I enrolled in a neuroscience course with Dr Sarah McKay, Founder and Director of The Neuroscience Academy for professionals wanting to apply evidence neuroscience to human change. Dr. McKay is also an Author and Speaker. I want to share with you the top 8 facts I discovered from this incredible course:

1. Motivation: There are 2 sources of motivation: 1. Intrinsic (personal reward) 2. Extrinsic (external reward). Research indicates that intrinsic motivation is more powerful. Our performance is enhanced when our intrinsic motivation is high. Key methods to boost one’s intrinsic motivation include: asking questions and offering structural and emotional support. Structural support refers to one’s social network.

2. Peak Performance: Peak performance is a state of superior functioning. Peak performers key strengths include: attention, emotional regulation, mindset, planning and empathy.

“It isn’t experience that sets top performers apart but the amount of deliberate practice they put in.” – Brad Stulberg, Author, Professor and Co-Founder at The Growth Equation.

3. Mental States: Our emotions, feelings and moods are interconnected mental states however there are key differences between each one. These states are linked with our perception in life and how we interact in the world around us.

An emotion is an unconscious behaviour / cognitive response to an event. A cognitive response is an individual’s thoughts, beliefs and attitudes in relation to a message i.e. viewing an advertisement.

Our emotions are produced from a variety of sources including: our mindset, physical sensations, reactions to our external environment, our associations, experiences, memories, culture, upbringing and the language we use to label our feelings. Dr Paul Ekman, an American psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco states that there are six universal emotions: happiness, surprise, anger, sadness, disgust, and fear.

Feelings are bodily sensations that demand our attention. Feelings are conscious, transient and event-related. Whereas, our moods are the starting point of our emotions and often longer lasting and not limited to circumstances.

4. Multi-tasking: There is evidence to suggest we can multi-task however not effectively. The right and left hemisphere of our brain operates separately when we multi-task and works together when we focus on a single task. Multi-tasking may cause mental fatigue, stress and have serious health impacts.

5. Habits: Habits make you more efficient as your brain is operating on auto-pilot. This ensures you brain is not overwhelmed with every action you take throughout your day.

It is a myth that it takes 21-days to start or stop a habit. Research indicates it can take anywhere from 20 days to 254 days with the overall average being 84 days. A good time to create or cease new habits is when we enter a new environment such as moving to a new home, taking extended leave overseas or working in a new role. When we no longer have our normal cues this provides a wonderful opportunity for behavioural change.

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.” – James Clear.

6. Physical Activity: There is significant evidence to confirm that physical activity leads to improved brain functioning, a reduction in depression and anxiety and lessens the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Studies reveal that engaging in physical activity for a period of sixteen weeks can be as potent as taking antidepressant medication. The optimal exercise schedule is 3-5 times per week for 45 minutes.

7. Sleep: We all know the importance of quality sleep, however did you know that we spend one third of our lives sleeping which equates to 26 years. Research indicates that viewing both sunset and sunrise helps set our circadian clock. This occurs when the specialist cells in the retina detect the chromatic shift from blues to oranges or vice versa.

8. Mental Challenge: Just as physical activity is very important so too is challenging the mind. The important point to note is that challenging the mind requires consistency, complexity, challenge and a variety of tasks to be effective.

Examples include: Laughter yoga, travel, sailing, knitting, book club, teaching, writing blogs, studying, learning a language, art therapy, board games, jigsaw puzzles, and crosswords.

I hope you found this information valuable, let me know which fact you found most interesting or if you have recently adopted or changed your habits or daily schedule.

“Taking in the good is not about putting a happy shiny face on everything, nor is it about turning away from the hard things in life. It’s about nourishing well-being, contentment, and peace inside that are refuges you can always come from and return to.”― Rick Hanson Ph.D is a New York Times best-selling author, psychologist, and a Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.