Interpreting Your Functional Analysis

If you did an automatic FA, you will have a results page that has a top area like this (we have used a random student's example figures):

 Fig1

Your own percentage figures may be totally different. In any case, this section shows you how much of each network is doing what it should be doing (the white section) and this is the equivalent of your "F" (Functional) score in the interpretation notes below.

The wronguse score (the black section) is the equivalent of your "O" (Occupied) score in the interpretation notes below.

The nonuse score (the gray section) is the equivalent of your "N" (Nonuse) score in the interpretation notes below.

The bottom area should look like this (we have used a random student's example figures):

Fig2

This section shows the equivalent of the 'whole brain scores' in a manual analysis (see interpretation notes below)

Now scroll down to the interpretation notes (or continue reading the next section if you want to see how your scores were worked out). 

If you did a manual analysis, you will need your assessment sheet, and you may need somewhere to write down some calculations in rough as you’re going along. [If you don’t like doing calculations, grab a calculator.]

If you are absolutely awful at understanding arithmetic don’t worry; we’ve worked through this in a way that should enable anyone to get their results right regardless, if they follow the instructions.

We've also provided our own examples from previous students throughout. 

Step 1

At the end of your functional analysis you should be left with three ‘scores’ for every network, that are labelled ‘F‘, ‘O’, and ‘N’. You should have written these in the left hand column of your assessment sheet, in rows corresponding to the networks. Check that you have done this before going on. Based on the results of our example student [the same example we shall use throughout], their scores looked like this:

Fig3

Ignoring the letters beside your scores for the moment, work through one network at a time and add the three different scores together for each network.

Our example student's results came out like this:

Fig4

Don’t worry if your numbers are nothing like theirs; everybody's are different and this is just an example. Your totals can be anywhere between 0 and 120 for each network.

On your assessment sheet, these totals go in the second column labeled 'Totals for networks' (like in the example above).

You’ll notice it says ‘100% scores’ beneath the title ‘totals for networks’. That means the total score that you got for each network counts as ‘100%’ for that network. [So in our example, for our network 1 & 2 ‘totals’ score,  45 =100%, and so on for all the totals.] Don't worry if you don't understand this yet.

Step 2

Next you need to make a note for each network of what one percent is for that particular network, to do that get your calculator out (or use google) and divide 100 by each of your totals scores.

The results should go on your assessment sheet in the third column labeled ‘1% figures for each network’.]

In our example, for N1&2 we got 100 / 45 = 2.22. [If you get a recurring number for your result, write down the number only to the first two digits after the decimal point]. These figures represent one percent for the particular networks they relate to. Don't worry if you don't understand that either. We'll explain in more detail when we've got the sheet filled in. Here is our student's example below:

Fig5

Step 3 

Now we’ve filled in the first three columns. Next we go back to your original ‘F’ ‘O’ ‘N’ numbers in column one, and multiply each of them by the ‘one percent’ figure from column three.

Put the results in the next three columns labelled ‘F score’, ‘O score [percentage occupied]’, and ‘N score [percentage unused]’ columns on your assessment sheet; columns 4, 5 and 6.

Look at the example below if you are not sure what to do:

Fig6

You multiply the network scores by the '% scores' and you put the answers in the next three columns.

These are your 'F score', 'O score' and 'N score'; important numbers that tell us what’s going on, so make sure they’re correct.

If you want to double check, if you add all three of these results for any given network you should get a figure between 99 and 100. This is because you almost certainly had to restrict recurring numbers, so don’t worry. (If you end up with a 99-and-a-bit-percent fully functional intelligence through following this program, we think you’ll be too smart to worry about the other bit).

We can now get some information from our sheet before filling in the rest. You will need your Captain's Log to make notes.

Interpretation Notes 

The F score column

The percentage figure you got for ‘F’ in each network indicates how much of each network is currently in really good shape [‘F’ stands for ‘functional’].

