The Power of the Brain-Body Connection | Mat Boulé | TEDxLaval

Summary

The video script explores the concept of posture and its impact on movement, learning, and emotions. It highlights research on how standing upright affects heart rate, blood pressure, and cognitive function, with insights into how the skin on the feet helps maintain balance. Posturology, a technique born in 1985, aims to improve posture by stimulating the feet and eyes. The script connects posture to brain function, learning, stress management, and hormonal profiles, suggesting that optimal alignment could enhance cognitive and emotional well-being without conscious effort.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The cost of standing upright is not monetary but involves physiological changes like increased heart rate and blood pressure.
• 🧠 Movement, learning, and thinking are interconnected, suggesting that how we move can influence how we learn and think.
• 🧍‍♂️ Standing upright is controlled by the frontal lobe of the brain, which organizes movements based on environmental perception.
• 👣 Neuroscientist JP Roll's research in 1998 highlighted the importance of the skin of the foot in maintaining upright posture and movement.
• 🔍 Posture Ology, developed in 1985, aims to optimize standing posture through stimulation of the feet and eyes without conscious thought.
• 🏫 The cerebellum, a common organ for both movement and academics, is activated by postural muscles used for standing upright.
• 🚹🚺 The script suggests that optimal information from postural muscles to the cerebellum could benefit individuals, enhancing brain function.
• 🧐 Research in 2006 found that adults with ADHD had a smaller frontal lobe, affecting both movement and attention.
• 🌌 A 1999 study reviewed how cognitive measures are affected by the absence of gravity, such as in space.
• 🧠 In 2015, research indicated that a smaller frontal lobe is associated with difficulty in managing stress and certain personality disorders.
• 💪 Amy Cuddy's 2015 TED talk suggested that power poses can influence hormone levels, reducing stress and potentially enhancing performance.

Q & A

What did the 1978 study find about the physiological effects of standing upright?

The 1978 study found that standing upright increases both heart rate and blood pressure.

How do our movements relate to our learning and thinking processes?

Our movements, learning, and thinking are interconnected, suggesting that how we move can influence how we learn and think.

What role does the frontal lobe play in organizing movements?

The frontal lobe organizes movements based on how we perceive the environment.

According to the 1998 research by neuroscientist JP Roll, what part of the body do we use to stand upright and move?

We use inputs from the skin of our feet to stand upright and move.

What is the aim of the technique called 'posture ology'?

The aim of posture ology is to stimulate the feet and eyes with innovative technology and exercises to allow someone to stand upright optimally without having to think about it.

How does posture ology contribute to the results achieved by posture purel?

Posture ology contributes to the results achieved by posture purel by enabling optimal alignment and posture without conscious thought.

What is the connection between movement, academics, and the cerebellum?

Movement and academics share a common organ, the cerebellum, which is activated by postural muscles used to stand upright.

How does the cerebellum influence both motor and language areas of the brain?

The cerebellum activates motor areas for movement and language areas for learning when postural muscles are engaged.

What did the 1999 study on cognitive measures in space reveal?

The 1999 study found that cognitive measures appear to be affected while in space.

What did the 2006 research on adults with ADHD discover about the frontal lobe?

The 2006 research found that the frontal lobe was smaller in adults with ADHD, which is crucial for both movement and attention.

How does the size of the frontal lobe relate to stress management and certain personality disorders?

A smaller frontal lobe is associated with difficulty managing stress and certain personality disorders such as antisocial and borderline personality disorder.

What was the main point of Amy Cuddy's 2015 TED talk about power poses?

Amy Cuddy's TED talk suggested that adopting power poses can increase testosterone and decrease cortisol, thereby improving hormonal balance and reducing stress.

Outlines

00:00

🧍 The Science of Standing Upright

This paragraph delves into the physiological and neurological aspects of standing upright. It begins by questioning the cost of standing upright and whether it varies by individual. Historical research from 1978 is cited, which discovered that standing increases heart rate and blood pressure. The discussion then shifts to how our movements, learning, and thinking are interconnected, and whether our control over movements is influenced by the frontal lobe's organization of movement based on environmental perception. The paragraph explores whether our movement strategies differ based on the surface we stand on, like ice, sand, or mud. In 1998, neuroscientist JP Roll's research on the role of the skin of the foot in maintaining an upright stance and movement is highlighted. The paragraph introduces 'posture ology', a technique developed in 1985, which uses technology and exercises to stimulate the feet and eyes, aiming to help individuals stand upright optimally without conscious thought. The benefits of posture ology are showcased through results from the Posture Pure research center in Montreal. The paragraph concludes by linking movement and academics through their common reliance on the cerebellum, emphasizing the importance of postural muscles in activating the cerebellum, which in turn affects motor and language areas of the brain.

