My Top Ten Lessons from my Neuroscience Class

I love learning new things. As a rule of thumb, I try to learn something new every quarter. The topic itself is less important than the actual learning itself, although I consider myself to be a practical learner. When I learn something new, aside from the topic having to be interesting, I enjoy it more when I see how I can actually apply it to my life or my work.

One particular class that excited me was one I took on “The Neuroscience of Leadership” by Dr. Tara Swart and Deborah Ancona at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

While I may not remember all the scientific and technical terms used to explain the topics, I feel there are so many ways I can apply these concepts in both life and work. So here are my Top Ten Lessons from my Neuroscience class:

1. There is a very strong connection between your brain and your body. We all know about how physical health is a direct result of the food you eat and your fitness or exercise routine, but my realization is that if the mind is not taken care of, so much of our physical wellness is directly affected too. When your mind is stressed or overworked or not given the rest and attention it needs, this will manifest very quickly in your physical health.
2. To give our brain the love and care it deserves, we need to start by giving it the right amount of rest, which is 7 to 9 hours of sleep. With this amount of sleep, the brain has sufficient time to release any toxins built up and tap into its creative functions. That’s why a good night’s rest often results in us waking up with solutions to our problems, answers to our difficult questions, new ideas for our business, etc. In addition, about 15 minutes of meditation or mindfulness practice also helps to create space in the mind for bigger thinking.
3. “I’m not creative” is not a true statement. We are all gifted with complete brains with all the capacities, which include creativity. It’s just a matter of tapping into the right functions of the brain and knowing how creativity manifests for you. It may not be in the arts, which many believe is the only manifestation of creativity. Others will be more creative at problem solving or finding new ways to do things.
4. Emotions are always triggered first. It is the most basic function of our brain. So having feelings is a natural reaction to anything that one encounters. It’s having the awareness of these emotions and their triggers that will make us more effective at showing empathy or dealing with our fears.
5. Listening to your gut is not as random as we think and probably should be given more attention. When we “feel something in our gut,” it is most likely a repressed emotion or memory that our brain is trying to re-surface.
6. The brain will continue to grow and develop until 65. We’re not as hardwired as we may think. If we put in enough effort to learn and improve ourselves, our brains have the capacity to do so.
7. Establishing routines and habits help the brain become more efficient and saves its energy for the more challenging stuff. Every decision you take in a day uses up brain capacity. So even when you take decisions like what to wear or which road to take, these add up to take some of our brain’s energy. So if you want to save it for a big decision or challenging problem, minimize the use of your brain power by lessening the trivial decisions you take daily.
8. It’s easier to develop strengths than to correct weaknesses. It takes more neurons and brain power. So focus on what you’re good at and work on enhancing it further. Or instead of correcting a behavior, learn a new one instead.
9. Laughter, especially with others, helps to develop the brain.
10. Some of the best brain foods include: salmon, avocado, eggs, nuts and seeds, olives/olive oil or coconut oil, water.

So treat your brain well, so it takes care of your body, which will then nurture your brain even more.