🧠 Change your brain with neuroplasticity

You know what's mind-blowing?

The fact that you can change your brain. 🧠

Many people live with the belief that they can’t change the way they are.

But thanks to something called neuroplasticity, small choices you make can affect how you:

• feel

• behave

• respond to stress

by literally changing the structure of your brain!

Even making the decision to read the Daily Concept newsletter is subtly helping your brain to grow and learn new things.

Michael Merzenich, the father of neuroplasticity research, offers a compelling understanding of what neuroplasticity means:

Sounds amazing, right?

To better understand neuroplasticity, let's break down how your brain works.

Picture your brain as a busy city. 🏙️

A city can:

• build new roads

• close old ones

• or turn a small path into a major highway

Instead of streets, your brain contains neural pathways.

Neural pathways are formed between neurons - specialized cells that process and transmit information through electrical & chemical signals.

According to neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett:

"Your brain is a network of 128 billion neurons that are connected by 850 trillion synapses in ever-changing patterns.”

Together, these billions of neurons form the basis of your nervous system and thought patterns.

Your brain is constantly:

• creating new neural connections

• pruning away unused ones

• strengthening the pathways you use most often

Professor David Eagleman explained:

"Your brain is a relentless shape-shifter, constantly rewriting its own circuitry…

and because your experiences are unique, so are the vast detailed patterns in your neural networks.”

So, what is neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to rewire itself in response to experiences, learning, and environmental changes throughout life.

These changes allow your brain to do things it couldn’t do in the past.

Here’s an example:

When you first learn to ride a bike, your brain works overtime to figure out how to balance, pedal, and steer simultaneously.

But as you practice, those neural pathways get stronger.

Over time, as your neural pathways adapt, riding a bike becomes second nature.

When was neuroplasticity discovered?

For much of the last 200 years, many psychologists believed in a “deterministic” theory of the human brain.

Under this “deterministic” view of human psychology, humans are largely controlled by their unconscious brains. 

According to determinists, free will is an illusion.

The brain was viewed as a machine with fixed hardware – like circuits in a computer.

In the 1970s, however, neuroscientist Michael Matthias Merzenich conducted research showing that the brain could re-wire itself.

Merzenich explained his theory of neuroplasticity:

Nowadays, the idea of neuroplasticity is a cornerstone of modern neuroscience. (see one of Professor Merzenich’s books on neuroplasticity below)

What does neuroplasticity mean for you?

Neuroplasticity is good news for people who want to develop & improve themselves.

The human brain is more plastic before the age of 25, but it’s still possible to change your neural pathways as you get older.

It just takes a bit more effort. (see below)

Healthy choices also make unhealthy pathways, like addiction cravings or negative thoughts, weaker & easier to resist over time.

Several lifestyle practices and therapies leverage neuroplasticity to achieve positive outcomes, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Meditation and Mindfulness Practices

• Active learning techniques

If you’re getting older and you’re worried about your cognitive health, research has shown that the following activities can help to keep your brain healthy:

• Playing games like chess ♟️

• Exercise - especially trying new exercises 🏋️

• Traveling ✈️

• Learning languages 💬

• Playing music or creating art 🎨

It’s all about augmenting your brain with new experiences.

Whether you’re 25 or 75, your brain and overall health & well-being will improve if you regularly try new experiences and activities.

Knowing that our brains are constantly adaptable means we're not stuck with our current limitations or habits.

We conclude with a quote from Dr. Merzenich:

ART OF THE DAY

The Park by Gustav Klimt. 1909.