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paleorecipecookbook · 5 years

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Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change

Whatever your objective, kudos for planning to improve your health and well-being. But do you know how to set yourself up for success? When it comes to making changes, should you think big or start small?

The answer may surprise you in our aim-high culture, yet decades of research have made it clear: you’re more likely to achieve your goals when they’re small and attainable. It’s humble, incremental shifts that truly help you alter long-held habits. Read on to learn how to “shrink the change” you hope to make in the coming months.

Want to keep your New Year’s resolutions? Try shrinking the change! Find out how to shrink big changes into manageable steps and get a free activity handout to help. #healthylifestyle #changeagent #chriskresser

Forget Willpower—Here’s a Better Method for Changing Your Habits

If you believe that the key to changing an unhealthy habit is to grit your teeth and tap into an elusive thing called willpower, then you’re falling into an age-old trap—one that trips up even the most determined individuals.

When asked, many people regularly cite lack of self-control as the number-one reason they don’t follow through on lifestyle changes like eating right and exercising. (1) And yet the science shows that when it comes to changing your behavior, willpower isn’t as important as you might think—and it can even sabotage your efforts.

For example, past studies have found that people who say they have excellent self-discipline hardly use the skill: they simply don’t put themselves in positions in which they need to call on self-control in the first place. For example, they don’t white-knuckle their way into resisting candy bars or bags of chips. They just don’t keep this stuff around to tempt them. (2, 3)

Piggybacking on these findings, recent research adds that those who do actually exert willpower aren’t necessarily more likely to accomplish their goals compared to those who don’t use willpower. Once again, it’s people who experience fewer temptations overall (who strive not to be tempted, versus not to act on temptation) who are more successful. (4, 5, 6) And here’s another strike against willpower: in this particular study, participants who exercised more self-control reported feeling exhausted from doing so.

This latter finding hits on a growing body of research into “willpower depletion,” the idea that willpower is a limited resource, one that becomes weaker and less reliable the more you tap into it. Think of self-control like a cell phone battery that charges while you rest; it’s full when you wake up, but runs down over the day. Willpower appears to literally drain your brain, negatively impacting cognition and functioning and thus your chances of meeting your goals. (And unlike a battery, you can’t just “recharge” your willpower overnight.) (7)

Your Strategy Instead? Think Small—Really, Really Small

As I see it, then, the best way to address the challenge of any big behavior change is to shrink the change down into small goals. That way, when it comes time to take action, willpower doesn’t even enter the equation.

How small am I talking? Ridiculously small. You want your goal to be entirely doable.

Take this example. Say your overall aim is to reduce stress through a meditation practice. Instead of thinking, “Starting now I’m going to devote one hour a day to meditation practice,” start much (much) smaller. Your small steps for getting there might look something like this:

Find a space in my house conducive to meditation. (If needed, the next goal could be to spruce up or reorganize the space.)

Buy a meditation cushion.

Download a meditation app, such as Headspace.

Use the app one day this week to meditate for one minute at a time.

Use the app two days next week to meditate for two minutes each time.

Keep going until you’ve worked your way up to regular, longer meditation sessions. Eventually, you’ll no longer need any guided help, and you’ll have built a new habit.

Here are some other ideas.

Big change: Be less sedentary and more physically active. (Hint: “Go to the gym five days a week” is likely too big)

Small goals:

Buy a pedometer or fitness tracker this week

Take 2,000 steps a day next week by taking the stairs, taking walking breaks at work, and parking farther away

Call a friend and schedule a 30-minute walk in the next three days

Take that 30-minute walk

Big change: Get more sleep. (Hint: “Get to bed an hour earlier every night” is perhaps too big)

Small goals:

Start turning off electronics and dimming the lights half an hour to an hour before bedtime

Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal this week

Go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal next week

Big change: Eat better. (Hint: “Cut out all fried foods and sweets” may be too big for you)

Small goals:

Drink black coffee one day this week

Swap one fast-food breakfast this week for a homemade omelet

Try one new vegetable in the next two days

Notice something about these examples? They’re distinct and measurable. (Note the specific amounts, distances, time frames, and so on.) That’s because this strategy for behavior-change success isn’t only about making small goals—it’s also about tracking those goals and celebrating every incremental win.

As humans, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Making your progress visible and recognizing your victories fuels hope that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to.

Try This: Shrink the Change for Your Next Big Goal

Before you read any further, I want you to try this out for yourself. Get out a pen and piece of paper and take a moment to practice shrinking the change while it’s fresh in your mind.

First, select one behavior change you’d like to make for yourself within the next 30 days. List the small, concrete, and doable steps you can take to achieve this change. Try to limit yourself to just a few steps; don’t get bogged down listing everything at once.

Finally, for the steps you’ve outlined, list how you will track and celebrate each goal you accomplish.

Ready to practice? Enter your email to join my newsletter and download your free handout to help you shrink the change!

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Why Shrinking the Change Produces Lasting Results

When you set small goals, track them, and honor your achievements, you build the momentum and confidence needed to fulfill your larger mission. And checking off accomplishments just feels good, doesn’t it? Ever wondered why?

When you deliver on a promise to yourself, your brain essentially rewards you by releasing the “feel good” neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for pleasure, learning, and motivation. You experience greater concentration and the desire to re-experience the activity that triggered the dopamine release. (8, 9)

This is precisely why shrinking the change works: with each win, dopamine rewires your brain for continued success. Conversely, each time you fail, you deplete your brain of dopamine. Put another way, the brain learns from success, not failure.

Science bears this out. In an MIT study involving monkeys who were trained to view and then choose certain images from a computer screen and get a reward when they picked the “correct” answer, when the animals—whose brain activity was being monitored—were right, they received a positive brain signal that was the equivalent of a “great job!” high five, along with the reward.

Furthermore, the neural stimulation from choosing the correct image spurred the monkeys on, and with their focus sharpened, they were likely to get the next answer right. After an error, however, there was little change in their brain activity. The monkeys—like us—learned from their successes, and not their failures. (10)

The Big Picture: Better Habits Make for Better Health

The small goals that lead to a successful reversal of unwise habits have far from a modest impact on your health. In fact, behavior change may be the single-most important way you can prevent and reverse chronic disease.