The F score shows you what percentage of each network is currently functioning healthily and well. Our example student got 48.84 for networks 1 & 2, (but remember, this represents two networks) so this was pretty low too, and lowest of all was N5. High numbers in the 'F score' column indicate your strongest networks, and low numbers indicate your weakest. You should make a note of the two highest and three lowest in your Captain's log. Here is our student's example:

F scores:

• Strongest networks N4 (78), N3 (31.5)
• Weakest networks N6 (13.52), N5 (17.04) N1 & 2 (48.4 between them -count this as equally shared)

You should choose the EARLIEST weak network to upgrade first. In our student's case this is N1 & 2, even though N6 and N5 have lower scores. We always choose the earliest weak network as the place to start. As soon as you identify this network, begin choosing and collecting your favorite exercises and hacks for that network from the selections in tutorials.

The O score column

The percentage figure you got for ‘O’ in each network will tell you how much of that network is currently being used for the wrong tasks [‘O’ stands for ‘occupied’].

The 'O score' helps you work out what percentage of each network is functioning but currently may be used for the wrong things. [Networks can learn to do each others’ jobs, but it’s a bad habit, because they are never so efficient as when allocated their intended ones. So we don’t just need to know whether your crew is busy; we need to know exactly what they’re up to.]

Our example student got  31.08 in the O score column for networks 1 & 2.

So their personal plan would have included some training for these networks that moved them into the habits of more expedient and beneficial use. [Your ‘O’ score tells you what percentage of that brain network indulges in bad habits!] It's good if this particular percentage is a low one, but don't worry if it's not. It's far better to be aware that we've picked up mental bad habits than never to discover them at all! Improvement is what we're after here, and if we may have to focus a little more on some networks than others, at least we have the bonus of a greater percentage of potential improvement.

You should note that 'mental bad habits' does NOT mean you are thinking or doing 'bad things'. It means your brain has got into a habit of doing things the hard way instead of the easy way (probably originally because some teacher told it to).

Throughout the tutorials we give hacks for changing the habits of wrong use and re-employing the networks for the jobs they were designed for. Processing gets a lot faster, memory improves, and learning becomes much easier.

The N score column

The percentage figure you got for ‘N’ in each network will tell you how much of that network is currently being underused. [‘N’ stands for ‘neutral’].

In our student's case for N 1&2 the figure was 19.98

That means that at the time of the assessment, our example student was hardly ever using almost 20% of networks 1 and 2! So his or her personal n-hacking plan would have included exercises for increasing use of these networks at the same time as hacks for improving their habits.

Throughout the tutorials we give exercises for building up and re-employing underused networks.

At this point you can make a little graphic to show you what each network is doing in detail. Here's an example from our student's data: 

N 1 & 2

N3

The length of the colored bars are adjusted to represent the percentage of the network. (The full width of the page or table represents 100%). The green zone (F score) is the percentage of each network in the entelechy zone. As you can see, our student had quite a lot of 'wronguse' going on in N1 & 2 and a lot of nonuse going on in N3. Sketch yours out like this if you want to and you'll see how much potential you have (the red zones can all be converted to green!)

Now we still have two columns to fill in on your assessment sheet, and they will tell us even more.

Step 4 

Column seven is headed “Current potential possible increase [O + N].” This number is obtained by adding your ‘O’ percentage to your ‘N’ percentage. This will tell you your current potential possible percentage increase in intelligence in each individual network via neurohacking.

These figures go in the seventh column of your assessment sheet (see example below)

Fig7

This is the percentage by which you can improve your current intelligence simply by balancing your networks. It is not the estimated limit of your intelligence because once networks are balanced we can augment abilities. Nobody knows the upper limits to intelligence yet!.

Our example student had the potential to increase the performance of his or her networks 1 & 2 by 51.06 percent [in other words they would be able to more than double their current use of those networks and the abilities associated with them]. This is not unusual; many people find they have a 75% potential increase or even higher in some networks.

If you get a low figure for this percentage in any network it isn’t bad news either, because it more than likely means that your networks are reasonably balanced and you can move on into augmentation. [If we were assessing physical bodies here, a high figure in this column would be your potential to increase your fitness, a low figure would mean you’re already fit and can move on to becoming superfit]. So whatever figure you end up with here is good news.

Step 5

The last column on our sheet is labeled “Whole Brain % scores”.

