Passion Struck with John R. Miles - Why Your Brain Dictates Your Reality and 5 Ways to Boost It w/ John R. Miles EP 136

Starting point is 00:00:00 Coming up next on the PassionStruct podcast, our brain functions like a big computer. The brain processes information that it receives from our five senses and sends information back to the body. However, the brain is so much more complex than a machine. Humans think and experience emotions with their brains and it is the root of human intelligence. Welcome to PassionStruct. Hi, I'm your host, John Armiles, and on the show, we decipher the secrets, tips, and guidance of the world's most inspiring people, and turn their wisdom into practical advice for you and those around you.

Starting point is 00:00:39 Our mission is to help you unlock the power of intentionality so that you can become the best version of yourself. If you're new to the show, I offer advice and answer listener questions on Fridays. We have long form interviews the rest of the week with guest-ranging from astronauts to authors, CEOs, creators, innovators, scientists, military leaders, visionaries and athletes. Now, let's go out there and become PassionStruck. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Momentum Friday, an episode 136 of PassionStruck, recently ranked as one of the top 50 most inspirational podcasts in the world.

Starting point is 00:01:20 Thank you to each and every one of you who comes back weekly to listen and learn, how to live better, be better, and impact the world. In case you missed our episodes from earlier in the week, I had the opportunity to interview New York Times best-selling author, Brechen Ruben, where we discussed the importance of knowing yourself, How negative emotions impact our happiness and the importance of having atter order and intercom. I also interviewed Dr. Michelle Seger about her new book The Joy Choice and we discussed how micro choices that we make every single day have such a long-term impact on our eating and exercise. I also wanted to give a shout- out from our fan of the week

Starting point is 00:02:06 from the United Kingdom Noah Butcher and Noah Wright's informative as someone desiring to be passion struck. I love listening to these podcast episodes so that I can gain additional knowledge and perspectives. Thank you for breaking the stigma and speaking about mental health. Thank you Noah so much for that review and it is mental health awareness smelth and I'd like to give a shout out to all who are involved in that field and those who may be suffering

Starting point is 00:02:34 themselves for mental illness. And if you love today's episode or any of the others that I mentioned, we would so appreciate it if you would forward them to family or friends so that they also can get a dose of inspiration from this podcast. And thank you so much for all your ratings and reviews. We now have over 7,000 5 star reviews globally, and all of this is from this incredible community that is supporting the show. Now let's talk about today's episode.

Starting point is 00:03:03 Have you ever wondered what it is in the physical body that allows you to comprehend the world in which you live and make everyday decisions? Are you curious about how you can generate thoughts and ideas that eventually translate into physical realities? Have you considered what organ drives your behavior and causes you to act the way you do? If you have pondered these questions and many like them before, you're not alone. From the dawning of the age of human enlightenment, philosophers have tried to figure out what it is in the human body that generates cognition. One of the great philosophers from that period, Aristotle, even incorrectly claimed that cognition was the product of the heart

Starting point is 00:03:46 and not of the brain, believing that the brain acted as the body's coolant system. However, the evolution of science has now helped us to understand that the organ that enables us to think and do things is the brain. The human brain is the major organ of the central nervous system. What decisions your brain makes determines who you are. Every day of your life, your brain

Starting point is 00:04:12 produces hundreds of choices. That shape, your perception of the world. These choices govern our every thought and action. From what to eat, what clothing to buy, whether to pick up a phone call, what career path to choose, and so forth. The brain-wide fights for dominance that rage within your skull every second of your life give rise to who you are. And today's episode, I will be providing you with in-depth knowledge on the fascinating organ we know as the brain. Help you to realize just how vital it is to your reality and your experience of life and show you five key ways that it can be

Starting point is 00:04:50 kept healthy and improved for optimum functionality. Thank you for choosing passion struck and choosing me to be your host and guide on your journey to creating an intentional life. Now, let that journey begin. A fascinating case of just how linked the physical brain is to mental life is the story of Phineas Gage. On September 13, 1848, Gage worked on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. He was using a large metal rod, a tamping rod, to pack explosive charges into the ground when the charge accidentally exploded, pushing the tamping iron through the top of his skull, with the rod eventually landing about 30 meters behind him. However, by some miracle,

Starting point is 00:05:46 Gage remained conscious after the accident and could even walk and talk. Although this is striking in its own right, the cognition implications from the injury are what led to Gage's notoriety. Gage was known as intelligent and extremely witty before the injury and had a position of responsibility as a foreman. His prior employer declared him unemployable following his injuries, claiming that he was no longer the gauge that they had previously known.