As I’ve written before, we now know that our genes are not our destiny and that environment—including the lifestyle choices we make—is the primary driver of health and longevity. The five most important behaviors for preventing chronic illness are:

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Drinking moderately, or not at all

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Getting enough sleep

Shockingly, according to the CDC, only 6.5 percent of Americans practice all five habits, which could explain the meteoric rise in chronic disease. (11)

A recent Harvard study looked at these habits’ impact on longevity (with healthy diet substituted for enough sleep). Researchers found that men who followed all five habits could add an average of 12 years to their life; for women who did the same, that number jumped to 14. Participants experienced a decrease in mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease, in particular. (12)

Making It Stick: Get the Help of a Health Coach

Even when you set small, manageable goals, meeting them—and sticking with the resulting changes for the long haul—won’t always be easy. I encourage you to seek the support of a health coach as part of your Functional Medicine care team. A health coach will walk with you through the process of behavior change and encourage you every step of the way.

Health coaches are uniquely qualified for this supportive role. They are highly trained in human behavior, motivation, and health, and they embrace a variety of strategies—like shrinking the change—to help guide you while you’re changing your habits. They don’t follow the typical “expert” model that’s so common in healthcare. Instead, they partner with you to understand your current condition, flesh out your goals, create doable objectives, and hold you accountable.

And because of their approach, you get results. In one of many studies on the impressive success rates attributable to health coaching, coached obese individuals were more likely to have lost at least 5 percent of their body weight up to 24 months after completing a coaching program than those who did not have intervention. (13)

Working with a health coach can help you achieve lasting change here. (And if you’re interested in becoming a health coach yourself, check out my ADAPT Health Coach Training Program.)

The take-home message: Society may tell you to shoot for the stars, but it’s perfectly okay—and actually advisable when it comes to changing your habits—to aim for what’s within reach. Small goals will help you achieve seemingly small behavioral changes that add up to big benefits for your health.

Now, I’d like to hear what you think. What habits are you trying to change, and what small steps can you take to help you reach your goals? Comment below and share your story!

The post Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com January 01, 2019 at 02:02PM

#paleo #recipe #food #delicious #healthy #yum #diet

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newstfionline · 6 years

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How to Increase Your Attention Span: 5 Secrets from Neuroscience

Eric Barker, Barking Up The Wrong Tree, March 25, 2018

The human brain is the most amazing thing in the universe. It got us to the moon, built the pyramids, cured smallpox... And it also can’t seem to go 6 minutes without checking Facebook.

How long can college students focus without switching to something fun like social media or texting?

5 minutes. Tops.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Regardless of age, students were able to stay focused and attend to that important work only for a short period of time--three to five minutes--before most students self-interrupted their studying to switch to another task.

And that was under lab conditions when they were specifically instructed to focus as long as they could on something they were told was important. Yikes.

Our attention spans are evaporating. Focus is a lost art. Research shows we check our phones up to 150 times a day--about every six to seven minutes that we’re awake. In fact, we’re so distracted we’re walking into things.

According to one report in Scientific American, data from a sample of 100 US hospitals found that while in 2004 an estimated nationwide 559 people had hurt themselves by walking into a stationary object while texting, by 2010 that number topped 1,500, and estimates by the study authors predicted the number of injuries would double between 2010 and 2015.

Still with me? Good. (Sorry--after those stats, I really do need to ask.) So how do we steal back our attention spans? Luckily, some experts have answers...

Adam Gazzaley is a neuroscientist and a professor in neurology, physiology and psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. Larry Rosen is professor emeritus of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Their book is The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World.

First off, stop blaming technology. It’s not your phone’s fault; it’s your brain’s fault. Tech just makes it worse. Our brains are designed to always be seeking new information.

In fact, the same system in your grey matter that keeps you on the lookout for food and water actually rewards you for discovering novel information.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

The role of the dopamine system has actually been shown to relate directly to information-seeking behavior in primates. Macaque monkeys, for example, respond to receiving information similarly to the way they respond to primitive rewards such as food or water. Moreover, “single dopamine neurons process both primitive and cognitive rewards, and suggest that current theories of reward-seeking must be revised to include information-seeking.”

Okay, fine--but if your brain is so good at seeking out new info, why is it so terrible at follow through?

Because the information-seeking part is way stronger than the “cognitive control” part that allows you to complete tasks.

And focusing isn’t the only activity that taxes our grey matter. fMRI studies of the brain show ignoring irrelevant stimuli is not a passive process.

Just like noise-canceling headphones need batteries, your brain has to expend precious resources in order to filter distractions around you. So doing the same task is harder in environments with more tempting or annoying stimuli.

Alright, you know a little more about how your brain works. So how do you go about increasing your attention span? First step: don’t waste what little you have...

1) Stop Multitasking. Juggling multiple activities not only divides your attention among the tasks--but you also pay a cognitive “penalty” on top of that to manage the switching.

This results in more errors and makes things take longer than they would have if you had done them each separately.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

...if the two goals both require cognitive control to enact them, such as holding the details of a complex scene in mind (working memory) at the same time as searching the ground for a rock (selective attention), then they will certainly compete for limited prefrontal cortex resources… The process of neural network switching is associated with a decrease in accuracy, often for both tasks, and a time delay compared to doing one task at a time.

Oh, but some folks are still going to fight me on this one: “But you don’t understand, I’m really good at multitasking!”

Oh, really? If you think that, you’re actually the worst at it.

It has been shown that people who believe that they are good at multitasking actually tend to be those who do the worst on laboratory tests of multitasking, leading the study authors to conclude that “participants’ perceptions of their multi-tasking ability were poorly grounded in reality.”

Yes, you probably feel good when you multitask. But feeling good and efficiency are not the same thing. Multitasking meets your emotional need to do something new and exciting... while also slowing your brain down and increasing errors.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

...the reason behind the constant task switching is a desire to feed emotional needs--often by switching from school work to entertainment or social communication--rather than cognitive or intellectual needs.

You wouldn’t even try to lift 5000 pounds. You know your body can’t do it. So stop thinking you can efficiently multitask. You now know your brain can’t do it.

Okay, so what’s the single most powerful way to actually increase your attention span?

2) Exercise. Strengthen your body and you strengthen your brain. In fact, cognitive control is measurably better after just a single exercise session.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Boosts in cognitive control abilities occur even after engagement in a single bout of physical exertion, as assessed in healthy children and those diagnosed with ADHD, with benefits extending to academic achievement. Interestingly, it seems that the impact on the brain is greater if an exercise program is also cognitively engaging. Similar training benefits of acute and chronic exercise on cognitive control have been shown in both young adults and middle-age adults. There is also a very large body of research on the cognitive benefits of physical exercise in older adults.

