JOY TO THE BRAIN: The Neuroscience of Happiness

JOY TO THE BRAIN #10 CENTER

2009-11-03T21:12:00.000-08:00

In this class we learned about the benefits of meditation to our general physical as well as our mental health. Developing the skill to quiet the busy chatter in our minds and to focus our attention at will makes it possible to more easily sort out negative habits of mind and develop more positive states of mind. The home work for this class is to sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your hands resting comfortably on your thighs or lap. You may close your eyes or just relax them without focusing on anythng in particular. Spend 5 minutes (or more if you like) twice a day sitting quietly without interruption and focus on your breathing. Notice the rise and fall of your breath, feel the air as it passes through your nostrils, allow your breath to find its own pace without trying to change it in any way. If thoughts come to mind just let them pass and bring your attention back to your breathing. At the end of the week, notice the effect, if any, this has had on your state of mind.

Please remember to practice writing down three things for which you are grateful or appreciative each day. Thank you for your effort.

JOY TO THE BRAIN # 9 GIVE

2009-11-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

We have learned in class that we are happier when we give to others without consideration of reciprocity. The homework for this class is to give something to someone anonymously and then on another occasion give something to someone without anonymity. The form of the gift can be material or it can take the form of some assistance or support. Take a few minutes to note how you feel after each instance. Notice if there is any difference and if so, what the difference is. We encourage you to post your experience on this blog. Thank you very much for your efforts.

LYRICS TO THE BDNF SONG to the tune of MY FAVORITE THINGS

2009-10-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

Brain derived growth factor, or BDNF
Is a main known factor in brain health, then if
Lots of this growth factor flows in your brain
That's when your neurons get happy again.

Glucose for neurons is breakfast and supper
Even then neurons need some kind of upper
That's where these growth factors play a big role
Keeping your neurons strong, healthy and whole

When the sun sets
When you're a-lone
When you sit...recline
Then all of your growth factor levels go down
And you feel woe and pine.

What are the actions that get factors flowing?
Talking to people and sunlight and rowing
Excercise, learning and mood-happy meds
Make all your growth factors wake from their beds

Here are some more things that get factors churning:
Play does and ECT, loving and learning
These make your growth factor levels go strong
Just like they do when you're learning this song.

When the sun sets
When you're a-lone
When you sit...recline
Then all of your growth factor levels go down
And you feel woe and pine.

Life without factors puts your brain in absentia
Quckly you slip into senile dementia
What neurons must have in order to thrive
Are the growth factors that keep them alive.

When the sun shines
When you're so-cial
When you move a-round
Then all of your growth factor levels go up
And your own joy rebounds!

JOY TO THE BRAIN #8 MOVE

2009-10-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

We have learned that exercise is one of the most cost effective ways to maintain and improve your mental, emotional and physical health. The exercise for this section is simply to exercise 3 times this week for at least 15 minutes and to notice the effect, if any, it has on your body, your outlook on life and your relationships. So let's get out there and move our bodies. Take the stairs. Park your car at the other end of the lot or down the block and walk a little farther than usual.

Also, please remember to continue to write down 3 things for which you felt grateful or appreciative each day.

Thank you for your effort.

JOY TO THE BRAIN #8 LEARN

2009-10-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

The homework for this section is to learn something new. Memorize a song or a new poem. Learn a new dance step. Learn a stitch in knitting. Learn to say something in a foreign language. Do something to make new neural pathways.

Notice the kinds of assumptions you make. These are old ideas or notions in your mind that you may be applying erroneously to new people or situations in your life. See if you can find yourself making assumptions and make a note of it.

MARY OLIVER POEM: SUNRISE

2009-10-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Sunrise

You can
die for it --
an idea,
or the world. People

have done so,
brilliantly,
letting
their small bodies be bound

to the stake,
creating
an unforgettable
fury of light. But

this morning,
climbing the familiar hills
in the familiar
fabric of dawn, I thought

of China,
and India
and Europe, and I thought
how the sun

blazes
for everyone just
so joyfully
as it rises

under the lashes
of my own eyes, and I thought
I am so many!
What is my name?

What is the name
of the deep breath I would take
over and over
for all of us? Call it

whatever you want, it is
happiness, it is another one
of the ways to enter
fire.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(New and Selected Poems, Volume I)

Joy to the Brain #7 DANCE

2009-10-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Your homework for this class is to dance! Find some time to dance every day if you can. Dance around the house to your favorite dance music. Dance with a friend or spouse. Go line dancing.
Try to think of every way you can find to get a little dancing in your life. Then note how it made you feel.

Joy to the Brain Class #7 BELONG

2009-10-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Your homework for this class is to make note of where you feel you belong most easily. Also note where you feel you do not belong. Notice who is included where you belong and who isn't. What do you like about it? Do you notice that you belong more places/groups than you thought or fewer?

joy to the Brain: Class #6: :SING

2009-10-03T16:13:00.002-07:00

Your homework for this class is to sing, from beginning to end, any song you know, and to sing at least one song every day. The shower is an excellent place to start.

joy to the Brain: Class #5: :CONNECT

2009-10-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

If you would like to read more on this topic, you may do so here.

joy to the Brain: Class #4: :PLAY

2009-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

The homework for this class is to engage, every day, in some activity that is play. Remember: play is enjoyed for its own sake, not for the outcome. If you are playing to win, you are not playing; you are competing. If you are playing for money, you are not playing; you are working.
If you are interested in reading more about play, you may enjoy this book: PLAY: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan
You can read more about that book here.

Joy to the Brain: Class #3: :LAUGH

2009-10-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

The homework for this class is to do, every day, something that makes you laugh -- you can read jokes, watch Seinfeld, download funny movies from the web, etc.

JOY to the Brain: Class #2: THANK

2009-10-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Homework for this class: Download the Gratitude/Appreciation Scale and rate yourself.
Keep a daily log for the entire class. Write down 3 things you appreciate or for which you are grateful each day. You can be brief and need not take more than a few minutes each day to reflect on these 3 appreciations.
Please place a gold star by your name on the class attendance sheet for each week that you do the homework every day.
Thank you

Joy to the Brain: Class #1

2009-10-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

In the case of Pleasure Vs. Happiness: Verdict for the Defendant.
No homework for this class.