Says Science: We have the power to shape the brain we want!

What we know about the brain is changing at a breathtaking pace and in this Talk, Dr. Lara Boyd tells us about some of them.

Neuroplasticity, probably the most fascinating area in all of life science at the moment, has new empowering information for us all.

This work is delivering hope for people who suffer from mental disorders including autism, depression, and ADHD. It’s work that is leading us to alternative therapies that can reset and resync patterns in our brains. For many mind- and brain-related illnesses and issues that for years seemed hopeless, neuroplasticity is offering new hope.

In this talk, Dr. Boyd, a brain researcher at the University of British Columbia, is basically saying, Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Based on her research, she believes that we can learn a new language at any age (and anything else we want to learn) because as it turns out, our brain never stops developing. Not even when we’re in our 90s.

What neuroplasticity means for behavior modification:

(it's my big takeaway!!):

Everything that we do changes our brain. Everything that we do impacts our brain function.

When we read, do physical exercise, and practice other positive behaviors, we are changing our brains for the better. And when we practice bad habits (you know the ones), we’re also changing our brain… just not for the better.

This knowledge has huge implications for personal development work.

It means we can take heart that there’s a point to whatever healthy practices we’re trying to implement. It means, we not only can change but that we should embrace the process because it matters.

The unhealthy habits that have such negative effects on our moods, and that negatively impact our self-control, focus, and the very quality of our lives can be changed.

Another significant piece to the change puzzle that neuroplasticity is advancing is that in addition to what we do, it's also what we think, the environments we live in, and all the things that we expose our brains to, that are shaping it in either a positive or negative direction.

We have, says science, more control over our brains and our capabilities than we ever realized. Isn’t that something?

I’m calling it…

Science is officially cool.