Put Your Thinking Cap On...Really!

Well hey there! Wonderful to see you as always. What'cha been up to? Just brewed a new pot of coffee. I see you have your mug there so fill 'er up. Grab yourself a virtual doughnut, muffin or pastry as well, why don't'cha? Say...remember the old expression about "putting your thinking cap on"? Well now you can...

Up until a few weeks ago, the proverbial thinking cap only had a figurative meaning, but apparently science has finally managed to catch up. A couple of American scientists have created a real thinking cap that could help people learn and make decisions quicker.

This unique device is the brainchild of psychology professor Geoff Woodman and Ph.D. student Robert Reinhart of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and works by sending very low electrical shocks to the brain when worn. The duo claim that the electrical stimulation of certain parts of the brain could make the wearer learn new skills and make better decisions.
Indeed, studies performed on the human brain have revealed that negative voltage spikes occur in the medial-frontal cortex of the brain, milliseconds before we make a mistake. Woodman and Reinhart figured that a part of the brain can influence learning and decision making, helping us avoid the same mistakes later.

I think it would be a good idea for governments to give a 'thinking cap' to every student, don't you? Perhaps a few teachers as well...and politicians for sure. What about the military? Hold on a dang minute here... soon everyone will have one and then someone will come up with a new and improved version and...then someone else will say the caps are not fashionable so all sorts of refinements will be made...colours...fur-trimmed caps...team logos...caps with peaks so guys can wear them backwards to show they aren't working...

See ya, eh!

Bob