MIND-BENDING SCIENCE

Turns out the brain is supermalleable, so remodel yours and hack your habits

Call to mind, if you will, your own worst qualities. An inability to turn up to dinner on time; a tendency to develop a temporary speech impediment whenever you’re required to apologise; a habit of breaking into nervous laughter when sharing bad news. Less than ideal, but, ultimately, quirks that are an intractable part of your personality, which has been decades in the making and stands today as a reflection of your experience and genetics. In short: the neural pathways that forge to form your character are iron-cast and – to reference that eye-roll-inducing Marilyn Monroe quote – if someone can’t handle you at your worst, they don’t deserve you at your best. Amirite? Well, not quite. According to one of the most exciting developments in the science of the brain, your neural pathways – much like your tendency towards tardiness – are actually more malleable than you think. The theory is called neuroplasticity and, unlike many trends in mental wellbeing, it’s more than a buzzword – it’s hard science. In essence, it’s the idea that adults (yes, that includes you) can change their brains for the better. ‘Neuroplasticity is the lifelong process by which the brain grows and adapts to changes in your environment,’ explains Dr Chiara Nosarti, a reader in neurodevelopment and mental health at King’s College London. Before the early 00s, it was believed that the brain stopped developing when children reached adulthood. ‘But, in the past couple of decades, scientists have discovered that the adult brain has an extraordinary capacity to be receptive to experience and that it changes every day,’ she adds. ‘Even as you take in these words, your brain is changing in response to what you’re reading, the space you’re sitting in, even the lighting.’

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

In one of the first major studies into the phenomenon, published in 2004, scientists at the University of Regensburg in Germany observed people learning to juggle. They noted that the regions of participants’ brains responsible for processing and remembering how to perform a complex motion physically grew, essentially increasing with new knowledge. So, what exactly is going on here? One of the world’s foremost experts on brain plasticity, Dr Sandrine Thuret, also of King’s College London, explains. ‘New information triggers the neurons in all parts of your brain to create new synapses and new forms of contact, and release neurotransmitters,’ she says. ‘You already have the billions of neurons you were born with, but scientists discovered that they will begin to connect and communicate differently by making different axons [the long thread-like part of a nerve cell along which impulses are conducted from the cell body to other cells] and new neural pathways along which information can travel.’ So, that’s neuroplasticity: the finding that your grey matter isn’t stuck in stasis thanks to the fluid ways in which your neurons communicate with one another. Pretty damn cool. In the past couple of years, however, scientists have gone one step further, discovering something called neurogenesis – basically the Uber Lux of brain flexibility. ‘While neuroplasticity is about the adaptability of your existing cells, neurogenesis is the brain’s ability to make new neurons entirely,’ explains Dr Thuret. Unlike other neuroplastic functions, this process only takes place in the hippocampus – the area of the brain responsible for learning, spatial recognition, emotion and memory. ‘Research shows that we can generate up to 700 new neurons a day – a drop in

the ocean of billions of neurons we have in total,’ adds Dr Thuret. ‘But they seem to have a very particular role and function, in that they are important for pattern separation – that is, the ability to distinguish between very similar events and memories.’

SECRET STRENGTH

While this knowledge of the brain’s yogilike flexibility has remained largely untold outside of academic circles, this is about to change. Such is the monumental nature of this growing body of research that its key findings are starting to filter down into the real world and influence the expectations that seekers of optimum vitality have of their mental wellbeing experts. Take, for instance, the fact that the woman behind this spring’s buzziest book launch in psychological development doesn’t draw upon a spiritual awakening in the Amazon for inspiration – rather three years spent studying pharmacology. That’s Dr Tara Swart, author of The Source: Open Your Mind, Change Your Life (£12.99, Vermilion), who promotes the message that minds are malleable and habits can be broken. Not that your brain wants you to know this. ‘At between 2lb and 3lb, your brain is a tiny proportion of your body weight, but it uses 25% to 30% of the nutrients you consume,’ explains Dr Swart. ‘As it can’t conserve energy, it has become very energy-efficient and always chooses the path of least resistance. If you’ve done something for a long time, it will take a huge effort to override this, and your brain will continue running on autopilot.’ Before you focus on tackling specific habits, you want to prime your grey matter to be at its healthiest and most malleable. One way to do this is by trying something new on a regular basis. ‘It doesn’t have to be something extremely difficult. The goal is to stimulate your brain, particularly with things like spatial recognition, which stimulates activity in the hippocampus,’ explains Dr Thuret. Another sure-fire method is to get a sweat on. ‘The evidence behind the idea that exercise supports neuroplastic functions is compelling,’ says Dr Nosarti, pointing to a study by San Diego researchers that showed an average 2% growth in the hippocampus of 120 older adults in response to an aerobic workout. Another caveat: you need to actually like doing your workout of choice. Drag yourself out for a run kicking and screaming and your brain won’t play ball. Dr Thuret discovered this during her animal research. When mice were placed on a treadmill-like device and forced to exercise, no increases in the levels of neurogenesis were observed. However, when the mice had a wheel in their cage on which they could run voluntarily, the levels of neurogenesis in the hippocampus of their brains increased. ‘You have to somewhat enjoy the activity,’ she explains.

