Brawny Brains: Pursue People Who Will Grow Your Brain
Did you know when you get smarter, your brain actually grows? Just like a muscle.
In addition, the more you know, the more you can know. Nerve cells in the brain seem to be very social and like to mingle. And if you really give them a chance to get to know each other, they ‘procreate’, as it were. So, the more we learn, the more we get keener, bigger brains that have more capacity to learn.
The trick, however, is to practice what you don’t already know. Just like the sweet lady at the gym that you admire for her consistency, but looks exactly the same as last year because she’s still lifting the same five-pound dumbbell — your brain will look exactly the same as last year if you’re mentally lifting the same cadenza.
Not that long ago, I believed my ability to learn was finite. I thought, if I didn’t understand how to find the area of a rectangle, there was no use trying to figure it out. No matter what I did, from keyboarding words to memorizing lines, my brain capacity was fixed, and I must accept that I will never be smart or talented.
This is a common mindset. And it is a wrong one. All brains can exponentially learn. Maybe Mindset Theory is still called a theory and not a law because we’re dealing with humans who have infinite variables like willingness, persistence level, self-efficacy, motivation, etc. so it’s hard to empirically prove. However, there are realms of studies showing people with a growth mindset have overall higher achievement records.
Have you ever been around people with an accent or a tone of voice, and you accidentally find yourself with the same accent or tone of voice? When we do this, the mirror neurons in our brains are mimicking the other person. This is why it’s imperative to choose our surroundings wisely. Humans will mirror the community they choose to hang out with, listen to, seek advice from. They can’t help it. This includes our social media habits!
A few years ago someone else’s mirror neurons caused a shift in my thinking. I didn’t even know him. I just followed him on social media, but his values, his drive, is words, his mindset made me want to seek out more like-minded people. As my new community shared their energy with me, my mimicking brain cells started seeing things differently: they started lifting more difficult cadenzas.
I became more willing to try and fail and get back up. I practiced a growth mindset, and shunned a fixed mindset. I accepted challenges beyond my cognitive ability. I braved more frightening social encounters. And I better accepted the pain of physical fitness endeavors.
If you are looking to make a change in any of your habits, the people you’re surrounded by make all the difference. Your brain can’t help but change and grow (or shrink) along with them.
Andrea Bowden, MS is a freelance writer and Exercise Therapist. She helps all bodies make exercise a rational and realistic option for mental and physical health.