And while we’re discussing things physical, let me confirm what should be obvious: get your sleep. While just one exercise session boosts cognitive control, just one bad night’s sleep reduces it.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

...even a single bad night’s sleep can impair cognitive control and how ongoing sleep deprivation can have severe and long-term consequences.

Exercise makes you brain healthier and that sharpens cognitive control. But what’s the most direct way to improve your attention span?

3) Meditate. Focus on your breath and when your mind wanders, return your attention to your breath. That’s meditation in a nutshell. Guess what else that is?

Attention training.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Results indicated that participants exhibited improvements in selective attention compared to those in a control group who did not train over the same time period. This study was consistent with findings from previous research that showed expert meditators excelled on selective attention tasks compared to nonmeditators. Over the years more evidence has accrued that meditation techniques improve cognitive control, including sustained attention, speed of processing, and working memory capacity.

Start with a minute a day. Will you see enormous effects from that? Nope. But it sure will stop you from telling me “I don’t have time to meditate.”

Eventually build up to a habit of 20 minutes a day and you’ll start to see why everyone keeps yakking about how great it is.

I know, I know: exercise is hard. And, frankly, meditation is harder. So what’s a way to improve cognitive control as passively as possible?

4) Call Your Mother Nature. Exercise and meditation both strengthen your attention muscles. Spending time in nature recharges those muscles when they’ve been exhausted.

The effect is so powerful that merely looking at a picture of nature had restorative effects.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

A 2008 paper described a significant improvement in their working memory performance after the nature walk, but not after the urban walk. Similar beneficial effects of nature exposure have been shown to occur in children with ADHD and young adults with depression, and amazingly even in response to just viewing nature pictures.

Ever get to the end of a day and think, “I don’t want to make any more decisions”? Treat yourself to a Google Image search for “nature.” Yes, it’s that simple.

You’ve strengthened your attention with exercise and meditation. You’ve given your cognitive control a recharge with nature. What’s another angle for boosting focus?

5) Reduce Interference. You can improve your ability to focus by changing your brain or changing your behavior. And it’s best if you do both. We talked about changing your brain. And the best way to change your behavior is to make sure that anything which might distract you is far away.

Simply put, make your environment as boring as possible when trying to focus. Research shows even having a phone in the room can be distracting.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

A recent study by Professor Bill Thornton and his colleagues at the University of Southern Maine demonstrated that when performing complex tasks that require our full attention even the mere presence of the experimenter’s phone (not the participant’s phone) led to distraction and worse performance. In the same study, the presence of a student’s silenced phone in a classroom had an equally negative impact on attention.

If at all possible, “batch” all email checking, texting and social media into three pre-designated times. Then turn off all notifications.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Results indicated that when participants--a mixture of college students and community adults--checked only three times a day they reported less stress, which predicted better overall well-being on a range of psychological and physical dimensions.

And taking breaks is not only okay, but beneficial. Try gradually extending the amount of time between breaks to further build those attention muscles, Hercules.

#attention span #focus #distractions

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byamylaurens · 7 years

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Stages of Love – Attraction

Welcome to the second post in Liana’s Science of Love series! Catch up on the first post here.

Yesterday we talked about the science behind Lust. The mad, crazy, passionate time when you are truly obsessed with another sentient being, or at least obsessed with getting in their pants and scoring a DNA exchange.

After a short period of time the original chemical lust wears off. Reality sets in and you start to really see the person. Yes, the genetics and pheromones might be enough for the hind brain (the crazy bit with the spear – remember?), but the fore brain has STANDARDS.

The Basics Actually, a lot of attachment has to do with the hind brain screaming, “Ahh! There’s a parasite in my uterus somebody find me ice cream!!!”

While the hind brain stuffs ice cream in it’s mouth to drown the obscenities the logic centers perk up and go: Hot tamale! I ain’t raising this kiddo alone!

The brain works overtime, hustling the chemicals to produce permanent bonds that will make sure someone else is around to change the baby’s diaper at 3am. The conscious mind may tell you that you are madly in love, that this is fate, you are truly soulmates… and that’s sweet. Really, I’ve been with my husband over a decade and I applaud you (or your character) for thinking that.

It’s a lie, but it’s such a pretty lie.

The Science Behind Attachment Let’s go back to one of the examples we addressed yesterday. Pride and Prejudice: The Worst Proposal Ever!

What do we see here?

Mr. Darcy is running on mad Lust at this point.

The first time I heard this part of P&P (I listened to the audio before reading) I nearly died laughing. By the standards of the time Darcy was acting on what he understood to be love. But the attachment portion of the relationship wasn’t there. Yes, Lizzy Bennett was a wonderful choice from a genetic stand point, the chances of her being in-bred with the same line as Darcy’s in-breeding was fairly low, but from the view of science this was a no-go.

Why?

Obviously because the Dracy’s weren’t in the habit of doping their guests drinks with Oxytocin at dinner, and Darcy had overlooked the key ingredient of staring into Lizzy’s eyes for prolonged periods of time [reference].

Lust is all about sex, all those hormones, the testosterone in the saliva, the dopamine pinging the brain’s reward center are all aimed at getting naked as fast as possible. Norepinephrine, the chemical responsible for obsessive focus in the early stage of Lust is the bridge between the wild monkey sex and the point where you start picking out baby names [reference].

Expiration Date: Four Years The second stage of love, Attachment, is dictated by two primary hormones.

Oxytocin – is responsible for you wanting to cuddle, and is usually released during sex. The hind brain (Mr. Rough-Hewn Spear) wants sex for sex’s sake. It feels good! It spreads the genes around! Yay! Oxytocin is the rest of the brain’s sneaky way of making you stay with someone long enough to raise the kids.

Interestingly enough, oxytocin is also released just after birth and when a woman nurses. In the laboratory scientists have messed with block oxytocin (thus making a rat reject it’s young) and doping subjects with oxytocin (making a rat fawn over other young) [reference]. I’m waiting for the perfume industry to come out with a perfume that has oxytocin in it. Just think of the results!

Vasopressin – which controls your kidneys as well as your fidelity index. Low levels of vasopressin are associated with infidelity in mammals. Scientists are still working on the why behind this.

All of this feel-good chemical love does not add up to a wonderful marriage, Happily Ever After, or anything else a writer can put to work. This explains why you want to cuddle, and why relationships cool down after a certain period of time. Evolution set the child raising alarm clock for four years, at that point, the hormones wear off and other things kick in [reference].