Starting point is 00:06:16 Gage has been described as irreverent using the most extreme vulgarity at times and impatient with restraint or console when it contradicts his inclinations. After various temporary jobs, he died of epilepsy, a secondary consequence from his injury in San Francisco 12 years after his incident. In a bid to understand the effects that the injury had on the negative behavioral changes that he demonstrated throughout his lifetime following that accident. An MRI reconstruction of gauges skull was carried out, and it was in the images from that MRI that the researchers found damage restricted to the frontal lobes, particularly the left orbital frontal ventral med region, and the left anterior region. Research suggests that

Starting point is 00:07:07 this region is crucial for certain aspects of decision-making, planning, and social recognition of behavior, all of which appeared to have been disrupted with gauge. This story illustrates just how important the brain is to creating our behaviors. Science has made significant progress in understanding how the brain works. The frontal lobes, for example, are thought to be the hubs of rational thought and self-control. Neurotransmitters or brain chemicals are also believed to be essential for our moods and our general state of being. Severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are also known to be brain diseases. Impulsive and impulsive actions can be affected by lesions

Starting point is 00:07:53 or injury to the frontal lobes and other brain areas as is the case of phineas cage. In reality, our behaviors are most likely the result of a complex interaction between our general makeup, brain chemistry, functioning, and the economic, social, and psychological context in which we grew up and lived. We will be right back to the PassionStrike podcast. I would like to emphasize that this podcast is part of my desire and effort to bring zero-cost information to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I would like to thank the sponsors of today's episode.

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Starting point is 00:11:11 that which we can control our brain to ultimately improve our overall lives. We will now dive into five ways that this can be achieved. These five behaviors that we can build have to do with diet, exercise, music, sleep, and meditation. So let's first talk about diet. Your brain works hard, takes care of your thoughts and movements, breathing, and sensing, and is active even when you're asleep.

Starting point is 00:11:36 Because of all this activity, your brain requires a constant fuel supply. And this fuel comes from the foods that you eat. Hence, the constituents of your meals make a lot of difference and directly impact your brain's structure, function, and mood. Your brain performs best when it ingests high-quality food. Consuming foods rich in minerals, vitamins, and high oxidants nourishes the brain while also protecting it from oxidative stress. In like manner, eating unhealthy meals, such as diets, high in refined sugars, is extremely

Starting point is 00:12:11 bad for the brain. They impair your body's insulin regulation and promote not only inflammation, but also oxidative stress. Multiple studies have established a link between diets of high refined sugar and poor brain function. It can lead to potentially worsening symptoms of mood disorders such as depression. According to research published in the Oxford Academic, on the role of diet in brain performance and health, food and nutrition are essential for the maintenance of brain performance and

Starting point is 00:12:42 also aid in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. So make conscious intentional efforts to eat brain-boosting foods such as eggs, coffee, dark chocolates, nuts, seeds, berries, vegetables, as well as whole grains. And you can be assured of a healthier brain that will help optimize your performance. Now, let's talk about the next area, exercise. A study completed at the University of British Columbia suggested that the pre-fanto cortex and medial temporal cortex, the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory,

Starting point is 00:13:16 have greater volume in people who exercise versus people who don't. Exercise benefits directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, inflammation, and increase in the production of chemicals in the brain that affect brain's cell health, the formation of new blood vessels in the brain and the survival of new brain cells. According to research, when you move your body, a number of helpful neurotransmitters such as dopamine, neuroepinephrine, serotonin, and acetochlolein are released into your brain, these substances can help you deal with anxiety as well as depression.