BE THE CHANGE

Now that you’ve got your brain all warmed up and stretched out, you’re ready for the four-step guide to lasting habit change that Dr Swart details in her book: raised awareness, focused attention, deliberate practice and accountability. Altering a habit, thought or character trait isn’t any different from how you’d tackle something like building muscle mass in a certain area of the body,’ she explains. ‘The process is the same; it’s about making incremental changes until you reach your goal.’ Say you’re determined to stop procrastinating. Rather than telling yourself that you’re going to be instantly on it with deadlines and uber-prepared for every meeting, Dr Swart argues that you need to amass evidence to help convince your brain that the arduous task of breaking out of autopilot is worth it. ‘For a month, note down when you procrastinate and what the consequences are,’ she suggests. ‘You’ll see that it’s not serving you because you can count the times you procrastinated and ended up superstressed or it caused you to make a silly mistake.’ The next step is to override that behaviour with a better one. ‘This is really key to the neuroscience,’ adds Dr Swart. ‘A lot of people say, “I’m not going to procrastinate any more,” but words like “no” and “not” don’t do anything for your brain. They just put the focus on the procrastination you’re trying to change.’ Instead, she recommends creating a mantra that focuses specifically on the new habit you’re trying to forge. ‘So, instead of saying, “I won’t do my presentation the night before,” you say to yourself, “I will have a draft completed a week before the deadline.”’ (Scale down as appropriate, obvs.) Now for step three. ‘Perform these new behaviours whenever you have an opportunity; this repetition slowly builds a new brain pathway that eventually becomes your new habit,’ says Dr Swart. Allow us a metaphor: think about taking yourself out on your

‘Even as you take in these words, your brain is changing in response to what you’re reading’

first run. It’s as if you’re navigating a dirt track; you’re on bumpy, difficult terrain and you really have to look where you’re going. But the next time, it’s a little easier – like you’ve laid a bamboo mat; by the third, you’re running along a path; by the fourth, a pavement. ‘Deliberate practice takes you from a dirt road to a super-efficient highway, and that’s exactly what’s happening in your brain,’ says Dr Swart. Finally, make yourself accountable – and that doesn’t mean forking out for a therapist or a coach. Dr Swart recommends an app called Habit Share, through which you can write down three or four things you’re looking to change and log every time you’ve done or not done your new habit – so you have a record of your success. (If you’re feeling brave, you can also share it with your partner, a pal or even a colleague.)

USE YOUR HEAD

Dr Thuret is rather more dubious of the idea that such tactics can help you break free of poor choices. ‘No animal research has been done on how neurogenesis impacts habit formation,’ she says. ‘Hard science on the benefits of these “soft skills” just isn’t there yet.’ But a lack of empirical, peerreviewed evidence doesn’t mean the benefits of methods such as Dr Swart’s

are null and void. Dr Thuret is clear that if such practices work for you then, by all means, crack on. Where she emphatically agrees with Dr Swart is on the empowering nature of understanding the functionality of the brain. In fact, she posits that factoring your grey matter’s neural needs into your life choices is a clever way to guide your path towards that most elusive of wellness goals: balance. ‘We know that neurogenesis is related to your ability to learn, so it follows that it may be related to your ability to be resilient to stress, too,’ she explains. It means the next time you’re working out your priorities ahead of a stressful week, it pays to factor in activities that support your brain’s ability to grow and renew. ‘You know that stress will have a negative impact on your ability to create new neurons, so you can balance this out by ensuring that you remember to exercise, prioritise your nutrition and get adequate sleep.’ The upshot? Seek to balance your non-negotiable neuron-zapping activities with those that promote their growth and you’ll likely end up with a realistic recipe for a well-lived life. And, the ultimate ally, a mind that’s switched on enough to help you deal with whatever the day throws at you – and supple enough to change for the better. It’s mind over matter.

‘The process is about making incremental changes until you reach your goal’