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There are two basic rules for neuroplasticity. The first is "use it or lose it." This means that the more you stimulate a pathway, the stronger that pathway becomes and the less the pathway is stimulated, the weaker it becomes. The second rule is "neurons that fire together, wire together." This means that as you stimulate a neural pathway repeatedly it will pull in other neurons around it to make the pathway more robust, larger. The equation seems to be that simple. The implications of this are far-reaching. If you would like to try to change a pathway (i.e., a behavior or habit) you must actively try "NOT" to stimulate it. In fact, you might want to try building a competing pathway!