4 Different States of Mind

There are four basic states of mind and each has a different brain wave pattern. An understanding of different brain wave pattern can help us in managing studies more effectively.

Beta waves are indicative of the state of mind we normally associate with being awake and functioning in our lives-communicating with others; walking or driving or otherwise moving about with purpose; analyzing, planning, and performing daily tasks.

This is the state in which we spend most of our lives. In this state we ”get through” the day and accumulate achievements and a lot of stress. Our attention is constantly changing from one matter to another and back again. Our energy and focus is very fragmented as we try to deal with the thousands of things competing for our attention.

This state is vital if we are to function in our complex world, but it is not good state to be in when trying to concentrate on our studies. Yet it is the state of mind that most people are in when they sit down to do school work - and they do not try to change that state.

Theta waves are most evident when we are just about to drop off to sleep. They are also common in certain kinds of deep meditation.

Delta waves are the “slowest” of the brain waves. These waves are what a scanner would pick up when you are in a very deep sleep. And believe it or not, what happens during your sleeping state has important implications for how you plan your studying and how much you should study at one time.

Finally, alpha waves show up when you are fully awake, but in a very relaxed state - almost what could be called “alert meditation.” There is very little stress in this state. The links between the various parts of your brain are clearest in this state, and your higher brain has its greatest access to other areas.

In this state of mind, you will experience the fastest understanding of information and the kind of inspiration that comes with letting your imagination help you connect things that never got connected before (realizing for the first time how similar the patterns of mathematics, music, and chess are, for example). There is also, in this state, the greatest likelihood that the information will find its way into long-term memory. Obviously, the state of mind that has a lot of alpha waves is where you want to be for optimum study performance.

When it comes to studying, it is important to get your brain on the right “wave length.” Trying to study when you are in the everyday state of mind (typical of that dominated by beta waves) is very inefficient. You are fighting with many more enemies than just your textbooks.