Mind Matters

miNdset adviCe

ARE HUMANS DESIGNED TO WORRY?

Brainwave activity in the pre-frontal lobe (“PFL”), which is the most cognitive, rational and ‘human’ part of the brain, can occur in both the left and right sides.

In people with higher incidences of depression, anxiety, stress and pessimism, the neuronal activity is found to be more concentrated on the right side of the PFL. For people who report themselves as happier, more relaxed, calmer and more optimistic, the neuron activity favours the left side. Interestingly, brainwave activity among humans is NOT evenly spread between the left and right sides. As the graph shows, the average human brainwave pattern is skewed to the right, meaning that most humans are by default more pessimistic, risk averse, cautious and a little anxious. So yes, you could say that humans are ‘designed’ to worry.

Why might this be?

Assuming the accuracy of Darwin’s theory of natural selection and evolution, it can be concluded that favouring caution and risk aversion must be a survival boosting trait. (Of course this is just the average brainwave pattern. There are billions of people with more left skewed brains too, and the further you go to the left, the more optimistic and positive those brains are, and the further to the right the more likely you are to find chronic stress, anxiety and depression.)

Why does this matter to me?

Recent discoveries in neuroscience and neuroplasticity (the changes in brain structure which occur based on our thoughts and behaviour) have shown that we can SHIFT our own PFL brain wave pattern over time. If we become more stressed and anxious then our brainwaves shift more to the right, and conversely, if we practice mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and other emotional resilience building activities, our brainwaves shift to the left. Over time, due to neuroplasticity, our neurons become “re-wired” making the changes more permanent, and thus we can literally build a different brain based on what we do and how we live. You might ask why we would want to shift our brainwaves to the left, given the optimal evolutionary position is to be skewed to the right, and the answer is that humans simply do not face the same risks to our lives that we evolved to face, such as frequent wars, illness, childbirth and all-cause infant mortality. In fact, natural selection all but ceased the moment developments in medical science, law and order and the abundance of food reduced the death rate from the above factors, so do we really need to be as risk averse and pessimistic these days? In a world of opportunity, safety and relative prosperity, maybe these natural tendencies could be holding us back more than keeping us safe. To conclude; we are largely stuck with the brains we now have in an ever more complex world, meaning that neuroplastic change is pretty much all we have to hone and enhance our brains. It would therefore be beneficial for humans to engage in activities such as yoga, mindfulness and self care which promote a more resilient, optimistic and happier brain through neuroplastic change.