Neuroplasticity: How the Adult Brain Changes Through Repetition
What if your computer got better at running programmes the more you used them? Imagine you’re running software that causes it to become slow and laggy. But the next day your computer handles it just fine.
And what if you forced your computer to run an app way beyond its current capabilities? You keep trying to use it and not much happens at first. But over a couple of weeks it learns to execute it perfectly.
If you were able to crack open your laptop you’d see its internal circuitry had rewired itself to get better at performing the tasks you asked it to.
This is a simplified version of what you have – of what you truly are.
This is how your brain works.
Your brain’s ability to learn new skills and modify itself structurally at any age is called neuroplasticity. And it’s a potent superpower.
When Science Got the Brain Wrong
Until the 1960s and early 1970s, the dominant scientific view was that the adult brain was largely fixed. Small amounts of learning were possible but radical skill acquisition couldn’t happen.
However, outliers began to appear that shook the theory’s foundations.
Paul Bach-y-Rita was a young neuroscientist with a special interest in brain research. During his studies his father, Pedro, had a devastating stroke that destroyed his ability to walk or speak. This was 1959 and medics told the family that nothing could be done to help. The family refused to accept this and started an unconventional rehab routine that included crawling, balance drills, sensory stimulation and motor training.
In three months, Pedro was able to walk independently again. Within a year he was back teaching at University, travelling the world, and living a normal life.
He was sixty-five years old. The medical paradigm of the time said this was impossible.
Long after his recovery, Pedro died of a heart attack while mountain climbing. What surprised scientists further was that examinations showed that the brain regions originally damaged by the stroke had not healed. They remained unusable. Other brain brain areas had rewired themselves to take on the lost functions.
Pedro’s brain had changed itself.
This sparked a scientific revolution. It redefined our understanding of what’s possible for the brain and therefore, ourselves.
Why Repetition Rewires You
Your brain is made up of 86 billion cells called neurons. Each neuron has connections to between 1,000 and 10,000 other neurons.
Estimates of the amount of connections range from 100 trillion to 1 quadrillion – more than the amount of leaves on all the trees on Earth. And your brain’s ability to alter connections amplifies this even more.
All the possible configurations of your neurons dwarfs the amount of particles in the observable universe.
“The brain is the most complicated structure in the universe, and we’re just beginning to understand it.”
David Eagleman, pioneering neuroscientist
How the Brain Responds to Demand
The connections between neurons are strengthened by repetition. New connections can be made through new experiences.
In Pedro’s case, while walking wasn’t new to him, to the brain areas that took over, it was a completely novel skill.
His brain changed with the precise stimulation and challenge provided by his rehabilitation programme. It wired through the simple but relentless tasks of crawling, balancing, tracking objects with his eyes, and attempting steps repeated over and over.
He got his life back using this simple strategy.
While his story is special, it’s not science-fiction. You have exactly the same potential for change.
And you don’t need to wait for tragedy or adversity to activate it.
Designing Your Own Programme
Your brain is designed to support every choice you make. If you’re intent on becoming the highest performing version of yourself, ask yourself these questions:
- What am I not repeating that I want to get better at?
- What am I repeating that I don’t want to get better at?
Make a list. Prioritise the skills that matter to you. Prune away the activities that don’t create the progress you care about.
You can take it deeper by filtering your choices through the lens of your purpose – both in your career and life
Ask yourself these questions regularly:
- What does a truly meaningful life look like for me?
- What skills support it?
- How can I practice these skills on a daily basis?
This is your programme. This is your ‘rehab’.
It’s simple.
But simple is hard.
You have something truly precious – the choice to design a lifestyle that enhances the staggering power of your brain.
Repetition creates skill.
Daily repetition transforms the mundane into the remarkable.
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