Yesterday I eviscerated Scarlet (and the GI Joe script writers) for her portrayal of smart girls. Everyone falls in love. This is a normal biological function the same as breathing. Short of a malfunction in the hormone producing centers of your body this is not something you can control.

I love the paranormal books that try.

Pheromones are one of those tidbits of science that have become almost cliche. I groan when I see an ill-advised author whip out pheremones as a reason why the characters can’t keep their hands off each other. Yes, the smell works. But you can’t build Happily Ever After out of smells and Lust.

The oxytocin and vasopressin in the Attachment phase are what glue Lust to Love.

Poor Mr. Darcy needed Elizabeth’s brain to flood with a healthy dose of oxytocin before she would think of saying yes. Yes, they had a physical attraction, Lust was working fine. Yes, all the factors for an ideal Commitment (Stage 3 Love) were there in the forms of wealth and approving families (at least on her end). What Darcy and Elizabeth lacked here was the Attachment in the middle.

Remember how I said the fore brain has STANDARDS? Eventually those prejudices and conscious desires kick in and you realize the person you’re raising the kids with isn’t what you wanted in life. Evolution doesn’t care about a persons socio-economic status, religious views, or sexual orientation. All evolution and the hind brain care about is making more Homo sapiens sapiens.

The oxytocin makes you cuddle, the vasopressin makes you hang around, but what keeps the relationship going is a new a stage of love altogether.

Originally posted at www.lianabrooks.com. Read part three here.

Stages of Love – Attraction was originally published on Amy Laurens

#Amy Laurens #biology is the best science #how to tell if it's real love #Liana Brooks #love versus lust #relationship science #the science of love #the science of lust

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bluewatsons · 4 years

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Neil Levy, Hijacking Addiction, 24 Phil, Psychiatry & Psychology 97 (2017)

Neuroscientists and clinicians often speak of addictive drugs ‘hijacking’ the brain. Earp et al. (2017) want to do to the notion of addiction what drugs allegedly do to the brains of addicts; hijack it and put it to other purposes. There are, as they point out, clear commonalities (behaviorally and neutrally) between addiction and being in love. But there are also very important differences. These differences are significant enough to entail that it is at best highly misleading to describe love as an addiction. Hijacking addiction in this way is a move we should resist, both to better understand addiction and love, and to promote better responses to each.

If anything justifies the hijacking metaphor with regard to drugs of addiction, it is their effect on the mesolimbic dopamine system. This system, it is widely held, has the role of tracking reward value. When it is working as it is designed (by evolution) to do, it signals unexpected reward. Evidence for this claim comes from work measuring phasic dopamine in the brains of monkeys when they were exposed to a cue followed by a reward (a piece of apple). For naïve monkeys, availability of the reward correlated with a spike in phasic dopamine, but once the association between reward delivery and the cue was learned, the spike in phasic dopamine occurred only in response to the cue, and dopamine returned to baseline on reward delivery (Schultz, Apicella, Scarnati, & Ljungberg, 1992). For the naïve the delivery of the reward is unexpected, but once it has learned the association between the cue and the reward, delivery is exactly what it expects, given the cue. Now it is the cue rather than the reward that indicates that the world is better than expected (if the cue is given but no reward follows, dopamine actually falls below baseline). This work has been replicated in monkey and related work indicates that human mesolimbic dopamine system works in the same way (Corlett et al., 2004; Schultz, Dayan, & Montague, 1997).

By one causal route or another, drugs of addiction dysregulate this same system (Carter & Hall, 2012). They directly or indirectly drive up phasic dopamine, or they inhibit dopamine reuptake. It is this fact that justifies the hijacking metaphor: addictive drugs (and perhaps the unpredictable reinforcement patterns associated with gambling; Ross, Sharp, Vuchinich, & Spurrett, 2008) make it impossible for the prediction system to keep track of the reward value of drugs because they alter the very currency that the system uses to measure unexpected reward.

Recall that the role of the system is to signal the availability of unexpected reward. For a drug user who (unexpectedly) encounters a cue that signals drug availability (someone they have used with in the past; a locale in which they have used— anything correlated with drug taking), this cue is a signal of unexpected reward. That signal has a host of effects, such as upregulating attention and motivating behavior. That is the system working as it was designed. But drugs have effects on the mesolimbic cortical system that are unique. When other rewards are consumed—food, sex, and so on—there is no second spike in phasic dopamine and the system adjusts to the actual reward value. But with drugs, there is a second spike of dopamine, every single time the drug is consumed. In effect, the drug is always better than expected. The system tries to accommodate this response by responding more strongly the next time a cue signals drug availability, but because the spike always occurs on consumption, the system cannot adjust to a stable reward value; instead, reward value (as measured by this system) continues to ramp ever upward.

This hijacking of the reward prediction system is at the very heart of addiction, and nothing like it is seen with natural rewards like love. The neural and behavioral similarities between love and addiction are relatively superficial. Both may involve strong appetites, strong enough to cause actions that the person may regret. Both centrally involve the ‘reward system’—the mesolimbic dopamine system, which I think is actually better thought of as a prediction system than a reward system. Earp et al. claim that food can “elicit a reward signal in the brain as strong as the reward from a typical dose of cocaine” and can induce “a withdrawal syndrome as strong as that induced by heroin” (p. 78). But powerful though reward signals are and motivating as withdrawal can be, these features do not explain why addiction is so intractable. Rather, it is the unique hijacking of the mesolimbic system that explains that fact.

This hijacking has three effects that are likely specific to addiction to drugs (and possibly gambling):

Because the dopamine signal is continually adjusted upward as the system attempts to adapt to the reward value of drugs, we ought to expect the motivational power of cues signaling availability of drugs to be very much greater than the motivational power of cues associated with natural rewards.

Because the mesolimbic system is a subpersonal system that is designed to track reward value in a specific currency that may dissociate from what the person finds rewarding, we can expect that there will be cases in which we see a marked dissociation between what the person likes and values and what is motivating for them; the power of cues signaling drug availability to draw attention and prime the system for action may be very much greater than the person would like, given the value they place on drugs (Robinson & Berridge, 2003). No doubt, some such dissociation can occur with other rewards, but because motivational power is associated with the dopaminergic system, and that system is driven well outside its natural parameters by drugs, there is the potential for the dissociation to be very much greater.

