Neuroplasticity
I was recently watching a video on YouTube that brought to memory some of the documentaries and articles I have read about how our brains work and it inspired me to do some reading about mental health. Understanding ourselves and how our amazing bodies work is truly an endless scientific endeavor. The video is Backwards Brain Bicycle, from Smarter Every Day. The premise is that our brains develop pathways that become more efficient and distinguished as the activity that uses those pathways becomes more frequent. Also, it has made me want to become a welder. We use the term “muscle memory” to refer to actions that have become so familiar to us that initiating such an action is instinctual, something we no longer need to think about. But of course, our muscles do not have a memory, they do not initiate anything, it is literally all in our heads. Sometimes, trying to do something contrary to the established mental pathway can seem nearly impossible.
As we exercise, learn, or study our brains are constantly creating or reinforcing the pathways that allow information to travel. Our bodies thrive on efficiency, using the least amount of energy possible to perform a task. This is one of the reasons carbs and some chemicals like caffeine are so addicting, they require little digestive effort to convert into calories/energy. To make repetitive actions use less energy the mental pathway for that action is reinforced with more neurons. I like to think of learning something new, as driving a Jeep off road through the wilderness where no one has been before, but with enough travel that new trail may eventually become a highway. Understanding that all our actions rely on the pathways in our brain may help us visualize how the things we do reinforce or change our habits. This may also help us understand why changing some habits can be so difficult. Like taking a Prius off the highway to follow that Jeep. You are not just changing or creating a habit, you are literally rewiring your brain.
When we are young, learning is happening constantly. A child’s brain capacity is so dynamic that their ability to learn new skills happens at an incredible rate, much faster than an adult. I wonder how much of this learning capacity is lost as we age by the simple nature of biology, or because as we reach maturity we simply stop learning. When was the last time you learned a language, a new way to move, or write? Would we be able to restore even a small portion of that natural dynamic learning capacity if we just spent more time learning?
Neuroplasticity is defined as “the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.” - Oxford. Who would not want an increased capacity to adapt to new challenges or circumstances? Not just physical but also mental conditions. Can having a high level of neuroplasticity (mental adaptability) help us cope with stress? Can it help us find solutions to the diverse problems we encounter? In my own unscientific observations, I am inclined to believe so.
This mental adaptability is not an abstract concept, it is a real, physical condition that can be measured and cultivated. Self-deception is not the same as mental adaptability. Attempting to deceive ourselves by saying, “this is fine” while the house burns down is not a positive indicator of cognitive flexibility. While self-deception may have its place in endurance sports “I can make it, just 5 more miles…”, I can’t think of any other place for it. Achieving the right kind of adaptability takes a lot of work, and practice, just like learning how to ride the backwards bicycle.
“Be comfortable with being uncomfortable”
This oft quoted statement shouted by your gym coach or a motivational speaker may sound like nonsense, it usually triggers only a mild smirk, but the meaning behind it can lead to an something important. If we are frequently introduced to new situations, we will have a better opportunity to develop the ability to adapt. Think of the last time you did something new. Not just read a new book, or ate at a new restaurant, but something really new like, read in a new language, or cooked with ingredients you have never used before. When was the last time you went to a new place with new people you have never met? Walked a path you have never taken? I think this is what that statement means. We need to be okay with doing new things often, and do new things often on purpose, because it helps our brain’s ability to adapt, it keeps our brains young, which keeps us young.
You might be feeling stuck in a fixed pattern of activity. We go out less, we work at home, do school at home, reinforcing pathways that don’t give our brains the exercise they need to stay flexible. These are some of the things I have tried doing; my list of activities for increasing mental adaptability:
Start learning a new language using the free Duolingo app (Brandon614644, look me up), try to start communicating in that language.
Create your own experiments. There are lots of great examples and resources on YouTube, these are some of my favorite channels:
Jelle’s Marble Runs You’ll be making your own soon, it’s awesome.
Create a blog, it’s free, write about whatever you want, or just record a video talking about anything. You are unique, and who knows, maybe lots of people will be interested in what you have to say, or nobody, but it doesn’t matter, it’s your creative outlet. It can feel very vulnerable to expose your ideas to the world, but there again is an opportunity to learn metal adaptability.
Start brushing you teeth and hair with your off hand, super dexterity here we come, or cavities, or messy hair, but hopefully just dexterity.
The reality is, I’m usually not in the right mindset to work on self-improvement very often, who is? When we have the time to think of it, where’s the energy? But this endeavor is more like a “10% of the time it works every time” kind of deal. I’ll find a couple minutes here and there, pull out my phone and work on Duolingo, or write something down, or read a quick article. Some days it’s only once or twice, some days not at all, but even doing that much has made a big difference.
There is value in challenging our understanding, and seeking knowledge even if only for the sake of mental exercise. No your brain will not fill up, in fact what you might discover is that our amazing brains have a nearly limitless capacity to adapt as long as we put in the work.