Starting point is 00:13:56 Findings from another study revealed that exercise promotes neurogenesis, which is the birth of new brain cells, a process that is essential to improving cognitive function. In a nutshell, specific benefits from exercise include the following. It decreases the feelings of anxiety by lowering the level of stress hormones. It facilitates the development of new brain cells. It improves focus and concentration. It guards the brain against neurogenitive diseases. It improves the ability to properly process emotions and lastly it promotes clear thinking. Exercise may also bring

Starting point is 00:14:32 physical benefits to the brain such as increasing cerebral cortex thickness and boosting the durability of your white matter. These nerve fibers connect sections of the brain's nerve cell rich brain matter. It also improves the ability of the brain to develop new neural connections and adapt throughout your life. So, actively engage and exercise today. If you lack motivation, go out there and find a fitness partner or hire a personal trainer. Just do whatever you can to exercise your way to a better brain. You have a topic like today's that you would like to see us cover?

Starting point is 00:15:07 You can reach us at Momentum Friday at PassionStruck.com. Keep your emails concise. Use a descriptive subject line. That keeps things easy for us. Reach out to us if there's a topic you're interested in learning about. There's something that maybe you're going through, any big decision that you're interested in learning about, there's something that maybe you're going through, any big decision that you're wrestling with, or perhaps you just want a new perspective on work,

Starting point is 00:15:29 love, or life. Whatever's got you staying up at night, hit us up at Momentum Friday at passionstruck.com. We're here to help and we keep every email anonymous. Now, back to passion struck. Now that we've talked about diet and exercise, let's now talk about music, which has always been a vital aspect

Starting point is 00:15:49 of every human civilization, both ancient and modern. People throughout the world have a universal reaction to music. Now, researchers can quantify how music affects the brain by engaging emotion, memory, and attention thanks to advances in neuroscience. A new branch of study known as Neuro-Musicology, which investigates how the neurological system reacts to music, has even been created to discover the effects of music onto the brain.

Starting point is 00:16:19 Music has been shown in multiple studies to engage every portion of the brain and profoundly affect it. According to a recent study, music can help with many elements of the brain, including pain, alleviation, stress release, memory, and brain damage. It has also been discovered that listening to music is an excellent tool for keeping the brain engaged

Starting point is 00:16:42 throughout the aging process, as it helps to provide a total brain workout. It is also known that listening to and playing music can make you smarter, healthier, happier, and more productive at all stages of your life. So put on some house music, blues, reggae, jazz, hard rock, or whatever you listen to, and enjoy those sweet sounds that your brain will appreciate. So now let's talk about the important area of sleep. Due to its continual working, the brain is naturally programmed to need sleep. Everything from cognition to attention to

Starting point is 00:17:16 decision-making can be severely affected if a person doesn't get and maintain enough sleep. In addition, persons who suffer from sleeplessness are also far more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. The explanation for these links could be that part of the brain that governs circadian rhythm, the daily sleep wake cycle, and all the physiological systems that rely on it is disrupted and depressed people. Sleep is essential for various brain activities, including how nerve cells, called neurons, communicate with each other. Many brain regions, particularly those involved with emotion, learning and information processing,

Starting point is 00:17:57 are actually most active when you're asleep. According to a PubMed Central study, sleep plays an essential role in the consolidation of long-term memory. The research found at the brain does this not only by strengthening certain neural connections, but also through pruning back unwanted ones. Sleep also plays a crucial role in boosting creativity. There are even records of people experiencing

Starting point is 00:18:23 creative insights during sleep, or just as they wake up from it. So ensure that you're getting some adequate shut eye for your brain to function at its best capacity. And if you're not, go out there and seek some help from someone who's an expert in sleep. And we actually have one of the foremost experts in the world, Dr. Sarah Madneck, coming up on the podcast in the world, Dr. Sarah Medneck coming up on the podcast in the next few weeks. So now that we've talked about diet exercise, music and sleep, let's also unpack meditation,