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease; this feature has nothing to do either with how rewarding drugs are or with how adversive withdrawal is. (If getting through withdrawal was all that was required to enable addicts who want to be drug free to succeed, rehabilitation programs would have an extremely high success rate. In fact, many addicts go through withdrawal multiple times, sometimes deliberately to make drugs cheaper by decreasing tolerance.) Relapse may be triggered in the abstinent addict weeks, months, or even years after last drug episode. The reason is that the cues predicting drug availability are so powerful; nothing analogous is seen with regard to natural rewards.

The differences between drug addiction and love are large. Of course, people are free to use words however they like, and no doubt ‘addiction’ is very often used in popular culture and even in philosophy in ways that are closer to the way that Earp et al. use it than to the way in which I am suggesting that it should be used. We can, if we like, call strong appetites that may prove troublesome to the agent addictions. But in doing so we obscure the fact that drug addiction has the potential to be much more difficult to resolve, much more prone to remain motivationally powerful against the person’s own wishes, and much more liable to cause relapse than are strong appetites with regard to other substances and activities.

There are also good grounds for thinking that the ethical questions that Earp et al. aim to answer might receive different answers when we ask them about love and when we ask them about addiction. These questions concern the moral responsibility of the person who is in the grip of the appetite, and whether (and how) to treat them. The grounds for excusing addicts are very much stronger than the grounds for excusing those in the grip of love, because of the potential for a gulf between the genuine values of the addict and states with motivational power, and because of the magnitude of the motivational force of cue-driven cravings in the addict. The fact that there is also the potential for a much greater dissociation between the addict’s values and this motivational power than between the values and the power of the person in the grip of love also entails that there are often better grounds for treating addicts than lovers.

Further, there may be distinctive reasons for excusing addicts, grounded in the nature of the mesolimbic cortical system and its functional role. In earlier work, I have argued that the spike in phasic dopamine causes the person to lose control not over her behavior, but over her doxastic states: addiction causes what is, in effect, a delusion of value (Levy, 2014). Although that suggestion is speculative, it should not be contentious that understanding the nature of addiction requires understanding the unique way in which the mesolimbic dopamine system may come to be dysregulated by drugs and perhaps gambling.

Let me finish, however, on a note of agreement. Earp et al. urge that our responses to love ‘addiction’ should depend not on how we conceptualize it, but instead in a way that is “informed by an appeal to how much a person is made to suffer (or to experience other threats to well-being) through his or her experiences of love” (Earp et al., 2017, p. 88). I agree. Although addiction has unique features that have the potential to make it much more intractable, whether it is harmful to the person depends on features of their environment at least as much as on the nature of their addiction (Levy, 2013). In some environments and for some people, addiction may not be harmful at all, and in such cases there is no reason to treat it. A strong appetite for a ‘natural’ reward may sometimes cause much greater harms than an addiction, properly so called. This is not, however, a reason to neglect the significant differences between addiction and other strong appetites; these differences help to explain why the first are very often very much more harmful than the second.

References

Carter, A., & Hall, W. (2012). Addiction neuroethics: The promises and perils of neuroscience research on addiction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Corlett, P. R., Aitken. M. R., Dickinson, A., Shanks, D. R., Honey, G. D., Honey, R. A., . . . Fletcher, P. C. (2004). Prediction error during retrospective revaluation of causal associations in humans: fMRI evidence in favor of an associative model of learning. Neuron, 44, 877–888.

Earp, B. D., Wudarczyk, O. A., Foddy, B., & Savulescu, J. (2017). Addicted to love: What is love addiction and when should it be treated? Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 24(1), 77–92.

Levy, N. (2013). Addiction is not a brain disease (and it matters). Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4, 1–7.

Levy, N. (2014). Addiction as a disorder of belief. Biology and Philosophy, 29, 337–355.

Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C. (2003). Addiction. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 25–53.

Ross, D., Sharp, C., Vuchinich, R. E., & Spurrett, D. (2008). Midbrain mutiny: The picoeconomics and neuroeconomics of disordered gambling. Cambridge, England: MIT Press.

Schultz, W., Apicella, P., Scarnati, E., & Ljungberg, T. (1992). Neuronal activity in monkey ventral striatum related to the expectation of reward. Journal of Neuroscience, 12, 4595–4610.

Schultz, W., Dayan, P., & Montague, P. R. (1997). A neural substrate of prediction and reward. Science, 275, 1593–159.

#addiction #substance abuse #love #love addiction #appetites #dopamine system #criticism #brian earp #phenomenology of addiction

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rerumtechnologies · 5 years

Text

why do I want to eat babies?

You know when you’re holding a baby and you om nom on their fingers and toes and you get that weird urge to bite them?

Well apparently, the "urge to nibble cute creatures” could result from one of two things;

Option A: Our brains think babies will be delicious.

When we smell babies reward-related areas of the brain are activated and we get a rush of dopamine. These are the same areas that are triggered when we smell or taste some yummy food.

Option B: Subconsciously, we want them to trust us. So we show off our self-control.

There is a large amount of friendly nuzzling and psuedo-biting in the animal world, like the teasing nips puppies give each other when playing. This play-biting is usually between trusted allies and has been observed as a normal social action between monkeys.

(Source)

Also here’s another article that literally says wanting to eat your baby makes you a better mom. (Source)

#babies #mothers #biting cute things #eating cute things #idk man #science side of tumblr #is this real?#or did i get some fake articles #science side please explain #further #idk what i was thinking #at 3 in the morning

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edsenger · 5 years

Text

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change

Forget Willpower—Here’s a Better Method for Changing Your Habits

Your Strategy Instead? Think Small—Really, Really Small

How small am I talking? Ridiculously small. You want your goal to be entirely doable.

Find a space in my house conducive to meditation. (If needed, the next goal could be to spruce up or reorganize the space.)

Buy a meditation cushion.

Download a meditation app, such as Headspace.

Use the app one day this week to meditate for one minute at a time.

Use the app two days next week to meditate for two minutes each time.

Keep going until you’ve worked your way up to regular, longer meditation sessions. Eventually, you’ll no longer need any guided help, and you’ll have built a new habit.

Here are some other ideas.

