Comments on: Motor skills as mental lubricant?

By: thebrokedown

thebrokedown — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:37:33 +0000

If you were to tie Joe Cocker’s arms down, he simply would not be able to sing.

By: Korin

Korin — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:08:56 +0000

When I was homeschooled, my brother used to constantly fiddle with anything his feet could reach while working on his schooling. My mum finally ended up buying him a large foam ball to play with!
I know for me, when running through flashcards, I remember them better when pacing the room.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:19:26 +0000

I have found a strange correlation between singing and using my hand or fingers (almost like a conductor) to “get” to the note or notes I’m singing. I never realized this was odd until I saw Mariah Carry doing the same thing when she sings!

By: Doc

Doc — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:57:49 +0000

I apply all sorts of physical cues to problem solving. When I’m doing some sort of math in my head I use the fingers of my left hand like an abacus. I memorize things by using an old bardic technique – each joint of each hand is correlated with a walk thru of rooms in a house where the items I’m trying to remember are symbolized… a picture on a wall, furniture, tableware, whatever.

Now, remembering someone’s name from a party last month is tricky. Never was very good at that, although I tend to visualize the person’s name written on their forehead. Tacky, but it works.

I fidget constantly. Have been told by more than one lady that I twitch in my sleep. As a former professional musician (keyboardist), I know that I do finger exercises while asleep and have often gone to rest not knowing a particular passage and awakened with the knowledge of how it’s done. Get up from the bed and it’s there – just have to practice it to get it hard-wired into the system. Must’ve let the subconscious have it’s way. It works for me.

I also look up and to the left when I’m problem solving or recalling events or book learning. I’m told this is a cue to consult the left brain. I look up and to the right when I’m working out music – right brain, if you believe in that partitioning of the mind.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:57:03 +0000

Gesticulation is my middle name. To much mockery, but whatevs, it works for me and my brain.

By: lisa

lisa — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:36:28 +0000

On a side note, opening your mouth whilst applying make-up helps because it pulls the fleshy part of the cheek taut and thereby provides more room to access your eye area. So there is a physical reason behind this mental instinct.
Another one that has some scientific basis is opening and closing your mouth whilst feeding a baby – we do it without even realising, but babies learn to mimic the process and chew their own food.
The rocking motion that most people adopt when holding a newborn is also an instinctive movement – it simulates the movements the fetus experienced in the womb and they are therefore more likely to feel safe and contented.
For the poking out of tongues to increase concentration…I have no idea.

By: ryan

ryan — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:46:39 +0000

i know i figdet like crazy when im working on my differential equation homework. my mom always told me to stop it when id start kicking my foot, but that only made me aware of it and aware of how much i wanted to continue fidgeting, ironically enough, in order to keep concentrating on my work.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:39:57 +0000

This is funny. Just the other day I realized that every time I look for something I tend to raise my ears.I only realized it recently as I’ve been wearing my glasses more. Haven’t checked to see if the ear thing is actually HELPING to find anything or not

By: mac

mac — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:35:36 +0000

Of course! I can attest to a few of the examples myself. As an amateur actor, the whole memorizing lines thing is a big one. Pacing definitely helps me. And then when you’re running a scene, position on stage, gestures, they all help keep you on track of where you are and you’re supposed to be doing and saying.

And my wife used to be a Montessori teacher, and the way they taught math was with “manipulatives” – things that can be manipulated. And beads and cubes in rows of ten that could be stacked, etc.