Vision

A picture is worth 1,000 words.

Many adults describe themselves visual learners.  Statistically these folks self report to comprise 87 % of the adult population. Visual learners must "see" something in order to fully understand it.  Are you shaking your head, "yes"?   If you are one of these people your brain is wired in such a way as to create meaning through visual clues as found in maps, graphs, and diagrams. Visual learners love Power Point – when it contains more than just words!  A visual image provides clarity of interpretation and sets the content into context.  Think about it!

Visual learners are also very good at using this intelligence to judge distances and how fast something is coming at you.  This intelligence is what enables you to interpret how much content will fit into any space – luggage in the trunk, spaghetti sauce in a storage container or your car in a parking space.  You have come to rely on this sense and intelligence to define your movements as well as your understanding.

Vision is a very complex procedure. It tells your brain many things beyond color and shape. Some of the aspects of vision that help your brain to comprehend are movement, depth, breadth, texture, shading (did you realize there are at least 57 shades of green – not all appear in the Crayola box), contrast and brightness. Your vision helps in recognition of familiar objects and facial features.

Most of us do not pay as much attention to our vision as we might.  Vision is a great memory tool.  Remember, "paying attention" is a huge part of memory.  When you meet someone really look at the person.  Pay attention to their coloring, facial features and some significant aspect such as height, if they are wearing glasses or their posture.  Please note I did not mention what they are wearing.  This doesn’t help much as people tend to change clothes on a regular basis.  Anchor these identifying characteristics in your brain and make associations.  The visual clues will help you to remember.

When you park your car or enter the mall, take a visual account of the area around you.  Look for isle numbers or departments in the store.  Look!  Notice things and record them in your memory to help you locate your exit or isle in which you have parked your car.

Concentrate on your vision and it becomes a great tool.

Remember when you thought your mother had eyes in the back of her head? You believed her because she knew what you were doing even when her back was turned to you.  Your occipital lobe (responsible for vision) is located in the back of your head.  Now, we know that is not where we actually see from, but that’s the brain space that holds responsibility for much of your visual comprehension.  Train yourself to really see things, to pay attention.  Your brain will thank you as it gains a greater ability to recall information gathered through your visual intelligence.  Pay Attention!