05:01

🧠 Brain Research and Postural Impact

The second paragraph continues the exploration of the impact of posture on cognitive and emotional functions, focusing on brain research. It starts by discussing a 1999 study that analyzed cognitive measures in space, suggesting that cognitive abilities are affected in zero-gravity environments. On Earth, a 2006 study on adults with ADHD found a smaller frontal lobe, which is crucial for both movement and attention. The paragraph then connects the frontal lobe's role in movement and learning to its importance in emotional regulation, citing a 2015 study that found a smaller frontal lobe in individuals with difficulty managing stress and certain personality disorders. Amy Cuddy's 2015 TED talk on power poses is mentioned, which showed that adopting certain postures can increase testosterone and decrease cortisol, the stress hormone. The paragraph concludes by hypothesizing about the potential for 'power postures' that could improve hormonal profiles and overall well-being without conscious effort, and it poses a final question about the readiness for posture ology as a field, given its potential benefits.

Keywords

💡Upright posture

Upright posture refers to the body's alignment when standing straight with the head, shoulders, and hips stacked vertically over the ankles. In the video, it is discussed that standing upright increases heart rate and blood pressure, and it's essential for optimal body function and movement. The script mentions that posture ology aims to help individuals stand upright optimally without conscious thought, highlighting the significance of this posture for overall health and movement efficiency.

💡Heart rate

Heart rate is the number of times the heart beats per minute, typically measured at rest. The video script points out that standing upright increases heart rate, which is a physiological response to the body's need to pump blood more efficiently against gravity. This concept is important as it links posture to cardiovascular health, indicating that even simple changes in how we stand can have significant impacts on our bodily functions.

💡Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels. The script notes that standing upright can increase blood pressure, which is a critical factor in cardiovascular health. This increase is necessary to ensure adequate blood flow to the upper parts of the body, and it underscores the video's theme of how posture affects overall bodily function.

💡Frontal lobe

The frontal lobe is the front part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, focus, and motor skills. In the video, it is mentioned that the frontal lobe is involved in organizing movements and is linked to both movement and learning. The script also discusses how a smaller frontal lobe is associated with ADHD and difficulties in managing stress, emphasizing its importance in cognitive and emotional regulation.

💡Cerebellum

The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays a key role in motor control, coordination, and balance. The video script explains that postural muscles activate the cerebellum, which in turn affects both motor and language areas of the brain. This connection illustrates how posture and movement are intricately linked to cognitive functions, suggesting that optimal posture can enhance brain function.

💡Posture ology

Posture ology is a technique mentioned in the video that involves using technology and exercises to stimulate the feet and eyes, aiming to help individuals stand upright optimally. The script highlights that posture ology's goal is to achieve better posture without conscious effort, which could lead to improved posture and potentially better cognitive and emotional well-being.

💡Gravity

Gravity is the force that attracts two objects toward each other. In the context of the video, gravity is the force that postural muscles must resist to maintain an upright posture. The script suggests that understanding and managing this force is crucial for optimal posture and movement, and it also touches upon the effects of zero gravity on cognitive measures, as studied in space.

💡Cognitive measures

Cognitive measures are assessments used to evaluate various aspects of cognitive function, such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. The video script references a study that found cognitive measures to be affected in space, where gravity is absent. This finding is relevant to the video's theme as it suggests that gravity and posture have implications for cognitive performance.

💡ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The script mentions that individuals with ADHD have a smaller frontal lobe, which is crucial for movement, attention, and learning. This connection between ADHD and the frontal lobe underscores the video's exploration of how physical posture and brain function are interrelated.

💡Stress management

Stress management refers to the strategies and techniques used to cope with stress. The video script discusses how a smaller frontal lobe is associated with difficulty in managing stress, suggesting that posture and movement could play a role in stress response. The mention of power poses by Amy Cuddy in the script also ties into this concept, as these poses are suggested to improve hormonal balance and reduce stress.

💡Power poses

Power poses are postures that are suggested to increase confidence and reduce stress by affecting hormone levels. The video script references Amy Cuddy's TED talk on power poses, which found that adopting such poses can increase testosterone and decrease cortisol. This concept is relevant as it links physical posture to emotional and physiological states, aligning with the video's theme of the interconnectedness of posture, movement, and well-being.

