Outwork Book Club on “The Brain That Changes Itself”

Dr. Norman Doidge proves the plastic power of the brain as malleable, changeable, and responsive to learning and growth.

The Outwork Book Club is a book review series that provides the main idea, summary, top quotes, and how to take action.

Main Idea

One of the first books I ever read on neuroplasticity reflects the unlimited potential for cognitive growth. I always knew that a person could become smarter in a sense if they worked at it hard enough. Dr. Norman Doidge insists that there is more to it — that the human brain can change itself to meet the body’s demands.

“One of these scientists even showed that thinking, learning, and acting can turn our genes on or off, thus shaping our brain anatomy and our behavior- surely one of the most extraordinary discoveries of the twentieth century.” — Dr. Norman Doidge

Learning adjusts genes which creates changes in behavior.

Summary

What is Neuroplasticity?

The entire premise of the book is based on the idea of neuroplasticity. It introduces the concept of a malleable brain that constantly changes throughout our lives and that we can actively change by using our thoughts.

This idea is so interesting because it contradicts the theory of the brain as a machine. A machine is unchanging and tied to very specific programming. The brain is unlike a machine, despite several scientific comparisons over the last few decades.

The brain is much more complex than any machine that has ever existed, and that will ever exist.

The brain can change with just thoughts. It can change with practice and training, and therapy. It can be molded to meet the demands of the person that directs it.

If you think about it, some people seem to possess superhuman powers, but they have just forged a brain consistent with what they want and desire in life.

These “superhumans” do not give in to whims. They do not fold in the face of adversity. Their brains have been cultivated to induce discipline. They do not sit around watching television all day, gossiping about the silliness of today’s popular culture. They have brains structured in a way that seeks out progress.

The brain operates on a lose or use principle. Either use it for what you want to accomplish, or it will become tainted by the ideas of everyone and everything you see and hear.

The power of neuroplasticity is to take control of your thoughts and use it to forge a brain that is conducive to long-term success. The Law of Attraction is precisely this: thoughts become things.

The Plastic Paradox

The rule of plasticity can be positive or negative.

From Doidge, we learn that some of our most stubborn habits and unproductive actions are products of our plastic brains. We have developed, through constant stimulus, a brain that is accustomed to negative feedback and one that also prevents other changes from occurring. Doidge and others know it in the field of neuroscience as the plastic paradox.

“Competitive plasticity also explains why our bad habits are so difficult to break or “unlearn.” Most of us think of the brain as a container and learning as putting something in it. When we try to break a bad habit, we think the solution is to put something new into the container. But when we learn a bad habit, it takes over a brain map, and each time we repeat it, it claims more control of that map and prevents the use of that space for “good” habits. That is why “unlearning” is often a lot harder than learning.” — Dr. Norman Doidge

How to Take Action

We are born with a brain that is adaptable, changeable, purposeful, and opportunistic. More so than we can and have ever imagined.

“The brain is a far more open system than we ever imagined, and nature has gone very far to help us perceive and take in the world around us. It has given us a brain that survives in a changing world by changing itself.” — Dr. Norman Doidge

Here are some interesting real-life stories from the book that helps to highlight the power of a changing brain:

The following stories from the book highlight the power of taking action. When we deliberately take control of how we mold our brains, we can produce rare outcomes that seem to be scientific wonders. Taking consistent and positive action toward the outcome will not only shape our brain’s physical structure but also imprint the foundational habits and systems we can use to create the destiny we desire.

• A woman with a dysfunctional vestibule apparatus, or the sensory organ for balancing, regained her balance. Most people with her disorder fail to cope with the psychological stress of an unbalanced world. This woman overcame her dysfunction by “unmasking” neural pathways that were re-awoken to assume the responsibility for keeping her balanced.
• A renowned scientist teaches herself to understand symbolic relationships. Inspired by the book I’ll Fight On, she exposed herself to a series of mental exercises, toiling on end for weeks at a time.

“At the end of many exhausting weeks, not only could she read clocks faster than normal people, but she noticed improvements in her other difficulties relating to symbols and began for the first time to grasp grammar, math, and logic. Most importantly, she could understand what people were saying as they said it.” — Dr. Norman Doidge via www.arrowsmithschool.org

• A plastic brain may be the competitive advantage that has allowed humans to rise to the top of the food chain. When we learn, we gain knowledge, but we also gain the ability to acquire more knowledge.
• www.scilearn.com/products/fast-forward
• www.brainhq.com

“Plasticity might be a basic property of the brain that had evolved to give humans a competitive edge.” Dr. Merzenich further explains, “claims that when learning occurs in a way consistent with the laws that govern brain plasticity, the mental “machinery” of the brain can be improved so that we learn and perceive with greater precision, speed, and retention.”

• Mental visualization has the power to improve performance. The brain conceives visualization as actually performing an event. A study showed that two groups, one doing physical exercises and one just imagining the exercises, only yielded a difference of 8% after the study.

“During these imaginary contractions, the neurons responsible for stringing together sequences of instructions for movements are activated and strengthened, resulting in increased strength when the muscles are contracted.” — Dr. Norman Doidge

• There is a woman that was born with only half of her brain. This woman only functions with one side of her brain, perhaps the most notable and exceptional example of neuroplasticity. She struggles with some mental functions, such as the ability to correlate events, which makes her socially awkward. This is because half of her brain assumed responsibility for all of her mental functions. Moreover, she is a savant, able to recall events up to 18 years old with precision and speed. Although she may not be able to live a completely normal life, her brain adapted enough to give her a fighting chance.
• The brain is powerful beyond measure and capable of changing to meet the demands of our environment.

However, it can also conform to bad habits when its capabilities are not fully exploited. The brain becomes what the mind makes of it.

We must never forget that we use it or lose it, and the neurons that fire together wire together. The more we demand of it, the more powerful it will become.

This was a post for the Outwork Book Club, where I share the main idea, summary, top quotes, and how to take action from the best nonfiction books I can find. View the full list here.

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