Or can you?
The story of neuroscience is an optimistic one, to say the least. Especially when it comes to neuroplasticity. The myth that our brain stops developing at a relatively young age and that it will go downhill from then onwards is completely 'busted'.
In his book Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change your Life Michael Merzenich gives us a clear view of the current knowledge and insights into our brain and brings an optimistic story. Even at a very high age we have the capacity to bring new life into our brains. So the old geezer can still learn a trick or two.
But...to make it happen he needs to get off his lazy butt. Truth is, your brain will do nothing (but decline) if you don't do anything to make it work. When you remain idle, you just shut the whole thing down. Your brain thrives when it has to work hard, when new experiences are added, new challenges are faced, new things are learned. It is 'Use it or Lose it"! The easy way is the worst choice you can make when it comes to your brain.
'What everyone should know is that you can actually reverse the process of decline', says Merzenich. And that is exactly the reason why he wrote this book. Even if you have stopped learning and challenging your brain long ago and your brain is 'off' you can still fire up that old engine again. That's the good news.
The most important prerequisite for neuroplasticity is that your brain has to be 'in the mood'. Which means it has to be in the 'learning mode'. Alert, mindful and focused!
If you have to work hard and your efforts pay off it will have a bigger effect on your brain. "Neurons that fire together, wire together", the more you practice mindfully, the larger the effect. Think of how top athletes keep practicing over and over until they get it right. Continuous improvement. Practice makes perfect or 'deliberate practice' that's what is needed to keep your brain healthy and alive.
These insights are very valuable in light of our personal effectiveness, and should be used to make positive adjustments to management practices such as 'talent management' and 'employability'.
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