This is where we work out what percentage of your whole brain is devoted to processing for each network. To do this you add together all the figures in the column labeled “Totals for networks [100% scores]” and put the result in the ‘totals’ row at the bottom of the sheet. (See our example below)

Fig8

Ours came to 263

For the next calculation, this figure now becomes your '100%'. Don't worry if you don't understand that; as long as you follow the instructions, arithmetic works whether we understand it or not; it doesn't mind.

In exactly the same way we did before, we now work out 1% of this total [100 divided by the 'total' score].

Our example student's 'total' score (we have highlighted in green above) was 263, so theirs came out like this:

100/263 =0.38

Note this number down under your 'total' score. And now you can work out what percentage of your whole brain each network currently uses [each ‘total for network’ score multiplied by your figure for one percent].

These figures go in the final column of the sheet labeled 'Whole brain % scores' (see example below)

Fig9

• N 1&2 [network score 45) x 0.38 = 17.1% of whole brain
• N3 [network score 57] x 0.38 = 21.66% of whole brain 
• N4 [network score 32] x 0.38 = 12.16% of whole brain 
• N5 [network score 70] x 0.38 = 26.6% of whole brain 
• N6 [network score 59] x 0.38 = 22.42% of whole brain

To check your 'whole brain' results: Added together these will make up almost 100% of the entire brain [You will get a number slightly less than 100, for the same reasons as before].

This final column will tell you how balanced your networks are, and what brain networks are possibly over- or under-developed.

Ideally, these whole brain % scores should all be within a similar range. These figures tell you how much of your whole brain each network is using. If we represent each network's percentage with the length of a colored bar as before, our example student gets a result like this:

If a high percentage of any network is being used, but has a low 'F' score, that network is probably in wronguse. You can see this on our student's results for N5 and N6. They are using most of the brain's resources, but are engaged mainly in wronguse (look at the student's 'O' scores). 

The information you now have should enable you to tell quite a lot about your networks. Our example student's earliest weak nets were N1 & 2, so that would have been their starting point. At the same time as exercising and building up N1&2, they would have been working on anxiety reduction and input control to reduce the amount of wronguse in those frontal networks [we can do more than one thing at once, as long as we work in the right order, which speeds things up somewhat.]

Some Q & As From Previous Students, to Help You Understand More About Your Assessment 

Q: What’s the ‘perfect’ score? 

A: The ideal situation is to have all your network scores within a similar range, N1&2 being treated as two networks.

Here's a representation of a perfectly balanced brain:

(Remember that N1 & 2 are two networks)

This is a pretty much perfect Whole Brain Score assessment result for a high intelligence. Obviously for a ‘perfect’ score, these would all be 'F' scores! But notice how the figures are very similar to each other, and descend slightly as we go up the networks.

If anyone ever attains such scores with no 'wrong use' or non-use scores, we will be looking at the world's first genuine genius. We don't believe the world has seen one yet; what people refer to as 'genius' today is actually high performance in mainly one or two networks. [Einstein, Mozart, Da Vinci, mainly N3 & N4 –So imagine a mind with excellence in all networks!]

You may have worked out by now that no network should take up more than 17% of the resources of your brain or less than 16%. If you’ve been using a network for the wrong things, it may currently take up a lot more than that, and if a network has been underused, it may currently be working below 15% capacity. Don’t worry! That’s exactly what we’re here for and why we’re doing all this!

Q: Is age important?

A: Yes. If you are under 25 some of the exercises will not work for you, although it will do you no harm to try them out. You should not include any exercises or hacks in your plan that had no effect whatsoever after several tries. By all means try them out now and again to see if they have any effect later.

Q: I’ve got a very high ’whole brain percentage’ score for N4, and I know that’s the ‘creative’ network, so does it make any difference that I’m a songwriter /mathematician /engineer? –And will I lose my specialist abilities if I make other networks bigger?

A: If you’re a specialist in some field [for example, a professional musician, athlete or mathematician,] you can expect to have a somewhat larger network connected with that particular skill. Cab drivers, for example, tend to have a larger-than-usual N3 score for spatial memory. This is normal, but you will have to bear it in mind when looking at your figures for that network, and allow for a bit of an extra margin [around +5%] for a ‘normal’ score. Improving the supportive networks may even out your percentage scores, but this will not reduce your ability; in fact it will further enhance it, as long as you keep using it. You won't lose abilities as long as you develop the rest in the right order.

