often noticed how you lost the thread of the work you started, and you had to start over. Every time we switch to another task, we mutter under our breath: “Well, where did I stop?” The only thing that can be said about those who allegedly multitask is that these people have a good memory, able to pay attention to several signals, but in turn. nine0006

It is worth noting that, according to research, if a person is interrupted, then it will take him one and a half times more time to complete the task. And the number of mistakes made by him will increase by the same amount.

Some people, mostly young people, easily switch between tasks. If a person knows the tasks well, then the execution time and the percentage of errors are much less than with rarely performed ones. However, such behavior for the brain, which is in continuous workflow, is like trying to put the left shoe on the right foot. nine0006

A good example is the task of driving a car and talking on a cell phone. Before scientists began to study the degree of distraction when using a mobile phone, no one even imagined how much talking interferes with driving. Chatting while driving is like driving while intoxicated. Recall that it takes a fraction of a second for the brain to switch to another task. Those who like to talk while driving are half a second slower to press the brake pedal in an emergency, slower to pick up normal speed after it and do not keep their distance from the vehicle in front. In half a second, at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour, a car travels about 15 meters. Considering that 80 percent of accidents occur in just 3 seconds due to driver inattention, increasing the number of task switches increases the risk of an accident. More than 50 percent of the visual cues seen by attentive drivers are missed by phone lovers. Not surprisingly, they are more likely than others, with the exception of very drunk people, to get into accidents. nine0006

This applies not only to talking on the phone, but also to putting on make-up and eating while driving, and suffocation due to chewing gum getting in the airways in an accident. Even trying to simply reach for an object while driving increases the risk of an accident by nine times. Given what we know about the functioning of the human brain, this is not surprising.

The need to take breaks for rest reminded me of a movie called "Dog World". According to my parents, this is the worst movie they have ever seen. They hate this film because it depicts in one scene how a farmer forcibly fattens geese in order to cook foie gras from the liver of birds. With the help of a pipe, the farmer simply pushed food into the throats of poor birds. A special copper ring squeezing the neck prevented the goose from burping food, so the food went further into the digestive system. So the birds were fattened until the excess food led to an increase in the volume of the liver, which, of course, delighted chefs around the world. Of course, this behavior has nothing to do with caring for birds that were sacrificed for profit. nine0006

“The competence of a teacher does not guarantee the quality of teaching!”

My mother always brought up this story when we talked about good and bad teachers. “Most teachers “overfeed” their students,” she said, “like that farmer from a horror movie!” When I entered college, I understood what she meant. Now, as a professor and with experience working with business people, I appreciate the extent of this habit. What is the most common communication error? They give too much information and not enough time to establish communication. Forced feeding leads to digestion problems. And here students are sacrificed for profit. nine0006

Of course, this strategy is understandable: most experts who are well versed in their subject simply forget about what it's like to be a beginner. Even if they remembered this, repeating the basic principles over and over again would quickly bore them. In college, I realized that many professors are fed up with teaching, as they are forced to communicate with students on a very primitive level. It seems that they forgot that for them once this information was completely new and it took time to “digest” it, and therefore certain breaks.