Something Post #3

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/silence-brain-benefits_us_56d83967e4b0000de4037004

This article outlines 4 of the major benefits that silence has on the brain. So in addition to being essential to learning and communication as highlighted in last week's readings, it may be beneficial to your mental health overall! Silence relieves stress and tension by limiting amygdala activity and reducing production of the hormone cortisol, it can replenish our mental resources by reducing the sensory information we have to process, and it can literally replenish brain cells. In addition, it said that it allows us to tap into our brain's default mode network in which we engage in "self-generated cognition" This reminds me of the Threshold Concepts in Writing in which cognition was referred to as the act of performance. Thus silence allows us to be better intact with our current thought processes, emotions and ideas and therefore make it easier to engage in meta-cognition!