Get Naked: It’s Good for Your Brain

[Eric]

Get Naked: It's Good for Your Brain

Specific studies have not yet proven that full-scale nudity directly benefits brain performance, but here's peripheral evidence indicating that skin-only is superior:

1. The Clothes You Were Born In. Pediatricians agree that infants thrive with a daily dose of "naked time" because the unhampered range of motion aids brain development. Recent discoveries reveal that the "plastic" brain changes and develops throughout our entire lives. Neuroplasticity pioneer Michael M. Merzenich believes, "everything you can see happen in a young brain can happen in an older brain." This indicates that "naked time" is equally valuable for humans of any age, especially the elderly.

2. Barefoot Medicine. Going shoeless is now recognized as an anti-Alzheimer's, brain-boosting activity because the sole sensation entices your brain into growing extra, efficient neuron connections. Merzenich believes our brains decline if we "limit the sensory feedback from our feet." He advocates walking barefoot (to improve balance, posture, and co-ordination functions in the vestibulocerebellum.) Dr. Norman Doidge (author of The Brain That Changes Itself) concurs that skipping shoes will increase brain flexibility and youthfulness, and many podiatrists now advise going barefoot as much as possible. Bare feet are today's prescription. Tomorrow's elixir will take the next step: Bare Body.

3. Soothe Away Your Crazies. Massage is recognized as a therapeutic treatment for mental health issues like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolarism, borderline personality disorder, learning difficulties, and low self-esteem. The skin stimulation of massage — improving blood flow and detoxifying the lymph system — is duplicated by the warmth, freedom, and improved circulation generated in Nakedness.

4. Socialization. Self-actualization proponent Abraham Maslow believed "Nudism... is itself a kind of therapy." Health benefits of social nudity include stress reduction, satiation of curiosity about the human body, reduction of porn addiction, a sense of full-body integration and developing a wholesome attitude about the opposite gender. Research at the University of Northern Iowa discovered that nudists have significantly higher body self-acceptance. Another study by Lawrence Casher concluded that teens at a New York nudist camp were "extraordinarily well-adjusted, happy, and thoughtful."

5. Weak Body, Worried Mind. Clothes are a breeding ground for filthy fungi and bad bacterium, causing yeast infections, urinary tract infections, rotting toenails. Lyme Disease deer ticks can grab onto your sweater and sea lice can sneak into your bathing suit crotch. Testicular cancer is linked to tight briefs, breast cancer to tight bras. Cinched-up belts, ties, and clothes impede breathing. Men's snug pants raise testicle temperature, lowering sperm count and fertility. Plus, sunlight that nudists receive produces vitamin D that creates strong bones and prevents osteoporosis and cancers.

So there ya go. Being naked makes us smarter. Who knew?

[NudeNathan]

very interesting :), even more reasons to add to my list of why i like to be nude :P

[Karla]

My (non-expert) take on this:

1. The Clothes You Were Born In. Pediatricians agree that infants thrive with a daily dose of "naked time" because the unhampered range of motion aids brain development. Recent discoveries reveal that the "plastic" brain changes and develops throughout our entire lives. Neuroplasticity pioneer Michael M. Merzenich believes, "everything you can see happen in a young brain can happen in an older brain." This indicates that "naked time" is equally valuable for humans of any age, especially the elderly.

Plausible. But a baby has an undeveloped brain and therefore whatever it learns is a significant improvement. By the time we grow up we're mainly refining and optimising our motor skills. Take guitar playing for example. When you first pick up a guitar and start learning it, it's easy to slip into bad habits and tricks you pick up now can stay with you for the rest of your guitar playing life. As you start to get better you find that it's difficult not to get stuck in a rut with your playing and it's an effort to do something new.  It's so easy to just end up playing the usual tricks and riffs that you have played a million times before.

