In behavioral science, identity follows action. If you're generous, you'll begin to see yourself as generous. If you're a patient person, you'll come to see that as part of who you are. Over time, the brain will wire itself to repeat these patterns.
The standard explanation is that ketamine blocks NMDA receptors. These receptors bind glutamate, which is a chemical messenger found throughout the brain and body. By blocking NMDA receptors, ketamine increase "brain-derived neurotrophic factor" (BDNF), a protein which I refer to as "Miracle-Grow for the brain." BDNF promotes neuroplasticity-which is the growth of new connections (synapses) in the brain. This has traditionally been viewed as the primary mechanism responsible for ketamine's therapeutic benefits. But ketamine does so much more!
If you're going to prioritize one thing for your brain health, make it this: regular aerobic exercise. Multiple large-scale studies show that aerobic exercise doesn't just keep your heart healthy-it directly impacts your brain structure. One year of aerobic exercise in older adults led to significantly larger hippocampal volumes and better spatial memory. Other trials documented that exercise actually slows age-related gray matter volume loss.
Ability is thought of as being an internal stable factor over which a person may not think they have any control. However, one should consider that the ability to control one's own learning may become available to an individual if they actively engage in their learning. This active learning engagement has the potential to change neurological pathways, leading to changes in cognitive and skill-acquisition capacities, as well as advances in knowledge, potential, insight, and creativity(Arrowsmith-Young, 2012; Coyle, 2009; Doidge, 2010, 2015).
It might come as a surprise to learn that the brain responds to training in much the same way as our muscles, even though most of us never think about it that way. Clear thinking, focus, creativity, and good judgment are built through challenge, when the brain is asked to stretch beyond routine rather than run on autopilot. That slight mental discomfort is often the sign that the brain is actually being trained, a lot like that good workout burn in your muscles.
Switching off negativity may take a process that involves neuroplasticity. According to Puderbaugh and Emmady ( Journal of Behavioral Science, 2023), "Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, is a process that involves adaptive structural and functional changes to the brain." Simply put, it is "the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections."
You finally get to your mat. As you begin to slow your breath and find the familiar shapes of poses, you can feel the emotional relief. You can also feel the nagging thoughts about that email you didn't return and the ruminations about that meeting that you're still reliving. Or maybe by the time you land in Warrior I you've already half-written a mental grocery list. You're checked out of your practice. Again.
When you began to reminisce, brain cells dormant just seconds before began firing chemicals at one another. That action triggered regions of your brain involved in processing emotions, which is why you may have re-experienced some feelings you did at the time of the event. Chemical and electrical signals shot out to the rest of your body. If you were stressed before you began this exercise, your heart rate probably slowed and stabilized as levels of cortisol and other stress hormones decreased in your blood.
Most of us probably have an auntie or neighbor who deeply loves their garden, and it's easy to view this as a pastime for retired folks, or for those super wholesome types. But, if you ask your neighbor what the appeal is, you may be surprised to learn it's doing something for him that even the busiest and most serious among us could use more of.
Ever get caught in a negative thought spiral? It can happen after a minor inconvenience or misunderstanding, like when you forget to buy oat milk or your friend doesn't immediately text back. Instead of laughing it off, your brain overthinks it - I suck at everything, nobody likes me, etc. - and suddenly it feels like the world is ending.
Think of the golden claws of Buddha's hand, the lime-green pearls that burst from finger limes, and the jet-black skins of wild berries that look like something a witch might toss into her brew. These "haunted harvests" may look spooky, but they're full of compounds that help your brain stay sharp, calm, and resilient. Beneath their eerie colors and unusual textures, wild and exotic fruits remind us that curiosity, both sensory and scientific, is one of the best things we can feed our brains.
Now, new research from Horvath and Fabricant challenges that assumption, and it does so with the kind of study design psychologists dream of: examining identical twins reared apart. Their findings suggest that education, of all things, may hold surprising power to raise measured intelligence. For educators, this study could be a validation of an instinct we've tapped on for years. For the rest, it offers hope that misreadings of prior research had closed off.
The late James Doty, a neurosurgeon and professor at Stanford University, wrote in his 2024 book "Mind Magic" about how meditation paired with repetition of messages can change a person's subconscious. This could look like closing your eyes before bed to relax, meditating and visualizing an intention like earning a new job title or mastering piano. Afterward, write the intention on a piece of paper and keep it nearby, reading it often.
The one piece of advice I have given all of them is this: "Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse!" I give this advice because no one taught it to me; I had to learn it the hard way. When I first started learning public speaking in a Toastmasters club, I was locked to the lectern. I was so nervous that I grasped the sides in a white-knuckle death grip and read my speeches from notes.
Neuroplasticity reveals that our brains remain remarkably adaptable throughout our entire lives, allowing for continuous optimization of cognitive function.