Starting point is 00:18:52 which in simple terms is the act of sitting still and focusing the mind of staying free, of burdensome thoughts, to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. It has measured effects on the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus areas of your brain, which are all involved in emotional response, decision-making, sensory perception, as well as learning. In a 2011 study conducted by the Harvard Medical School, a link between mindfulness and processing new information was discovered. The brains of 17 people were

Starting point is 00:19:26 studied after participating in an eight-week meditation program. Through brain scans, the researchers discovered that gray matter increased in the areas of the brain, involved in learning, memory, and emotional control. Furthermore, Carnegie Mellon University researchers conducted a 2016 study that proved how mindfulness, meditation, might increase concentration, and improve decision making. It showed that regular meditation practice can help you create a more robust neurobiology that has the following effects. It contributes to a greater sense of well-being, helps to keep your brain healthier as you age, aids in alleviating mental stress

Starting point is 00:20:09 by helping you confront and let go of unwanted psychological states like anxiety and fear, releasing their hold in the associated conditioned response. It promotes healthy, sustained focus and concentration. And with consistent practice, meditation can also help you become more compassionate and also to develop empathy. If you want more on this topic, please go back and listen to my episode with Dr. David Vago,

Starting point is 00:20:36 who is one of the foremost experts on meditation in the world. And additionally, I'm gonna do a deep dive on this whole area in a future podcast in the next coming weeks. I I'm going to do a deep dive on this whole area in a future podcast in the next coming weeks. I have covered a ton of information today, so let me synthesize this for you. In her TED Talk, Dr. Laura Boyd explains how the brain can unlearn old habits and learn new ones at any stage in life. She then goes on to challenge the audience to go out there and build the brain that they want. In like manner, I am challenging you to take into practical use all the points. In like manner, I am challenging you to take all the practical points that I discussed today and apply

Starting point is 00:21:19 them in your own life. Now that you know just how vital the brain and its performances to who you are and how you actually perform, you can live more intentionally and consciously build behaviors that will physically benefit your brain and in turn your whole life. Eat well, exercise, get adequate sleep, listen to music that you love, meditate, and try to allow your brain to feel positive emotions. By doing so, you will be helping yourself and every other person that you interact with by keeping your brain in the place where it can be its best and contribute fantastic ideas and innovations for us all to benefit from. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode,

Starting point is 00:22:04 and I hope I was able to provide some information and inspiration that you can take for practical use. I also wanted to tell you that we've got some amazing additional guests coming up over the next few weeks, including next week I will be having on Jordan Harbinger who is one of my favorite podcasters. He hosts the Jordan Harbinger show. The week following that, we will have on Admiral James to every this where we will be launching his new book to risk it all. And on June 7th, we will also be launching

Starting point is 00:22:34 Michael Sleegman's new book on secrets. And if you're new to the show, or you would like to send this to a friend or family member, we now have episode starter packs, which are collections of your favorite episodes that we organized by topic, both on Spotify and on our website. Just go to passionstruck.com slash starter packs to commence your journey on understanding everything that we do here on the show. Thank you so much for joining us today. We're helping us grow this community and this

Starting point is 00:23:03 overall global movement where we're trying to help people become the best versions of who they can be. Now, go out there and become passion-struck. Thank you so much for joining us. The purpose of our show is to make passion go viral. And we do that by sharing with you the knowledge and skills that you need to unlock your hidden potential. If you want to hear more, please subscribe to the PassionStruct podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you listen to your podcast ad. And if you absolutely love this episode, we'd appreciate a five-star rating on iTunes and you sharing it with three of your most growth-minded friends so they can post it as well to their social accounts and help us grow our passion-struck community.

Starting point is 00:23:48 If you'd like to learn more about the show and our mission, you can go to passionstruck.com where you can sign up for our newsletter, look at our tools, and also download the show notes for today's episode. Additionally, you can listen to us every Tuesday and Friday, or even more inspiring content. And remember, make a choice, work hard, and step into your sharp edges. Thank you again for joining us. you

Passion Struck with John R. Miles - Why Your Brain Dictates Your Reality and 5 Ways to Boost It w/ John R. Miles EP 136

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