On the other hand, balance this with the idea that if we're wearing clothes all our adult lives that maybe we get really used to doing so and may even depend upon it. For example, not feeling comfortable in your usual clothes etc. Maybe if you've worn a suit or formal clothes every day for the last 20 years you might find learning new physical skills such as martial arts or rock climbing even more difficult as there is more to learn and unlearn? How significant this is would be interesting to find out.

2. Barefoot Medicine. Going shoeless is now recognized as an anti-Alzheimer's, brain-boosting activity because the sole sensation entices your brain into growing extra, efficient neuron connections. Merzenich believes our brains decline if we "limit the sensory feedback from our feet." He advocates walking barefoot (to improve balance, posture, and co-ordination functions in the vestibulocerebellum.) Dr. Norman Doidge (author of The Brain That Changes Itself) concurs that skipping shoes will increase brain flexibility and youthfulness, and many podiatrists now advise going barefoot as much as possible. Bare feet are today's prescription. Tomorrow's elixir will take the next step: Bare Body.

I see the brain much like a muscle. The more you use it the fitter it gets. Or you can let it wither away. You don't have to go shoeless to exercise your brain, but on the other hand, every little bit helps. And it would help you to develop extra refinement of your proprioception and motor co-ordination due to the increased sensitivity and degrees of movement compared to wearing big clompy inflexible boots, at least for the area of your feet.

3. Soothe Away Your Crazies. Massage is recognized as a therapeutic treatment for mental health issues like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolarism, borderline personality disorder, learning difficulties, and low self-esteem. The skin stimulation of massage — improving blood flow and detoxifying the lymph system — is duplicated by the warmth, freedom, and improved circulation generated in Nakedness.

Probably a result of releasing endorphins and other neurochemicals. Modern day (western) society is a very sterile place and we don't get the same opportunity for the rich stimuli, opportunities for reward, excitement or fear that we would get in the wild.

5. Weak Body, Worried Mind. Clothes are a breeding ground for filthy fungi and bad bacterium, causing yeast infections, urinary tract infections, rotting toenails. Lyme Disease deer ticks can grab onto your sweater and sea lice can sneak into your bathing suit crotch. Testicular cancer is linked to tight briefs, breast cancer to tight bras. Cinched-up belts, ties, and clothes impede breathing. Men's snug pants raise testicle temperature, lowering sperm count and fertility. Plus, sunlight that nudists receive produces vitamin D that creates strong bones and prevents osteoporosis and cancers.

Well I suppose if seen over a very long time span. Although skin can get dirty as well and clothes are easier to change. There is also the issue of having an immune system that adapts.

It's certainly easier to check for ticks if you are naked that's for sure and I agree about the Vitamin D. Warm testicles lowering fertility is well known, after all, why do men have their testicles outside their body where they are more vulnerable? I think I did read an article once about a study that made the link to ties being too tight and restricting blood flow to the face having a long term effect on your eyes over time. But whether this is a significant effect compared to everything else you'd come across in the kind of life where you would be wearing a tie everyday, such as pollution, radiation from phones and staring at a bright monitor all day, I don't know.

[NickUMA10]

So--i can attribute my BA, MA, and soon my PhD to being naked alot? Awesome

[simonalexander2005]

So--i can attribute my BA, MA, and soon my PhD to being naked alot? Awesome

Sounds good to me!


Great article - good find :)

[Dario Western]

Sounds like snake oil propaganda, because from my experience half the nudists in my state have got a mental or intellectual disorder of some sort.  :-(

[Luke M]

Sounds like snake oil propaganda, because from my experience half the nudists in my state have got a mental or intellectual disorder of some sort.  :-(

Too funny. I was at the beach yesterday wondering why I haven't come across any intellectual hippies.

[rc]

very interesting arguments

[Stuart]

Sounds like snake oil propaganda, because from my experience half the nudists in my state have got a mental or intellectual disorder of some sort.  :-(

I'm pretty sure approx. half of them are of below average intelligence