The Conference Board Launches YourBrainatWork.org in Time for Brain Awareness Week

NEW YORK, March 16 /PRNewswire/ — Right on time for Brain Awareness Week beginning today, The Conference Board, the global business research and membership organization, and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives announced the launch of YourBrainatWork.org, a new, publicly accessible, interactive, online tool which promotes brain-healthy activities for employees of all ages. “Keeping up with the latest in ever-improving technologies and ever-evolving workplaces requires that people learn faster and better than ever, especially on the job,” says Jeri Sedlar, Senior Advisor to The Conference Board on Mature Workforce Issues. “This tool is easily digestible and would make a great addition to a workplace wellness or other human resources initiative.” YourBrainatWork.org, created with funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies, connects the latest research in the field of cognitive science to practical suggestions for working and living smarter and longer by highlighting the brain’s capacity for improvement, reinvention and dynamic growth at every age. It also allows users to get answers to questions relating to their own particular needs, and includes games, quizzes and other interactive features that test and exercise cognitive fitness. By paying close attention to a particular task (“attention density”), and, by extension, to the neural networks underlying it, “one can eventually ‘hard-wire’ new, stronger neural patterns into the brain,” says neuropsychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz. The site offers tips to achieve optimal “attention density” and achieve top performance. ADVICE DESIGNED FOR DIFFERENT COMFORT LEVELS The last few decades have seen a shift in preferred learning styles from verbal to visual to virtual, based on when individuals were first exposed to computers. This “digital divide” roughly demarcates those who were formally educated before the widespread use of computers versus those who came to computers in adolescence or before. YourBrainatWork.org takes into account learning styles and preferences based on which side of the “digital divide” people fall. “‘Plasticity’ is the brain’s ability to change with experience and learning,” says Sedlar. “The guide points out the good news for those in the working world–the brain’s capacity for plasticity continues throughout life and learning strengthens the brain’s architecture and makes it easier to learn more. So all that time spent learning a new computer system and mastering your Blackberry is time well spent.” The cognitive fitness principles described in the guide can complement many corporate human resources-related programs such as those addressing wellness, knowledge transfer, training and multigenerational workforce issues. The website evolved from the booklet, Your Brain at Work: Making the Science of Cognitive Fitness Work for You, published two years ago to raise awareness of the importance of cognitive fitness in the workplace. About The Conference Board For over 90 years, The Conference Board has created and disseminated knowledge about management and the marketplace to help businesses strengthen their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board operates as a global independent membership organization working in the public interest. It publishes information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends, and facilitates learning by creating dynamic communities of interest that bring together senior executives from around the world. The Conference Board is a not-for-profit organization and holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States. For additional information about The Conference Board and how it can meet your needs, visit our website at www.conference-board.org. About DABI The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives is a nonprofit organization of more than 280 leading neuroscientists, including ten Nobel Laureates. The Dana Alliance is committed to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research and to disseminating information on the brain in an understandable and accessible fashion. Supported entirely by the Dana Foundation, the Dana Alliance does not fund research or make grants. SOURCE The Conference Board Press Release Print Source : http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/the-conference-board-launches-yourbrainatworkorg-in-time-for-brain-awareness-week,750492.shtml © 2009 earthtimes.org. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.