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How do we learn the things we do in life， like greeting someone we know or someone we’re meeting for the first time？
In France， a typical greeting among adults is a kiss on both cheeks， whether with a stranger or friend. In the United States， adults may greet each other with a handshake upon their first meeting or with a hug if it’s someone they are familiar with. Sometimes， depending on the town or city， if an adult passes a stranger on the street， both strangers may say “hello” or “hi” as a courtesy2. But a person would typically never say “nihao” to a stranger in China.
Again， where do we learn these things？ We learn them from the people who raise us. Whether it’s through grandparents， parents， an ayi or someone else， children learn their first words and actions by watching the adults in their lives.
There once was a funny experiment to see how a young child would answer a specific question compared to an adult. After the adult had spent some time speaking with the child， he asked the child， “What do you think about me？”The child answered， “You talk too much.” When the adult performed the same experiment with another adult， the reply to the same question was， “I think you’re a very interesting person.” Even if the adult felt the same way as the child， his brain allowed him to take a moment， consider the question， and come up with an answer. He could have been annoyed， but his answer didn’t reflect it because he was being polite.
The secret lies in the science of the developing brain. The child’s honest answer was reflected in the fact that his brain wasn’t equipped to filter information before answering the question.3 As a result， he was honest， but he said something that may have been hurtful. However， the child did not intentionally4 hurt the adult； it’s just the way his brain works. As a child grows into adolescence5 and then into adulthood， that changes.
Our brains tell our bodies how and when to control everything we do： from our physical movements to talking and thinking. Some things we have control over， and some we do not. The brain has long been a mystery， and scientists still don’t fully know how it works. Yet they have been able to uncover a lot about the developing brain.
The human brain is made up of billions of neurons6. In order for your body to execute a command， like getting up from a chair and walking to the other room， the neurons in the brain have to communicate with each other.7 They also help us employ our senses like taste and touch and help us remember things.
In France， a typical greeting among adults is a kiss on both cheeks， whether with a stranger or friend. In the United States， adults may greet each other with a handshake upon their first meeting or with a hug if it’s someone they are familiar with. Sometimes， depending on the town or city， if an adult passes a stranger on the street， both strangers may say “hello” or “hi” as a courtesy2. But a person would typically never say “nihao” to a stranger in China.
Again， where do we learn these things？ We learn them from the people who raise us. Whether it’s through grandparents， parents， an ayi or someone else， children learn their first words and actions by watching the adults in their lives.
There once was a funny experiment to see how a young child would answer a specific question compared to an adult. After the adult had spent some time speaking with the child， he asked the child， “What do you think about me？”The child answered， “You talk too much.” When the adult performed the same experiment with another adult， the reply to the same question was， “I think you’re a very interesting person.” Even if the adult felt the same way as the child， his brain allowed him to take a moment， consider the question， and come up with an answer. He could have been annoyed， but his answer didn’t reflect it because he was being polite.
The secret lies in the science of the developing brain. The child’s honest answer was reflected in the fact that his brain wasn’t equipped to filter information before answering the question.3 As a result， he was honest， but he said something that may have been hurtful. However， the child did not intentionally4 hurt the adult； it’s just the way his brain works. As a child grows into adolescence5 and then into adulthood， that changes.
Our brains tell our bodies how and when to control everything we do： from our physical movements to talking and thinking. Some things we have control over， and some we do not. The brain has long been a mystery， and scientists still don’t fully know how it works. Yet they have been able to uncover a lot about the developing brain.
The human brain is made up of billions of neurons6. In order for your body to execute a command， like getting up from a chair and walking to the other room， the neurons in the brain have to communicate with each other.7 They also help us employ our senses like taste and touch and help us remember things.