4 Behaviors That Change How Your Brain Works

The human brain controls the mental status that guides our physical functions. Although the body is amazingly orchestrated to navigate various crises or abrupt changes that alter these processes, certain behaviors can impact the way the brain works in guiding our lives.

Strong emotions.

A traumatic event linked to grief or pain can have a dramatic impact on our brains. We might become numb as thinking slows down or generally stops. Some people become agitated and physically aggressive to act out their emotions. Although most emotional impacts are temporary, some can have a lasting effect that conditions the brain to think in new ways and to adopt alternative behaviors for activities like pain management, problem solving, etc.

Addiction.

Becoming addicted to a substance like drugs or alcohol as well as a behavior like gambling or shopping can cause the brain to respond differently to various stimuli. For example, certain parts of a gambler’s brain will light up with interest or desire when a gambling opportunity or reminder is encountered. The same can happen when a person confronts stimuli of any kind related to his or her strong connection to something.

Culture shock.

Experiencing a new culture, whether an overseas land with a different language and unfamiliar customs or a jail cell that is a completely new experience, can cause changes in the brain as it tries to navigate the new information about your surroundings. Language, customs, and laws are just a few of the social and cultural adaptations that must be made, some of which can be difficult to manage.

Education.

Learning new information that has a lasting impact can change the way the mind processes ideas and concepts. For example, with respect to personal education on an informal or experiential level, a long-time bachelor with limited views on romance and marriage might begin to blossom after meeting someone attractive with whom would like to pursue a meaningful relationship that could possibly lead to marriage. A school diploma or college degree is likely to influence a person’s beliefs in important social systems like family, education, employment, and related ideas. The brain may respond to stimuli about these areas in new ways subsequent to personal experience or formal education.

 

Many things we do in life change the way we think. Simply living for several decades is likely to impact our thoughts and beliefs. However, conditioning like those above often cause the brain to change the way it handles important information.

 

References:

The Best Brain Possible

Freedom Treatment Center of California

Science Focus

Anna

Is stress impacting on your language learning ability?

Life is stressful enough without schools and colleges love of using standardized tests, especially for languages! More and more students are feeling the stress of life, finances, and school. The surge of under 18s being prescribed medication for anxiety due to high stress especially around exam time is unfortunately on the increase!  This stress does not stop at school or college… independent language learners, such as those that learn outside of a curriculum based educational environment can feel the impact too. As independent language learners, we might stress about not speaking as fluently as we want too OR we may have to take a test to prove a level of language efficiency for our employees. Then there are the general life stresses of work, family and maybe even money worries.

So, how does the brain react to stress?

Stress is the body’s natural reaction to an increased demand that is placed on it. It exists for a reason… for a person to take action.

If you were an elastic band you could stretch…

BUT…

What happens to an elastic band that is stretched too far?

It breaks!

A student’s or independent learners reaction, to a standardized test or reaction to the high-level goals we might place upon ourselves, may induce stress. This could then trigger a response of our autonomic nervous and endocrine systems. This will lead to disrupted sleeping patterns, tiredness, irregular eating habits, increased infections, excessive worry, and the inability to focus.

This can also increase the risk of a student or independent learner just giving up on the language! Studies have also shown that students suffering from stress and anxiety have decreased cognitive functioning, such as a reduced memory capacity and problems with processing information.

Where is stress processed within the brain?

Three different brain regions are responsible for the way someone processes stress in the form of fear…

1). The prefrontal cortex. This area is believed to play a part in the interpretation of sensory stimuli and also has a part in emotional regulation and cognitive functioning. As a consequence, it is seen as the area of the brain where danger is first assessed!  

2). This danger then translates as fear within the brain. Fear is processed in the amygdala, which resides in a “primitive” (sometimes known as reptilian) area of our brain more formally known as the limbic system (that includes the hippocampus that hosts our memories). When the amygdala is in this state of stress-induced over-activation, new sensory information cannot pass through it to access the memory and association circuits.

