BRAIN POWER: From Neurons to Networks

[Chatter] [Narrator] A lot of us are wondering what is all this technology doing to our brains? [Phone ringing; beeping] I mean, we know that the brain changes throughout life based on experiences. In fact, watching this movie is reshaping connections in your brain right now. [♪ Music ♪] But since we humans are the ones creating and using this technology, maybe a better question to ask is how are we shaping our brains? [Brain Power] There is so much about the brain that we don't know, but there are some things we do know. You see, not long after we humans began thinking, we began thinking about ways to understand our own brains. One strategy thinkers have used throughout history is to compare the brain to the newest technology of their day. The brain as a clock, a switchboard, a steam engine, a machine, a computer. And we wondered how can today's technology help us understand the brain in a new way? So we used that technology to ask people all over the world, "How do you imagine the brain?" It was amazing, like all these neurons firing ideas and images back to us from all over the world. [♪ Music ♫] And it was very clear. The Internet, the most advanced technological system in the world, is such a strong framework to help understand the human brain, the most advanced biological system in the world. But then we thought about it a bit more, and since the Internet is in such a young, developmental stage, rapidly growing, constantly changing, forming billions of new connections all over the world, then maybe a stronger framework would be to compare it to a child's brain, which is in a similar stage of development, rapidly growing, constantly changing, and making billions upon billions of connections between different parts of the brain. So here's the question: If we say that the Internet is in a similar developmental stage as a child's brain, then what can we learn by comparing them? Let's start with size. Obviously the Internet seems like a larger entity than a child's brain, but what does that mean in terms of our analogy? We could say that a neuron in the brain would be like a web page in the Internet. So let's look at the number of neurons in a child's brain compared to the number of web pages on the Internet. Well, a human at any age has about 100 billion neurons in the brain, but the Internet has 10 times that-- 1 trillion web pages. So with this analogy, the Internet is bigger. So then which of these networks is more complex? We could say a synapse in the brain--the connection point between two neurons-- is like a hyperlink--the connection point between two web pages. So are there more connections in a child's brain or on the Internet? [♫ Music ♪] Well, the Internet has over a 100 trillion links, and an adult's brain has 300 trillion links. But get this: A child's brain has a quadrillion connections-- 10 times the number of connections of the entire Internet. A child's brain has more connections than the entire Internet. Yes, it blew our minds too. How is that even possible? Let's break it down. As we said, a baby is born with 100 billion neurons, but those quadrillion connections, they're not there yet. Those connections form at a very rapid speed during the first 5 years of life, at 700-1000 new synapses per second. Those connections are created through every interaction a child has and are important because they form the architecture of the brain. So every time you talk to and engage with a child, you are literally growing a brain, connecting the different parts of the brain, which allows for new ideas, insights, and creative thinking. So each moment of eye contact, each new word exchanged, each time you make a child laugh, you are strengthening these connections. And since there are so many different ways to do this, we asked people around the world, "Send us videos of your favorite ways to engage with the children in your life." [Piano music ♫] During these early years, a child's brain makes as many connections as possible, and then it begins pruning the ones that aren't used and strengthening the ones that are. A dynamic process that continues throughout life. But since a child's brain is activated by everything it encounters, it can also be overwhelmed, which causes stress. When the brain experiences stress, the body's alarm system is activated. If the stress is relieved quickly, the system easily returns to normal. And while learning to deal with stress is an important part of development, severe situations, such as ongoing abuse or neglect, where there is no caring adult to relieve the stress, leaves the body's alarm system activated, which can have serious life-long consequences for the child. This is known as toxic stress. Toxic stress can lead to a body system set permanently on high alert. It causes the synapses we use for learning and self-control to be pruned, while connections for fear and rash behavior get stronger. [Singing ♫] While the brain can change throughout the rest of life, these early years are fundamental in building a strong foundation for curiosity, creativity, and adaptability. [♪ Music ♪] And if we say that the Internet is in the same critical stage of early development, making as many connections as possible, we also need to be mindful of how we're building its foundation. Just like every interaction creates new connections in a child's brain, every e-mail, tweet, search, or post is creating and strengthening connections in our global brain, literally changing the shape of the Internet that we, as billions of people all over the world, are developing together. And just as it's key for all the different parts of a child's brain to be connected to set the stage for the most insightful and creative thoughts, it's key that all the different parts of the world are connected to lay the foundation for worldwide empathy, innovation, and human expression. And while we don't know all the ways technology is reshaping our brains yet, we do know that every time we plug in, every person we follow, email, or link to, we know it's affecting us, so we need to be mindful of what we let into our brains, always, which sometimes means knowing when to disconnect. Just as it's not good for a child's brain to be constantly over or under stimulated, it's not good for an adult's brain either. [♫ Music ♪] For both the Internet and a child's brain, the connections we pay most attention to will be strengthened, while the ones we use less will be pruned. [♪ Music ♪] So how do we nurture both of these growing, interconnected networks to set a course for a better future? By paying attention to what we are paying attention to. Attention is the mind's most valuable resource. Every interaction counts. We all have the opportunity to shape the future of the world, and our future starts here. [ ♪ Music ♪] ["The best invention in the world is the mind of a child." -Thomas Edison] [Help shape the future by...] [we will make a free customized version of this film for your organization] [with your logo and call to action here] [Credits] [Let It Ripple, mobile film for global change] [www.letitripple.org, #letitripple, @tiffanyshlain]