Happy Connections

You’ve heard “neurons that fire together wire together.” That explains how we learn isolated steps of the Achy Breaky, then put them together to line dance.

120 years ago Henry James alluded to the brain’s malleability, but it didn’t get much attention until 1948 when that characteristic received a name – neuroplasticity – thanks to Polish neuroscientist Jerry Konorski. A few years later, in the 1960’s, we began to realize our brains can adapt in function and structure beyond the formative childhood years.

The ability to form new connections is a response to learning, experience and memory-making. New connections can also contribute to happiness. Here are four simple steps that can help, according to Shawn Achor in a 2011 TED talk.

1. Each day for 21 days, record three things you appreciate. Keep it simple;
No need for a fancy journal. Write for two minutes in the margin of a newspaper headed to recycling. It’s the thinking and the doing for 21 days in a row that allows our brains to retain a pattern of looking at circumstances through a positive lens.
2. Exercise. Can’t get around the fact that our brains need movement. Check out videos on YouTube to learn a new dance or exercise routine, or freshen up your Achy Breaky moves.
3. Practice focusing on the moment. Our brains need a break from the multi-tasking chaos that technology creates. You can do it anytime, anywhere, without anyone knowing you’re practicing mindfulness.
4. Commit acts of kindness regularly. This requires conscious thought, and done consistently, it’s a brain changer. Add a new dimension to the challenge - see how often you can do random acts secretly.