Many children are trained to believe that there is something beyond their ability to understand. They call this rocket science, and yet there are many rocket scientist who understand rocket science, and they were children once, too.
Children are told that Y is a crooked letter, as a way of telling them not to ask the question why. This is not because they can't understand it, but either because they really do lack enough background information to understand it at the time, or more often because the parents have too much to do, or don't understand it themselves.
A better question is how does it work, with the answer of, not yet dear, if there is not time, not energy, or not enough knowledge to explain it simply enough to the child.
An even better question for an adult to ask is, what is the mechanism?
Too often we stop asking questions too soon. It usually isn't that important, but we should know that we haven't delved to the depths, but only gotten what we needed at that moment.
When a therapist told me that computer games create serotonin, and I asked her why, she said because computer games created serotonin. I then told her step by step a few ways that computer games might create serotonin in the person playing them. Computer games are carefully crafted to give small goals that are achievable, and success with its positive emotions results in serotonin. The difficulty of the game can increase dopamine, particularly in those who have had rough childhoods, whether from illness, poverty, prejudice, or abuse at home, as a few examples.
Most of these articles here are the result of asking the question, what is the mechanism? Alternatively, when I know of two factors that seemed to connect, from previous studies, all I have to do is Google them and see what peer review documents come up that might relate. Because I don't believe that even rocket science is rocket science, and because I didn't realize that I couldn't understand these things, there are very few documents that I have not been able to make enough sense out of, thanks to the conclusions, and as a result, you see this website. And so much more to come in the future.
©Deborah Barges Oct 2020 open access