3). Finally, the hypothalamus is an area at the base of the brain. This sends signals from the prefrontal cortex and amygdala and coordinates the release of hormones.  These drive your motor responses to the perceived threats. If the stress levels are high the body releases cortisol and, in so doing, it is preparing the body to defend itself from harm. This was great in our caveman days when we had a saber tooth tiger to fight off - but a reaction to a test or our own goal setting! We can’t spear our test papers.

In summary, stress can impact negatively upon our performance in tests and during study sessions. Prolonged stress can lead to serious physical and mental health problems. When students and independent learners get into an emotional state of stress they are not responsive to processing and storing new information. Additional neuroimaging studies of the amygdala, hippocampus regions of the brain, the limbic system, along with measurement of dopamine levels and other brain chemical transmitters during the learning process, reveal that comfort level of the learner has a critical impact on information transmission and storage within the brain. These factors have been found to affect self-confidence, trust and positive feelings for teachers, and supportive communities and are directly related to the state of mind compatible with the most successful learning, remembering, and thinking processes.

“Science has shown that if you are stressed out, new information cannot get into the brain as the defense shutters go down.”

 

Thankfully,  neuroimaging and EEG Studies have led to the development of strategies to help learners make their brains more efficient for learning even in stressful situations.  

 

If stress can negatively impact on our learning ability what can we do about it?

 

 

Learning ultimately takes place when experiences are motivating and engaging. Positive motivation impacts upon the metabolism of the brain, conducting new nerve impulses through the memory areas, and thus the release of neurotransmitters that increase executive functioning, focus, and attention.

 

We live in a stressful and busy world, strategies are required to manage emotional regulation and pleasure as well as knowledge. When the right strategies are applied to better manage stress and build a positive emotional environment, students and independent learners can gain emotional resilience and learn more efficiently and at higher levels of cognition.

10 Ways you can reduce stress and become a more efficient learner…

1. Ensure you have a good study routine in place with regular breaks.

2. Increase fluid (water) and fuel (food) intake and get some physical exercise, at least 2 30 minute aerobic workouts per week - this could include walking.

3. Set realistic goals and put together a learning plan, download the free Goal Setting ToolKit or Daily Planner Template.  Mix up the dull and interesting tasks and add different activities, such as gamification for learning languages or a mixture of audio and visual.  

4. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and embrace mistakes - this is how we learn. Try to find humor in any mistakes. Seeing the funny side is a good strategy as when you laugh you release the bodies feel-good chemicals. If you stress over a situation the body releases cortisol and too much build up of this can be bad for mental and physical wellbeing.

5. Facing an exam? Take a deep breath (or 3) even if during the test. This will help re-oxygenate the brain.

6. Take 5 to review your own mindset. Are you being too hard on yourself? Is a perfectionist attitude having an impact on learning? Need some help dealing with a negative mindset? Check out How to Manage Unhelpful Thoughts When Learning a New Language

7. Set a language learning budget - don’t feel guilty about spending money on learning. Allocate a language learning budget that is affordable to you. Planning tuition costs and materials. Make use of free trials and free language learning resources, such as LingoHut, where you can learn the basics of a language for free.

8. Collaborative learning - Join a motivational language learning group or take part in a challenge to push the boundaries, but in an environment that is supportive and can hold you accountable.

9. List your achievements in a journal or interactive notebook and read them when you need a boost.

10. Share your thoughts - talk to someone.  By discussing your thoughts on language learning with others you may gain a different perspective or realize you are not alone in your struggles. You might also feel a lot calmer and listened to.

 

Enthusiasm for Language Learning

Enthusiasm, regulated mood and being able to manage stress are absolutely essential for learning to happen. This is scientific fact, with years of research behind it. Learning physically changes the structure and function of our brains. This change can be transformational in building a stronger belief in the value of working hard and persevering in order to master a new language. Neuroplasticity and the brain’s potential can have a positive effect on self-perceptions and success.

 

The Mindful Language Learner

Daydream your way to learning a new language…

What did Sir Issac Newton and Albert Einstein have in common?

… They were not just great thinkers, they both liked to daydream!

