Recent discoveries in neuroscience and neuroplasticity (the changes in brain structure which occur based on our thoughts and behaviour) have shown that we can SHIFT our own PFL brain wave pattern over time.
If we become more stressed and anxious then our brainwaves shift more to the right, and conversely, if we practice mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and other emotional resilience building activities, our brainwaves shift to the left.
Over time, and if practiced consistently, due to neuroplasticity our neurons become “re-wired”, making the changes more permanent. This means we can literally build a different brain, based on what we do and how we live.
You might ask why we would want to shift our brainwaves to the left, given the optimal evolutionary position is clearly to be skewed to the right. The answer is that humans simply no longer face the same risks that we did 10,000 years (or more) ago. So, our natural risk aversion and pessimism may well, in a world of opportunity and relative prosperity, be holding us back more than it is keeping us safe.
The fundamental human brain structure has not changed in recent times and will not significantly change in future, as natural selection all but ceased the moment medical science, law and order and the abundance of food reduced the death rate and allowed population growth to reach the level it is now at.
Ultimately, we are stuck with the brains we have in an ever more complex world, meaning that neuroplastic change is pretty much all we have to hone and enhance our brains, should we decide to harness that to our advantage.
We probably all recognise that activities such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness and self-care are good for us. Based on Dr Nick Hall’s research, consistently practicing them could lead to a permanently more resilient, optimistic and happier brain, that is more suited to today’s world. So, if you want to render Blue Monday a thing of the past, incorporating more of these activities into your daily routine could help!