Big change: Be less sedentary and more physically active. (Hint: “Go to the gym five days a week” is likely too big)

Small goals:

Buy a pedometer or fitness tracker this week

Take 2,000 steps a day next week by taking the stairs, taking walking breaks at work, and parking farther away

Call a friend and schedule a 30-minute walk in the next three days

Take that 30-minute walk

Big change: Get more sleep. (Hint: “Get to bed an hour earlier every night” is perhaps too big)

Small goals:

Start turning off electronics and dimming the lights half an hour to an hour before bedtime

Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal this week

Go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal next week

Big change: Eat better. (Hint: “Cut out all fried foods and sweets” may be too big for you)

Small goals:

Drink black coffee one day this week

Swap one fast-food breakfast this week for a homemade omelet

Try one new vegetable in the next two days

As humans, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Making your progress visible and recognizing your victories fuels hope that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to.

Try This: Shrink the Change for Your Next Big Goal

Before you read any further, I want you to try this out for yourself. Get out a pen and piece of paper and take a moment to practice shrinking the change while it’s fresh in your mind.

Finally, for the steps you’ve outlined, list how you will track and celebrate each goal you accomplish.

Ready to practice? Enter your email to join my newsletter and download your free handout to help you shrink the change!

[gravityform id="16" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"]

Why Shrinking the Change Produces Lasting Results

The Big Picture: Better Habits Make for Better Health

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Drinking moderately, or not at all

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Getting enough sleep

Shockingly, according to the CDC, only 6.5 percent of Americans practice all five habits, which could explain the meteoric rise in chronic disease. (11)

Making It Stick: Get the Help of a Health Coach

Working with a health coach can help you achieve lasting change here. (And if you’re interested in becoming a health coach yourself, check out my ADAPT Health Coach Training Program.)

Now, I’d like to hear what you think. What habits are you trying to change, and what small steps can you take to help you reach your goals? Comment below and share your story!

The post Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change published first on https://brightendentalhouston.weebly.com/

0 notes

shapesnnsizes · 5 years

Text

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change

Forget Willpower—Here’s a Better Method for Changing Your Habits

Your Strategy Instead? Think Small—Really, Really Small

How small am I talking? Ridiculously small. You want your goal to be entirely doable.

Find a space in my house conducive to meditation. (If needed, the next goal could be to spruce up or reorganize the space.)

Buy a meditation cushion.

Download a meditation app, such as Headspace.

Use the app one day this week to meditate for one minute at a time.

Use the app two days next week to meditate for two minutes each time.

Keep going until you’ve worked your way up to regular, longer meditation sessions. Eventually, you’ll no longer need any guided help, and you’ll have built a new habit.

Here are some other ideas.

Big change: Be less sedentary and more physically active. (Hint: “Go to the gym five days a week” is likely too big)

Small goals:

Buy a pedometer or fitness tracker this week

Take 2,000 steps a day next week by taking the stairs, taking walking breaks at work, and parking farther away

Call a friend and schedule a 30-minute walk in the next three days

Take that 30-minute walk

Big change: Get more sleep. (Hint: “Get to bed an hour earlier every night” is perhaps too big)

Small goals:

Start turning off electronics and dimming the lights half an hour to an hour before bedtime

Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal this week

Go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal next week

Big change: Eat better. (Hint: “Cut out all fried foods and sweets” may be too big for you)

Small goals:

Drink black coffee one day this week

Swap one fast-food breakfast this week for a homemade omelet

Try one new vegetable in the next two days

As humans, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Making your progress visible and recognizing your victories fuels hope that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to.

Try This: Shrink the Change for Your Next Big Goal

Before you read any further, I want you to try this out for yourself. Get out a pen and piece of paper and take a moment to practice shrinking the change while it’s fresh in your mind.

Finally, for the steps you’ve outlined, list how you will track and celebrate each goal you accomplish.

Ready to practice? Enter your email to join my newsletter and download your free handout to help you shrink the change!

[gravityform id="16" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"]

Why Shrinking the Change Produces Lasting Results

The Big Picture: Better Habits Make for Better Health

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Drinking moderately, or not at all

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Getting enough sleep

Shockingly, according to the CDC, only 6.5 percent of Americans practice all five habits, which could explain the meteoric rise in chronic disease. (11)

Making It Stick: Get the Help of a Health Coach

Working with a health coach can help you achieve lasting change here. (And if you’re interested in becoming a health coach yourself, check out my ADAPT Health Coach Training Program.)

Now, I’d like to hear what you think. What habits are you trying to change, and what small steps can you take to help you reach your goals? Comment below and share your story!

The post Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change appeared first on Chris Kresser.

0 notes

denisalvney · 5 years

Text

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change

Forget Willpower—Here’s a Better Method for Changing Your Habits

Your Strategy Instead? Think Small—Really, Really Small

How small am I talking? Ridiculously small. You want your goal to be entirely doable.

Find a space in my house conducive to meditation. (If needed, the next goal could be to spruce up or reorganize the space.)

Buy a meditation cushion.

Download a meditation app, such as Headspace.

Use the app one day this week to meditate for one minute at a time.

Use the app two days next week to meditate for two minutes each time.

Keep going until you’ve worked your way up to regular, longer meditation sessions. Eventually, you’ll no longer need any guided help, and you’ll have built a new habit.

Here are some other ideas.

Big change: Be less sedentary and more physically active. (Hint: “Go to the gym five days a week” is likely too big)

Small goals:

Buy a pedometer or fitness tracker this week

Take 2,000 steps a day next week by taking the stairs, taking walking breaks at work, and parking farther away

Call a friend and schedule a 30-minute walk in the next three days

Take that 30-minute walk

Big change: Get more sleep. (Hint: “Get to bed an hour earlier every night” is perhaps too big)

Small goals:

Start turning off electronics and dimming the lights half an hour to an hour before bedtime

Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal this week

Go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal next week

Big change: Eat better. (Hint: “Cut out all fried foods and sweets” may be too big for you)

Small goals:

Drink black coffee one day this week

Swap one fast-food breakfast this week for a homemade omelet

Try one new vegetable in the next two days

As humans, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Making your progress visible and recognizing your victories fuels hope that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to.

Try This: Shrink the Change for Your Next Big Goal

Before you read any further, I want you to try this out for yourself. Get out a pen and piece of paper and take a moment to practice shrinking the change while it’s fresh in your mind.

Finally, for the steps you’ve outlined, list how you will track and celebrate each goal you accomplish.

Ready to practice? Enter your email to join my newsletter and download your free handout to help you shrink the change!

[gravityform id="16" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"]

Why Shrinking the Change Produces Lasting Results

The Big Picture: Better Habits Make for Better Health

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Drinking moderately, or not at all

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Getting enough sleep

Shockingly, according to the CDC, only 6.5 percent of Americans practice all five habits, which could explain the meteoric rise in chronic disease. (11)

Making It Stick: Get the Help of a Health Coach

Working with a health coach can help you achieve lasting change here. (And if you’re interested in becoming a health coach yourself, check out my ADAPT Health Coach Training Program.)

