How often have you touched your forehead and told yourself to “pay attention” or “think, think, think?”

Also known as the cerebral cortex, the frontal lobe consists of a right and left lobe, located directly behind the forehead, that have the ability to solve problems by allowing us to think flexibly and express language. It also is responsible for our memory, monitoring our impulses and allowing us to get started by initiating activity. These skills, referred to as executive function skills, are what we know to be the process of “thinking.” We can see then, that the practice of touching one’s forehead, while not a sound technique for improving thinking skills, is based in some truth.