What is neuroplasticity and how does it work? You will get every answer regarding this question in today’s blog post. Stick around till the end of this content to understand neuroplasticity and how it can change your brain & personality.
Our brain is one of the greatest and important organs of the human body. It enables so many functions for us. And some biggest of them are how we think, learn, memorize, perceive, and respond to our surroundings.
Some years earlier, it was believed that after a certain amount of time, it is not possible to change our brain physically. Like, it gets fixed in a particular way biologically after, for say up until you are twenty years old.
But, within the last few years, many studies have been done by scientists and brain experts. And they have come up with something exceptional-
“Your brain can be changed after adulthood as well. It has the ability to change, and that’s what neuroplasticity is all about. “
Let’s dig deeper into what is neuroplasticity and how does it work!
What Is Neuroplasticity?
In a nutshell, the brain’s adaptability to change is called neuroplasticity. And it depends on a number of factors. The foremost of them is believed to be how you think.
That’s why psychotherapies are found to be amazingly beneficial for depression, anxiety, and various other mental health struggles, as they enable us to think differently and see the world in a new light.
Jerzy Konorski, a Polish neurologist, first coined the term “neuroplasticity” in 1948 to characterize observable changes in neuronal structure. But it wasn’t commonly used until the 1960s. Later, it was discovered that neurons can reorganize after a stressful incident.
So, your brain consists of the ability to change, rewire, and transform with different experiences, habits, and skillsets. It just needs patience and dedication.
How Does Neuroplasticity Work?
According to neuroplasticity, practicing a new habit and skill under the appropriate conditions can modify hundreds of millions, if not billions, of connections between nerve cells in our neurological pathways. There are 100 trillion neuronal connections in the human brain, which are made up of an estimated 100 billion neurons, as per scientists and studies. This is a significant amount of cerebral power at our disposal.
So, how you manage them makes all the difference. By allowing, certain tweaking in your day to day life, you can trigger new brain cells, enhancing physical changes in your brain.
What Are Some Of The Best Neuroplasticity Exercises?
So, till now, we looked at what is neuroplasticity and how does it work. Now, it’s time for us to have a look at some of the most effective and easy neuroplasticity exercises we can do to enhance changes at the level of our brain and personality.
Here they are!
Make music a part of your life-
Yes, you have heard it absolutely right! There are a lot of benefits that come with music. Music has been found to be exceptional regarding mental health and brain aspects.
In modern psychology, music therapy is becoming a common approach by psychologists to treat mental health challenges.
It is all about using music as a carrier for the emotional, physical, cognitive, and social experiences and pain of people. Music therapy usually includes writing songs, guided imagery, learning new instruments, listening to evoking melodies, and more.
Visit new places and travel-
Nature has been found to be an amazing factor in treating different mental health issues. Why so? As it expands your worldview to different horizons altogether.
By visiting new places and destinations, you get to learn about different cultures, languages, people, and a lot more, creating new flows of information in your brain. It impacts your mental health in a very positive way.
Also Read: Best Ways To Empower Your Employees Mental Health!
Exercise has key benefits-
It might sound cliché, but we already have heard thousands of benefits one can get from exercise. Yes, daily exercising is not only good for your physical health but also your psychological health.
Physical exercise triggers the production of feel-good hormones of your brain, namely dopamine and serotonin. They help in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety as well.
Learn a new language-
It goes without saying how fun it is to know just more than one language. In today’s professional world, multilingualism or bilingualism has become such a bonus point to grab a great career.
However, it consists of some amazing psychological benefits as well. How? Well, learning a new language is not a no-brainer. It demands you to learn each and every linguistic aspect of that very language. For example, you are a native English speaker and want to learn French.
To make that happen, you need to grab different nuances of the French language, be it the vocabulary, pronunciation, words, meaning, and more.
Also, memory plays a huge factor here as far as neuroplasticity is concerned. Learning a new language creates a lot of new pathways in your brain, increasing the size of the hippocampus, enhancing one’s mental health.
Play some brainstorming games-
I know, these days, there are a lot of contradictions about video and online games and how it affects kid’s health specifically. Some believe they are good for them. While some say they are a bit harmful to their psychological as well as physical growth.
Well, certain games have clearly been found to be effective for mental health. Games that include critical thinking, decision making, and brainstorming can enhance neuroplasticity.
Wordplays and scrabble are good example of such type of games. They demand you to actively participate at the level of your mind and thinking. And also they get played especially offline, reducing the risk of online screen hazards.
So, this was about some of the best and easy neuroplasticity exercises you can try. By trying your hands on them, you may definitely see some long-lasting effects for your mind.
You Can Also Watch This Amazing And Mind-blowing Video On Neuroplasticity!
Bottom-line:
Our brain is malleable and can transform physically over a period of time by proper training, learning, skills, and execution. There are different layers in neuroplasticity. It can not only change your brain biologically but also your behavior and personality. Researchers are even today trying to figure out various secrets of our brain.
Earlier, when we heard stories of some blind seeing again or deaf listening again, we used to think of them as sheer miracles. But, in fact, they were all due to neuroplasticity. No wonder neuroplasticity is the future of various psychological advances.
We hope you liked this blog on what is neuroplasticity and how does it work. Do comment about your take on the discussed subject in the comment section below. Would love to know your point of view. Thank you so much!
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