Brain pruning

We are born with 100 billion neurons and by age three each neuron has formed 15,000 connections with other neurons. We are given more connections than we will ever need.   We absorb each new bit of information but none of it makes sense to us. The abundance of connections causes us to be overwhelmed by too many signals from many different sources. To make sense of your world you have to shut out some of the noise in your head. 

By the time we are sixteen pruning occurs and we lose billions and billions of the synaptic connections. Your genetic inheritance and early childhood experiences assist you in finding some connections smoother and easier to use. You are drawn to these connections again and again and they become stronger. These signals are loud and clear.

Certain behaviors and reactions fit and feel right to you because of these stronger connections. The neuronal network gets reduced to a smaller number of connection so you will develop into an adult. Without the pruning process we would remain in sensory overload stuck as a child. 

What makes each of us unique is our network of mental connections. This creates and causes a recurring pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Our personal mental network is a filter for us to sort and sift our experiences so we can zero in on some stimuli and ignore others.