Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life

allostatic load
. This results from chronic high levels of cortisol 
and norepinephrine. The health problems that can build up over a 
lifetime include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, atherosclero-
sis (blocked arteries), abdominal obesity, neural atrophy, cognitive 
defi cits, anxiety, and depression. 
Allostasis and Social Medicine 
Allostasis
is the capacity of the brain and the body to maintain stabil-
ity through change. Allostatic adjustments are short - term adaptations 
orchestrated by cortisol, which enhances or inhibits gene transcription, 
the regulation of BDNF, and the regulation of amygdala activity. As 
noted above, allostatic load can occur when there is chronic stress. 
A longitudinal study in Wisconsin illustrated that positive social 
relationships are good medicine. Social medicine lightens allostatic 
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load, despite stressors such as adverse economic conditions. In 
contrast, those who did not receive adequate social medicine 
early — that is, they had to deal with abuse or neglect — experienced 
ongoing heavier allostatic load. 
Social medicine is good for the brain as you age. Your brain needs 
an enriched environment in which to thrive as you age, and there 
is no better way to provide both emotional comfort and cognitive 
stimulation than with multifaceted relationships. In support of this 
fact, the MacArthur Study on Successful Aging found that emo-
tional support was the best predictor of better cognitive functioning 
at a seven - and - a - half - year follow - up. 
An aging study in Taiwan found that men between the ages of fi fty -
four and seventy who had had a spouse for at least six to eight years 
before the study had a lighter allostatic load than men who were single 
at the time. In both men and women ages seventy - one and older, those 
with close ties to friends or neighbors had a lighter allostatic load. 
Elderly people who have a supportive and an engaging social life 
have been reported to have better cognitive abilities after seven 
years of follow - up than people who were socially isolated did. Social 
support has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on people 
who are suffering from various medical conditions or mental health 
problems. Empathy and social support are simply good for your 
brain, which has been built and rebuilt through relationships. Social 
medicine is brain medicine.
Wisdom 
Aging can and often does result in gaining wisdom. A lifetime of 
experience can broaden your perspective so that you appreciate the 
complexity and interrelationships of things. 
Some brain changes that occur during aging can make you wiser. 
There is good reason for regarding the village elders in many socie-
ties as the wise ones in their communities. Gaining wisdom is more 
than knowing all the ins and outs of society ’ s traditions and beliefs. 
Wisdom involves being able to see the larger picture. 
Neuroscience has illustrated how wisdom occurs and develops. 
As you move into your sixties and seventies, the balance between 
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the amygdala and the OFC shifts to the OFC, especially when you 
are analyzing facial expressions. This shift is due not to the declining 
activity of the amygdala but rather to the maturation of the OFC, 
which helps to inhibit emotional impulses that can get in the way 
of higher levels of understanding and communicating with others. 
The maturation of the OFC also ushers in the emergence of grasp-
ing the bigger picture. Compared to adolescents, older adults are 
better able to apply their attention to problem - focused strategies 
rather than to emotional strategies. 
There appears to be increasingly
less
asymmetry in the way the 
brain functions as you age. That is, one hemisphere doesn ’ t domi-
nate the other. I emphasize the word
less
, because there are still 
functions that are lateralized (dominated by one hemisphere), such 
as language. However, the functions that were lateralized earlier in 
life become less lateralized — to compensate, perhaps, for potential 
weaknesses or illnesses such as stroke. Like cognitive reserve, less 
asymmetry gives you more fl exibility and potentially more resiliency 
in the face of illness, injury, and the effects of aging. 
There is evidence that higher - functioning older adults show bilat-
eral hemispheric activation. In contrast, lower - functioning older 
adults show greater activation in one hemisphere, and often with 
less effi ciency. Thus, two hemispheres are better than one, espe-
cially as you age. The wider the activation distribution throughout 
your brain, the wider your perspective is and the wiser you can be. 
Many people increase their knowledge and their perspective as 
they age. Your ability to weave a cohesive narrative increases. You 
can make better sense of what happened throughout your life and 
create a coherent story that puts it all together. Your brain undergoes 
neuroplastic changes throughout your later years, so you can appre-
ciate greater complexity in the world and develop a wide - perspective 
narrative. 
You can cultivate wisdom by rewiring your brain through the 
use of the FEED method. The fi rst step is to focus on the bigger 
picture. Next, go beyond your traditionally held beliefs, which will 
recruit new neural connections. Your job is to do this enough until it 
becomes effortless, to rise above your personal needs and grasp your 
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interdependence with others. The brain system for those inclusive 
and compassionate experiences multiplies. By being determined to 
stay with your efforts, you ’ ll make your life richer. 
Compassion for others is an aspect of what we might call
emo-
tional wisdom.
Being open to modifying your beliefs based upon the 
perspective and needs of others cultivates wisdom and rewires your 
brain. In order for you to gain this aspect of wisdom, your actions 
should represent an empathetic and compassionate effort to con-
sider the collective good. Incorporate the crucial insight that we are 
all fallible and that kindness and forgiveness are part of wisdom.
A Sense of Humor 
Wisdom involves a sense of humility and the ability to laugh at 
yourself. As you strive to improve yourself with realistic expecta-
tions, you should not take yourself too seriously. Lighten the load by 
acknowledging your humanity. Humor, especially if it ’ s self - directed, 
is a liberating way to transcend your attachment to the petty details 
that bind you to unrealistic expectations. 
Cultivating a sense of humor is good for the brain and the mind. 
There are several physiological changes that occur, particularly 
in the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and the muscu-
lature. Dopamine and endorphins are released when you experience 
mirth.