The human brain is an amazingly impressive organ. It still shocks scientists because it is the only part of the human body of which we know so little.
And thanks to the fast-developing fields of neuroscience and brain imaging, now we know that it’s not only our brains that influence our behavior, but it also goes the other way around. How you act and think is what your brain will look like.
Neuroplasticity (an umbrella term that describes the long-lasting changes that happen to the brain throughout a person’s life) is something that we should all embrace. And here’s why:
We can increase our IQ levels, we can recover from different kinds of brain damage, we can learn new skills, we can increase our emotional intelligence, or we can even ‘unlearn’ certain (harmful) beliefs, behaviors, and habits.
On the negative side, we can reshape our brain for the worse.
OUR BELIEFS AND THOUGHTS ALTER OUR BRAIN
As Donald Hebb, a pioneer in neuropsychology and neuroplasticity famously said: “Neurons that fire together, wire together.”
Or in other words, the “neurons that fire” are our thoughts which “wire together” and structurally alter our brain.
So, our thoughts, behaviors, experiences, thought patterns, habits, and our way of reacting to everything around us are integral parts of how our brain is wired.
In turn, negative thinking and behaviors change the brain for the worse.
“In depression, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the brain. It’s simply that the particular tuning of neural circuits creates the tendency toward a pattern of depression. It has to do with the way the brain deals with stress, planning, habits, decision making and a dozen other things — the dynamic interaction of all those circuits.
And once a pattern starts to form, it causes dozens of tiny changes throughout the brain that create a downward spiral,” says Alex Korb, Ph.D., and author of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time.
So, neuroplasticity is both the problem and the solution to the problem.
HOW COMPLAINING CHANGES OUR BRAIN
One common negative behavior is complaining. We all know that person who always complains and is never satisfied with anything. The person who is constantly negative and pessimistic about life.
The truth is, we all complain from time to time. But, some do it more often. Complainers can be classified into 3 groups:
Attention-seeking complainers: These people get the attention they need by complaining. Their situation is always the worst one. Ironically, rational people often stay away from these people because they don’t want to waste their energy by listening to someone’s negativity.
Low-EQ complainers: These people have low emotional intelligence, and this is why they indulge themselves in all sorts of negative behaviors. Complaining being the most common one.
Chronic complainers: These people are ALWAYS complaining. Even if they are not expressing the complaint vocally, you can feel that negative energy from them.
SHOULD WE BLAME THE BRAIN?
Yes.
Because, who wants to feel that way? Who wants to be negative and unhappy?
By constantly complaining or indulging in any kind of harmful behavior, we are seriously changing our thought processes in the brain which later leads to changed beliefs and changes in behavior.
Our brain has something that is called a negativity bias. In layman’s terms, this means that the negativity bias is our brain’s tendency to focus on the negative aspects rather than the positive ones.
After all, “repetition is the mother of all learning.” So, the more we complain and focus on the negative, the more we are firing the negativity bias thus designing our negative behavior.
Finally, no one could be happy and positive all the time. And we shouldn’t try to be. But, we should try to take action and stop our negative thinking. Mindfulness and meditation could help you since these are maybe the most powerful tools for fighting negativity.
Spread the awareness!
Image Source: GettyImage
