As adults, it’s so easy to get in the habit of hustling all the time. We’re working, pushing, and striving for success, and while that’s not a bad thing, it does make us less likely to play. It’s not often that we slow down and take the time to relax, explore, and do things just for fun.
But it turns out that play is essential for our brains. It’s what keeps us young and curious, and it’s what allows us to keep learning new skills. In an interesting way, taking time to relax and play actually helps us develop the skills we need to keep hustling.
But don’t take it from me — take it from neuroscience expert Andrew Huberman! That’s right! We are back with part two of my interview with Andrew Huberman! In the first half of this intriguing episode, we talked a lot about how our brains control our emotions and stress levels. Be sure to go check it out if you haven’t already — it’s been blowing people away.
Today, we’re talking about how to have a success mindset and literally rewire our brains for growth. Andrew and I discuss the importance of keeping a sense of play in your life, what neuroplasticity is and why it’s the key to learning new things, the science of gratitude, and so much more!
I know this episode is going to be a game-changer for so many people, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. Let’s get started.
Why Neuroplasticity Is the Key To Learning
Have you ever tried to learn something new and been so frustrated you wanted to quit? I just started taking a one-on-one Spanish class, and it’s extremely difficult. I’m not going to lie, it’s been so frustrating that I started questioning why I was even trying to learn. I’ve had moments where I was sitting in class thinking, “Man, this sucks. Is this ever going to get easier?”
Learning a new language is so much easier when you’re five. Later in life, it can seem impossible. Why is that the case? It all comes down to the concept of neuroplasticity, the ability of our brains to expand the mind to do new things.
Although neuroplasticity is heightened when we are young, it’s still critical for us to continue to learn new things as adults. Otherwise, we’ll just be going backward. As aggravating as it may be, it turns out that frustration is actually the key to neuroplasticity:
“The mental strain you feel when you’re learning something is the trigger for neuroplasticity for your brain to change. Neuroplasticity is a process of taking something where there’s a duration path and outcome — where I’m working hard. I’m thinking hard. Maybe it’s a hard conversation. Maybe it’s a business plan. Maybe it’s a scientific career. And the goal of neuroplasticity is to make things reflexive. So you don’t have to think about them.” – Andrew Huberman
I would definitely love for my Spanish skills to become completely reflexive overnight. But unfortunately, that’s just not how it works. Neuroplasticity relies on effort. And that effort is often accompanied by frustration. Andrew noted that when we expend our effort, two important things are happening in our brains that help us learn.
When you are expending effort, adrenaline epinephrine is released. Not only that, but the focus you are bringing to a task recruits a neuromodulator called acetylcholine. This “focus” molecule actually highlights the areas of your brain that are involved in learning, marking those areas for change. That change actually happens when you are not doing the activity and are resting or recovering.
So when you feel frustrated trying to learn something new, remember this:
“Neuroplasticity … has two parts. One is the trigger … In adults it is triggered by focus and attention and even a heightened state of agitation. The more frustrated you feel, the more you’re actually triggering learning and saying, ‘this is important.’ The second part is deep relaxation … that’s when the connections between neurons called synapses actually get stronger. That’s when the connections that you don’t want get removed.” – Andrew Huberman
The deep relaxation state that Andrew mentioned can take place in deep, slow-wave sleep states or a type of meditation called yoga nidra. So when you feel like you aren’t learning anything at all, remember that! You might just need to sleep on it.
While strain and effort is essential to the learning process, there are two other components of learning that many adults tend to ignore — play and rest. Being intentional about incorporating play and rest into your life is actually important from a scientific perspective. Andrew is here to explain why.
