Often we hear the statement that people should specialise in what they are best in; positive feedback is the stimulus to trying harder.

But, what if this just strengthens certain parts of the brain and attenuates others? What if the strengthened areas are simply worked harder, when needed to cover other (But in reality better suited) underutilised parts of the brain?

Yes, you could well disagree with the above paragraph, but what about literacy? What would happen if our minds were not shown how to read? Some people would likely teach themselves to read, but what of the others? Think of a person who learns a foreign language and only knows 100 words... and how they over utilise these words in situations where others would be far better.

Just what if everyone had to concentrate on their weaknesses rather than improving their strengths? What if different parts of the brain had to be worked to undertake certain tasks that otherwise would normally be undertaken by another part? (you have to write with your other hand and so forth (It has to be precision based). (Incidentally this is now interesting with the advent of computer keyboards as there is an overlay between using both hands, although the level of precision that is required relative to hand writing is not anywhere near as great). Another example would be to provide additional stimulus to the mind that would require the person to significantly focus on the problem at hand or (as I have a suspicion) probably that the stimulated area would contribute to the required problem solving but from a slightly different basis (If many parts of the brain can contribute to a problem that needs to be solved then this is far more likely to result in an additional intuitive step than a simple tried and tested A to B linear path).

Also, there are doorways that close according to age. By this we have all sorts of cut off dates in a person’s developmental life that are biologically based. Almost certainly then we’d expect that the potential of cross training of the mind to be more effective when starting from an earlier age (whether by a simple accumulation of acquired ability or an inherent ability of the mind to grow the appropriate Grey/White matter and stimulate the appropriate areas).

At school the kids are taught to exercise, athletes to cross train... just what if we followed the same approach to brain usage?

It makes me wonder.