How to tune your brain for success with neuroscience

What brain systems are involved in achieving success

Reticular activating system

It is a network of neural circuits that connect the brain stem to the cortex. The RAS serves as a kind of filter for a huge amount of information in the subconscious.

When information passes through the RAS, it enters the large brain and there it turns into a thought or feeling. Moreover, the filter allows only the information that is important to us at the moment.

Ruben Gonzalez, author of The Courage to Succeed

This means that the more you think about your goals, the more your subconscious mind will work to achieve them. Therefore, it is so important to write down your goals, visualize the desired result and engage in self-hypnosis regularly! This will help focus your subconscious mind on what is important to you.

Dopamine loops

When we are successful at something, the brain releases a chemical reward - the neurotransmitter dopamine. The pleasant sensation is short-lived, but we remember and strive to repeat it.

And here dopamine loops come into play: with each new success, the pleasure from it becomes less and less. And this makes us look for more. That's why video games are so addicting, that's why we want to check social media every minute, and that's why we strive for ever more ambitious goals.

Memory

Even our memories influence success. If, for example, one day during a trip or an event something went wrong, we will have unpleasant impressions and we will not want to experience them again. If our business goes bankrupt, we don't want to take risks again.

However, scientists have found that we can edit bad memories to get rid of negative associations. This technique is used to treat PTSD.

Imagine that an unpleasant memory diminishes and fades, like the image on an old black-and-white television screen. Then add new details. For example, if you remembered your failure in a performance, imagine that the audience was dressed funny. Repeat this five or ten times and the memory will start to make you smile.

The memory of the good can be edited in about the same way. To heighten a positive memory, imagine it bright and loud, like watching a movie in a movie theater, add the positive emotion, and repeat the exercise several times. Whenever you need motivation, refer to that memory and the sense of joy and success with which it comes.

How to program your brain for success

According to neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, 30 hours of special training is enough to become more successful, improve memory and thinking, speech skills and reading comprehension. Just a month you need to spend an hour a day on fairly simple things.

Exercise and meditate … When we exercise, endorphins are released that enhance our creativity and problem-solving ability. And meditation helps to achieve inner peace and get rid of mental barriers.
Eat foods high in omega-3s and healthy fats … This will help maintain adequate dopamine levels and improve blood circulation in the brain.
Have your main goal in the morning and evening … A well-defined goal will guide the work of the subconscious and help shift from pessimism to optimism. Write down your goal and repeat the sentence aloud in the morning and evening.
Get enough sleep … To be more attentive and easier to concentrate, try to sleep for 6, 5-8 hours.
Learn new … Take 15 minutes a day to learn something new or improve on an existing skill. It's good for the brain.
Protect yourself from stress and negativity … Our environment greatly affects the health of our brains. So get rid of annoying factors.
Visualize your success … So you will experience a situation that has not yet happened as real, and this will also help train your subconscious.