In my undergraduate years I was obsessed with the brain. Before shifting gears I was on the path to being a neurosurgeon, and to this day still love the practical application of neuroscience.
My guest today wrote two of my favorite books on applying the principles of brain science, and the best part is… he makes it super simple to understand AND practice.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 26 languages and include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. He edits the Wise Brain Bulletin and has numerous audio programs. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, he’s been an invited speaker at NASA, Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, and other major universities, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. His work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, and NPR, and he offers the free Just One Thing newsletter with over 120,000 subscribers, plus the online Foundations of Well-Being program in positive neuroplasticity that anyone with financial need can do for free.
We dive into topics like
- What is neuroplasticity?
- What creates fundamental change in the nervous system
- How to cultivate inner resources
- About 1/3 of what shapes us is hard wired into our brain while about 2/3 is learned behavior
- Nerves that fire together wire together
- How do we start to interrupt the path of doing life on automatic
- How to manage and learn from your own thoughts and feelings
- How the brain evolved to be “velcro for the bad and teflon for the good”
- What is negativity bias?
- The practice of Taking in the good… turning good moments into a great brain
- Becoming competent at your own interior
- What Rick’s practice looks like for taking in the good
- Cultivating inner strengths and psychological resources like compassion, appreciation…
- How to help the brain and the body absorb positive experiences
- Identifying what psychological resources to develop
- Turning down the volume on the negative and turning up the positive
Click to Tweet Rick’s quote
– The Buddha – from the Dhammapada
Connect with Rick on social media
Resources
- Be sure to check out Dr. Rick Hanson’s online, yearlong program–the Foundations of Well-Being–which uses science-based methods to hardwire more happiness into your brain and your life. It’s a transformative program that uses the power of positive neuroplasticity to turn everyday experiences into a deep sense of contentment, love, and peace. It’s thorough, it’s deep, and it works—with insightful talks, guided practices, revealing quizzes, creative activities, and inspiring guest experts like Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, and Gretchen Rubin.
You may also like these episodes
- Making It Your Business To Love Louder with Preston Smiles
- Trusting Your Intuition and The Power of Compassion with Lissa Rankin
- The Truth About Medication and Healing Depression Naturally with Kelly Brogan, MD
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