Bloomington brains

During a class of mine, a student brought up a personal bias of his that I’d never heard before.

The guy said whenever he sees a jogger, a cyclist, a weight lifter or any muscle-toned person, he can’t possibly imagine that person being any sort of an intellectual.  

This makes no sense.

It’s been proven through multiple studies that student athletes tend to have a higher graduation rate than the rest of the student body and also tend to graduate with a higher GPA.

Some might argue that student athletes have an unfair advantage in academics due to built-in academic tutoring programs that come with playing on the team or special treatment in the classroom and others might argue that grades in general are not accurate reflections of intelligence.

So let’s forget about grades and University-tied athletes and focus on how exercise and proper diet has an effect on the brain.

For one, exercising has a direct affect on neurogenesis, the process in which your brain produces new cells in your hippocampus, which is the place where memory and learning happens.

Secondly, exercise increases the four chemicals that fight depression and have been proven to promote balance, which improves your mood: dopamine, endorphins, epinephrine and serotonin.

Obviously the guy in my English class had no reason to discriminate against athletes, but more importantly he probably wouldn’t have made that mistake if only he’d taken the time to enjoy the 22 brains across Bloomington and the IU campus.

If you’re not too busy exercising, studying or experimenting with recreational drugs, it might be a good idea to learn a little about your body’s central processing unit.

The JBT Brains contain a potpourri of anatomy, art and fun facts guaranteed to rock your mind.  

The brains are brightly colored and more visually stimulating than the lights on the art building, not to mention you don’t have to sit upside-down to enjoy them.  

Of course, that’s not to say they are not enjoyable from an underside perspective. If getting high and putting your feet on stuff is your default way of enjoying things, then by all means enjoy the brains and shine on, you crazy diamond.  

Everyone should enjoy all of their brains.

--ktgragg@indiana.edu