If you’re not sure what networks your specialization relates to, mail us and ask, or wait until you find out more about what networks control which skills & abilities [which we’ll talk about in more detail as we go along].

Q: I’ve got a high ‘O’ score and a high ‘N’ score for one of my networks. Should I do the hacks first or the exercises first?

A: Start with the exercise. -Give the brain an example of a good habit before you start removing a bad one, then reinforce it with regular practice as you begin hacking.

Q: Can the information on my functional assessment sheet reveal my brain chemistry? If so, how relevant is this?

A: Yes. Your answers to the questions reveal habits of thought and behavior that are directly related to the mixture of neurotransmitters in your brain. The networks all have their own neurotransmitters, as we know, so you can look again at your highest and lowest scores and consider what neurochemicals you may have an excess or a deficit of. This is also why we start with N1 & 2, because they produce most of the transmitters.

There are certain patterns of neurochemistry associated with ‘wrong use’ or underuse of networks that also cause a reduction in our abilities or functions. As you work through future tutorials we will discuss these and you should consider from the figures on your assessment sheet whether they might apply in whole or part to you.

There is no ‘normal’ optimal brain chemistry for all persons, but there is an optimal balance for you as an individual. We are able to use NH in order to move towards it precisely because your behavior and thought are intimately linked to the biochemistry of your neurotransmitters, and biochemistry is limited in the ways in which it can go awry. (When it goes wrong, it normally goes wrong in certain specific ways, starting with unhealthy habits that cause an excess or a deficiency of one or more of your neurotransmitters.)

It used to be thought that these imbalances were the sole cause of problems such as depression or schizophrenia, because by resetting the brain’s chemical balance artificially with drugs we can remove some of these problems or their symptoms in some people. We now know that imbalances are more likely to be part of a chain reaction due to an underlying problem caused by the long-term unhealthy habits of brain use, thought and behavior.

All thoughts and behavior rely on neurotransmitters. Without sufficient quantities, or when there is too much, our thoughts and behavior are always affected. Consider the loss of interest in sex of those lacking sex hormones, or obesity caused by lack of Ghrelin [a chemical that tells your brain when you’ve had enough to eat]. Depressed people notably lack serotonin, and paranoia can be induced by an excess of dopamine.

As you progress in NH, your personality, moods, temperament and behavior [not to mention your overall health] will all change. The good news is that these changes will all be for the better. If you’re shy, as you bring your serotonin up you’ll become more confident, not because you’re producing too much serotonin, but because you were deficient in the first place. If you’re nervous, you’ll become more calm [and you’ll live longer] as corticosteroids reduce in your bloodstream.

Knowing that one or more of your transmitters may be over- or under-produced [even for some of the time] is relevant because you can work on changing unhealthy habits in those networks to healthy ones. We also talk in later tutorials about the links between neurotransmitters, biochemistry and temperament because you may wish to take supplements or fine-tune your nutrition to improve your biochemistry.

Q: What if I said a definite 'yes' to hardly any of the questions?

A: It doesn't matter! It is only the final percentages that matter, not the number of answers. The questions are varied because different people like doing different things, using the same networks. Some guys play piano, others do jigsaw puzzles.

Q: What if I was on drugs or drunk when I did the assessment?

A: If you are normally under the influence of the same chemicals, your brain will have adapted to it and the assessment will still show an accurate reflection of where you are at right now. However, if you were on a short course of medication with side-effects or a one-off bender or binge-drinking session, your assessment will not be reliable and you should wait until you are in your 'usual' state before going through it and making sure you still give the same answers!

To be honest, and having done this, It's quite an interesting experiment to do the assessment when you are zonked off your face, then come back again a week later and (without looking at the first version), do it in your usual state of mind [if your usual state of mind is zonked off your face, this obviously won't work]. I've tried this with various different substances. By looking at the difference you can see how a particular drug affects your judgment, even of your own opinion of what you are like!