Now, I’d like to hear what you think. What habits are you trying to change, and what small steps can you take to help you reach your goals? Comment below and share your story!

The post Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change published first on https://chriskresser.com

0 notes

jesseneufeld · 5 years

Text

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change

Forget Willpower—Here’s a Better Method for Changing Your Habits

Your Strategy Instead? Think Small—Really, Really Small

How small am I talking? Ridiculously small. You want your goal to be entirely doable.

Find a space in my house conducive to meditation. (If needed, the next goal could be to spruce up or reorganize the space.)

Buy a meditation cushion.

Download a meditation app, such as Headspace.

Use the app one day this week to meditate for one minute at a time.

Use the app two days next week to meditate for two minutes each time.

Keep going until you’ve worked your way up to regular, longer meditation sessions. Eventually, you’ll no longer need any guided help, and you’ll have built a new habit.

Here are some other ideas.

Big change: Be less sedentary and more physically active. (Hint: “Go to the gym five days a week” is likely too big)

Small goals:

Buy a pedometer or fitness tracker this week

Take 2,000 steps a day next week by taking the stairs, taking walking breaks at work, and parking farther away

Call a friend and schedule a 30-minute walk in the next three days

Take that 30-minute walk

Big change: Get more sleep. (Hint: “Get to bed an hour earlier every night” is perhaps too big)

Small goals:

Start turning off electronics and dimming the lights half an hour to an hour before bedtime

Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal this week

Go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal next week

Big change: Eat better. (Hint: “Cut out all fried foods and sweets” may be too big for you)

Small goals:

Drink black coffee one day this week

Swap one fast-food breakfast this week for a homemade omelet

Try one new vegetable in the next two days

As humans, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Making your progress visible and recognizing your victories fuels hope that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to.

Try This: Shrink the Change for Your Next Big Goal

Before you read any further, I want you to try this out for yourself. Get out a pen and piece of paper and take a moment to practice shrinking the change while it’s fresh in your mind.

Finally, for the steps you’ve outlined, list how you will track and celebrate each goal you accomplish.

Ready to practice? Enter your email to join my newsletter and download your free handout to help you shrink the change!

[gravityform id="16" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"]

Why Shrinking the Change Produces Lasting Results

The Big Picture: Better Habits Make for Better Health

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Drinking moderately, or not at all

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Getting enough sleep

Shockingly, according to the CDC, only 6.5 percent of Americans practice all five habits, which could explain the meteoric rise in chronic disease. (11)

Making It Stick: Get the Help of a Health Coach

Working with a health coach can help you achieve lasting change here. (And if you’re interested in becoming a health coach yourself, check out my ADAPT Health Coach Training Program.)

Now, I’d like to hear what you think. What habits are you trying to change, and what small steps can you take to help you reach your goals? Comment below and share your story!

The post Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

0 notes

reddit-lpt · 6 years

Text

LPT mainly for men but can also work for woman too. must read whole thing for best results.

Okay. So this might seem a little crazy but bear with me, I promise you it works, many of my clients have had great success around a 70% success rate.

What you got to do is, do the thing you want to do be it washing dishes, exercising more (ease your way into this one 10 minutes the first day is enough) whatever it is you don't want to do but think you should or need to.

Then that night or a little while after (best time is uncertain, more test needed) you go home and you have to visualize yourself doing this, shut your eyes and picture yourself with your minds eye doing the task (those who struggle with visualization should practice visualizing first, this tip can't help with that. You also don't have to do the thing first you could visualize it a few times but your success rate will be lower. Then you jack it (or whack it if you're a woman but this tip unfortunately doesn't work as well for woman unless you're good at finishing), the more you do this the night after doing whatever you want to do more the higher your success rates.

This may sound crazy but I have been backed by top scientist. The logic behind this is that as you jack it or wack you're releasing dopamine the whole time but you're visualizing sometime you don't enjoy so your mind learns to associate that thing with dopamine and it being good/reward-full.

I would suggest only getting into the habit of one thing at a time as trying to do 2 or 3 will lower success rates. You also should reach the O for that big dopamine hit, it may still work even if you don't and still get excited but results may vary. Edging also helps greatly, the more dopamine you get flowing while visualising the better. The better the visualisation the better the results also so practice that in between whacking and jacking but with something other than your desired goal or else your brain will learn that doing that thing only activates the reward circuit sometimes.

You should do this daily but WARNING DO NOT DEVELOP AN ADDICTION TO BEATING THE MONKEY OR STUFFING THE MUFFIN, I AM NOT LIABLE IF YOU DO.

by ICE_EXPOSED via reddit

#quote #lifeinism #blog #redditpost #reddit #lifestyle #redditmua #life redditch

0 notes

foursprout-blog · 6 years

Text

This Is How To Increase Your Attention Span: 5 Secrets From Neuroscience

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/this-is-how-to-increase-your-attention-span-5-secrets-from-neuroscience/

This Is How To Increase Your Attention Span: 5 Secrets From Neuroscience

***

The human brain is the most amazing thing in the universe. It got us to the moon, built the pyramids, cured smallpox… And it also can’t seem to go 6 minutes without checking Facebook.

How long can college students focus without switching to something fun like social media or texting?

5 minutes. Tops.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Regardless of age, students were able to stay focused and attend to that important work only for a short period of time—three to five minutes—before most students self-interrupted their studying to switch to another task.

And that was under lab conditions when they were specifically instructed to focus as long as they could on something they were told was important. Yikes.

Our attention spans are evaporating. Focus is a lot art. Research shows we check our phones up to 150 times a day — about every six to seven minutes that we’re awake. In fact, we’re so distracted we’re walking into things.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Still with me? Good. (Sorry — after those stats, I really do need to ask.) So how do we steal back our attention spans? Luckily, some experts have answers…

Okay, grab your Ritalin. Let’s get to it…

Attention Span 101

First off, stop blaming technology. It’s not your phone’s fault; it’s your brain’s fault. Tech just makes it worse. Our brains are designed to always be seeking new information.

In fact, the same system in your grey matter that keeps you on the lookout for food and water actually rewards you for discovering novel information.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Okay, fine — but if your brain is so good at seeking out new info, why is it so terrible at follow through?

