Did you know that 90% of our brains are developed by age 5? That is great news for kids, but what about those of us who’ve missed our early opportunity? According to recent brain science, our brains don’t finish developing until our mid-twenties, and we can continually learn and rewire our brains throughout life. Which means that we really can teach “old dogs” new tricks, and train ourselves to develop new habits and thinking patterns.
Our brains wire through synaptic connections that fire in the same sequence over and over. Essentially, when you encounter new learning, you create a new connection in the brain, kind of like blazing a trail for the first time. As you reinforce this new learning through repeated and similar experiences, you strengthen the connections as the neurons fire across the same synapses again and again. This is like taking that same trail through a field over and over until a track is worn. As the connections are used continuously, you continue to reinforce the path, like a track turning into a paved road, and then into a two-lane highway and finally a superhighway. That is how learning occurs in your brain.
If you discontinue the use of a neural pathway, it begins to fade back into the weeds, and eventually gets “pruned” as unnecessary and lost if it is never used. However, even if you infrequently revisit that neural pathway, you will keep it, or create a new trail that can be turned into a superhighway.
So, as you’re looking at habits of thought and behavior that you would like to create, begin doing the activities that will strengthen and build on your neural pathway day after day. Consistent application of a behavior turns it into a habit, and makes that superhighway connection in your brain so that eventually it becomes nearly, if not fully, automatic. Behavior researchers have indicated that it takes a minimum of 21 days to create a habit, and for many of us, more like 45-60 days of consistent practice, especially if we’re rewiring a former undesirable habit. Decide what you want to create, and get busy rewiring with daily commitment! You’re on your way to superhighway connections!