We have heard the old adage – your future is decided by the 5 people you surround yourself with. Our brain’s neural connections are influenced by our interactions, habits and practices. Thus the people we spend most of our time with have an oversized influence on our own brain’s growth patterns. Yale economist Robert Shiller once said, “Your thoughts are not really your own thoughts. They percolate in from other places and from other people.”
Everything you encounter, everything you experience, everything you read or watch, every interaction with your surroundings changes your brain, for worse or for better. The script of our life is written by the associations we keep – things we read, persons we socialize with, shows we watch, places we experience etc.
The driving classes you took as a teenager changed your brain.
The TED conference you attended last year changed your brain.
The TV show that you binged on last month changed your brain.
The piano lesson you struggled with yesterday changed your brain.
The post you are reading now is changing your brain.
The opinionated hosts shouting from the TV and social media influencers peddling their perfect lives are changing your brain. A few more of their brain connections are being mirrored in your brain, one show at a time.
The twentieth century flooded the world with junk food for the body. We are getting better at recognizing and fighting it after many decades of harm.
The twenty-first century is flooding us with junk for the brain that most do not recognize yet. It’s time to be more thoughtful about what we choose to feed our brains. What we consume decides the quality of thoughts and ideas we generate.
