PRAKASH CHALAGULLA shares his insights and some research findings on being open and staying relaxed while navigating the teenage years. It’s all in the attitude!
Being open is a fundamental personality trait that indicates receptiveness to new information, ideas, and experiences. So that we can retain new knowledge in our memory, related brain changes need to occur. New connections between neurons and synapses are formed in places such as the amygdala, the hippocampus, the cerebellum, and the prefrontal cortex, which are all involved in memory processing. It was once believed that, as we age, the neural networks became more rigid due to insufficient exposure caused by lack of learning. But in the past two decades, research has revealed that the brain never stops changing and adjusting. This capacity of the brain to change with learning is called plasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections. Neuroscientist Eleanor Maguire of University College London conducted a study on London’s taxi drivers. They navigate the smog-filled streets with ease, instantaneously calculating the swiftest route between any two points. In her earliest studies, she discovered that London taxi drivers had more gray matter in their posterior hippocampus (responsible for memory) than people who were similar in age, education, and intelligence, but who did not drive taxis. Although some neural functions appear to be hard-wired, certain neural networks exhibit adaptability and carry out specific functions while also retaining the capacity to deviate from their usual functions and reorganize themselves. Hence, neuroplasticity is generally considered a complex, multifaceted, and fundamental property of the brain.
Neuroplasticity is
considered
a complex, multifaceted, and
fundamental property of the brain.
We have exceptional brain
flexibility
as teenagers.
I feel we have exceptional brain flexibility as teenagers. Personality traits and interactions with family, friends, and the community play a vital role in our holistic development. The studies of adolescent health and well-being also show the importance and impact of such interactions in shaping our resilience, self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of coherence, and level of perception.
Adolescent psychological well-being includes self-acceptance, positive intrapersonal relationships, autonomy, and life satisfaction. It’s important to observe and adjust our attitude as we journey toward adulthood. A major milestone of becoming a teenager is finishing one phase of life, childhood, and entering another. Being independent is paramount. This, in turn, causes a lot of stress and anxiety, and they build up, leading to attitude issues. Relaxing activities like gardening, meditation, reading, drawing, etc., help to de-stress. If we embark on this phase with the right attitude, our life journey will be smoother.
Motivational speaker and author, Zig Ziglar, once said, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” Our mental attitude makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful or ugly. According to the Oxford dictionary, “Attitude can be described as a settled way of thinking or feeling about something or someone.”
Positive thinking fosters
a
positive attitude that
improves self-esteem
and promotes resilience
even in difficult times.
Most successful people, including professional athletes, actors, business people, artists, politicians, and spiritual leaders, attribute their success to one thing – the “power of positive thinking.” Positive thinking fosters a positive attitude that improves self-esteem and promotes resilience even in difficult times.
Research has shown how a regular practice of meditation can relieve stress and anxiety and enhance the state of awareness and concentration level, thus elevating positivity and level-mindedness. One of the most interesting studies in the last few years, carried out at Yale University, found that mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network, the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts – the “monkey mind.” A channelized mind works as an effective and efficient tool for our overall well-being.
We have all been witness to the changes the pandemic has brought throughout the globe. I feel qualities like compassion and empathy are essential for my generation as future leaders to develop an attitude of openness.
References
Openness. Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers: www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/openness.
Rugnetta, M. Neuroplasticity. Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/science/neuroplasticity.
Hoiland, E. Brain Plasticity: What Is It? Learning and Memory. https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html.
Walton, A.G., 2015. 7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain. Forbes Magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/?sh=39c975f14658.
Chou, W., 2018. The Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People. https://willyoulaugh.com/open-minded.
Spring, S., 2015. 6 Keys to an Open Mind. The Good Men Project. https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/six-keys-to-an-open-mind-fiff/.
Cherry, K., 2021. How to Become More Open-Minded. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/be-more-open-minded-4690673.
Gordon, S., 2022. 16-Year-Old Child Development Milestones. Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/16-year-old-developmental-milestones-4171922.
Malinowska-Cieslik, M., J. Mazur, H. Nalecz and A. Malkowska-Szkutnik, 2019. Social and Behavioral Predictors of Adolescents’ Positive Attitude Towards Life and Self. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. MDPI, 11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6888235/.
Jabr, F., 2011. Cache Cab: Taxi Drivers’ Brains Grow to Navigate London’s Streets. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/london-taxi-memory/.
Prakash Chalagulla
