Neuroscience of Happiness - Nourish your mind, change our world.

Abstract:

1. 4 mindsets that drain our happiness:

   1. Distractability

   2. Loneliness

   3. Negative self-esteem and depression

   4. Loss of meaning and purpose

2. 4 pillars of a healthy mind:

   1. Awareness

   2. Connection

   3. Insight

   4. Purpose

3. So, start with 3 min mindfulness practice. That will help increase your neuroplasticity.

Details:

Neuroplasticity: our brains are constantly shaped by forces around us.

4 problems with our mind:

1. Distractability:

   1. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind (a scientific paper): 47% of the time, average American adult is not paying attention to what they are doing (Killingsworth and Gilbert 2010, Science)

   2. Attention deficit disorders in children are increasing (Xu et al 2018)

2. Loneliness:

   1. 76% of the average middle-aged American experience moderate to the high level of loneliness

   2. it impact our body and physical health.

   3. Loneliness is more significant predictor (by 2x) than obesity of the mortality.

3. Negative Self Talk and Depression:

   1. We all talk to ourselves who we are. And sometimes we have negative beliefs about ourselves. That leads to depression

   2. Even in the last few years, there is a significant increase (33% increase in the last 3 years) in the depression, especially amongst woman. (Blue Cross Blue Shield Major Depression, Impact on overall health 2018)

   3. Even in teens (Centre for Disease control 2018)

   4. We need to harness the power of neuroplasticity to change this

   5. There has been a steep rise in suicide rates since 200 (Centre for Disease Control 2018)

4. Loss of meaning and purpose in life:

   1. lack of purpose predicts and early death (Alimujiang et al 2019, JAMA Network)

   2. There is an intimate connection between lack of psychological well being and physical well being.

   3. This has an impact on our well-being and health

Four pillars of a healthy mind:

1. Awareness:

   1. focus attention and resist distraction

   2. meta-awareness: knowing what our minds are doing. a lapse in meta-awareness when we go on autopilot and lost awareness on what we are doing - we don’t remember what we have read in the last few mins

   3. meta-awareness is crucial to have a real awareness

2. Connection:

   1. qualities which nurture harmonious interpersonal relationships. Qualities like appreciation, kindness, compassion, positive outlook

   2. doesn’t take much to activate those

3. Insight:

   1. into the narrative about ourselves

   2. very negative self believes

   3. that leads to depression

   4. healthy mind includes the changing our relationship to the narrative. Not changing the narrative itself.

   5. contlatiolation of thoughts is narrative

   6. This leads to well being

4. Purpose:

   1. Life is headed in a particular direction

   2. Belonging to the sense of purpose

Have you ever trained your mind?

• 1:

  • you can learn the value of kindness

• 2

  • but this doesn’t lead us to be kinder

  • to cultivate these we need procedural learning

• the learning occurs in different brain parts.

• we need both learnings

Our brain wiring is not fixed. it’s changing constantly. That’s neuroplasticity.

Start mindfulness with 3 min a day.

(Notes from Richard J. Davidson’s TEDx Talk)