Summary of Versión Completa. Conocer el cerebro para vivir mejor. Facundo Manes, neurocientífico

00:00:00 - 00:55:00

In this video, neuroscientist Facundo Manes shares insights on a range of topics, including the importance of education, empathy, and human connections in promoting well-being and success. He emphasizes the significance of investing in the brains and knowledge of citizens to combat prejudice and biases and create a healthy society. Additionally, Manes discusses the role of teachers in inspiring and motivating students and generating new information, as well as the impact of various factors like nutrition, exercise, and stress management on cognitive function. Ultimately, the speaker believes that success can still be attained through hard work, honesty, and altruism, and it's our responsibility to show the youth of today that these values are still important in achieving success.

• 00:00:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes speaks about his upbringing in a small Argentine town and how education changed his life, giving him a voice in the scientific world and the confidence to pursue his dreams. He notes that education also protects our brains and is a crucial factor in cerebral protection, allowing individuals to adapt to a constantly changing world and achieve their goals. Manes goes on to explain how his experience led him to create a critical mass of young people in Argentina to investigate the brain, cognitive functions, and emotions, culminating in the creation of the Ineco Institute of Cognitive Neurology and the Neurosciences Institute of the Favaloro Foundation.
• 00:05:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes discusses how the world has transitioned into the knowledge era, where the most important resource a country can have is the knowledge and capacity of their citizens. He explains how his contribution to the field of cognitive neuroscience in his home country, Argentina, lead him to understand that the best investment a society can make is in the education of its people. Additionally, Manes talks about the importance of empathy among members of a team, the need for diverse voices to be heard, and how gender diversity within a team is crucial for success. Manes also incorporates topics such as altruism, intelligence, education and the importance of striving towards goals.
• 00:10:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes discusses the influence of genetics on our well-being and emphasizes the importance of human connections in promoting happiness. He highlights that chronic social isolation is a major cause of mortality and that only deep human connections, not just social media contacts, are significant in promoting well-being. Furthermore, having a purpose and concentrating on the present moment can also positively impact our mental health.
• 00:15:00 In this section, the neuroscientist Facundo Manes explains that being present and avoiding anxiety by focusing on the task at hand can lead to greater productivity and happiness. Engaging in activities that induce a state of "flow" can also increase creativity and well-being. Manes goes on to discuss the role of altruism, novelty, and hedonic pleasure in promoting happiness, and notes that beyond a certain point, money does not have a significant impact on overall well-being. Additionally, he touches on how age can affect happiness and how the creative process involves both preparation and incubation.
• 00:20:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes explains the three processes that lead to creative moments. The first is preparing the brain by immersing oneself in the subject matter, followed by incubation, where the brain is allowed to rest and process information while not actively engaged in a task. The third process is letting the brain relax, allowing the diffused network to process previously learned information. Manes also emphasizes the importance of making mistakes and being open to the "eureka" moment, which can arise from seemingly unproductive periods of idleness. Moreover, Manes explains how the human brain has evolved to prioritize survival over truth and how this affects decision-making in modern times.
• 00:25:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes discusses how society tends to cling to irrational beliefs even in the face of scientific evidence, using the example of the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. He explains how humans are tribal beings and that belonging to a particular group, even if irrational, can often be more important than the truth. Manes also explores the two systems of decision-making: automatic and unconscious, and rational and deliberate, and how humans tend to rely more on the automatic system because it requires little energy. Finally, Manes discusses the question of free will and how many scientists believe that humans remain biological machines that respond to the context around them.
• 00:30:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes explains that the brain doesn't have a "memory box" but rather has different circuits that modulate different types of memory. There are various classifications of memory such as episodic, where one remembers the location and time of an event, semantic, remembering concepts such as cities, and procedural, which relates to memory that is linked to experience. Manes notes that memories are not fixed and can be reconstructed and modified each time they are recalled, with new protein synthesis occurring during memory consolidation. Ultimately, memory isn't just what happened, but how we remember those events.
• 00:35:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes explains the importance of forgetting in memory and how forgetting does not occur passively, but rather through an active process that requires protein synthesis and energy expenditure. Manes also discusses the normal decline of memory in the third decade of life and the impact of chronic stress, pathological anxiety, and depression. He suggests that having an active social life, optimism, and regular physical exercise can protect the brain and improve cognitive function. Additionally, he encourages continually learning new things and keeping the brain active as a way of staving off cognitive decline.
• 00:40:00 In this section, Facundo Manes, a neuroscientist, reveals some habits that help maintain a healthy brain: active social life, physical exercise, mental engagement, learning new things, a healthy diet, managing stress, and getting adequate sleep. He also explains how our thoughts determine our feelings, and we can change how we think to change how we feel. Moreover, Manes explains that prejudice stems from our limited cognitive resources, as the brain tries to make decisions without extensive reasoning, leading to biased mental schemata. Our ancestors developed tribalistic instincts to protect their families and mistrust other tribes. Today, we live in a multiculturally cosmopolitan world, and we need to recognize unconscious prejudices that our brains process before conscious awareness.
• 00:45:00 In this section, neuroscientist Facundo Manes shares insights on how empathy can play a crucial role in overcoming prejudice in society. Empathizing and imagining the perspectives of others, as well as having inspiring and impactful projects, can help counteract identity-based beliefs that can hinder people's ability to accept new information. Additionally, Manes believes that there are various factors that can impact learning, such as proper nutrition, adequate sleep, exercise, and stress management. In terms of education, he emphasizes that the role of a teacher is no longer just about transmitting information but also inspiring and motivating students in their learning journey.
• 00:50:00 In this section, Facundo Manes, a neuroscientist, emphasizes the importance of education and the role of teachers in facilitating it. According to him, generating new information and working in teams are essential for creating knowledge, whether in the sciences or humanities. Manes explains that the primary role of teachers today is to inspire and motivate students and attract their attention. He notes that while online education is a helpful supplement, it cannot replace human contact and interaction. In conclusion, Manes suggests that countries should invest in the brains of their citizens by providing quality education and equal opportunities to combat prejudice, biases, and selfishness.
• 00:55:00 This excerpt from the video features the speaker discussing the importance of hard work, honesty, and education in achieving success in life, and how it's still possible to attain success by being empathetic, solidary, and altruistic. The speaker believes it's everyone's obligation to show the youth of today that success can still be achieved through these values.