Ever heard of the phrase “neurons that fire together, wire together”?
This encapsulates a fundamental principle of neuroscience known as Hebbian theory. Essentially, it means that when two neurons are repeatedly activated simultaneously, the connection between them strengthens. This process is called synaptic plasticity.
This means that every time you engage in a specific thought, behavior, or experience, certain neural pathways in your brain are activated. If these pathways are frequently stimulated together, they become more efficient and interconnected.
In other words, if you frequently dwell on negative thoughts or experiences, the corresponding neural pathways become reinforced, making it easier for pessimistic thoughts to dominate your thinking patterns.
On the flip side, if you work to challenge your negative thoughts and reframe them to be more positive, you can actually change the structure of your brain to promote positive thinking.
Benefits:
- In addition to improved psychological well-being, positive thinking is also associated with better physical health. This includes lower rates of chronic diseases such as hypertension.
Life Hack:
- Set aside 10 minutes every day to challenge any negative thoughts you had during your day. Write these thought challenges down in a journal.
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