In recent years numerous studies have shown the surprising benefits of daydreaming. Daydreaming can sharpen the mind, increase creativity, boost working memory and cognitive functioning.

Have you ever tried to search your brain for the meaning of a word, it was on the tip of your tongue, but you still felt that you couldn’t reach it? Or have you ever gone to great lengths to create a language learning plan to achieve your goals, but never actually took any steps towards actioning it?

The problem you might be facing could be to do with your own self-limiting beliefs and negative thinking patterns. These beliefs and negative thinking styles are not necessarily fact, but rather a mere opinion on how you view the world around you based on old memories.

“By letting your mind wander, you are stretching new neural pathways in your brain—while at the same time—giving the analytic, task-oriented part of your brain a much needed break” -  John Assaraf

As you daydream, you can explore the more creative, frontal lobe areas of the brain. Creativity can play an important role in out-of-the-box thinking. Contrary to what you may believe, taking time out just to cloud glaze and see the pretty shapes they make or simply having a break from technology can actually increase productivity levels!

What if you applied daydreaming to language learning? Imagining having conversations in your target language. No, I am not saying ditch those language tutorials, but including some daydreaming states, in-between language tutorials and focused study sessions could have some surprising benefits to your learning ability!

Modern scientific studies have now revealed that when asked, people who were given a “daydreaming” exercise in between performing tasks had increased performance in comparison to another group that was required to focus on their tasks without having any time to drift off. Therefore there does appear to be a cognitive benefit for daydreaming.

“Daydreaming and meditation are connected” - 

-  John Assaraf

Daydreaming can help give you the ability to ‘think outside of the box‘ and let go of any self-limiting beliefs or negative thinking habits you may have towards learning new skills.  Allow your imagination and learning ability to grow as you daydream your way to success.

Applying daydreaming to language learning exercise

  • After a study session take 10 minutes out. Begin by taking a few moments to get settled in a comfortable sitting position, close your eyes or just focus on a spot in the room, next take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Once you feel calmer . . . imagine, in your mind’s eye, that you sitting on a puffy cloud and gently floating up towards the sky.

 

  • Now imagine that you can feel the surface beneath you becoming soft and fluffy; surrounding you with its protective support. See the walls and ceiling around you disappear as you float up . . . drifting on the cloud.

 

  • Next, imagine you are surrounded by people on their own little fluffy clouds that speak the language you are learning. Try to reach out to them and have a conversation in your target language. Really visualize and audiolize yourself in deep conversation with them. What does it feel like? What does it sound like?

 

  • You might imagine you are at a restaurant and ordering some food or shopping for new clothes. Try to picture the signs in your target language. Are they easy or hard to read?

 

  • Allow yourself to daydream on your drifting cloud for as long as you are able to. And when you are ready to return from the journey, drift slowly back down to where you started, open your eyes or take your eyes off the focus point and give yourself a gentle shake.

 

  • Take a few moments to write down your experience. Did you have any realizations? Did you become aware of any goals you might want to set? Did you know more words than you thought?

 

Apply a more diffused and mindful learning style where you let your thoughts drift naturally. . . up in the clouds, and see what happens. Daydreaming can be used in conjunction with The Pomodoro Technique. This is when you study for a set-period such as 20-25 minutes, then take a 10-minute daydreaming break, then focused study for another 20-25 minute study session. By retraining your brain you’ll stop standing on the edge of your language learning potential, and start fulfilling more of what you’re truly capable of achieving.

How did you get on? 

Share in the comments section below or on one of our social media channels how you got on with this practical daydreaming exercise.

Transform your self-limiting beliefs and negative thinking habits today… 

At Language Learners Journal Ltd we are interested in incorporating the latest science into our online coaching sessions, online courses, VIP Membership, and programs.  Build greater self-awareness, release those self-limiting beliefs and negative thinking habits that are keeping you stuck at your current level of success.

Interested in learning more then check out our complete range of services and products. Pick the one that best fit your learning style and needs. Let Language Learners Journal Ltd be your guide to a more productive and successful you!

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The Mindful Language Learner