Using Neuroplasticity To Improve One's Life |
Posted: February 7, 2018 |
Brain plasticity or neuroplasticity describes the brain’s ability to rewire itself by altering its own connections. The brain first develops this ability while its owner is developing in its mother’s womb. During early childhood, the brain adds and subtracts neural pathways as they are needed. The brain can even, to a degree, repair damage to itself caused by injury or a stroke. This ability, unfortunately, decreases as the patient gets older. A young person who suffers a stroke is, therefore, more likely to make a full recovery than an older patient who suffers a stroke. Brain plasticity and learning The brain’s plasticity also enables a person to learn new things or cultivate new habits. Its neurons make connections that combine our senses with our memories and experiences. That plasticity lasts throughout a person’s life: It enables children to learn how to read and do math, and it allows adults to learn skills related to their jobs. Researchers have found that there are different ways to learn. People who rely on memorization tend to learn slowly, for they are using only those parts of the brain connected to memory. People who multitask, on the other hand, tend to learn more quickly, for they are using parts of the brain devoted to attention and concentration. Scientists have also found that age doesn’t affect learning speed; an older adult who multi-tasks is going to learn faster than a younger person who relies on memorization. Interestingly, regardless of their strategies, young and old people use different parts of the brain. A young person’s learning center is located in the front of the brain, while an older person’s learning center is located towards the posterior. On mindfulness A related concept is that of mindfulness, a discipline that requires paying full and conscious attention to one’s emotions and thoughts. The practitioner thus learns how their own mind works, and they can use that knowledge to catch negative, unkind or unhelpful thoughts or patterns of thinking. They are deliberately using their brain’s plasticity to change their habits and improve themselves. Mindfulness involves living in the present, as opposed to fretting about the future or obsessing about something in the past. This group of people, that focus on mindful living, are known as the Neurohacker Collective. While some of the collectives use meditation to achieve mindfulness, others may simply take a walk outside, smell flowers or even enjoy a meal. The key point, though, is that need to pay attention to what they are doing. Many people are naturally mindless and go through their lives on autopilot. They do the things they do because they have always done them in a given way. Consequently, they don’t learn anything new and can’t change. Benefits of mindful living Many institutes have devoted themselves to helping people use brain plasticity and mindfulness to improve their lives, including their physical health. The Langer Mindfulness Institute has actually conducted studies on how mindfulness can affect or even slow the aging process. They’ve conducted experiments in which older adults spend a week living the way they did 20 years ago, and the participants showed and displayed improvements in their cognitive abilities and physical health. The researchers believe the experiments enabled the volunteers to stop thinking of themselves as “old,” and their minds and bodies followed suit. Mindful living other has benefits. People can use mindfulness to improve their relationships, for example. The first step is to take inventory of the ways you might be hurting your significant other. Doing so requires observing your words and actions and your loved one’s reactions. After identifying the problems, the mindful person will gradually change them. They will also use their increased self-awareness to control their reactions, so they don’t say something hurtful in the heat of anger. Instead, they will ask themselves if saying such a thing is helpful or kind. Mindfulness can change one’s perspective about other aspects of their life. It can help a person decide if their problems are really serious, or if they are “first world problems.” The latter are the trivial concerns of the privileged and well-off. An example of a first-world problem is having to carry the groceries up the stairs, while an example of a real problem is coming up with the money for unexpected car repairs. A mindful person will catch themselves complaining about something trivial and stop.
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