Highlights

Standing upright increases both heart rate and blood pressure.

In 1978, researchers began exploring the physiological costs of standing upright.

How we move, learn, and think may be interconnected.

In 1998, neuroscientist JP Roll discovered that inputs from the skin of the feet are crucial for standing upright and movement.

Posturology, a technique introduced in 1985, aims to improve posture through foot and eye stimulation.

Posturology allows people to stand upright optimally without consciously thinking about it.

Movement and academics share a common organ: the cerebellum.

Postural muscles activate the cerebellum, which is responsible for motor control and also linked to cognitive functions like language.

Postural imbalances affect the entire brain's ability to function at full potential.

Resisting the force of gravity activates postural muscles.

In 1999, researchers examined cognitive measures in space and found that gravity affects cognitive function.

A 2006 study found that adults with ADHD have smaller frontal lobes, which are involved in movement and attention.

The frontal lobe is critical for managing emotions, and individuals with high stress or certain personality disorders have smaller frontal lobes.

Amy Cuddy's research on power poses showed they can increase testosterone and reduce cortisol.

The concept of 'power postures' aims to optimize alignment and improve hormonal profiles without conscious effort.

Transcripts

I have a question for you how much does

it cost to stand upright does anyone

here have the answer to that question

I'm not too sure anyone has the answer

to that question and besides could it be

that the answer differs based on the

individual in 1978 researchers asked

themselves the same question what they

found out was that standing upright

increases both heart rate and blood

pressure in 2016

the question is could it be that how we

move how we learn and how we think is

interconnecting to move better are we

really in control of our movements if

it's true that we organize movements

with the frontal lobe this is based on

how we perceive the environment and so

would you think that the strategy to

move is the same whether we stand on ice

on sand or in the mud in 1998

neuroscientist JP roll published on the

role of the skin of the foot what he

found out was that we use inputs from

the skin of our feet to stand upright

and to move and so knowing this how do

you think this foot stance contributes

to posture in 1985 a technique entitled

posture ology was born and posture

ologies aim is to stimulate the feet and

the eyes with innovative technology and

exercises to allow someone to stand

upright optimally and this is the kicker

without them having to actually think

about it

these are the types of results achieved

by posture ologists across the world

these are specifically from posture

purel our research centre here in

Montreal what you see here is what's

possible with posture ology to learn

better how would you say movement and

academics are related well movement and

academics actually share a common organ

that organ is called the cerebellum it

is postural muscles that are responsible

for turning on the cerebellum and

postural muscles are the ones we use to

stand upright so knowing this when

looking at these two individuals which

one do you think benefits from optimal

information being sent from their

muscles to the cerebellum in order to

light up the entire brain if it's true

that the cerebellum turns on the motor

areas of the brain the cerebellum also

turns on the language areas and so what

you have to understand is that with the

partial imbalance it's the entire brain

that doesn't get led up to its full

potential and it is both movement and

learning that suffer now to turn on

postural muscles one needs to resist the

force and that force is the force of

gravity

so the question is what happens when

there's no gravity in 1999 researchers

actually looked at that what they did is

they scrutinized 29 different studies

looking at six different cognitive

measures what they found out was that

while in space cognitive measures

actually do appear to be affected

meanwhile here on earth in 2006

researchers studied the brains of adults

with ADHD what they found out is that

there was a particular brain area that

was smaller and that area was for both

movement and attention that area was

indeed the frontal lobe and so the next

time you think of a learning disability

will you be able to think of this versus

this to think better if it's true that

the frontal lobe is really important for

movement and learning it's also critical

in how we manage emotions in 2015

researchers again have studied the size

of the brains now this time of

individuals that had a hard time

managing stress I'm not too sure where

they found those people they must be

really hard to find but what they did is

that they looked at the size of the

brains of those people now people that

had a hard time managing stress the

frontal lobe was smaller the frontal

lobe was also smaller in individuals

that were affected with antisocial

personality disorder as well as

borderline personality disorder in 2015

Amy Cuddy and her famous TED talk spoke

about power poses and what she was able

to prove was that by adopting these

power poses we could increase the Stas

drone and decrease cortisol which is the

stress hormone so my thought is this

what if we could create power postures

where people walk around mourning

tonight with optimal alignment their

hormonal profile improved and again the

kicker without them having to actually

think about it

well the question was how much does it

cost to stand upright and this is 2016

the real question is if this is possible

then are you ready for posture ology

thank you

you