I orignally wrote and posted this article in 2019. I’m reposting it here on Substack with minor updates and corrections.
Enjoy!
Introduction
In our heads lies the most magnificent feats of creation that has ever existed. Your brain. This small organ generates more electrical circuitry in one day than all the cell phones in the world.
Yet who’s ever told you how to use it? You would think something this powerful would come with instructions.
Nah, not really. Essentially, we gave a newborn the world’s greatest resource and said: “use it.”
But neither here nor there, we have it. Chances are we’ve reached adulthood now, so there’s nothing we can do. We’re stuck with it.
But are we? New science is literally changing everything we know about the brain, and it all starts with the terminology known as Neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity refers to the notion that the brain and its hardwiring can change.
We use our brains to think primarily. But what do we really think about with our brains? Which part of our brain are we thinking with?
Let’s disucss about the three brains in our head.
The Three Parts of the Brain
First, we have the R-complex, aka the reptilian brain. This part of the brain is formed first and controls all automatic reactions, such as breathing, digestion, etc. This part is also over our fight or flight response.
Second, we have our limbic system, our middle brain. This guy is what regulates our feelings and emotions.
Third, we have our neocortex, the new brain on the block. This part of the brain allows us to use reason and logic.
Going back to that instruction manual, at least now, we know the different parts of the brain. That’s step one. Step two is realizing how each piece works.
The First Two Brains (Reptilian and Mammalian)
As mentioned, our r-complex, with fight or flight, keeps us alive. It tells us when to run from danger and controls our reproduction urges. This guy is what has kept the human species alive since our first step on this planet. It’s also the oldest part of the brain.
Seeing how it’s the oldest, it tends to spiral out of control in our modern era. This spiraling is because it’s always looking for danger, threats, etc. When we were running away from wild animals, this was great. But in 2019, we now run away from emails, text messages, relationships, commitments, etc.
That same brain wiring that tells you to fight or flight a saber-tooth tiger is now telling us to fight or flight that guy who just cut in front of you in traffic.
As we move higher up the brain, we run into the limbic system. This bad boy right here is responsible for all those emotions we feel. As events happen in our lives, this brain releases chemicals known as neuropeptides, telling our body how to feel about certain things.
Returning to our traffic example, us being cut off in traffic triggers a sense of wrongdoing. “We were just taken advantage of! Gasp! This is bad!” At that moment, those neuropeptides are released, and the body feels angry.
Putting the whole story together, we experience the emotion of anger in our second brain, which triggers us to go into fight or flight. We speed up and cut the guy off, send that angry text, or tell our partner it’s over.
We’ve all made a few of these hasty, emotional choices. As a matter of fact, 90% of our decisions are made between these two brains.
Don’t be alarmed, though.
Remember, you were given humanity’s crowning achievement - the brain - and told to “run with it”, with no clear education, direction or instruction. Trust me; it’s not your fault.
But there’s hope. Right now, we’re piecing together that manual, little by little, and now we learn about the last piece to the puzzle, the new brain—the neocortex.
The Neocortex
The neocortex is known as the thinking brain. Unlike the other two, only humans have this third brain. Reptilians have the r-complex, while mammals have the limbic system, hence why dogs display emotion. But no other species have a neocortex. Here is where all the high-level thinking, reasoning, and rationalization happens. This aspect is what makes us human.
We leave our animal aspects behind by accessing this part of our brain. Unfortunately, as stated earlier, this only occurs 10% of the time - if that at all. Don’t fret; there is hope.
And this hope begins when we understand our brains - which we’re doing in this article - and understand where our thinking methodology comes from.
From our very first steps to those early years of life, we process information daily. Safe to say that we were subconscious during the first six years, just soaking everything in. We hardwired our brains in those years, and as we grew, we added more experiences and memories to them.
As adults, based on our culture, skills, and surroundings, this hardwiring continued into who we are and who we will be in life. It’s darn near predictable.
But thanks to Neuroplasticity, we can change who we want to be. We can change the hardwiring into what we want it to be.
In this Ted Talk regarding the brain, Dr. Joe Dispenza discuss a concept known as metacognition. Metacognition is recognizing, observing our thoughts. By watching our thoughts versus acting on them, we can create new circuits in the brain.
Back to the traffic example, we first think about cutting off the driver. But then, using our human brain, we realize two wrongs don’t make a right. This observation slowly triggers the limbic brain to lower those angry feelings and replaces them with calmness. Next, those fight-or-flight impulses in the body are reduced.
This scenario applies to that text you shouldn’t have sent, that email you shouldn’t have responded too, and many more.
Conclusion
There you have it. In five minutes or less, you have a SparkNotes version of “The Brain Manual.”
However, be warned. Being aware of your thoughts is not going to be an easy task. We live in an age of distractions. From that text to that email, ping here, ping there. We’re moving and running from one event to the next, so it will be hard to monitor your thoughts. If it were easy, then everyone would do it.
But that’s the reality of life, folks. It’s hard work. It’s freaking hard work.
But then again, so is greatness.
With great power, comes great responsibility.
Be great, my friends!
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