While
practicing neuropsychiatry and studying neuroscience for 40 years, my interest
expanded from the human brain to include evidence of mind throughout nature—in
animals, plants, microbes, and other cells. Amazingly, even plants and cells
have intelligence, which means that science isn't all we've been taught to
believe.
From
my decades of research, there are simple important things that I wish everyone
knew. Some of these small choices and new ways of looking at the world could
change your life in great ways.
1. Get plenty of sleep.
Sleep
is more important than most people realize. During sleep, the brain cleans debris between cells and memory is
increased. This is why, when studying, it's not useful to pull all nighters.
Instead, study intensely and then sleep some. (Otherwise your brain won't be
able to retain the information.) In our 24/7 culture, it's critical for brain
health to average a good amount of sleep each night.
2. Take naps.
Napping
can increase memory and creativity. It allows a break to any creative logjams,
new ideas, and consolidation of learning. If you don't have time to doze at
your desk, daydreaming can also lead to increased creativity.
3. Choose to change your memories.
Memory
is not fixed. It changes each time we re-remember some event. Therefore, the
emotional impact of traumatic memories can be altered with positive input
during the 24-hour window that "reloads" the memory. This period of time
after remembering an event should be used to bring some compassion to the
painful subject. How can you do this? When re-remembering the event, try to
also focus on the feeling of your own self worth and others' love.
4. Get regular exercise.
If
there is one magic bullet for increased body and brain health, including
increased memory, it is sensible regular exercise. Too much or too little exercise can be harmful,
but a moderate amount is critical for brain function. Although it has been
known for some time that exercise increases brain connections and new brain
cells, recently, a direct chemical link was found to explain this.
Turns out the brain is especially available for new learning and positive new
ideas in the hours immediately following exercise.
5. Food can have major effects on brain
health, so eat whole foods.
When
eating certain foods (including processed foods, sugar, and unnatural
ingredients), our hormones and neurons react strongly, as if exposed to a drug.
When strong reactions are triggered, the metabolism and brain can become
imbalanced. Many fruits and vegetables (such as berries) have very beneficial
effects in helping to clean debris from the brain.
6. What we think and what we focus on
can actually change our brain.
For
a long time, scientists believed that the brain was static after childhood. It
was also believed that genetics was destiny. While most of our DNA stays the
same during out lives, the networks that determine which DNA is used are
completely altered by experience—by our perceptions and choices.
Neuroplasticity
is the word for dramatic brain changes in the synapses of neurons, new brain
cells, and changes in other supportive brain cells. These changes occur each
day with modification and pruning each night during sleep. How we use our
brain—what we think, what we learn, what we focus on, and what we do—will
actually change brain structures for the future.
Certain
activities have much stronger effects on stimulating neuroplasticity, such as music training, which increases the capacities for
even other types of learning.
7. Loneliness is terrible for your
immune system, so nurture your relationships.
Short-term
stress is useful for learning and does not harm the immune system, but
long-term stress can cause inflammation and illness. Isolation and loneliness
have a negative effect on the immune system including increased inflammation.
Surprisingly,
people who are imprisoned and secluded, but still feel close to someone, did
not suffer negative consequences to their immune system. In other words: just
caring about another person can have strong benefits.
8. For the sake of your immune system,
be generous and support your community.
Generosity
and community service have positive effects on the immune system. Research
shows that generosity and concern for people, not objects, helps positive
immune response. Recently, a study showed that community service increased
happiness, which in turn decreased factors related to inflammation. These
benefits were not associated with other happiness-inducing activities, such as
shopping, or travel, for example.
9. Believe in your capacity for
extraordinary experiences and talents.
Recent
research showed that out-of-body experiences could be triggered
in normal people using virtual reality equipment. Other research shows that religious/spiritual experiences can, also, be
triggered in many people by many different means. Surprisingly, the
capabilities of savants—who display advanced mathematical, memory, artistic and
music capabilities without training—can be triggered in ordinary people
who have brain injury or with magnetic/electric brain stimulation. This appears
to work because one brain region suppresses another and, when unsuppressed, it
releases these abilities. These talents are not manufactured, but exist and
need to be released. The takeaway? Don't limit yourself.
10. Know that animals are far more
intelligent than most scientists realize.
Those
who know animals understand this. Evidence shows very advanced cognition in animals
even with very small brains. Birds and lizards are, in fact, extremely intelligent—with advanced
memory, planning, social intelligence and tool use. Birds also use syntax,
learn singing as a language, and show mourning behavior. Perhaps most
extraordinary are bees (and other social insects) who, with tiny brains, have
symbolic language, abstract concepts, self medication, advanced mathematical
problem solving, and kaleidoscopic visual memory.
Knowing
how intelligent animals are, hopefully, could make us more compassionate and
empathetic to all animals and, especially, those that depend upon us. Perhaps
with this knowledge the ways we utilize and kill animals can change.
11. You can find intelligence
throughout nature in all organisms—animals, plants, even cells and microbes.
Plants
show advanced decision-making, complex
communication, future planning, and even mathematical abilities. Realizing that
even plants are highly intelligent, perhaps, we can appreciate the wisdom of
Chief Seattle—that nature around us is our family. Perhaps it will make us
treat our environment with more compassion and intelligence.
12. Make time to walk in nature.
Walking
in nature has positive effects on the brain and our health. Research shows that
just being in nature is like mental cleansing or fasting.
13. We've got free will, so use it!
Free
will and consciousness must be exercised. Most of what occurs in the brain and
mind is unconscious, with the brain unconsciously regulating our body at all
times. Many do not make the effort to be conscious; and many scientists want us
to believe human brains are robots and computers.
Each
person is bombarded by huge amounts of suggestions from media and other people
in our 24/7 environments. It is difficult not to fall prey to random
suggestions and believe and act upon them. Untrue gossip can totally affect how
we feel about someone. Random suggestions create negative thinking and cause
immune problems. This is unconscious behavior.
Conscious
free will does exist, but must be found and exercised. It is like training a
new muscle. The choices we make have dramatic effects on the growth and health
of our future brain. Practices
like meditation increase the ability to use conscious
choice and, also have many positive effects on physical and mental health. By
utilizing conscious will in exercises, it becomes stronger and we become more
able to make good choices.
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