x Pr e fa c e
can acquire wisdom by maximizing your brain ’ s capacity to see the
bigger picture and thus make your later years wise ones.
Concepts
from positive psychology, such as optimism and a positive focus on
healthy ambition, offer an antidote to the passive and material focus
that is endemic in contemporary society. In addition, the practice
of compassion and nonattachment provides an antidote to needless
tension and suffering. Since there are
always bumps on the road of
life, resiliency and openness allow you to rewire your brain to be
fl exible and accepting of the rich complexity of life.
In chapter 9 , you ’ ll learn about the calming yet vitalizing role of
attention, your prefrontal cortex, and attitude. The subtle power of
parasympathetic meditation can increase your tolerance of stress
and your sense of peace. You ’ ll learn how to increase your ability to
be mindfully present and to maintain a sense of connectivity with
others and the world you inhabit.
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here is a revolution occurring in brain science.
Not long ago it
was thought that the brain you were born with was the brain you
would die with and that the brain cells you had at birth were the max-
imum number you would ever possess. The brain was thought to be
hardwired to function in predetermined ways. It turns out that this is
not true. The brain is not hardwired; it ’ s “ soft - wired ” by experience.
It has been a common belief that our genes dictate our thoughts,
our emotions, and our behavior. Throughout the 1980s and the
1990s, the press was fi lled with stories on
how genetics predetermine
everything we experience. There were also stories about identical
twins who were raised apart but who nevertheless had the same man-
nerisms or favored the same color. Popular culture saw these stories
as evidence of the power of genetic hardwiring.
Neuroscientifi c research is now telling us that the brain is quite
plastic. The brain you were born with is actually modifi ed by your
experiences throughout your life. Your brain is changing all the time.
In fact, new brain cells can be born. Genes lay out potential and
vulnerabilities, but they do not dictate your thoughts,
your feelings,
1
Firing the Right
Cells Together
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2 Rew i r e
Yo u r
B r a i n
or your behavior. It turns out that behavior is not rigidly determined.
You can even turn genes on or off with your behavior.
Two of my books,
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