So what happens to the human brain if left unused?

Factual Questions
1

First post :smiley: Also is search option only for subscribers?

My questions:

Unused? – Education and Learning wise.

  1. So what happens to the brain if left unused since the person did not go to school for 6 years and did nothing but go to his mindless minimum wage job, or just enjoy entertainment whether it be movies, T.V., video games, internet, or social outings?

  2. Due to inactivity, would the brain get some kind of damage? (Of course not talking about the same damage from recreational drug use.) Like memory problems, shorter attention span, and lack of cognitive abilities?

  3. Will a person’s brain simply adapt and regain back it’s loss learning abilities when he decides to go back to school?

  4. Will the inactive person’s brain be permanently weaker than an average student’s brain who has only taken a year off ?

3

I’m not competent to reply to your questions, but yes, the search function is only for subscribers.

In any case, welcome and pleasedtameetcha.

4

Some of it depends on how young the person is. Children who do not learn to speak before the age of 5 or so will never speak properly, and will have a whole range of other problems. Some smart guy named Cecil wrote an article about feral children. In it, he mentioned:

Full article here:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_046.html

For someone older, say old enough to hold a minimum wage job per the OP, the “damage” would be much less permanent. There is a certain amount of “if you don’t use it you lose it” with the human brain, and after 6 years the person would score lower on IQ tests and such. The person would initially be at a huge disadvantage to the person who only took one year off of school, but after some time, would make a “full recovery”, if you want to call it that.

Some recent studies have indicated that people who remain active and use their minds in old age are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

5

It depends on when. 5 years of missed schooling before the kid is 10 has a far more significant inpact than when he’s 50. The difference isn’t the material, it’s the amount the human brain naturally absorbs the younger one is. I’d be willing to guess a 5 year old totally immersed in a new language would become fluent in 3 years, an adult may never achieve total fluency and certainly without and accent.

6

Four responses, and no politics or religion jokes yet? :smiley: