Mental speed is a term encompassing things such as: reaction speed, cognitive processing speed (processing of tasks and problem solving), information storage and retrieval speed (the speed with which we are able to retrieve information from long-term memory), alertness, attention-related speed (redirecting attention etc.), sensory information processing (simple and complex visual, auditive, olfactory, taste and tactile stimuli).
In order for mental speed to be measurable, it is usually (not always) tied to the motor system – i.e. that which converts the processed information into something observable in the physical realm (e.g. pressing a button, saying a word, writing down a solution of a problem, jumping to the side, etc.). Motor system is the set of central and peripheral nerves, which are functional units of the brain’s commands. The action starts in the brain, but the effectors are for example legs, arms, facial muscles etc., as well as combinations of these.
Reaction speed is the time between the onset of stimulus and an adequate reaction to it. A person must therefore first register the stimulus, process and evaluate it, and then react adequately. Let’s illustrate this on an example of a driver. They are driving through town at the speed of 50 km/h in smooth traffic flow. Suddenly the car in front of them brakes abruptly (maybe a child ran into the road). The driver only has a very short amount of time to perceive, register and evaluate the situation, and then send the correct instruction from their brain so that they slam the brakes and save their car (and potentially their health or even life). All of this happens within seconds. A single second can be of vital importance in traffic.
There are more professions in which mental speed plays an important role – for example doctors or managers. Good mental speed can save an emergency medicine patient’s life. It is a very complicated thought process including both the evaluation of the situation and the retrieval of information from short- and long-term memory (what the doctor has learned at university and in the hospital), plus the speed with which these medical procedures are converted into direct motor action.
Mental speed is easily perceptible in day-to-day life – like when we jump away from a moving automobile, when we have to locate our keys or phone while in a hurry, when we need to organise our day whilst getting bombarded by information, and so on.
Mentem is giving you the opportunity to improve and perfect your mental speed, and thus making it possible for you to function better in your professional and private life.