Because the information-seeking part is way stronger than the “cognitive control” part that allows you to complete tasks.

From an evolutionary standpoint, realizing there was a lion behind you was far more important than sticking to whatever task you were busy with before Simba showed up.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Our cognitive control abilities that are necessary for the enactment of our goals have not evolved to the same degree as the executive functions required for goal setting. Indeed, the fundamental limitations in our cognitive control abilities do not differ greatly from those observed in other primates, with whom we shared common ancestors tens of millions of years ago…

And focusing isn’t the only activity that taxes our grey matter. fMRI studies of the brain show ignoring irrelevant stimuli is not a passive process.

(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my bestselling book here.)

Alright, you know a little more about how your brain works. So how do you go about increasing your attention span? First step: don’t waste what little you have…

1) Stop Multitasking

Juggling multiple activities not only divides your attention among the tasks — but you also pay a cognitive “penalty” on top of that to manage the switching.

This results in more errors and makes things take longer than they would have if you had done them each separately.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

…if the two goals both require cognitive control to enact them, such as holding the details of a complex scene in mind (working memory) at the same time as searching the ground for a rock (selective attention), then they will certainly compete for limited prefrontal cortex resources… The process of neural network switching is associated with a decrease in accuracy, often for both tasks, and a time delay compared to doing one task at a time.

Oh, but some folks are still going to fight me on this one: But you don’t understand, I’m really good at multitasking!

Oh, really? If you think that, you’re actually the worst at it.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

…it has been shown that people who believe that they are good at multitasking actually tend to be those who do the worst on laboratory tests of multitasking, leading the study authors to conclude that “participants’ perceptions of their multi-tasking ability were poorly grounded in reality.”

Yes, you probably feel good when you multitask. But feeling good and efficiency are not the same thing. Multitasking meets your emotional need to do something new and exciting… while also slowing your brain down and increasing errors.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

…the reason behind the constant task switching is a desire to feed emotional needs—often by switching from school work to entertainment or social communication—rather than cognitive or intellectual needs.

You wouldn’t even try to lift 5000 pounds. You know your body can’t do it. So stop thinking you can efficiently multitask. You now know your brain can’t do it.

(To learn how to stop checking your phone, click here.)

Okay, so what’s the single most powerful way to actually increase your attention span?

2) Exercise

Strengthen your body and you strengthen your brain. In fact, cognitive control is measurably better after just a single exercise session.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

And while we’re discussing things physical, let me confirm what should be obvious: get your sleep. While just one exercise session boosts cognitive control, just one bad night’s sleep reduces it.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

…even a single bad night’s sleep can impair cognitive control and how ongoing sleep deprivation can have severe and long-term consequences.

(To learn how to best use exercise to strengthen your brain, click here.)

Exercise makes you brain healthier and that sharpens cognitive control. But what’s the most direct way to improve your attention span?

3) Meditate

Focus on your breath and when your mind wanders, return your attention to your breath. That’s meditation in a nutshell. Guess what else that is?

Attention training.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Start with a minute a day. Will you see enormous effects from that? Nope. But it sure will stop you from telling me “I don’t have time to meditate.”

Eventually build up to a habit of 20 minutes a day and you’ll start to see why everyone keeps yakking about how great it is.

(To learn more about how to meditate, click here.)

I know, I know: exercise is hard. And, frankly, meditation is harder. So what’s a way to improve cognitive control as passively as possible?

4) Call Your Mother Nature

Exercise and meditation both strengthen your attention muscles. Spending time in nature recharges those muscles when they’ve been exhausted.

The effect is so powerful that merely looking at a picture of nature had restorative effects.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Ever get to the end of a day and think, “I don’t want to make any more decisions”? Treat yourself to a Google Image search for “nature.” Yes, it’s that simple.

(To learn the seven-step morning ritual that will make you happy all day, click here.)

You’ve strengthened your attention with exercise and meditation. You’ve given your cognitive control a recharge with nature. What’s another angle for boosting focus?

5) Reduce Interference

You can improve your ability to focus by changing your brain or changing your behavior. And it’s best if you do both. We talked about changing your brain. And the best way to change your behavior is to make sure that anything which might distract you is far away.

Simply put, make your environment as boring as possible when trying to focus. Research shows even having a phone in the room can be distracting.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

If at all possible, “batch” all email checking, texting and social media into three pre-designated times. Then turn off all notifications.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

Results indicated that when participants—a mixture of college students and community adults—checked only three times a day they reported less stress, which predicted better overall well-being on a range of psychological and physical dimensions.

And taking breaks is not only okay, but beneficial. Try gradually extending the amount of time between breaks to further build those attention muscles, Hercules.

(To learn how to stop being lazy and get more done, click here.)

Okay, we’ve learned a lot. Let’s round it all up and learn how to pay more attention when it matters most — in your relationships…

Sum Up

This is how to increase your attention span:

Stop multitasking: You wouldn’t try to lift 5000 pounds. Your body can’t do that. Don’t try to do your best work while checking email, texting, and posting to Instagram. Your brain can’t do that.

Exercise: You know it’s good for your body. Guess what? Your brain’s part of your body. (Shocking, I know.)

Meditate: Simply put, meditation is attention training.

Call your mother nature: Looking at a picture of a tree is like a deep tissue massage for your brain.

Reduce interference: Remove anything from your environment that might distract you. Batch email and social media. Extend the time between breaks to build your attention muscles.

Having your phone out doesn’t just distract you from work — it also reduces empathy and harms your relationships.

From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World:

…the mere presence of any phone reduces closeness, connection, and conversation quality as well as reducing the extent to which individuals feel empathy and understanding from their partners, all of which negatively affects our relationships with others.

So what can we do to improve the amount of attention we pay to those we care about — and how much attention they give us in return? Try a game of “cellphone stack.”

At the beginning of your next meal out with friends, everyone stacks their phones at the end of the table. If someone grabs their device before the check arrives, they pay the entire bill. You’ll be much more focused on your friends — or it’ll be the most expensive text message you’ve ever sent.

So stop multitasking, start exercising and meditating, get out in nature and reduce distractions. It’ll boost your attention span, sharpen your work, and reduce stress. And I guarantee it’ll improve your relationships. Your friends will love all the attention you’re showing them…

Or they’ll love that you keep buying them dinner.

Join over 320,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email here.

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The post This Is How To Increase Your Attention Span: 5 Secrets From Neuroscience appeared first on Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

#Happiness

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millermachine · 6 years

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