not so long ago, many scientists believed that the brain did not change after childhood
that it was hard-wired, and fixed by the time we became adults
but recent advances in only the last decade now tell us that this is simply not true
the brain can, and does change throughout our lives: it is adaptable, like plastic
hence neuroscientists call this 'neuroplasticity'
how does neuroplasticity work?
if you think of your brain as a dynamic, connected power grid
there are billions of pathways, or roads, lighting up every time you think, feel or do something
some of these roads are well travelled: these are our habits, our established ways of thinking, feeling and doing
every time we think in a certain way, practice a particular task or feel a specific emotion, we strengthen this road
it becomes easier for our brains to travel this pathway
say we think about something differently, learn a new task, or choose a different emotion
we start carving out a new road - if we keep travelling that road
our brains begin to use this pathway more, and this new way of thinking, feeling, or doing becomes second nature
the old pathway gets used less and less and weakens
this process of rewiring your brain by forming new connections and weakening old ones is neuroplasticity in action
the good news is that we all have the ability to learn and change, by rewiring our brains
if you have ever changed a bad habit, or thought about something differently
you have carved a new pathway in your brain and experienced neuroplasticity firsthand
with repeated and directed attention towards your desired change
you can rewire your brain